The writing in this is 50's Hollywood clever ("...entreated him earnestly to do his best for his patient. 'All right, we will, since you make such a point of it,' retorted the
surgeon. 'We generally kill ’em in the lift, to save trouble, especially when we’re over full...'"), and it's as quick and clever as could be wanted. It's kind of wonderful to have almost the whole ouevre of a new-to-me Golden Age mystery writer still in front of me.

The mystery is set in 1930's England, with all the trappings of the era. The tale has the flavor of a Christie whodunnit, and a cast of characters, many with motives, to make one wonder who the real murderer is. When a friend goes missing, the Scotland Yard is called in and the investigation is led by Inspector MacDonald, who is very clever but at times is mystified himself.
The cast includes: the missing friend, Bruce Attleton, a once successful author but now a has-been, is living off the wealth of his famous actress wife Sybilla. They have fallen out of love and are looking in other directions for affection. Elizabeth, Bruce's minor ward, doesn't particularly care for him as he won't allow her to marry Robert Grenville until she has seen some of the world and is able to decide what she really wants. His wife Sybilla doesn't happen to like Elizabeth too much either-- so not a very harmonious home. Robert Grenville, who must cool his jets regarding Elizabeth, his true love, and is frustrated by not being able to make the relationship with Elizabeth more serious, and except for that appears to like Bruce, but who's is to say? After all, lip service is cheap. Next we meet Neil Rockingham, a long- time friend of Bruce's, who alerts Robert Grenville to Bruce's disappearance and is aware of Bruce's indiscretions. Finally, the last of the major players, Thomas Burroughs, who nobody but Sybilla seems to like, but Sybilla and he seem to be quite chummy.
This mystery keep me guessing. Bruce has been harrassed for some time by a Mr. Debrette, although noone is quite sure what it is about. Blackmail? Gambling debts? A deal gone bad? Only a couple people have laid eyes briefly on said Debrette and cannot give really accurate description. Then Bruce's suitcase is discovered in the cellar of a belfry when he was supposed to be away in France. A corpse with head and hands removed makes its appearance, and without any identifying marks or scars, who could it be? At the end, the culprit was one I would have never guessed.
I did enjoy the book immensely and thank the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review-- thank you!

A classic detective story for you to rediscover. Follow the clues. Do you know what's going on? And who-dunnit?

It was a very interesting book to read as an example of the Golden Age detective fiction and written by a female author in 1937.

I haven't read any of the earlier books of the series, but I still appreciated the character of Inspector MacDonald and the investigation he was leading.

I also did not see the end coming, and that's a big extra for a mystery. :)

It was well written, with an interesting, but not overly convoluted plot and the background of London.

This is a reissue of a classic detective story. There is a funeral and the gathered friends begin a morbid discussion. One thing leads to the next and soon a murder has been committed. The story has a sinister side with the location and the darkness, rain and the descriptions of older buildings. After the murder the friends work on the case but not with the police. The characters are lively and convincingly dysfunctional and the story moves along at a good pace while revealing very little in ways for the reader to discover the secret to the murder or the murderer themselves. I am a fan of all Lora’s books and I will read all I can find from her.
Note: I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was sent this book for free by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an incredibly fun, entertaining read, with sparkling prose that serves as an invite to to participate in London life of the 1930s. I'd never heard of E.C.R. Lorac (or Edith Caroline Rivett as she was really called) before, and I've been buying this book for a few friends and family who love mysteries but who've run out of Christie and Rendell books to read. There are hints of Wodehousian comedy in between the puzzle scenes, which does land this is the genre of "cozy mystery" for sure - not my preferred genre of read, but I'm really glad I was sent this one for review. A forgotten gem!

An entertaining slice of 1930s London. I figured out who had "done it" pretty early on, but seeing how Inspector MacDonald arrived at the same conclusion despite all the efforts to divert suspicion one way or another was entertaining, and the atmosphere of the story was great.

E R C Lorac seems to have been a forgotten author and I hadn’t heard of her until quite recently,so I’m pleased to say that I enjoyed Bats in the Belfry, which is set in London in the 1930s. There is the occasional anti-Semitic comment, offensive now but it seems to reflect the period in which Lorac was writing. However, it’s full of descriptive writing painting vivid pictures of the streets of London and in particular the spooky, Gothic tower in which a corpse is discovered, ‘headless and handless‘. For a while the identity of the murdered man is in doubt – is it that of Bruce Attleton who had unaccountably disappeared or that of the mysterious stranger, Debrette who it seems had been blackmailing Bruce?

