Fire in The Thatch: A Devon Mystery (British Library Crime Classics) Kindle Edition

This mystery is set in WWII England. While the war itself plays a small part, to really understand what's going on the reader must understand about evacuees, Land Girls, and especially petrol (gasoline) rationing -- all of which are key elements of the book. The characters are engaging, the setting is wonderful and enough hidden to keep at least this reader from guessing too quickly. There is one interesting and unusual writing choice made by the author. At about the end of Ch. 5, there is a brief break in time and a total change in focus. To explain at the break, one character dies in a suspicious "accident" and a Scotland Yard detective is called in to investigate. It's much less gory, but almost as abrupt a shift in focus as the murder of the young woman in "Psycho"; it took me the better portion of a chapter to transfer my interest to the detective and back into the narrative. I've downgraded one star for a couple of points: 1) when the explanation of how the killer arranged it all, the killer's actions got way too complicated for me to just accept them; even given lonely country side getting all that done unobserved would be a really difficult task. 2) One character (the woman I actually expected to be the victim) just finishes her cocktail and goes home with no further. mention in the book. 3) A third character is almost murdered and it certainly wasn't clear to me why the killer wanted to bother. All in all, it was a pleasant read and I will read more by this author.

This novel was first published in 1946 and the context and language are very much of that period. The story is set in rural Devon, in the southern part of England, toward the end of WWII. A wounded serviceman takes on the tenancy of a neglected farm, complete with traditional thatched cottage, and sets out successfully to restore the complex and make it a productive operation. While he is a private person, his industry and dedication to the farm make him a favorite with locals who other wise are not fans of outsiders, especially city people. The first part of the book is a kind of chronicle of what it to be a farmer in the mid-20th Century. The rural vs. urban theme is the principal leitmotif for this novel, though the author will eventually take the story into more complex places.The story becomes a crime novel when the protagonist abruptly dies--and I mean abruptly as there is no lead in to the death. It is suddenly the investigation of a death, soon to become a murder procedural. Multiple characters are brought into the story at this point, and this is done rather slowly by the author. The story's ending carries most of the action freight and it's a bit long in coming.This is an agreeable enough story and will be especially interesting to readers who like their literary language prosaic and on the languid side.

Though overly long, "Fire in the Thatch" is a well-written and well-executed mystery set in Devonshire during WW II. Inspector Macdonald is not nearly as dim as he appeared to be in Lorac's "Bats in the Belfry" (1937), and the author's keen sense of time and place enlivens the tale.

Lorac experiments with a variation on the horrible victim theme and maintains good suspense, on several levels, until the end. Finally, I am personally disappointed by the resolution. But her writing, the development of her characters, the complex plotting, all make for absorbing reading.

Nothing happens for innumerable chapters. Except descriptions of farming life in Devon. Characters talk as though they are giving orotund speeches. Death. Lots of suspects, and then the man from Scotland Yard pounces on somebody with no clues pointing in his/her direction. Not very satisfying.

I loved this book, by an author with whom I hitherto was wholly unfamiliar, despite being a rabid consumer of British mystery novels from the 1860s to the present. Am thrilled to add Lorac to my list of must reads. Loved the careful observation of the locale, both outside and the buildings, and the period detail. Clever plot, good characterizations. Very glad I read this. Thank you, Amazon, for the recommendation.

Engrossing read with well rendered characters. Two weaknesses: too many coincidences and convoluted alibi of murderer. Held my interest till end.

Good, solid writing with a very likable detective.

I’m so pleased to have stumbled upon this little known (?) novelist of the Classic Crime period. Her prose is admirable, and her descriptions of typical country life in Devon in that era suggest an intimate personal experience. The plot is well conceived and is delivered in a detailed and most enjoyable fashion. Highly recommended!

The setting and characterisations are very well done. The crime and motive(s) receive less attention than they ought, whilst the solution is rather disappointing. Still worth the read though.

So happy to rediscover this author. Great story, if sad! Good twists and turns to storyline that had me continually changing my mind! Hope for more Kindle books from this author please!

Loved this story. Well written and the plot well thought out and explained. A few red herrings as well. This would make a good Television who dunnit. It always seems to me that vintage crime writers always come up with a great plot.,great characters and a good old clever detective. This is the second novel I have read by lorac and this one is as good as the first one. I would highly recommend this vintage novel.

Downloaded book, 'Fire in the Thatch' to PC and the text formatting is screwed to the extent that it reads in columns about 4 words across. Have tried to find information to fix problem but, if it's there at all, it must be buried beneath the plethora of of other information that is useless to me. Bought another book at same time and the same thing has happened.In the past I have downloaded quite a number of games to my PC and if there is a problem the solution is usually simple. Click uninstall then re-install. Why can't I do that with Kindle?