Death Came Softly

Last updated
Death Came Softly
Death Came Softly.jpg
First edition
Author E.C.R. Lorac
Country United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesChief Inspector MacDonald
GenreDetective
Publisher Collins
Arcadia House (US)
Publication date
1943
Media typePrint
Preceded by The Sixteenth Stair  
Followed by Fell Murder  

Death Came Softly is a 1943 detective story by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. [1] [2] It was the twenty third entry in her long-running series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard. [3]

Contents

Synopsis

An anthropology professor living in the Hermit's cave at Valehead House, his daughter's Devon estate, is founded gassed to death by carbon monoxide one morning. Chief Inspector MacDonald is called in to solve the baffling crime.

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>Ask a Policeman</i> (novel) 1955 novel

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

<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>Crook OLune</i> (novel) 1953 novel

Crook O'Lune is a 1953 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty eighth 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. It was published in the United States by Doubleday under the alternative title of Shepherd's Crook.

<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>Shroud of Darkness</i> (novel) 1954 novel

Shroud of Darkness is a 1954 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the thirty ninth 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>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>The Sixteenth Stair</i> 1942 novel

The Sixteenth Stair is a 1942 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the twenty second 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>Death of an Author</i> 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>Death on the Oxford Road</i> 1933 novel

Death on the Oxford Road is a 1933 detective novel by E.C.R. Lorac, the pen name of the British writer Edith Caroline Rivett. It is the fifth book featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard who appeared in a lengthy series of novels during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

<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.

References

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

Bibliography