Chief Inspector Macdonald of New Scotland Yard is called in to investigate Bruce’s disappearance. I liked Macdonald, a ‘long lean faced’ Scot. He’s a shrewd detective, not easily ruffled or fooled. The other characters are well defined, including Bruce’s wife Sybilla, both of whom are having affairs, and his friends, one of whom, Robert Grenville, is in love with his ward Elizabeth, a lively and resourceful young woman. The plot is complex, with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until very nearly the end of the book.

I think this is one of the better Golden Age Mysteries that I have read, and I’m now looking forward to reading another of her books, Fire in the Thatch, set in Devon.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy via NetGalley.

A perfectly okay mystery that's peopled with some horrible characters favored by writers of this age; at least, in this instance, when a side character is called a "girl" she's nineteen instead of 27 (that's always a huge irritant to me, like she's got a JOB, detective, and her own GD apartment, call her by her given name). Anyway, there's a super dum-dum who's foiled in love and insists that he is as capable as the police, a kindly professor/mentor that tries to rein him in, a thoroughly awful victim and his cold wife, etc., etc., etc. The wrap up of this book is a thorough word salad but it's a lively one so you don't notice that it makes absolutely no sense. A weak recommend.

Bats in the Belfry by E. C. R. Lorac is a Golden Age mystery (1937). There is a complicated puzzle with the usual cast of characters: the lovely ingénue; the bright young reporter; the concerned friend; the unfaithful husband; the unfaithful wife and her possible lover; the mysterious stranger; and the intrepid Scotland Yard detective. The characters are mostly introduced in the first chapter and the astute reader should be able to figure out the mystery merely by process of elimination.

This is a satisfactory read, but not a first class one. Many of the flaws of the Golden Age are here. There is the casual prejudice with a character who appears once described as an unattractive Jew and a shopkeeper who is a dago. The references can take the modern reader right out of the story. The nineteen year old ingénue and her boyfriend speak in a silly OxBridge slang. And here is another slightly irritating problem. One of the subplots has the girl’s guardian refusing permission for her to marry until she is 21. Considering the fact that her beau is 30 but acts like he, too, is 19, I could only agree with the guardian.

Here is the best part. Lorac shows what poor detectives the amateurs are and introduces a very competent Scotland Yard detective who follows police procedure while solving the gothic mystery. Chief Inspector Macdonald recaps the clues while scanning his notes or writing up his reports. The reader follows his methods to a satisfactory conclusion.

Even more chilling than the mystery is the matter-of-fact references to the fascists riling up the audience at the Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park. The reality of the time creeps into pop fiction. WW2 is two years away….

Princess Fuzzypants here: I do enjoy a good modern mystery especially those starring cats but I do like to dip back into the classics from the Golden Age from time to time. I had a great laugh earlier this week with some truly pawful writing in Son of a Gun in Cheek. It only served to highlight the difference between overwrought writing and elegant writing.
When you pick up a book like this, expect to read verse that uses words seldom seen in modern literature. Writers were more wordsmiths early in the 20th Century, less gritty and less realistic to the modern reader. But if you wish to be transported back, as I do, this is a good book to take you there. If you are a fan of British mysteries of the 1930’s or enjoy a good BBC period piece, you will enjoy this.
The story opens with a terribly sophisticated gathering of upper class toffs. The conversation at said party turns to how each person would execute the perfect murder. So when one of the participants first goes missing and then is found murdered, the attendees become the focus of Scotland Yard attention. It is all done in a languid pace until things ramp up closer to the end. There are tons of red herrings although I confess I suspected the actual villain, mostly because he was the least likely of all the suspects.
There is a reason this series is called British Classics. I give it four purrs and two paws up.

My talented uncle once told me while most renowned photographers are dominated by males, but the few female who excel in the field usually bring unexpected excitements over their male competitors'. Reasons for that are because female usually pay more attention to detail, and the ways they approach art are very different from that of the male. The same philosophy, of course, applies to writing as well.

