{"title":"Books by E.C.R. Lorac","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780712354677","title":"Death of an Author","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘I hate murders and I hate murderers, but I must admit that the discovery of a bearded corpse would give a fillip to my jaded mind.’ \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVivian Lestrange – celebrated author of the popular mystery novel \u003ci\u003eThe Charterhouse Case \u003c\/i\u003eand total recluse – has apparently dropped off the face of the Earth. Reported missing by his secretary Eleanor, whom Inspector Bond suspects to be the author herself, it appears that crime and murder is afoot when Lestrange’s housekeeper is also found to have disappeared.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBond and Warner of Scotland Yard set to work to investigate a murder with no body and a potentially fictional victim, as E C R Lorac spins a twisting tale full of wry humour and red herrings, poking some fun at her contemporary reviewers who long suspected the Lorac pseudonym to belong to a man (since a woman could apparently not have written mysteries the way that she did).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIncredibly rare today, this mystery returns to print for the first time since 1935.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128872665266,"sku":"9780712354677","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712354677.jpg?v=1786014852"},{"product_id":"9780712354868","title":"Crook o' Lune","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt all began with sheep-stealing. A hateful act among the shepherds of the fells, and yet not a matter of life and death. Then came arson and with the leaping of the flames, death and disorder reached the peaceful moors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHolidaying with his friends the Hoggetts in High Gimmerdale while on a trip to find some farmland for his retirement, Robert Macdonald agrees to help in investigating the identity of the sheep-stealers, before being dragged into a case requiring his full experience as Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on her own experience living in Lunesdale, Lorac spins a tale portraying the natural beauty, cosy quiet and more brutal elements of country living in this classic rural mystery first published in 1953.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201822752946,"sku":"9780712354868","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712354868_b38d55fb-0261-4305-83c2-9691adf344ec.jpg?v=1786014871"},{"product_id":"9780712352604","title":"Fire in the Thatch","description":"The Second World War is drawing to a close. Nicholas Vaughan, released from the army after an accident, takes refuge in Devon - renting a thatched cottage in the beautiful countryside at Mallory Fitzjohn. Vaughan sets to work farming the land, rearing geese and renovating the cottage. Hard work and rural peace seem to make this a happy bachelor life. On a nearby farm lives the bored, flirtatious June St Cyres, an exile from London while her husband is a Japanese POW. June's presence attracts fashionable visitors of dubious character, and threatens to spoil Vaughan's Prized seclusion. When Little Thatch is destroyed in a blaze, all Vaughan's work goes up in smoke - and Inspector Macdonald is drafted in to uncover a motive for murder.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204045963442,"sku":"9780712352604","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712352604_adc4f6b2-8833-42bb-a9eb-b88e12e1db19.jpg?v=1786014707"},{"product_id":"9780712353311","title":"Crossed Skis","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn London's Bloomsbury, Inspector Julian Rivers of Scotland Yard looks down at a dismal scene. Here is the victim, burnt to a crisp. Here are the clues - clues which point to a good climber and expert skier, and which lead Rivers to the piercing sunshine and sparkling snow of the Austrian Alps. Yet there is something sinister beneath the heady joys of the slopes, and Rivers is soon confronted by a merry group of suspects, and a long list of reasons not to trust each of them. For the mountains can be a dangerous, changeable place, and it can be lonely out between the pines of the slopes... As with each of the novels published under E C R Lorac in the Crime Classics series, the author's sense of place is beautifully realised in all its breathtaking freshness, and she does not miss opportunities; there may be at least one high-stakes ski-chase before this chilling mystery can be put to rest.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204047732914,"sku":"9780712353311","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712353311_50555048-a09e-43a8-a727-0701b2172bed.jpg?v=1786014748"},{"product_id":"9780712354639","title":"The Theft of the Iron Dogs","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eE.C.R. Lorac must be seriously considered for the position of leading writer of classic detective stories.’ – Birmingham Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile hot on the heels of serial coupon-racketeer Gordon Ginner, Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard receives word of a peculiar incident up in Lancashire – the fishing cottage of a local farmer has been broken into, with an assortment of seemingly random items missing which include a reel of salmon line, a large sack and two iron dogs (or andirons) from his fireplace. This incident becomes all the more enticing to MacDonald when a body washes up on the banks of the River Lune not far from the cottage in question; the body of Gordon Ginner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1946 and set in the fell country of Lunesdale over the course of a rainy September, The Theft of the Iron Dogs is the very picture of a cosy crime mystery and showcases Lorac’s masterful attention to detail and deep affection for both Lunesdale and its residents.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204116480178,"sku":"9780712354639","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712354639.jpg?v=1786014848"},{"product_id":"9780712353526","title":"Checkmate to Murder","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn a dismally foggy night in Hampstead, London, a curious party has gathered in an artist’s studio to weather the wartime blackout. A civil servant and a government scientist are matching wits in a game of chess, while an artist paints the portrait of his characterful sitter, bedecked in Cardinal’s robes at the other end of the room. In the kitchen, the artist’s sister is hosting the charlady of the miser next door.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the brutal murder of said miser is discovered by his Canadian infantryman nephew, it’s not long before Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard is at the scene, faced with perplexing alibis and with the fate of the young soldier in his hands.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206072565938,"sku":"9780712353526","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712353526.jpg?v=1786014761"},{"product_id":"9780712353830","title":"Two-Way Murder","description":"\u003cp\u003eA lost novel from the golden age of crime, published for the very first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt happened on a dark and misty night; the night of the ball at The Prince’s Hall, Fordings. Abuzz with rumours surrounding the disappearance of Rosemary Reeve on the eve of last year’s ball, the date proves ill-fated again when two homebound partygoers, Nick and Dilys, come to a swerving halt before a corpse on the road.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArriving at the scene to the news that Nick has been attacked after telephoning for the police, Inspector Turner suspects there may be more to the case than deadly accident. It’s not long before Waring of the local C.I.D. is drawn into the investigation, faced with the task of unravelling an increasingly tangled knot of misleading alibis and deep-rooted local grievances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten in the last years of the author’s life, this previously unpublished novel is a tribute to Lorac’s enduring skill for constructing an ingenious puzzle, replete with memorable characters and gripping detective work. This edition also includes an introduction by the CWA Diamond Dagger Award-winning author Martin Edwards.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206072697010,"sku":"9780712353830","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712353830_5e9d13c5-01d9-4160-a73a-a229e880055c.jpg?v=1786014783"},{"product_id":"9780712353847","title":"These Names Make Clues","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘Should detectives go to parties? Was it consistent with the dignity of the Yard? The inspector tossed for it—and went.’\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChief Inspector Macdonald has been invited to a treasure hunt party at the house of Graham Coombe, the celebrated publisher of \u003ci\u003eMurder by Mesmerism\u003c\/i\u003e. Despite a handful of misgivings, the inspector joins a guestlist of novelists and thriller writers disguised on the night under literary pseudonyms. The fun comes to an abrupt end, however, when ‘Samuel Pepys’ is found dead in the telephone room in bizarre circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmidst the confusion of too many fake names, clues, ciphers and convoluted alibis, Macdonald and his allies in the CID must unravel a truly tangled case in this metafictional masterpiece, which returns to print for the first time since its publication in 1937.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206072729778,"sku":"9780712353847","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712353847_a10af23e-e594-4a66-bcf3-a9537e526521.jpg?v=1786014784"},{"product_id":"9780712352222","title":"Murder by Matchlight","description":"London. 1945. The capital is shrouded in the darkness of the blackout, and mystery abounds in the parks after dusk. During a stroll through Regent's Park, Bruce Mallaig witnesses two men acting suspiciously around a footbridge. In a matter of moments, one of them has been murdered; Mallaig's view of the assailant but a brief glimpse of a ghastly face in the glow of a struck match. The murderer's noiseless approach and escape seems to defy all logic, and even the victim's identity is quickly thrown into uncertainty. Lorac's shrewd yet personable C.I.D. man MacDonald must set to work once again to unravel this near-impossible mystery.