Fire in the thatch A Devon mystery

E. C. R. Lorac, 1894-1958

Book - 2018

"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 motiv...e for murder."--Provided by publisher.

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Subjects
Genres
Detective and mystery fiction
Historical fiction
Mystery fiction
Published
Scottsdale, Arizona : Poisoned Pen Press in association with the British Library 2018.
Language
English
Main Author
E. C. R. Lorac, 1894-1958 (author)
Edition
First edition, First US trade paperback edition
Item Description
"Originally published in 1946 by Collins"--Title page verso.
Physical Description
244 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN
9781464209673
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Lorac (1894-1958) lovingly portrays the lush Devon countryside in this satisfying entry in the British Crime Classics series, originally published in 1946 and featuring observant and dogged Chief Insp. Robert Macdonald of Scotland Yard. Into this idyllic world strides Nicholas Vaughan, a strapping young man who has been invalided out of the Royal Navy toward the end of WWII. He rents a derelict cottage and its surrounding orchards from wealthy landowner Colonel St. Cyres with the intention of earning a living off the land. A few months later, the house is destroyed by fire, with its occupant inside; Macdonald arrives to investigate. Lorac (the pen name of Edith Caroline Rivett) liberally sprinkles the narrative with red herrings and fairly presents all the potential clues. 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. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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