Fire in the Thatch

Well done

This mystery is set in WWII England. While the war itself plays a small part, to really understand what's going on the reader must understand about evacuees, Land Girls, and especially petrol (gasoline) rationing -- all of which are key elements of the book. The characters are engaging, the setting is wonderful and enough hidden to keep at least this reader from guessing too quickly. There is one interesting and unusual writing choice made by the author. At about the end of Ch. 5, there is a brief break in time and a total change in focus. To explain at the break, one character dies in a suspicious "accident" and a Scotland Yard detective is called in to investigate. It's much less gory, but almost as abrupt a shift in focus as the murder of the young woman in "Psycho"; it took me the better portion of a chapter to transfer my interest to the detective and back into the narrative. I've downgraded one star for a couple of points: 1) when the explanation of how the killer arranged it all, the killer's actions got way too complicated for me to just accept them; even given lonely country side getting all that done unobserved would be a really difficult task. 2) One character (the woman I actually expected to be the victim) just finishes her cocktail and goes home with no further. mention in the book. 3) A third character is almost murdered and it certainly wasn't clear to me why the killer wanted to bother. All in all, it was a pleasant read and I will read more by this author.

This is a very good British classic mystery. I'm so pleased to have discovered this author and have been binge reading her McDonald series.

This novel was first published in 1946 and the context and language are very much of that period. The story is set in rural Devon, in the southern part of England, toward the end of WWII. A wounded serviceman takes on the tenancy of a neglected farm, complete with traditional thatched cottage, and sets out successfully to restore the complex and make it a productive operation. While he is a private person, his industry and dedication to the farm make him a favorite with locals who other wise are not fans of outsiders, especially city people. The first part of the book is a kind of chronicle of what it to be a farmer in the mid-20th Century. The rural vs. urban theme is the principal leitmotif for this novel, though the author will eventually take the story into more complex places.The story becomes a crime novel when the protagonist abruptly dies--and I mean abruptly as there is no lead in to the death. It is suddenly the investigation of a death, soon to become a murder procedural. Multiple characters are brought into the story at this point, and this is done rather slowly by the author. The story's ending carries most of the action freight and it's a bit long in coming.This is an agreeable enough story and will be especially interesting to readers who like their literary language prosaic and on the languid side.

This is not exactly great literature but it is well written. The characters were a bit stereotypical but were well developed and a good mix of cads, honest country people and perplexing war veterans.The plot held together well and there was an interesting surprise in the ending. The descriptions of the houses and the countryside were solid with post WWI details included.The writing and editing of these rediscovered novels is so much better than in most current work. Too bad our standards have dropped.

Likable and compelling characters, good writing and a very good plot.The solution to the mystery is a bit labored and I have little patience with finding out on the last page that somebody was married to the woman the victim was in love with, therefore the motive. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable book, especially for readers of the classic British cozies.

I enjoyed this mystery, not as much as Murder by Matchlight. I really liked the setting and I didn't like as many of the characters, as I did in the other book. The mystery was very good.

I loved this book, by an author with whom I hitherto was wholly unfamiliar, despite being a rabid consumer of British mystery novels from the 1860s to the present. Am thrilled to add Lorac to my list of must reads. Loved the careful observation of the locale, both outside and the buildings, and the period detail. Clever plot, good characterizations. Very glad I read this. Thank you, Amazon, for the recommendation.

I’m so pleased to have stumbled upon this little known (?) novelist of the Classic Crime period. Her prose is admirable, and her descriptions of typical country life in Devon in that era suggest an intimate personal experience. The plot is well conceived and is delivered in a detailed and most enjoyable fashion. Highly recommended!

Another complex case for MacDonald to solve from this clever author. Twists and turns throughout with red-herrings galore make this first-class fiction from an earlier period when different values and attitudes applied.Fans of Agatha Christie and similar authors will not be disappointed.

Downloaded book, 'Fire in the Thatch' to PC and the text formatting is screwed to the extent that it reads in columns about 4 words across. Have tried to find information to fix problem but, if it's there at all, it must be buried beneath the plethora of of other information that is useless to me. Bought another book at same time and the same thing has happened.In the past I have downloaded quite a number of games to my PC and if there is a problem the solution is usually simple. Click uninstall then re-install. Why can't I do that with Kindle?

Loved this story. Well written and the plot well thought out and explained. A few red herrings as well. This would make a good Television who dunnit. It always seems to me that vintage crime writers always come up with a great plot.,great characters and a good old clever detective. This is the second novel I have read by lorac and this one is as good as the first one. I would highly recommend this vintage novel.

The setting and characterisations are very well done. The crime and motive(s) receive less attention than they ought, whilst the solution is rather disappointing. Still worth the read though.