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294594576757,"sku":"9780712352222","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712352222_0f877afa-1f81-46e8-9f0b-2ead43480e11.jpg?v=1786014687"},{"product_id":"9780712355179","title":"Murder as a Fine Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe newly formed Ministry of Fine Arts has a staffing problem - one minister dead within six months of its inception, his successor snuffed out shortly before the General Election. When a third victim, Permanent Secretary Edwin Pompfret is fatally crushed by the fall of a giant bust, Inspector Julian Rivers is drawn into a case of murder of artistic devilment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Her best yet. A classic story with well concealed and ingenious clues, sufficiently difficult to leave us properly surprised by both murderer and method.” – \u003cem\u003eSpectator\u003c\/em\u003e, 1953\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296602698101,"sku":"9780712355179","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712355179_b6afba43-bf74-4535-bb61-3b872fa0c12b.jpg?v=1786014895"},{"product_id":"9780712355612","title":"Murder in Vienna","description":"\u003cp\u003e*After all, under its gaiety and brilliance Vienna has always been a centre of intrigue. *\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distinguished industrialist, the fair girl and the aggressive young man – although Superintendent McDonald tried to avoid studying his fellow-passengers, he simply couldn’t help it. For him, it was difficult to adjust to being on holiday. He turned away deliberately. These people weren’t his problem, he was on holiday – or so he thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the enchanting background of post war Vienna, with its beautiful palaces and gardens, its disenchanted residents and scars of war, E.C.R. Lorac constructs a characteristic detective story, sure to puzzle and excite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis exceedingly rare mystery, first published in 1956, makes its triumphant return to print for the first time since its original appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1956, this classic mystery leaps out of rarity to join the British Library Crime Classics series. Inspector McDonald ventures abroad into Ally occupied Vienna on this busman’s holiday.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296636383605,"sku":"9780712355612","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712355612_1952f76e-127e-483f-a933-5633290c6e4b.jpg?v=1786014935"},{"product_id":"9780712352048","title":"Fell Murder","description":"First published in 1944 Fell Murder sees E.C.R. Lorac at the height of her considerable powers as a purveyor of well-made, traditional and emphatic detective fiction. The book presents a fascinating `return of the prodigal’ mystery set in the later stages of the Second World War amidst the close-knit farmerfolk community of Lancashire’s lovely Lune valley. The Garths had farmed their fertile acres for generations and fine land it was with the towering hills of the Lake Country on the far horizon. Garthmere Hall itself was old before Flodden Field, and here hot-tempered Robert Garth, still hale and hearty at eighty-two, ruled his household with a rod of iron. The peaceful dales and fells of the north country provide the setting for this grim story of a murder, a setting in fact which is one of the attractive features of an unusual and distinctive tale of evil passions and murderous hate in a small rural community.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296666169717,"sku":"9780712352048","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712352048_e78cdac1-7abd-4961-9c8f-089b7d5d5167.jpg?v=1786014680"},{"product_id":"9780712355346","title":"Still Waters","description":"\u003cp\u003eTrouble is brewing once more for the Hoggetts and their friend Chief Inspector Macdonald in Lunesdale, deep in the Lancashire fell country. The treacherous slopes and still waters of a quarry pool have become the backdrop for strange happenings by night, and after an architect surveying the area is nearly hoisted into the cold waters by an unseen assailant, the suspicions of local farmers become a matter for the CID. Lorac’s authentic writing of the Lunesdale countryside is paired with a twisting plot in this classic of lake district crime fiction, first published in 1949.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368139075957,"sku":"9780712355346","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780712355346_b911d400-2710-4624-b795-a44603e319c8.jpg?v=1786014911"},{"product_id":"9780712369008","title":"The Double Turn","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt Firenze, the reclusive artist Adrian Delafield’s Florentine enclave in St John’s Wood, the whispers of an impending tragedy are growing louder. The tension between the fanatical zealot of a housekeeper Miss Trimming and Delafield’s sister Virgilia is just shy of fever pitch, when a cold morning at the house finds Trimming and Adrian sprawled at either end of the staircase – upstairs, an injury; downstairs, death.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe windows and doors were all locked from the inside, and yet Inspector Julian Rivers, trained to see the malice behind deadly accident, suspects that a murderer had a hand in the fell deed. But if this is true, Rivers is faced with both the inexplicable puzzle of motive, and the task of untangling an impossible crime in Carnac’s compelling and twisting 1956 mystery exploring the demands of kinship, art-world secrets and religious mania.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368139633013,"sku":"9780712369008","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-ecr-lorac.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}