I am a big fan of mysteries, always have been. It takes a special skill to reveal enough to surprise you but not completely stun you. The latter situation does not give you the same satisfaction of the former. This book was a pleasant surprise. I had not heard of the author before ( another woman having to use a name that will not point out the fact that she is one) but she has a very vivid skill in terms of setting the ambience. We are in rural England at the close of the Second World War. Though I have never been to Devon, the description of this part of the country, seemingly isolated from the horrors of the war (though almost everyone has a personal investment in terms of the troops), was very calming. We are introduced to the people in the small circle we are to be concerned with broad flowing descriptions. That, along with the conversations that we are privileged to hear, gives us a very intricate picture. The author does not take sides (at least not fully) while simultaneously showing us the inherent prejudices of the local people. Finally, coming to the case at hand. Nick Vaughn, local farmer transplant has won the heart and admiration of the local community unlike the London crowd who seem to just dig their way deeper away from the esteem of their neighbours. But it is Vaughn who is found dead in his burnt house. When there are a few pertinent questions raised, Scotland Yard dispatches Detective Macdonald and he starts to talk to everyone. It is not a fast-moving plot, neither is the case convoluted. If you read this book, it will be for the overall experience. I have to now see where I can get my hands on the other books of the series(This is supposedly the twenty-sixth!).

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my copy of this books! E.C.R. Lorac never disappoints! Another great novel with Inspector MacDonald. I thought the plot was extremely well written and clever, showing police procedures and methods of questioning different suspects and the inspectors’ deduction abilities. The characters are well developed and interesting, making it hard to figure out who’s involved with the crime, and even if there’s actually a crime or if it was it all an unfortunate accident. Vaughn is a really likable character and I found the respect Macdonald developed for him during the story really unique. Inspector Macdonald is a true gem of the Golden Age murder mysteries and I can’t to read his other novels.

“It’s no part of my duty to get murdered. From the point of view of detection that’s merely making a mess of it” - Inspector McDonald in "Fire in the Thatch"

This story takes place in the English countryside at the end of World War 2, with enough descriptive details about the setting and the wartime roles the characters played to make an interesting story even before the crime takes place. Small town gossip and prejudice really fuel the story and just like in the novel "Bats in the Belfry", E C Lorac makes you wonder not only who the murderer may be, but if there ever really was a murder, or if the victim is really the person you expect. The story became a little monotonous and full of seemingly unnecessary details toward the end, but it did end unpredictably and overall was another satisfying Poisoned Pen/British Library Crime Classic.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This clever mystery featuring Detective Inspector MacDonald sends him to a rural Devon community where Nicholas Vaughan, a very private man, burned in the home he leased. At first glance, it appears to be an accidental fire, but things don't add up in the death of the meticulous and well-liked man. A man who tried to lease or purchase the same property, known as "Little Thatch," questions the man's identity. MacDonald finds the missing pieces, leading to the murderer's motive and identity. This installment is one of the better reads in the British Library Crime Classics series. I received an electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Thanks to the Poison Pen Press and Netgalley for providing a copy of the book for my review. The views expressed below are my own.
Scotland Yard Inspector Macdonald investigates a suspicious fire that claimed the life of Nicholas Vaughan, a Navy veteran. Vaughan apparently died when a fire destroyed his thatched cottage in Devon, England in 1944. Initially the police and the coroner view it as an accidental death. Then Vaughan's former naval commander exerts his influence to have Scotland Yard look into the fire and Inspector Macdonald is sent to Devon.
Vaughan was a newcomer to the area, but in a short time he gained the respect of the local people through his hard work and devotion to fixing up the property he leased. He had only one detractor, Tommy Gressingham, a Londoner who had wanted to lease the property that Vaughan did.
Macdonald thinks the local police did a good job in their investigation, although it remains a mystery what Vaughan did the evening before the fire started. Gressingham raises concerns about whether the body in the house is actually Vaughan and suggests that he had something to hide. Macdonald is hard pressed to prove that the body is actually Vaughan, but there is little to suggest who else it might be.
The investigation proceeds methodically with Macdonald interviewing the people of the village and the London visitors in Gessingham's retinue in order to put together a timeline of the night of the fire. He also looks into Vaughan's background and some mysterious telephone calls in which messages are left for Vaughan at a neighbouring farm. Vaughan's long lost sister appears on the scene with a story that Vaughan was due to inherit their uncle's farm in the north of England where they grew up. Tension grows as Gressingham falls out with one of his retinue over his suspected use of his car on the night of the fire. Things come to a head and there is a dramatic conclusion with the reveal of the killer.
It's a suspenseful police procedural whodunit story set in rural England at the end of World War 2. Many of the characters are "country folk" who prefer their way of life to that of the Londoners, like Gressingham. They are also suspicious and resentful of the people who are billeted in the country for safety during the war. (The author favours the country people). The Londoners are shown as being flighty and preoccupied with frivolous things. Interestingly Macdonald is accepted by the country people, even though he has lived in London most of his working life. His saving grace seems to be that he spent time in the country during his youth. Of course, his unstinting politeness and patience help him too.
The story is well told and an enjoyable read. As with most of the British Library Crime Classics, there's an informative introduction written by Martin Edwards which provides background on the story as well as the author.
Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital galley of this novel.

