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Bats in the Belfry (Robert MacDonald #13)

E.C.R. Lorac

Start date: October 1, 2020

Finish date: October 31, 2020

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of our October poll - perfect for Halloween!
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What Members Thought

Jun 27, 2019 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: want-to-reread, reread, tbr-with-gr-groups, favorites

9/2020: Really enjoyed rereading this intricate, complicated whodunnit - I remembered who the killer was, but couldn’t remember the details. I was struck also by the dry humor - I’ve read several Lorac books with Macdonald investigating, and I always enjoy his wry, laidback personality, but I enjoyed seeing his humorous interactions with a young, rambunctious suspect, his fellow officers, even a doctor at the hospital.

6/2019: This is the third ECR Lorac Golden Age mystery I’ve read, and she is b 9/2020: Really enjoyed rereading this intricate, complicated whodunnit - I remembered who the killer was, but couldn’t remember the details. I was struck also by the dry humor - I’ve read several Lorac books with Macdonald investigating, and I always enjoy his wry, laidback personality, but I enjoyed seeing his humorous interactions with a young, rambunctious suspect, his fellow officers, even a doctor at the hospital.

6/2019: This is the third ECR Lorac Golden Age mystery I’ve read, and she is becoming one of my favorite authors.

I very much enjoy the wry humor, intelligence and dogged determination of her detective, Scotland Yard Inspector Macdonald. This British Library Crimes Classics reissue of the book, originally written in 1937, refers to it as “a hidden gem” that aroused little interest, “either on first publication or subsequently, despite its quality.” The introduction goes on to note that the plot and evocative portrayal of 1930s London lift it above the ordinary.

I wholeheartedly agree; from the opening scene in a stylish, cozy London drawing room where a sophisticated group of soon-to-be suspects discuss the knotty problem of disposing of a mythical corpse, to a creepy Notting Hill studio called the Belfry, or the Morgue to the locals, to a climactic chase through London traffic as Macdonald finally closes in on the murderer, London itself plays an important role in the mystery.

Lorac obviously knew London, as does her Inspector Macdonald - the tucked-away neighborhoods, the riverside docks, the little-known architectural gems left over from previous eras, even the iconic weather - Lorac uses them all to bring the city to life. I’ve never been to London, but her books make it easy to imagine the freezing sleet on the isolated docks, the penetrating misty fog that distorts sounds and light, leaving walkers feeling isolated, yet unsure whether they are alone, or being followed and overheard...

The murder in this one is particularly gruesome - a man goes missing, but his suitcase and passport are found in the decrepit artist’s studio called the Belfry - eventually his headless, handless body is found on the premises. Inspector Macdonald must dig up all the secrets of the dead man to unlock the elaborate scheme behind his murder. The plot is complex, involving blackmail, infidelity, long-lost relatives, a large inheritance, and some sophisticated and cynical characters.

That’s another thing I really enjoy about this author, the realistic, low-key portrayal of the grind of police investigations - no big summing up before the assembled cast at the end, or pulling surprise witnesses or leads out of thin air - the scene where Macdonald and his team take apart the filthy Belfry studio looking for the victim’s remains made it clear how difficult, dirty and tedious police work can be. Lorac also has the ability to shift suspicion around her characters while keeping the plot moving along convincingly, which I really appreciate.

I hope her books will continue to be reissued, I enjoy them very much. ...more

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Sep 17, 2020 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Having read, and enjoyed, “Fell Murder,” I was keen to read more by E.C.R. Lorac, pen name of Edith Caroline Rivett. Normally, I would only read a series in order, but, as not all of the author’s work has been re-published, I have made an exception. This is an earlier mystery than, “Fell Murder,” published in 1937. According to Martin Edwards, who so often writes excellent introductions to these re-published, Golden Age, novels, this particular mystery was not a great success when it was first p ...more

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Feb 09, 2021 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: brit-trip, read-as-an-audiobook, 2021

I did not see that coming! What a great twisty turny mystery for fans of Golden Age mysteries.

