#robert macdonald

A review of Death at Dyke’s Corner by E C R Lorac – 260104 The nineteenth book in Lorac’s Robert Macdonald series, Death at Dyke’s Corner, originally published in 1940 has a dramatic opening and an explosive finale. Often her books are tranquil, idylls to the beauty of the British countryside where murder has the audacity to intrude, but there is quite a different atmosphere about this book. It…

A review of Black Beadle by E C R Lorac – 241105 It is always a delight when a new reissue of a novel by Edith Caroline Rivett under her nom de plume of E C R Lorac pops up on my recommendation list on the Kindle. Black Beadle, originally published in 1939, is the sixteenth in her Robert Macdonald series and it deals with a subject that was high on the agenda at the time and has contemporary…

Originally published in 1941 and the twentieth in Lorac’s Robert Macdonald, this is one of those cheap but welcome reissues that seem to appear out of nowhere in the Kindle repository, having been rereleased in 2023. For the Lorac aficionado, these are gems to be savoured wherever they have come from. In truth, this is an average murder mystery story, the first half far better than the second…

A review of Shroud of Darkness by E C R Lorac – 240318 The fortieth in Lorac’s long-running Robert Macdonald series, originally published in 1954, is as much a thriller as a murder mystery with a tale that involves the settling of scores that have lingered on from the Second World War. Sarah Dillon is travelling by train from Exeter to Paddington and is enjoying the company of a young man,…

An excellent Robert Macdonald story from E R C Lorac, reissued by @BL_publishing #CrimeFiction #amreading

A review of Fire in the Thatch by ECR Lorac – 230411 Edith Caroline Rivett, who wrote under the nom de plume of E C R Lorac, is one of my favourite Golden Age detective writers. More of her works are being rescued from obscurity, although some of the versions that are available on Kindle are often full of annoying typos. Fortunately, the inestimable British Library Crime Classics series is doing…

A late Robert Macdonald novel from E C R Lorac which gives a fascinating insight into 1950s air travel and #Vienna #CrimeFiction #amreading

A review of Murder in Vienna by E C R Lorac – 230313 The last time I was in Vienna, the city centre was knee deep in snow which made an enchanting backdrop to the stunning architecture that graces the Austrian capital. One of Lorac’s strengths as a writer is her sense of place, her ability to convey an impression of the grandeur of the buildings, the delightful expanses of the parks in a few…

This gripping tale is the first ECR Lorac reissue of 2023. With grateful thanks to @BL_Publishing #CrimeFiction #amreading

A review of Death of an Author by E C R Lorac – 230209 A new reissue of one of ECR Lorac’s rarest books is a moment to celebrate, especially as it comes with the imprimatur of quality in production as part of the excellent British Library Crime Classics series. Originally published in 1935, it has been out of print for decades but given the renaissance in the author’s popularity, it is a timely…

A gentle murder in the pastoral English countryside, this piece of #CrimeFiction reverberates with Lorac's appreciation of nature and her surroundings #amreading

A review of Death Came Softly by E C R Lorac One of the many things to admire about a Lorac murder mystery is her deep sense and love of the countryside. Death Came Softly, the twenty-third in her Robert Macdonald series, originally published in 1943, is set in the depths of Devon. Eve Merrion, after the death of her husband, has decided to rent a large Italianate house, Valehead House, replete…