"Bats in the Belfry" is one of the fine examples in the genre from the golden age of crime fiction. The title already says it all because the phrase means "eccentric, crazy." The plot is one crazy journey from start to finish! The master mind behind the crimes gives the authority a puzzling case to crack. An interesting case about police procedural.Bewared! There are enough drama to keep readers' minds busy and perplexed until the last page.

E.C.R.. Lorac was a fine female writer and I enjoyed her writing immensely. I definitely want to check out her other works which have been re-released.

E. C. R. Lorac’s Bats in the Belfry begins with a handful of people gathered together following the funeral of a young Australian. The topic of death holds sway, and then a young woman, Elizabeth, brings up “an intellectual exercise” set for discussion at her club:

If you were landed with a corpse on your hands, by what method could you dispose of it so as to avoid any liabilities?

A lively discussion ensues with various methods suggested, but oddly, actress Sybilla, the bored, unhappy wife of author Bruce Attleton has the best suggestion. In fact, her method seems to have been refined –almost as though she has given it some thought. Sybilla’s husband, Bruce, notes that one of the guests appears shocked by his wife’s calculated approach towards the disposal of a body, but notes that his wife is “quite in the Borgia and Lady Macbeth tradition, when you thought Sybilla only played drawing-room comedy?” Discussing the best way to get rid of a body is hardly polite talk, but it’s a seemingly harmless discussion that has greater significance when a nasty blackmailer appears on the scene and Bruce vanishes …

Bats in the belfry

Bruce’s suitcase and passport are found in an artist’s studio in Notting Hill, and when a headless and handless corpse is found in the same location, it seems probable that Bruce is dead.

The novel’s main characters (and suspects) are introduced right away: Bruce Attleton and his wife Sybilla, friends Thomas Burroughs, Neil Rockingham, Robert Grenvile and Bruce’s ward Elizabeth. Bruce had more than his share of enemies (including his wife) and so most of the book is devoted to the police procedural with the intrepid Inspector Macdonald at the helm of the investigation and its convoluted solution.

Unfortunately I guessed the villain very early in the novel, so that took away a lot of enjoyment, but I enjoyed the portrayal of Sybilla and her “apparently lazy make-up” (as in character). The novel is also dated with one character who punctuates his sentences with the verbal tic,“what?” a mention of “over-sophisticated, man-hunting pseudo-intellectual females,” and reference to a “queer-looking dago with a pointed beard.” Still I enjoyed the atmosphere of 1930s London and the arty-crowd.

Review copy

Bats in the Belfry is a re-release of a classic golden age mystery by E.C.R. Lorac published in the British Library Crime Classics series by Poisoned Pen Press.

I must admit I was unfamiliar with this gem of an author going into this book. I had taken a chance on poisoned pen titles before and I hadn't got a 'stinker' yet in the crime classics series, so I requested it and I'm so glad I did.

For fans of classic British golden age mysteries this one has it all. The characters are charming and well written with a touch of wry humour. I absolutely love interwar mysteries. There's a sort of lack of cynicism and guile which is missing from later periods. This isn't gritty. It isn't even particularly realistic... there's a LOT of is he/isn't he... with red herrings and potentially fake beards galore. I found myself giving up trying to figure out 'whodunnit' and just really enjoying the read.

I enjoyed the diverting plot, somewhat silly characters and mixed up clues. The pacing was a trifle slow compared to 'modern' procedurals and gritty crime novels, but perfectly within acceptable parameters considering the time period. It's a book to be enjoyed and, yes, savored a bit.

The place setting (London and environs) was a tangible part of the book and very well written.

Just a wonderful undiscovered (for me) gem. Enjoyed it very very much!

Available in ebook and paperback in this edition (also hardbound originals, apparently).

Four and a half stars. Enjoyed it enough that I'm making an effort to locate and read her other works- high praise indeed from me since my TBR pile is neverending.

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

Full of eccentric characters & settings, an engaging detective, and what appears to be a complicated crime, ultimately I found this book unsatisfying. That's because, I'm afraid it was easy to figure out the murderer.

How and why he did it and the engaging writing style saved this novel from being banal.

