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E. C. R. Lorac

December 18, 2023

Edith Caroline Rivett (6 May 1894 – 2 July 1958) was a British crime writer, who wrote under the pseudonyms E. C. R. Lorac, Carol Carnac and Mary Le Bourne during the golden age of detective fiction.

Edith Caroline Rivett
E. C. R. Lorac as a child, late 1890s
Born(1894-05-06)6 May 1894
Hendon, Middlesex, England
Died2 July 1958(1958-07-02) (aged 64)
Caton-with-Littledale, England
Pen nameE. C. R. Lorac
Carol Carnac
Mary Le Bourne
Occupation
Genre
Literary movementGolden Age of Detective Fiction

Life and career edit

Childhood edit

 
Harry and Beatrice Rivett in the 1890s with their daughters: Gladys upper left, Maud upper right, Carol seated

The youngest daughter of Harry (1861–1900) and Beatrice Rivett (née Foot; 1868–1943), Edith was born in Hendon, Middlesex, (now London) on 6 May 1894. She had two sisters. In 1898 the family emigrated to Australia, for warm weather to treat Harry Rivett's tuberculosis. This was unsuccessful, and in 1900 the family returned, travelling on the SS Illawarra. Harry Rivett died on the voyage, and was buried at sea.[1]

When the family reached London, they were literally penniless but were received into the welcoming, if crowded, household of Beatrice Rivett's father, Edward Foot, and the widow found employment as an assistant rate collector. Edith attended South Hampstead High School, and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London and she continued as a craft practitioner throughout her life; her work included embroidery and calligraphy that has been on display at Westminster Abbey.[2]

Literary career edit

She published her first detective novel in 1931; this was The Murder on the Burrows, a well-crafted debut which launched her detective Macdonald on a career that was to last for more than a quarter of a century. Nine Lorac novels were published by Sampson Low, earning increasingly favourable reviews, before she moved to the more prestigious imprint of Collins Crime Club in 1936, with Crime Counter Crime, set during a General Election. She remained a Crime Club stalwart for the rest of her life.

John Curran, historian of the Crime Club, argues that she was especially well served by the designers of the cover artwork for her books, and this is no doubt one of the factors that has made her work especially collectable. First editions in the attractive dust jackets of the period can now change hands—on the rare occasions when they come on to the market—for thousands of pounds.

She was equally at home with urban and rural settings. Her early books include Murder in St John’s Wood and Murder in Chelsea, while two other books set in London, Bats in the Belfry and the war-time mystery Murder by Matchlight.

Like Rosanne Manaton, she was artistic and had an interest in ski-ing; the winter sport plays a central part in her Carol Carnac novel Crossed Skis, also published by the British Library. In November 1940, having been evacuated to Devon, she wrote to a friend about the horrors of living through a war. Referring to the death of one of her oldest friends, killed while fire-fighting, she said: “Most of my other friends have been bombed or burnt out of their homes. What a sickening insanity it all is.”

Personal life and death edit

Remaining unmarried, she lived her last years with her elder sister, Gladys Rivett (1891–1966), in Lonsdale, Lancashire. She became a popular figure in the village while continuing to work productively as a detective novelist. To this day, she is remembered in the local community as spirited and strong-willed, a woman with a strong social conscience. Edith Rivett died at the Caton Green Nursing Home, Caton-with-Littledale, near Lancaster. According to the probate records for her will, she left an estate valued at £10,602, 16 shillings [about £250,000 today, 2020]. Rivett is buried in the churchyard at St Saviour's Church, Aughton.[3]

Westminster Abbey holds a number of works by the Sheffield-trained silversmith Omar Ramsden. One of these was given by Miss Carol Rivett in memory of her grandfather, Edward Smith Foot. It is a silver alms dish of hammer and repousse work.[4] She also donated a tunicle (the vestment worn by a subdeacon) to the Abbey.[5]

Legacy edit

As of 2021, the British Library has included eight novels by E.C.R. Lorac in its "Crime Classics" series of re-issued works: Fire in the Thatch; Bats in the Belfry; Murder by Matchlight; Murder in the Mill-Race; Fell Murder; Checkmate to Murder and Crossed Skis. A previously unpublished late work, Two-Way Murder, was added in 2021; the original manuscript was under a new pen name, 'Mary le Bourne', but has been published by the British Library as by E.C.R. Lorac.[6] The back cover of the re-issued, Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery (originally published in 1946), declares that, "Her books have been almost entirely neglected since her death, but deserve rediscovery as fine examples of classic British crime fiction in its golden age."[7]

Bibliography edit

Novels edit

As E. C. R. Lorac edit

Most of these books feature her main series character, Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald, a "London Scot" and an avowed bachelor with a love for walking in the English countryside. In 28 of these books, he has the help of his assistant, Detective Inspector Reeves.

