Murder by Matchlight

 Murder by Matchlight (1945) by E. C. R. Lorac (Edith Caroline Rivett)

"It's a fantastic story--but fantastic stories do happen in London."

It is a fantastic story. It's a story of a young chemist by the name of Bruce Mallaig whose fiancée is down with 'flu takes a walk through Regent's Park on a damp November evening in wartime London. He's feeling a bit at loose ends and sits down on a bench near a familiar footbridge. While he's considering "the advantages of a fair-sized flat in Dolphin Square as against a single-room one in Trinity Court" as a married couple's abode, he observes a stranger walk onto the bridge, flash a torch briefly in the wartime dark, and then hears him scramble over the railing and drop to the ground below the bridge. 

Mallaig is puzzling over this odd behavior when another figure comes along and stops on the bridge to smoke a cigarette. The chemist supposes the second man to have an assignation--perhaps with a young lady--and is prepared to warn the young lovers about the man lurking below when the man on the bridge strikes another match which briefly lights up a face slightly above and behind his own. The match goes out and Mallaig hears a thud and the sound of a body falling. He grabs a man he hears scrambling over the railing and hollers for the police.  But when the police arrive it seems--if both are telling the truth--that neither Mallaig nor the man he stopped (the man from under the bridge) could be the killer. How did a third man arrive and leave without either of them hearing a sound?

That's one of the many questions that Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald must answer as he looks for the killer of the man on the bridge. And the man on the bridge is a puzzle himself. He has been living in a boarding house under the name of John Ward, but investigations seem to indicate that he picked up that persona when a German air raid destroyed his previous lodgings. Has someone killed "John Ward" because of who he is now? Or has someone found out that he used to be Timothy O'Farrell and that was why he was killed? That's another item for Macdonald and his team to figure out.

The only evidence at the bridge site is a set of bicycle tracks that come to an abrupt end. The suspects include the non-descript witness Mallaig, the unemployed laborer lurking under the bridge,  a well-known London doctor, a screenwriter who knows his antiques, a garrulous landlady, a variety show actress, a vaudeville husband and wife team specializing in illusions, and a chorus girl. When Macdonald discovers that the victim wasn't above a spot of blackmail--either as Ward or O'Farrell, it becomes a matter of determining which of his blackmail targets stood to lose the most if their secret was spilled.

I have a definite soft spot for Murder by Matchlight. It was the first Lorac book that I discovered back in my twenties when I was just getting back to reading large numbers of mysteries again. It was the only Lorac book that our local library carried at the time and set me on a hunt for the Lorac name whenever I visited a used bookstore. I didn't find another until about fifteen years later. When I had some birthday money to spend and was hunting on Ebay for likely purchases, I was excited to find a Unicorn Mystery Book Club 4-in-1 anthology with Matchlight in it. And now I get to revisit it and see if it holds up.

And..it does. In fact, if anything, I think I enjoyed it more since I plan on giving it a bump in star value from my previous rating. I especially enjoyed the wartime background. The war and the blackouts that accompanied it are integral to the story and Lorac deftly works the war into the story providing atmosphere and depth to the mystery. Macdonald is at his best--good interview techniques and very humane interactions with all and sundry. I positively enjoyed his interactions with all of the residents at the boarding house--especially Mrs. Maloney, the landlady. I had my eye on two suspects from the beginning, though I must admit that I missed the clues which should have told me that my second choice absolutely could have done it. The method the killer uses to be on the spot without revealing his presence too soon was really quite nice. Overall, an excellent read. ★★★★

Also reviewed by Kate @ Cross Examining Crime (whose response tallies with mine) and JJ @ The Invisible Event (who, unfortunately, found it all a bit dull). Other reviewers include Margaret @ Books Please; Les @ Classic Mysteries; Carol @ Carol's Notebook (If I've missed your review, let me know and I'll add you to the line-up!)

First lines: "Well, the war's done one thing at any rate. It's got rid of those damned awful railings."

Last line: "Suits me," rejoined Mr. Ramses contentedly.

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Deaths = 2 (one hit on head; one hit by a truck)