What a thoroughly enjoyable police procedural this book was with just enough interesting characters to make it difficult to tease out the clues that would help me solve the mystery. Set in 1944 (first published in 1946) there is still enough war activity going on to set the background in historical perspective but having the investigation take place in Devon gave some relief from the true hardships and depravities of major cities. This is a small farming community made up of several small villages and hamlets within walking, or bicycling, distance from each other. Mainly concentrating on the upper classes of the area's society, the farmers and laborers play their part in the story by vouching for the newcomer to the region who is settled in among them. Having a victim who is accepted by all levels of inhabitants gives Nicholas Vaughn a very sympathetic presence in the story and made me even more anxious that the question of accident or murder concerning his death be solved.

The Introduction portion of this novel contains information by Martin Edwards specific to the writing career of the author and a synopsis of this mystery and many of the characters. All of this was information I enjoyed as I settled down to read what turned out to be an absolutely cracking British historical police procedural novel.

I did enjoy this book, although it takes a bit to get into the murder, but a very clever detail of the place and time of this book. Whilst reading, one can actually get into the skin of some of the character, which takes skill. A good read.

"Fire in the Thatch" is a mystery published in 1946 and set at the end of World War II in England. The first fourth of the book set up who the characters were and let us get to know the victim, who happened to be a nice fellow. The characters were complex and interesting.

The fire was declared an accident, yet the Scotland Yard detective is brought in to determine if it was an accident or a very clever murder. The detective thoroughly looked into every detail of the matter and questioned suspects. He's quite clever and astute about how people act. While I did highly suspect whodunit from the same scene that the detective did, the author muddied things enough that I wasn't certain until nearly the end.

There was a fair amount of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I would recommend this enjoyable and interesting mystery.

Fire in the Thatch, set in during WW2 and first published in 1946, could have been two novels. The descriptive passages about the Devon countryside, architecture and people seemed curiously separate from the investigation of a suspicious death in a house fire.

I wanted to know more about the characters and their environment, rural problems in wartime and the clashes caused by evacuation from the big cities than was given in the opening chapters and I also wanted a better mystery for Chief Inspector Macdonald.

There were plenty of potentially interesting characters none of whom we got to know particularly well.The culprit was relatively easy to spot , the puzzle was fairly simple, and the solution somewhat abrupt as well as overly “timetabled”. There were some chapters which seemed wholly unnecessary to the forwarding of the plot.

All the same, this was very readable but I enjoyed ‘Bats in the Belfry” much more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance digital review copy.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Set towards the end of the Second World War, Nicholas Vaughan is invalided out of the navy, rents a smallholding in Devon, and is found burnt to death in his thatched cottage. The coroner declares accidental death, but Nicholas' commanding officer is not so sure and Inspector MacDonald is dispatched from Scotland Yard to investigate.

This was an interesting read with a good sense of place and time, although perhaps too much is made of the "sharp Londoners" and the "slower countryfolk". Petrol rationing as a side effect of being at war had an important effect on the methods of the murderer. The storyline moved along briskly, although there was a certain amount of re-hashing of points, especially as characters tended to unveil large chunks of information by recounting them in lengthy conversations with one another. The female characters fell squarely into the categories of wife, sister, and nurse. I felt that the motivation for the murders was well done; the method stretched credulity somewhat - the murderer was fortunate

SPOILER

he didn't forget where he had left one of the cars!