Mysteries in Monochrome: Exploring the Enchanting World of E.C.R. Lorac

Edith Caroline Rivett, known by the pseudonyms E. C. R. Lorac, Carol Carnac, and Mary Le Bourne, was a British crime writer who made significant contributions during the golden age of detective fiction.

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About E.C.R. Lorac

Born on May 6, 1894, in Hendon, Middlesex, England, she was the youngest daughter of Harry and Beatrice Rivett. In 1898, the family emigrated to Australia for warm weather to treat Harry Rivett’s tuberculosis. However, the treatment was unsuccessful, and the family returned to London in 1900, where Harry Rivett died during the voyage.

Edith attended South Hampstead High School and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. She continued as a craft practitioner throughout her life, with her work including embroidery and calligraphy that has been on display at Westminster Abbey.

She published her first detective novel, The Murder on the Burrows, in 1931, introducing her detective Macdonald. Over her career, she wrote forty-eight mysteries under the pen name E.C.R. Lorac and twenty-three under the name Carol Carnac. Her work is highly collectable, with first editions in the attractive dust jackets of the period now changing hands for thousands of pounds.

She was equally at home with urban and rural settings. Her early books include Murder in St John’s Wood and Murder in Chelsea, while two other books set in London, Bats in the Belfry and the war-time mystery Murder by Matchlight are also well-known.

Edith passed away on July 2, 1958.

Bibliography

Writing as E.C.R. Lorac

Robert Macdonald Series

Also see: Series in Order: Robert MacDonald by E.C.R. Lorac

  1. The Murder on the Burrows (1931)
  2. The Affair on Thor’s Head (1932)
  3. The Greenwell Mystery (1932)
  4. Death on the Oxford Road (1933)
  5. The Case of Colonel Marchand (1933)
  6. Murder in St. John’s Wood (1934)
  7. Murder in Chelsea (1934)
  8. The Organ Speaks (1935)
  9. Crime Counter Crime (1936)
  10. A Pall for a Painter (1936)
  11. Post After Post-Mortem (1936)
  12. These Names Make Clues (1937)
  13. Bats in the Belfry (1937)
  14. The Devil and the C.I.D. (1938)
  15. Slippery Staircase (1938)
  16. Black Beadle (1939)
  17. John Brown’s Body (1939)
  18. Tryst for a Tragedy (1940)
  19. Death at Dyke’s Corner (1940)
  20. Case in the Clinic (1941)
  21. Rope’s End Rogue’s End (1942)
  22. The Sixteenth Stair (1942)
  23. Death Came Softly (1943)
  24. Fell Murder (1944)
  25. Checkmate to Murder (1944)
  26. Murder by Matchlight (1945)
  27. Fire in the Thatch (1946)
  28. Murderer’s Mistake / The Theft of the Iron Dogs (1946)
  29. Relative to Poison (1947)
  30. Death Before Dinner / A Screen for Murder (1948)
  31. Part for a Poisoner (1948)
  32. Still Waters (1949)
  33. Policeman in the Precinct / And Then Put Out the Light (1949)
  34. Accident By Design (1950)
  35. I Could Murder Her / Murder of a Martinet (1951)
  36. The Dog It Was That Died (1952)
  37. Murder in the Mill-Race / Speak Justly of the Dead (1952)
  38. Crook O’Lune / Shepherd’s Crook (1953)
  39. Let Well Alone (1954)
  40. Shroud of Darkness (1954)
  41. Ask a Policeman (1955)
  42. Murder in Vienna (1956)
  43. Dangerous Domicile (1957)
  44. Picture of Death (1957)
  45. Murder On a Monument (1958)
  46. The Last Escape / Dishonour Among Thieves (1959)

Writing as Carol Carnac

Ryvet Series

Also see: Series in Order: Ryvet by Carol Carnac

  1. Triple Death (1936)
  2. Murder at Mornington (1937)
  3. The Missing Rope (1937)
  4. The Case of the First-Class Carriage (1939)
  5. When the Devil Was Sick (1939)
  6. Death in the Diving Pool (1940)

Julian Rivers Series

Also see: Series in Order: Julian Rivers by Carol Carnac

  1. A Double for Detection (1945)
  2. The Striped Suitcase (1946)
  3. Clue Sinister (1947)
  4. Over the Garden Wall (1948)
  5. Copy for Crime (1950)
  6. Upstairs, downstairs (1950)
  7. It’s Her Own Funeral (1951)
  8. Crossed Skis (1952)
  9. A Policeman At the Door (1953)
  10. Murder As a Fine Art (1953)
  11. Impact of Evidence (1954)
  12. Murder Among Members (1955)
  13. Rigging the Evidence (1955)
  14. The Double Turn / The Late Miss Trimming (1956)
  15. Long Shadows / Affair at Helen’s Court (1958)

Writing as Mary Le Bourne

Two-Way Murder (2021)

Writing as Carol Rivett

  • Outer Circle (1939)
  • A Time Remembered (1940)
  • Island Spell (1951)

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