As Carol Carnac edit

They feature three different series characters. The first one is Inspector Ryvet, a homophonous allusion to her own surname. The other two are Chief Inspector Julian Rivers (who appears in 15 books), and his assistant, Inspector Lansing, who appears in 18 cases (four of them with Ryvet.)

  • Triple Death (1936)
  • Murder at Mornington (1937)
  • The Missing Rope (1937)
  • When the Devil Was Sick (1939)
  • The Case of the First Class Carriage (1939)
  • Death in the Diving Pool (1940)
  • A Double for Detection (1945)
  • The Striped Suitcase (1946)
  • Clue Sinister (1947)
  • Over the Garden Wall (1948)
  • Upstairs Downstairs (1950)
  • Copy for Crime (1950)
  • It's Her Own Funeral (1951)
  • Crossed Skis (1952)
  • Murder as a Fine Art (1953)
  • A Policeman at the Door (1953)
  • Impact of Evidence (1954)
  • Murder among Members (1955)
  • Rigging the Evidence (1955)
  • The Double Turn (1956)
  • The Burning Question (1957)
  • Long Shadows (1958) (U.S. title: Affair at Helen's Court)
  • Death of a Lady Killer (1959)

As Mary Le Bourne edit

  • Two-Way Murder (2021)

As Carol Rivett edit

  • Outer Circle (1939)
  • A Time Remembered (1940)
  • Island Spell (1951)

Unpublished Novels edit

  • Forty Years On.
  • [Untitled]. An unfinished detective story.

Short stories edit

  • 'Chance Is a Great Thing'. (London) Evening Standard, 8 August 1950.
  • 'Remember to Ring Twice'. MacKill's Mystery Magazine, September 1952.
  • 'Death at the Bridge Table'. MacKill's Mystery Magazine, October 1952.
  • 'Permanent Policeman'. MacKill's Mystery Magazine, March 1953.
  • 'A Bit of Wire-Pulling'. The Saint Detective Magazine, October 1955.
  • 'Half-Term Hold-Up'.

Radio and stage plays edit

Radio play edit

  • 'Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble'. BBC Light Programme (Mystery Playhouse presents 'THE DETECTION CLUB'), 17 February 1948.

Stage plays and sketches edit

  • 'Death in Park Lane'. Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London, 13 July 1951. A single performance presented by St James Theatre Company at a luncheon to mark the 21st anniversary of Collins Crime Club imprint.

References edit

  1. ^ "Howson, George, and Howson, Maud, "From Australia to England in 1900 - By Sailing Ship Illawarra", Contrebis, 33 (2010-2011): 67-80" (PDF). Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  2. ^ Crime & Mystery Fiction
  3. ^ "Waymarking: Edith Caroline Rivett, Aughton". Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Westminster Abbey: Omar Ramsden". Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Westminster Abbey: Vestments and Frontals". Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  6. ^ Doctor Puzzle (18 March 2021). "Two Way Murder". In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  7. ^ Lorac, E.C.R. (2018). Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery, with an introduction by Martin Edwards. London: The British Library. ISBN 9780712352604.

External links edit

  • Works by Edith Caroline Rivett at Faded Page (Canada)
  • Biography
  • E.C.R. Lorac's Bibliography and images of UK first Editions
  • Carol Carnac's Bibliography and images of UK first Editions

