Author Series Roderick Alleyn Publisher Collins Crime Club | Language English Genre Detective fiction Publication date 1957 | |
Off with His Head is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the nineteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1957.
The plot concerns a village festival in the English countryside, and features folkloric elements such as Morris dancing and Mummers play. It is set around a particular version of the Guiser play / Sword Dance, the fictional "Dance of the Five Sons", performed on the "Sword Wednesday" of the Winter Solistice. The characters used in that dance are describes in great detail, in particular "The Fool", "The Hobbyhorse" "and "The teaser" (called "Betty").
The novel was published as Death of a Fool in the United States, a reference to the fact that the murder victim is playing the Fool in the festival.
The novel is classed as a locked room mystery.