London. 1945. The capital is shrouded in the darkness of the blackout, and mystery abounds in the parks after dusk. During a stroll through Regents 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. Includes the Lorac short story 'Permanent Policeman'

Murder By Matchlight

Literature & Fiction

Lorac, E.C.R.

Genre Fiction

British Library Publishing

Two-Way Murder

Classics

Soundings Audio Books

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.

Ulverscroft Special Collection

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder
"The intricacies of the characters' relationships and the trove of secrets Scotland Yard Inspector Macdonald uncovers make for riveting reading." ―Booklist
Bruce Attleton dazzled London's literary scene with his first two novels―but his early promise did not bear fruit. His wife Sybilla is a glittering actress, unforgiving of Bruce's failure, and the couple lead separate lives in their house at Regent's Park.
When Bruce is called away on a sudden trip to Paris, he vanishes completely―until his suitcase and passport are found in a sinister artist's studio, the Belfry, in a crumbling house in Notting Hill. Inspector Macdonald must uncover Bruce's secrets, and find out the identity of his mysterious blackmailer.
This intricate mystery from a classic writer is set in a superbly evoked London of the 1930s.

Bats in the Belfry: A London Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

United States

Poisoned Pen Press

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder
"Readers will enjoy watching the conflicts that arise between the wary country folk and the cocktail-drinking Londoners invading their habitat. In sum, this is jolly good fun." ―Publishers Weekly
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.

Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

British & Irish

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder
"A terrifically atmospheric puzzler...the ending is a stunner...like the best Golden Age crime fiction." ―Booklist STARRED review
'"A man who played about on the fringes of the Black Market, who had fought for Sinn Fein, who lived by his wits―and who finally became dangerous to somebody and was knocked over the head in the blackout. It may prove to be a sordid story, but I certainly find it an interesting one."'
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.

Murder by Matchlight: A Traditional Detective Mystery (A British Library Crime Classic) (British Library Crime Classics)

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder"Never make trouble in the village" is an unspoken law, but it's a binding law. You may know about your neighbor's sins and shortcomings, but you must never name them aloud. It'd make trouble, and small societies want to avoid trouble."When Dr Raymond Ferens moves to a practice at Milham in the Moor in North Devon, he and his wife are enchanted with the beautiful hilltop village lying so close to moor and sky. At first, they see only its charm, but soon they begin to uncover its secrets--envy, hatred, and malice.Everyone says that Sister Monica, warden of a children's home, is a saint--but is she? A few months after the Ferens' arrival her body is found drowned in the mill-race. Chief Inspector Macdonald faces one of his most difficult cases in a village determined not to betray its dark secrets to a stranger.

Murder in the Mill-Race: A Historical Whodunit (British Library Crime Classics)

"[An] excellent fair-play mystery...this British Library Crime Classic more than deserves that status."--Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review On a dismally foggy night in Hampstead, London, a curious party has gathered in an artist's studio to weather the wartime blackout. As World War II takes its toll around them, 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. When the brutal murder of said miser is discovered by his 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 man in his hands. In the search for the culprit, Macdonald and his team of detectives must figure out if one of the members of the studio party is somehow involved in the death, or if some other scurrilous neighbour could be responsible. The British Library of Crime Classics is pleased to revive this clever, classic mystery for amateur sleuths and fans of British historical fiction.

Checkmate to Murder: A Second World War Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder 
It is a dark and misty night―isn't it always?―and bachelors Nicholas and Ian are driving to the ball at Fordings, a beautiful concert hall in the countryside. There waits the charming Dilys Maine, and a party buzzing with rumours of one Rosemary Reeve who disappeared on the eve of this event the previous year, not found to this day. With thoughts of mysterious case ringing in their ears, Dilys and Nicholas strike a stranger on the drive back home, launching a new investigation and unwittingly reviving the search for what really became of Rosemary Reeve. 
Written 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. 
Crime fiction lovers can't miss the classic golden age mysteries published in the acclaimed British Crime Classics series! 
"[An] excellent fair-play mystery...this British Library Crime Classic more than deserves that status."―Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review, for Checkmate to Murder, another excellent entry in the acclaimed British Crime Classics mystery series

Two-Way Murder (British Library Crime Classics)

E. C. R. Lorac spins a twisting tale full of wry humor and red herrings, poking some fun at her contemporary reviewers, who long suspected the Lorac pseudonym to belong to a male author. Vivian Lestrange--celebrated author of the popular mystery novel The Charterhouse Case and total recluse--has apparently dropped off the face of the Earth. After he was reported missing by his secretary Eleanor, whom Inspector Bond suspects to be the author herself, crime and murder are afoot when Lestrange's housekeeper is also found to have disappeared. Bond and Warner of Scotland Yard set to work to investigate a murder with no body and a potentially fictional victim. With copies of the first and only edition incredibly rare today, Death of an Author returns to print for the first time since 1935. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger and Edgar® Award-winning author Martin Edwards.

Death of an Author (British Library Crime Classics)

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

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Books by Lorac, E.C.R.

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Murder By Matchlight

Two-Way Murder

Murder By Matchlight

Bats in the Belfry: A London Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

Murder by Matchlight: A Traditional Detective Mystery (A British Library Crime Classic) (British Library Crime Classics)

Murder in the Mill-Race: A Historical Whodunit (British Library Crime Classics)

Checkmate to Murder: A Second World War Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

Two-Way Murder (British Library Crime Classics)

Death of an Author (British Library Crime Classics)