December 18, 2023
lorac, edith, caroline, rivett, 1894, july, 1958, british, crime, writer, wrote, under, pseudonyms, carol, carnac, mary, bourne, during, golden, detective, fiction, edith, caroline, rivett, child, late, 1890sborn, 1894, 1894hendon, middlesex, englanddied2, jul. Edith Caroline Rivett 6 May 1894 2 July 1958 was a British crime writer who wrote under the pseudonyms E C R Lorac Carol Carnac and Mary Le Bourne during the golden age of detective fiction Edith Caroline RivettE C R Lorac as a child late 1890sBorn 1894 05 06 6 May 1894Hendon Middlesex EnglandDied2 July 1958 1958 07 02 aged 64 Caton with Littledale EnglandPen nameE C R LoracCarol CarnacMary Le BourneOccupationNovelistshort story writerGenreMurder mysterydetective storycrime fictionthrillerLiterary movementGolden Age of Detective Fiction Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Childhood 1 2 Literary career 1 3 Personal life and death 1 4 Legacy 2 Bibliography 2 1 Novels 2 1 1 As E C R Lorac 2 1 2 As Carol Carnac 2 1 3 As Mary Le Bourne 2 1 4 As Carol Rivett 2 1 5 Unpublished Novels 2 2 Short stories 3 Radio and stage plays 3 1 Radio play 3 2 Stage plays and sketches 4 References 5 External linksLife and career editChildhood edit nbsp Harry and Beatrice Rivett in the 1890s with their daughters Gladys upper left Maud upper right Carol seatedThe youngest daughter of Harry 1861 1900 and Beatrice Rivett nee Foot 1868 1943 Edith was born in Hendon Middlesex now London on 6 May 1894 She had two sisters In 1898 the family emigrated to Australia for warm weather to treat Harry Rivett s tuberculosis This was unsuccessful and in 1900 the family returned travelling on the SS Illawarra Harry Rivett died on the voyage and was buried at sea 1 When the family reached London they were literally penniless but were received into the welcoming if crowded household of Beatrice Rivett s father Edward Foot and the widow found employment as an assistant rate collector Edith attended South Hampstead High School and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London and she continued as a craft practitioner throughout her life her work included embroidery and calligraphy that has been on display at Westminster Abbey 2 Literary career edit She published her first detective novel in 1931 this was The Murder on the Burrows a well crafted debut which launched her detective Macdonald on a career that was to last for more than a quarter of a century Nine Lorac novels were published by Sampson Low earning increasingly favourable reviews before she moved to the more prestigious imprint of Collins Crime Club in 1936 with Crime Counter Crime set during a General Election She remained a Crime Club stalwart for the rest of her life John Curran historian of the Crime Club argues that she was especially well served by the designers of the cover artwork for her books and this is no doubt one of the factors that has made her work especially collectable First editions in the attractive dust jackets of the period can now change hands on the rare occasions when they come on to the market for thousands of pounds She was equally at home with urban and rural settings Her early books include Murder in St John s Wood and Murder in Chelsea while two other books set in London Bats in the Belfry and the war time mystery Murder by Matchlight Like Rosanne Manaton she was artistic and had an interest in ski ing the winter sport plays a central part in her Carol Carnac novel Crossed Skis also published by the British Library In November 1940 having been evacuated to Devon she wrote to a friend about the horrors of living through a war Referring to the death of one of her oldest friends killed while fire fighting she said Most of my other friends have been bombed or burnt out of their homes What a sickening insanity it all is Personal life and death edit Remaining unmarried she lived her last years with her elder sister Gladys Rivett 1891 1966 in Lonsdale Lancashire She became a popular figure in the village while continuing to work productively as a detective novelist To this day she is remembered in the local community as spirited and strong willed a woman with a strong social conscience Edith Rivett died at the Caton Green Nursing Home Caton with Littledale near Lancaster According to the probate records for her will she left an estate valued at 10 602 16 shillings about 250 000 today 2020 Rivett is buried in the churchyard at St Saviour s Church Aughton 3 Westminster Abbey holds a number of works by the Sheffield trained silversmith Omar Ramsden One of these was given by Miss Carol Rivett in memory of her grandfather Edward Smith Foot It is a silver alms dish of hammer and repousse work 4 She also donated a tunicle the vestment worn by a subdeacon to the Abbey 5 Legacy edit As of 2021 the British Library has included eight novels by E C R Lorac in its Crime Classics series of re issued works Fire in the Thatch Bats in the Belfry Murder by Matchlight Murder in the Mill Race Fell Murder Checkmate to Murder and Crossed Skis A previously unpublished late work Two Way Murder was added in 2021 the original manuscript was under a new pen name