Murder by Matchlight (Dover Mystery Classics) (British Library Crime Classics)

by E C R Lorac

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.

• ISBN10: 0860250970
• ISBN13: 9780860250975
• Publish Date: 18 February 1977
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 October 2003
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Ian Henry Publications Ltd
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Murder by Matchlight is a reformat and re-release of a golden age British murder mystery by E.C.R. Lorac. First released in 1945, this edition from Poisoned Pen Press was released 5th March 2019. It's 264 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. This book is one of the books in the British Library Crime Classics series and it's really nice to see these gems being brought back into print and presented to new readers.

As the others in the series, there is an introduction by mystery history maven Martin Edwards. As engaging as these classic mysteries have been, I have also looked forward in equal measure to Mr. Edwards' insightful commentary.

This mystery may well be my favorite by this author. It's cleverly constructed and written in a classic format. The murder victim is a widely despised "ne'er-do-well". The clues (and red herrings) are presented by the rules and the plotting, dialogue, and denouement are satisfying. The murder takes place during a London blackout during WW2 and the sense of place and atmosphere are palpable. The author makes some interesting points about the murder of one despicable man against the backdrop of WW2 and the blitz.

This is a relatively short novel and this edition also includes a short story from 1953, "Permanent Policeman" which is well plotted and also enjoyable.

Nicely diverting worthy mysteries. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.