Death at the Bar
Encyclopedia
Death at the Bar is a 1940 novel by Ngaio Marsh
which was adapted for television in 1993 as part of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. The episode was directed by Michael Winterbottom
and starred Patrick Malahide
as Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn
. The title is a pun on the legal term the bar
, and the public house
in which much of the story takes place. It is set in the late 1930s.
Luke Watchman, a top London
barrister
and King's Counsel dies while on his annual holiday in Devon
, after a freak accident in which he was struck in the finger by a dart
while taking part in a game with his friends. Examination of the body shows that he died of potassium cyanide
poisoning, and traces of cyanide are found on the dart. However, the dart was a new one just out of the packet, and the witnesses all agree that Robert Legge, the man who threw it, had no opportunity to put cyanide on the dart.
Alleyn is sent down from London to investigate. He soon deduces that at the heart of the case is a trial which took place nearly ten years before. The two defendants were Lord Bryonie and Montague Thringle, and Watchman had defended Bryonie and put the majority of the blame on Thringle. Analysis of Legge's fingerprints reveals that he is Thringle. Alleyn eventually concludes that it was not the dart that had killed Watchman, but the iodine that had been used to treat the wound shortly afterwards, and that Legge was guilty, because only he could have known that the dart would wound Watchman.
Ngaio Marsh
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
which was adapted for television in 1993 as part of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. The episode was directed by Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...
and starred Patrick Malahide
Patrick Malahide
Patrick Malahide is a British actor, who has played many major film and television roles.-Personal life:Malahide, real name Patrick Gerald Duggan, was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of Irish immigrants, a cook mother and a school secretary father...
as Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn
Roderick Alleyn
Roderick Alleyn is a fictional character who first appeared in 1934. He is the policeman hero of the 32 detective novels of Ngaio Marsh. Marsh and her gentleman detective belong firmly in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, although the last Alleyn novel, Light Thickens, was published as late as...
. The title is a pun on the legal term the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
, and the public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in which much of the story takes place. It is set in the late 1930s.
Luke Watchman, a top London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and King's Counsel dies while on his annual holiday in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, after a freak accident in which he was struck in the finger by a dart
Dart (missile)
Darts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. They can be distinguished from javelins by fletching and a shaft that is shorter and/or more flexible, and from arrows by the fact that they are not of the right length to use with a normal...
while taking part in a game with his friends. Examination of the body shows that he died of potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline compound, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and...
poisoning, and traces of cyanide are found on the dart. However, the dart was a new one just out of the packet, and the witnesses all agree that Robert Legge, the man who threw it, had no opportunity to put cyanide on the dart.
Alleyn is sent down from London to investigate. He soon deduces that at the heart of the case is a trial which took place nearly ten years before. The two defendants were Lord Bryonie and Montague Thringle, and Watchman had defended Bryonie and put the majority of the blame on Thringle. Analysis of Legge's fingerprints reveals that he is Thringle. Alleyn eventually concludes that it was not the dart that had killed Watchman, but the iodine that had been used to treat the wound shortly afterwards, and that Legge was guilty, because only he could have known that the dart would wound Watchman.