Mary le Bourne but has been published by the British Library as by E C R Lorac 6 The back cover of the re issued Fire in the Thatch A Devon Mystery originally published in 1946 declares that Her books have been almost entirely neglected since her death but deserve rediscovery as fine examples of classic British crime fiction in its golden age 7 Bibliography editNovels edit As E C R Lorac edit Most of these books feature her main series character Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald a London Scot and an avowed bachelor with a love for walking in the English countryside In 28 of these books he has the help of his assistant Detective Inspector Reeves The Murder on the Burrows 1931 The Affair on Thor s Head 1932 The Greenwell Mystery 1932 The Case of Colonel Marchand 1933 Death on the Oxford Road 1933 Murder in St John s Wood 1934 Murder in Chelsea 1934 The Organ Speaks 1935 Death of an Author 1935 not featuring MacDonald Crime Counter Crime 1936 A Pall for a Painter 1936 Post After Post Mortem 1936 These Names Make Clues 1937 Bats in the Belfry 1937 The Devil and the C I D 1938 Slippery Staircase 1938 John Brown s Body 1939 Black Beadle 1939 Tryst for a Tragedy 1940 Death at Dyke s Corner 1940 Case in the Clinic 1941 Rope s End Rogue s End 1942 The Sixteenth Stair 1942 Death Came Softly 1943 Fell Murder 1944 agricultural setting in Lancashire Checkmate to Murder 1944 Murder by Matchlight 1945 Fire in the Thatch 1946 The Theft of the Iron Dogs 1946 U S title Murderer s Mistake 1947 Relative to Poison 1947 Death Before Dinner 1948 U S title A Screen for Murder 1948 Part for a Poisoner 1948 U S title Place for a Poisoner 1948 Still Waters 1949 Policemen in the Precinct 1949 Accident by Design 1950 Murder of a Martinet 1951 The Dog It Was That Died 1952 Murder in the Mill Race 1952 U S title Speak Justly of the Dead 1953 Crook O Lune 1953 U S title Shepherd s Crook 1953 Shroud of Darkness 1954 Let Well Alone 1954 Ask a Policeman 1955 Murder in Vienna 1956 Dangerous Domicile 1957 Picture of Death 1957 Murder on a Monument 1958 Death in Triplicate 1958 Non MacDonald story featuring Superintendent Kempson Dishonour Among Thieves 1959 U S title The Last Escape 1959 Two Way Murder published posthumously in 2021 As Carol Carnac edit They feature three different series characters The first one is Inspector Ryvet a homophonous allusion to her own surname The other two are Chief Inspector Julian Rivers who appears in 15 books and his assistant Inspector Lansing who appears in 18 cases four of them with Ryvet Triple Death 1936 Murder at Mornington 1937 The Missing Rope 1937 When the Devil Was Sick 1939 The Case of the First Class Carriage 1939 Death in the Diving Pool 1940 A Double for Detection 1945 The Striped Suitcase 1946 Clue Sinister 1947 Over the Garden Wall 1948 Upstairs Downstairs 1950 Copy for Crime 1950 It s Her Own Funeral 1951 Crossed Skis 1952 Murder as a Fine Art 1953 A Policeman at the Door 1953 Impact of Evidence 1954 Murder among Members 1955 Rigging the Evidence 1955 The Double Turn 1956 The Burning Question 1957 Long Shadows 1958 U S title Affair at Helen s Court Death of a Lady Killer 1959 As Mary Le Bourne edit Two Way Murder 2021 As Carol Rivett edit Outer Circle 1939 A Time Remembered 1940 Island Spell 1951 Unpublished Novels edit Forty Years On Untitled An unfinished detective story Short stories edit Chance Is a Great Thing London Evening Standard 8 August 1950 Remember to Ring Twice MacKill s Mystery Magazine September 1952 Death at the Bridge Table MacKill s Mystery Magazine October 1952 Permanent Policeman MacKill s Mystery Magazine March 1953 A Bit of Wire Pulling The Saint Detective Magazine October 1955 Half Term Hold Up Radio and stage plays editRadio play edit Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble BBC Light Programme Mystery Playhouse presents THE DETECTION CLUB 17 February 1948 Stage plays and sketches edit Death in Park Lane Dorchester Hotel Park Lane London 13 July 1951 A single performance presented by St James Theatre Company at a luncheon to mark the 21st anniversary of Collins Crime Club imprint References edit Howson George and Howson Maud From Australia to England in 1900 By Sailing Ship Illawarra Contrebis 33 2010 2011 67 80 PDF Retrieved 27 November 2020 Crime amp Mystery Fiction Waymarking Edith Caroline Rivett Aughton Retrieved 27 November 2020 Westminster Abbey Omar Ramsden Retrieved 27 November 2020 Westminster Abbey Vestments and Frontals Retrieved 27 November 2020 Doctor Puzzle 18 March 2021 Two Way Murder In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel Retrieved 26 June 2021 Lorac E C R 2018 Fire in the Thatch A Devon Mystery with an introduction by Martin Edwards London The British Library ISBN 9780712352604 External links editWorks by Edith Caroline Rivett at Faded Page Canada Biography E C R Lorac s Bibliography and images of UK first Editions Carol Carnac s Bibliography and images of UK first Editions Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title E C R Lorac amp oldid 1187524336, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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