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Robert Macdonald #15
Slippery Staircase
For solidity, complexity and cleverness, Slippery staircase is worth three good mystery stories. Inspector Macdonald, imaginative and capable as ever, follows through with thorough methods of police detection.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
102 people want to read
About the author
E.C.R. Lorac
80 books183 followersEdith Caroline Rivett (who wrote under the pseudonyms E.C.R. Lorac, Carol Carnac, Carol Rivett, and Mary le Bourne) was a British crime writer. She was born in Hendon, Middlesex (now London). She attended the South Hampstead High School, and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London.
She was a member of the Detection Club. She was a very prolific writer, having written forty-eight mysteries under her first pen name, and twenty-three under her second. She was an important author of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
She was a member of the Detection Club. She was a very prolific writer, having written forty-eight mysteries under her first pen name, and twenty-three under her second. She was an important author of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 26, 2023
Another excellent mystery featuring my favorite Scotland Yard detective, Chief Inspector Macdonald.
3.5 stars
1938 London is the setting this time. Specifically, a large,Regency-era town house that has been converted into flats-one apartment per floor. The story opens with a party, hosted by the owner of the house, Martia Vannery, an artist who lives on the ground floor. During the party several guests head upstairs (for Reasons) and discover the body of 74 year-old Miss Fanny Seeley, the tenant of the attic apartment, and who has obviously fallen down the flight of stairs. Her death seems like a straight-forward accident. The local police inspector has his doubts and Macdonald is called in.
Thus follows Macdonald, and the reader, getting to know the various residents of the house, and several of their non-resident friends and relations. The story becomes more complicated when one of those people is found murdered in one of the upper level flats. Macdonald suspects everyone, of course. No alibi is immune to his poking and prodding.
There are several interesting twist and turns as the story progresses. It was nice to see Reeves and Jenkins again--two of Macdonald's most useful subordinates. I was happy with the identity of the Baddie and thankful that Macdonald explained all. The clues were there, of course, but recognizing them was tricky.
Note: I found it rather amusing that it was the 74 year-old woman who had to climb the most stairs to get to her flat. She had to have been quite spry!
3.5 stars
1938 London is the setting this time. Specifically, a large,Regency-era town house that has been converted into flats-one apartment per floor. The story opens with a party, hosted by the owner of the house, Martia Vannery, an artist who lives on the ground floor. During the party several guests head upstairs (for Reasons) and discover the body of 74 year-old Miss Fanny Seeley, the tenant of the attic apartment, and who has obviously fallen down the flight of stairs. Her death seems like a straight-forward accident. The local police inspector has his doubts and Macdonald is called in.
Thus follows Macdonald, and the reader, getting to know the various residents of the house, and several of their non-resident friends and relations. The story becomes more complicated when one of those people is found murdered in one of the upper level flats. Macdonald suspects everyone, of course. No alibi is immune to his poking and prodding.
There are several interesting twist and turns as the story progresses. It was nice to see Reeves and Jenkins again--two of Macdonald's most useful subordinates. I was happy with the identity of the Baddie and thankful that Macdonald explained all. The clues were there, of course, but recognizing them was tricky.
Note: I found it rather amusing that it was the 74 year-old woman who had to climb the most stairs to get to her flat. She had to have been quite spry!
September 17, 2023
“E. C. R. Lorac” (Edith Caroline Rivett) has been enjoying a renaissance of interest lately, and she deserves it as one of the more capable of the second tier of Golden Age mystery writers (the first tier being inhabited by the likes of Christie, Sayers, and Allingham). Lorac was prolific, with at least forty mysteries featuring her CID detective, Macdonald. Her stories are always workmanlike if rarely aspiring to literature.
This outing is set in a magnificent Regency-era mansion in the St. John’s Wood neighborhood of London, previously the home of a famous if tasteless artist of the late nineteenth century. His daughter now owns the place and lives in the wing that was his studio, with tenants on four floors above. The house is occupied by a cluster of interesting characters, who make up the core of the suspects. I very much enjoyed the descriptions of the house and its inhabitants.
While the artist’s daughter is holding one of those prewar parties that lie at the heart of so many Golden Age mysteries, the tenant in the attics—an elderly lady—falls down the stairs and dies. Was it an accident or murder? The fact that her estranged sister had died in the same way, only a month before, makes Macdonald suspicious. Who could gain by killing two ancient spinsters?
As usual in Lorac’s mysteries, Macdonald goes about investigating in a methodical, unshowy way. These mysteries tend to be very procedural (not my favorite type of mystery, but there are usually interesting enough characters to hold me). The solution may have been unnecessarily complicated—I could think of easier ways for the first killing (and there is a later one) to have been achieved, and a heavy emphasis on timetables has a tendency to numb my brain, but I give Lorac points for having fooled me about the identity of the perpetrator. There was a bit too much page space given to the dénouement but I was absorbed throughout.
The Macdonald mysteries do not have any ongoing storyline so they can be read out of order.
This outing is set in a magnificent Regency-era mansion in the St. John’s Wood neighborhood of London, previously the home of a famous if tasteless artist of the late nineteenth century. His daughter now owns the place and lives in the wing that was his studio, with tenants on four floors above. The house is occupied by a cluster of interesting characters, who make up the core of the suspects. I very much enjoyed the descriptions of the house and its inhabitants.
