From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Murderer's Mistake (Robert Macdonald #28)

E.C.R. Lorac

Start date: February 1, 2024

Finish date: February 28, 2024

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Also known as The Theft of the Iron Dogs
[close] Also known as The Theft of the Iron Dogs

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 328 topics — 11,869 comments total

Group reads

* VOTE NOW for November 2025 group read!
By Judy · 19 posts · 22 views

last updated 6 hours, 33 min ago

* Sept 25: Lonesome Road (#3 Miss Silver Mysteries) by Patricia Wentworth
By Susan · 13 posts · 11 views

last updated Sep 03, 2025 12:03PM

showing 4 of 4 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Sep 14, 2023 Lynnie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, read-in-2023, lancashire, post-war, british-library-crime

I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed the other two Lunesdale books by Lorac.
It's a gentle read with lots of description about farming in the dales but also a very intriguing murder mystery as to motive.

Don't read the introduction first (I never do, I read them afterwards) - I felt this one gave too many hints.

There's a fourth Lunedale Mystery - Still Waters - and I really hope the British Library will republish this one next year. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2024 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, my-library

I really enjoyed this rural mystery by one of my favorite GA authors, which sees her CID detective come from London to rural Lunesdale in pursuit of a con man.

World War II is recently over, but rationing still in force; Gordon Ginner is an unsavory character, known to be involved, among other shady pursuits, in coupon swindling. He's disappeared from his London digs, and Macdonald and his team are trying to trace him when he receives a letter from farmer Giles Hoggett in Lancashire. He’s noticed I really enjoyed this rural mystery by one of my favorite GA authors, which sees her CID detective come from London to rural Lunesdale in pursuit of a con man.

World War II is recently over, but rationing still in force; Gordon Ginner is an unsavory character, known to be involved, among other shady pursuits, in coupon swindling. He's disappeared from his London digs, and Macdonald and his team are trying to trace him when he receives a letter from farmer Giles Hoggett in Lancashire. He’s noticed some things missing from his family’s summer cottage, and suspects a break in; he consults a neighboring farmer who had met Macdonald in a previous investigation. He recommends Hoggett write the CID man with his suspicions.

Macdonald decides to pursue the investigation in Lunesdale, and is helped mightily by Hoggett, his wife, Kate, and other farmers in the area with local knowledge. A body is found in the nearby river, trussed up and weighted down with the stolen iron dogs of the original title (“The Theft of the Iron Dogs”), and it’s the missing rationing cheat. But who killed him, and why?

I’ve always appreciated that about Macdonald, he respects and appreciates the local people, and the valuable information they can provide. The author lived in Lunesdale, and her love for that part of England comes through her descriptions of the landscape and the people. Indeed, this seemed more like an adventure story as Hoggett joins in with Macdonald and his sergeant, Reeves, pumping locals for clues.

It got a little bogged down for me as the questioning wore on, I wasn’t always sure of the importance of some of the obscure details Macdonald and his team (both professional and amateur) were trying to trace.

I was also a bit disoriented because I read the ebook while listening to the British Library Crime Classics audiobook, which had extra text - nothing important about clues, but descriptions of scenery or characters. It was a bit confusing when the audio didn’t sync with the text.

Otherwise, an enjoyable mystery, and I look forward to reading further Lorac mysteries as they are reissued. I also own Crook o' Lune, in which Macdonald revisits the Hoggetts and Lunesdale to look for a retirement home, and gets involved in a case. I look forward to meeting these characters again! ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2024 Susan rated it liked it

Having enjoyed everything I have read so far by E.C.R. Lorac, I was slightly less enamoured by this book - the 28th in the long-running Robert Macdonald series.

The mystery is set after WWII, but rationing is still very much a feature of the country. Farmer Giles Hoggett looks in at his holiday cottage and - noticing his woodpile has been tampered with - goes inside and discovers a number of minor thefts, including an old coat and the iron dogs and a chain from the fireplace. Of course, things w ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 20, 2024 Laurie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Cozy and pleasant to listen to with a lot of lovely descriptions of country life. I guessed whodunnit again, but it didn’t matter. It was an enjoyable read with some nice characters.

Like · see review

May 07, 2024 Annarella rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss, golden-age-mystery

It's not the best Lorac's mystery as it's a bit confusing at time even if the high number of twists kept my attention alive.
The description of the places are exceptional and made me wish I was walking near the Lune
There's some very enjoyable part and I appreciated the revelation and the solution.
I enjoyed it but I could read Ms Lorac's shopping list and enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine ...more

Like · see review