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2023 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-mystery, mystery, british-mystery, mount-tbr-2023, bought-2020

The thirteenth entry in Lorac's Inspector Robert MacDonald series finds the Scotsman investigating the disappearance of two men: Bruce Attleson and a mysterious man by the name of Debrette. Attleson wowed the literary world with his first two novels, but his muse seems to have left him. Meanwhile, his wife Sybilla has been lighting up the London stage. She would like to leave him as well and believes she has cause to do so. She just needs the proof. But Attleson is a clever fellow who doesn't wa The thirteenth entry in Lorac's Inspector Robert MacDonald series finds the Scotsman investigating the disappearance of two men: Bruce Attleson and a mysterious man by the name of Debrette. Attleson wowed the literary world with his first two novels, but his muse seems to have left him. Meanwhile, his wife Sybilla has been lighting up the London stage. She would like to leave him as well and believes she has cause to do so. She just needs the proof. But Attleson is a clever fellow who doesn't want to lose the comfy lifestyle his wife's success allows him, so he allows for no proof of his extracurricular activities. He thinks...

But then this man Debrette starts harassing him and his friends believe it to be blackmail. Attleson and his friend Rockingham are both meant to travel to Paris and plan to stay at the same hotel. When Rockingham returns home, he tells their circle of friends that Attleson never arrived. He talks Robert Grenville, a journalist, into trying to hunt down Debrette and the trail leads to a run-down gothic tower with a belfry. Debrette disappears as well and Attleson's suitcase--passport and all--is found in the basement. The men decide that it's a case for Scotland Yard and the Yard decides that it's a case for Inspector MacDonald. When a headless and handless corpse is discovered plastered up in a niche in the tower, MacDonald must follow the meagre trail of clues to find out if it is Debrette or Attleson who was left behind--and who put him there? Did one of the men eliminate the other? Or did Sybilla's "friend" get tired of waiting for her to have grounds for divorce? Perhaps Grenville got tired of waiting for Attleson to give permission for his ward, Elizabeth Leigh, to marry him. Or maybe there's more money in the case than meets the eye and someone got greedy?

You wouldn't think a book with a headless corpse would be fun, but this is. The opening scene following a funeral sets the tone and mysteries and spooky gothic towers notwithstanding, this is a fun read. We watch Robert Grenville (described as well-muscled under his coat) repeated get knocked over the head in his pursuit of Debrette--despite being told by Rockingham, his dear Elizabeth, and MacDonald that he'd better leave it alone.

"If he hadn't had the world's thickest skull, he wouldn't be alive now."

And as MacDonald notes, if he hadn't had the world's thickest skull in another sense, he wouldn't have been bashed over the head so many times....And if he hadn't had the world's thickest skull (and be destined to survive his adventures) we wouldn't enjoy watching the fun so much. The number of people who go sneaking about the tower also makes for interesting complications and we're never sure--given a booby-trap Grenville lays for anyone trying to enter the tower--just how many people there are.

Lorac does an excellent job providing motives for nearly all the main characters--even the butler may have done it!--so the solution, while unexpected, doesn't come out of nowhere. I will quibble about two people having the same motive, however. I do think that was a bit much--but I had so much fun revisiting London in the company of Inspector MacDonald that I will forgive her.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. ...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Frances rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-series

My first Lorac, and I rather enjoyed it!

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Apr 23, 2021 Shabbeer Hassan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2021, whodunit, police-procedural, mystery, brit-lit, 2025

An interesting take in mystery writing with generating a vibe of the heavy atmosphere is of greater concern than the plot or characters. The belfry in particular with its malicious aura lingering in the background like some maladjusted drapes is worth mentioning. The characters though are kinda unlikable throughout and the plot is not something to go ga-ga about. Worth reading once and especially if you can get hold of the audiobook version expertly brought alive by David Thorpe.

My Rating - 4/5

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May 02, 2018 Annarella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love British Library Crime Classic and this one was really good.
I loved the very intricate plot, full of twists, the characters and the style of writing.
A hidden gem of the Golden Age of Mystery.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press

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Feb 26, 2022 Laura Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-isles, mystery

3.5 stars A twisty puzzle from the Golden Age; my first Lorac and I will be reading more.

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Oct 11, 2018 Tracey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, mystery

The writing in this is 50's Hollywood clever ("...entreated him earnestly to do his best for his patient. 'All right, we will, since you make such a point of it,' retorted the
surgeon. 'We generally kill ’em in the lift, to save trouble, especially when we’re over full...'"), and it's as quick and clever as could be wanted. It's kind of wonderful to have almost the whole ouevre of a new-to-me Golden Age mystery writer still in front of me. ...more

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