While the artist’s daughter is holding one of those prewar parties that lie at the heart of so many Golden Age mysteries, the tenant in the attics—an elderly lady—falls down the stairs and dies. Was it an accident or murder? The fact that her estranged sister had died in the same way, only a month before, makes Macdonald suspicious. Who could gain by killing two ancient spinsters?
As usual in Lorac’s mysteries, Macdonald goes about investigating in a methodical, unshowy way. These mysteries tend to be very procedural (not my favorite type of mystery, but there are usually interesting enough characters to hold me). The solution may have been unnecessarily complicated—I could think of easier ways for the first killing (and there is a later one) to have been achieved, and a heavy emphasis on timetables has a tendency to numb my brain, but I give Lorac points for having fooled me about the identity of the perpetrator. There was a bit too much page space given to the dénouement but I was absorbed throughout.
The Macdonald mysteries do not have any ongoing storyline so they can be read out of order.
March 30, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up, for excellent writing, knotty puzzle, interesting characters. Lorac was a prolific female British Golden Age mystery writer, and her books are being gradually rereleased. She has become a favorite author of mine.
I enjoy following along with Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard - he’s diligent, smart, humble, and has a wonderful imagination that he applies to his cases. He has a great team, including Inspector Jenkins, described as “stout, rubicund, cheerful-faced…[he] performed much of the solid hard work occasioned by Macdonald’s not always orthodox ideas, and Macdonald saw that Jenkins got full credit for his toil. The difference between the two was, that Jenkins was incapable of the original idea which set the case in motion.” Macdonald and crew are a big part of my enjoyment of these mysteries.
From the opening pages, Lorac creates a creepy vibe around a Regency-era home, now divided into flats. Formerly the home of a tyrannical artist, the ground floor and studio are now occupied by his only child, and each of the other floors contains the flat of an elderly retired actor, a widow, a married couple of writers, who’ve sublet their flat to a young amateur pilot; in the attic flat, at the very top of the eerie house, is an old lady. The book opens with a party in the studio; a couple of the guests, a gossipy man and a young actress, wander away up the stairs. They find the old lady dead at the bottom of the stairs from her flat to the floor below. Is it a tragic but understandable accident, or murder?
Lorac builds an interesting and complex mystery. I admit, the only flaw, which kept it from four strong stars in my rating, involved her descriptions of Macdonald’s repeated and detailed reenactments, with the emphasis on timing, and elaborate descriptions of possible murder methods involving moving about the creepy old house quickly. No spoilers, I won’t go into detail, but as always with such technical descriptions I simply can’t envision, she left me scratching my head.
Otherwise, there are several possible interesting suspects, a sensible and fascinating motive comes to light, thanks to the diligent Jenkins, and solid red herrings kept me guessing. I especially appreciate Lorac’s gift for writing interesting and sympathetic characters, among police, witnesses, and suspects.
I enjoy following along with Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard - he’s diligent, smart, humble, and has a wonderful imagination that he applies to his cases. He has a great team, including Inspector Jenkins, described as “stout, rubicund, cheerful-faced…[he] performed much of the solid hard work occasioned by Macdonald’s not always orthodox ideas, and Macdonald saw that Jenkins got full credit for his toil. The difference between the two was, that Jenkins was incapable of the original idea which set the case in motion.” Macdonald and crew are a big part of my enjoyment of these mysteries.
From the opening pages, Lorac creates a creepy vibe around a Regency-era home, now divided into flats. Formerly the home of a tyrannical artist, the ground floor and studio are now occupied by his only child, and each of the other floors contains the flat of an elderly retired actor, a widow, a married couple of writers, who’ve sublet their flat to a young amateur pilot; in the attic flat, at the very top of the eerie house, is an old lady. The book opens with a party in the studio; a couple of the guests, a gossipy man and a young actress, wander away up the stairs. They find the old lady dead at the bottom of the stairs from her flat to the floor below. Is it a tragic but understandable accident, or murder?
Lorac builds an interesting and complex mystery. I admit, the only flaw, which kept it from four strong stars in my rating, involved her descriptions of Macdonald’s repeated and detailed reenactments, with the emphasis on timing, and elaborate descriptions of possible murder methods involving moving about the creepy old house quickly. No spoilers, I won’t go into detail, but as always with such technical descriptions I simply can’t envision, she left me scratching my head.
Otherwise, there are several possible interesting suspects, a sensible and fascinating motive comes to light, thanks to the diligent Jenkins, and solid red herrings kept me guessing. I especially appreciate Lorac’s gift for writing interesting and sympathetic characters, among police, witnesses, and suspects.
July 29, 2022
A surprisingly unsatisfying story from Lorac, who wrote a few other mysteries I rate higher. The set-up to the first death in the house is a bit long, and the house itself is more interesting than some of the goings-on. In fact, floor plans could have helped. Once McDonald starts investigating the tale picks up steam, but runs down near the end as he reconstructs the killing with so much emphasis on timing that it became boring. The mechanics behind the crime seem terribly convoluted, and the motive equally hard to swallow.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews