Ask a Policeman (novel)

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Ask a Policeman
Ask a Policeman (novel).jpg
First edition
Author E.C.R. Lorac
Country United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesChief Inspector MacDonald
GenreDetective
Publisher Collins Crime Club
Publication date
1955
Media typePrint
Preceded by Let Well Alone  
Followed by Murder in Vienna  

Ask a Policeman is a 1955 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. [1] [2] It is the forty first in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard. [3] Published by the Collins Crime Club, the title references the popular music hall song Ask a Policeman .

Contents

Synopsis

An elderly lady, a leftover from the Edwardian era, reports the disappearance of her nephew, a journalist. What seems at first a routine case quickly becomes a hunt for a murderer when the police investigate his last known address, a large rambling house in St John's Wood. Efforts to discover the truth are further hampered by the death or disappearance of several witnesses.

Related Research Articles

<i>These Names Make Clues</i> 1937 novel

These Names Make Clues is a 1937 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It was the twelfth entry in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard. It was written shortly after Lorac had been elected as a member of the Detection Club, and was likely influenced by her experiences there. Originally published by Collins Crime Club, it was reissued in 2021 by the British Library Publishing as part of a group of crime novels from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

<i>Murder of a Martinet</i> 1951 novel

Murder of a Martinet is a 1951 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty fifth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard. It was published in the United States by Doubleday under the alternative title of I Could Murder Her.

<i>Accident by Design</i> 1950 novel

Accident by Design is a 1950 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty fourth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard. Like a number of Lorac's works it takes the form of a country house mystery, a popular branch of the genre during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Maurice Richardson in an review in The Observer wrote "The usual carefully constructed, rural family murder case which we expect from this eminently trustworthy exponent of the English school of whodunnit."

<i>Murder in Vienna</i> 1956 novel

Murder in Vienna is a 1956 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the forty second in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the more conventional detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It has an unusual foreign setting, post-war Vienna still occupied by the Allies, compared to the rest of the series which generally takes place in London or the English countryside. Maurice Richardson reviewing the novel for The Observer described it as the "usual solid job".

<i>The Dog It Was That Died</i> (novel) 1952 novel

The Dog It Was That Died is a 1952 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty sixth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the more conventional detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It was published by the Collins Crime Club.

<i>Murder in the Mill-Race</i> 1952 novel

Murder in the Mill-Race is a 1952 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty seventh in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the numerous detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It was released in the United States under the alternative title Speak Justly of the Dead. Originally published by Collins Crime Club, it was reissued in 2019 by the British Library Publishing as part of a group of crime novels from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

<i>Still Waters</i> (novel) 1949 novel

Still Waters is a 1949 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty second in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the more orthodox detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

<i>Part for a Poisoner</i> 1948 novel

Part for a Poisoner is a 1948 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty first in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the more conventional detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases. It was published in the United States by Doubleday under the alternative title of Place for a Poisoner.

<i>Death Before Dinner</i> 1948 novel

Death Before Dinner is a 1948 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirtieth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases. It was published in the United States by Doubleday under the alternative title of A Screen for Murder.

<i>The Murder on the Burrows</i> 1931 novel

The Murder on the Burrows is a 1931 detective story by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. Her debut novel, it introduced the character of Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard who went on to appear in a lengthy series of novels during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Although initially named James this is changed to Robert in later books. It takes around Bideford Bay in North Devon where the author had spent several holidays.

<i>Let Well Alone</i> 1954 novel

Let Well Alone is a 1954 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the fourtieth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the more orthodox detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

<i>Death at Dykes Corner</i> 1940 novel

Death at Dyke's Corner is a 1940 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the nineteenth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, a Golden Age detective who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases.

<i>Ropes End, Rogues End</i> 1942 novel

Rope's End, Rogue's End is a 1942 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the twenty first in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, a Golden Age detective who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases. It takes the form of the country house mystery, popular during the era.

<i>Case in the Clinic</i> 1941 novel

Case in the Clinic is a 1941 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the twentieth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, a Golden Age detective who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases.

<i>Murder on a Monument</i> 1958 novel

Murder on a Monument is a 1958 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the forty fifth in her long-running series featuring Superintendent MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the more conventional detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Along with Murder in Vienna it was one of the rare ventures abroad for the series which generally took place in London and rural England. It was penultimate novel featuring MacDonald to be published during Lorac's lifetime.

<i>Death of an Author</i> (Lorac novel) 1935 novel

Death of an Author is a 1935 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is a rare standalone book by Lorac, not featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard who appeared in a lengthy series of novels during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It was her final novel published by Sampson Low before she switched to the more prestigious Collins Crime Club with whom she remained for the rest of her career.

<i>Murder in Chelsea</i> 1934 novel

Murder in Chelsea is a 1934 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the seventh book featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard who appeared in a lengthy series of novels during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

<i>A Pall for a Painter</i> 1936 novel

A Pall for a Painter is a 1936 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the tenth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, a Golden Age detective who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases.

<i>Crime Counter Crime</i> 1936 novel

Crime Counter Crime is a 1936 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the ninth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, a Golden Age detective who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases. It was her first novel published by Collins Crime Club after switching from Sampson Low, partly on the success of the previous entry in the series The Organ Speaks. Collins then published the remainder the series.

<i>Relative to Poison</i> 1947 novel

Relative to Poison is a 1947 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the twenty ninth in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard, one of the detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction who relies on standard police procedure to solve his cases.

References

  1. Nichols & Thompson p.476
  2. Hubin p.254
  3. Reilly p.260

Bibliography