The Sixteenth Stair

Robert Macdonald #22

by E.C.R. Lorac

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Edith 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.

Reviews

[Adam Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more of a 3.5 - Now I’ve read quite a few of Lorac’s classic crimes I can definitely say I prefer her Devon and Lancashire based books than those based in London.

Still though, this is a good read. An abandoned house overlooking Regent’s Park, a body at the bottom of the stairs and a lot of family shenanigans going on. Not MacDonalds finest case, but an enjoyable story.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A house in London - near Regent’s Park for choice - filled with character and a long history. A family which at first seems perfectly respectable and turns out to have all kinds of hidden scandals and hatreds, to say nothing of black sheep and overseas relatives. A denouement in which we see the criminal in action without knowing which of the suspects it could be until they are safely in the hands of the law. This has all the features of classic ECR Lorac, but I would class it as good average rather than one of her best. There is something almost Dickensian about the Hazeley family but it’s hard to feel sympathy for any of them and therefore to care as much as we should which if any of them might turn out to have murder in their heart.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vintage rare Lorac from 1941 set around a neglected mansion near Regent's Park, and an extended family being picked off one by one. I've enjoyed each Lorac I've read. The ending of this one seemed abrupt.

[Suzie Grogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll never rate a Macdonald story lower than a four - he is too attractive a detective- but this is at the lower end of the fours. Lorac’s knack for description is there, but there is much more dialogue than in her out of London books, which shine as the best in this terrific series. Lorac is a wonderful writer of detective fiction and as a tale of family secrets, avarice and disguise this is still very readable.

[Malcolm Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a link to my review on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSqHkl...

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly good classic mystery, missing that certain spark to make it a classic. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com