Ngaio Marsh was a New Zealand-born mystery writer who wrote over 30 novels and several plays. She is best known for her detective fiction featuring the character Inspector Roderick Alleyn. Marsh was one of the 'Queens of Crime' alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966 for her services to literature.