These Names Make Clues

First published in 1937, this superior entry in the British Library Crime Classics series from Lorac (1884–1959) is an exemplar of the golden age closed-circle whodunit. It opens with Chief Insp. Robert Macdonald of Scotland Yard receiving an invitation to a treasure hunt from Graham Coombe, a book publisher. Macdonald accepts, and on arrival at Coombe’s London home finds that the eclectic group of guests, including an economist and several mystery authors, are to have their real names kept secret. They compete to decipher the clues Coombe has carefully prepared for the game, only to have the lark end abruptly when one of their number is found dead in a room he shouldn’t have been in, as no clues directed anyone to it. At first, the cause of death appears to be a heart attack, but Macdonald ascertains that the dead man was electrocuted by an elaborate device straight out of the fiction penned by one of Coombe’s guests. Lorac plays scrupulously fair, but few will anticipate the denouement. Fans of clever puzzle mysteries will clamor for more Lorac reissues. (Nov.)