This is a reprint of a classic mystery. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie's works and I believe readers who like her work, would enjoy this as well. I had trouble enjoying this book unfortunately, as I really did want to enjoy this novel. It is a novel reminiscent of the classic Golden Age mysteries. I found the writing style a bit too dated for my liking, and I think that is why I just could not enjoy this book. It was a complex mystery where anyone could have committed the crime, and that in itself may provide a great draw for many mystery lovers.

I really like a mystery book, when the opening gives the information you need to know in a very simple and quick way. And this book does it really good. In the first few pages, we learn about the characters, the suspense and the main players. So, it hooks you in right from the beginning.

It takes place in 1937 London. The atmosphere is fantastic. It's very spooky, there are Gothic elements. You really feel the chill. Obviously, I can't give away much as it's a mystery novel. But, I can say as a 'cozy crime' book, it's really good. It's much darker than the ones in this genre.
I really enjoyed it and I would recommend it if you're looking for a cozy mystery that's atmospheric, and darker.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Characterization is sacrificed for plot in Bats in the Belfry.

There are a multitude of characters in Bats in the Belfry. Most are only vaguely fleshed out. We first meet the main players at a funeral where they begin to discuss how they would hide a dead body. Old Agatha Christie paperbacks always included a cast of characters at the beginning of the book. However, this book doesn’t have one so here is my own:
Bruce Attleton, former bestselling author but now nearly destitute
Sybilla Attleton, wife of Bruce, famous actress and family breadwinner
Elizabeth Leigh, Bruce’s ward
Debrette, a mysterious foreigner who wants to speak desperately to Bruce
Thomas Burroughs, rich family friend perhaps too interested in Sybilla
Neil Rockingham, another family friend who is worried about Bruce’s reaction to Debrette
Robert Grenville, hopeful suitor of Elizabeth who is willing to check into Debrette for Neil

The plot has so many twists that admittedly I gave up trying to decipher the victim much less the murderer by the mid-point. If you wait until the end, the murderer is easily determined by seeing who has not either been killed or at least wounded yet.

Written in 1937, the convoluted plot in Bats in the Belfry holds up well for modern audiences. The best part was some of the 30s slang like ker-wite, bally-nix and prosy. I was surprised that most of the words were found by my Kindle simply by clicking on the word so I would recommend reading this book on a Kindle just so you aren’t constantly looking up words on your phone. I was also surprised by the use of nouns for verbs (that practice that drives me crazy now) like corpsed for killed. The reverse was also true. For example, bury-ee is used for corpse.

Bats in the Belfry was a good, not great, golden-age British mystery. It is recommended for those readers that look more for plot than characterization in their fiction.

Thanks to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I love British Library Crime Classic and this one was really good.
I loved the very intricate plot, full of twists, the characters and the style of writing.
A hidden gem of the Golden Age of Mystery.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press

“Bats in the Belfry” is not a new book; as of this writing it is eighty-two years old. Luckily for us, the publisher decided to reprint it for a twenty-first century audience. The story takes place in London in 1936, but even though it is a period piece the book holds up very well. The first two-thirds of the book proceed in a leisurely pace, but the last third just flies by.

There are many historical mysteries being written today, some of them very good indeed in capturing the zeitgeist of the time in which they are set, but there is nothing quite like a book from its own time. Some of the atmospherics are easier to portray than others, of course, but others are more difficult.

When we read something written long ago, for example, Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” we expect that things will be very different. Not just manners, or superficial norms, but that the underlying assumptions of life will differ markedly from our own time. This book, set in a recognizable London, with telephones, cars, cigarettes, etc, nevertheless presents us with attitudes and beliefs, taken for granted by the writer and the characters, which historical mysteries have trouble portraying, because we, and the society in which we live, have so markedly changed. Sometimes, it feels to the modern reader that eighty years ago might as well be two hundred and eighty. Yet, in other ways, the book is eminently readable and modern.

Some of the underlying assumptions in this book which would have been expected and accepted by the people in 1930’s Britain, but which clang notably on twenty-first century ears have to do with morals and morality, ethnicity, male-female relations, class and occupation. I hesitate to say too much as I do not want to spoil other readers’ enjoyment of this book, but I feel I must warn that there are some unpleasant (to my ears) ethnic slurs, none of which would have been surprising or notable to readers then.

This book was very enjoyable, ethnic slurs excepted, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a cracking mystery. I should have seen what was coming but the author took me in completely. I am glad I read it and award it five stars.