What do you think?
Rate this book
Robert Macdonald #14
The Devil and the C.I.D.
THE DEVIL AND THE C.I.D. is a very hard-to-find treasure from 1938 by Edith Caroline Rivett, who wrote under the pseudonym E.C.R. Lorac. It features her series character, the Scot Inspector Macdonald, and involves a body left in the boot of the Inspector's car.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1938
105 people want to read
About the author
E.C.R. Lorac
75 books169 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 1, 2022
3.5 stars
Another twisty mystery featuring my favorite Scotland Yard detective, Chief Inspector Macdonald.
The story opens in November 1938, late on a very foggy night. Macdonald, having had a rough time navigating his car, chooses to park it at Scotland Yard and walk the rest of the way home. Imagine his surprise the next morning on discovering a dead man in the back of said vehicle! Who is he? How did he come to be in the Inspector's car?
The plot is very convoluted; fans of the author's other mysteries will know that the obvious solution is so seldom the correct one. I will admit to being baffled--I eventually figured out 'who' did the murder; I had to wait for the author to supply the 'why' of the crime. This time, I felt the author's clues were a bit skimpy.
Not one of my favorites by Lorac, but still entertaining.
Another twisty mystery featuring my favorite Scotland Yard detective, Chief Inspector Macdonald.
The story opens in November 1938, late on a very foggy night. Macdonald, having had a rough time navigating his car, chooses to park it at Scotland Yard and walk the rest of the way home. Imagine his surprise the next morning on discovering a dead man in the back of said vehicle! Who is he? How did he come to be in the Inspector's car?
The plot is very convoluted; fans of the author's other mysteries will know that the obvious solution is so seldom the correct one. I will admit to being baffled--I eventually figured out 'who' did the murder; I had to wait for the author to supply the 'why' of the crime. This time, I felt the author's clues were a bit skimpy.
Not one of my favorites by Lorac, but still entertaining.
July 15, 2021
I'm so glad the Shedunnit podcast introduced me to ECR Lorac's books. This is another great read, with fun characters and a great descriptive sense in the writing.
August 31, 2022
I was very pleased to discover the Golden Age mystery writer ECR Lorac through the Reading the Detectives group a few years ago, and have really enjoyed several of her mysteries reissued by British Library Crime Classics and other publishers. This was good, but not a favorite.
I honestly can’t recount what the crime was about, because it was complex, and the finale, with series Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald relating his logic to his superior and a senior diplomat who helped with the investigation, was very chatty and convoluted. Also, this one had one of my pet peeves, two suspects with very similar names, Varance and Vernier - we only meet one of them, the other becomes a victim, so it’s hard (for me, anyway) to keep track of two characters I have very little interaction with on the page. There were, however, a couple of other interesting characters, and we learn more about Macdonald’s character, so that was intriguing.
The story begins very enjoyably as Macdonald drives along the Embankment very slowly through a cold, thick November fog. It’s after midnight, he’s been on a case. He sees a pickpocket grab a woman’s bag, and leaps out of the car to help. He is amazed, when he finds his way back to his car, that it wasn’t stolen! He makes it to the Yard, parks the car, walks home. Imagine his chagrin to find a dead body in the backseat the next day…
The victim is dressed as Mephistopheles, not just any costume, but a very well-made outfit of beautiful, almost theatrical design. The investigation begins with costume balls, as it was Armistice Day; Macdonald soon narrows it down to a particular ball, where attendees admit they saw the man in the devil costume, among the three-four Mephistopheles in attendance. This ball was very large, about 2000 guests, organized to benefit WWI veterans, by a very intriguing society lady who seems to know more than she’s telling. MacDonald’s further investigations lead him to a few more colorful and suspicious attendees at the same ball, who may or may not know more than they let on, of the victim and the motive.
The big questions at first are clear - who was the victim, and why was he stabbed to death? Who benefited? Once we learn the identity of the killer, it became rather mixed up with events in Spain (Spanish Civil War, this book took place in 1938), and France. It was rather garbled, honestly, but I always enjoy investigating with Macdonald. This was one of a birthday stash of Lorac paperbacks I purchased a few years ago, I look forward to reading on with Macdonald.
I honestly can’t recount what the crime was about, because it was complex, and the finale, with series Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald relating his logic to his superior and a senior diplomat who helped with the investigation, was very chatty and convoluted. Also, this one had one of my pet peeves, two suspects with very similar names, Varance and Vernier - we only meet one of them, the other becomes a victim, so it’s hard (for me, anyway) to keep track of two characters I have very little interaction with on the page. There were, however, a couple of other interesting characters, and we learn more about Macdonald’s character, so that was intriguing.
The story begins very enjoyably as Macdonald drives along the Embankment very slowly through a cold, thick November fog. It’s after midnight, he’s been on a case. He sees a pickpocket grab a woman’s bag, and leaps out of the car to help. He is amazed, when he finds his way back to his car, that it wasn’t stolen! He makes it to the Yard, parks the car, walks home. Imagine his chagrin to find a dead body in the backseat the next day…
The victim is dressed as Mephistopheles, not just any costume, but a very well-made outfit of beautiful, almost theatrical design. The investigation begins with costume balls, as it was Armistice Day; Macdonald soon narrows it down to a particular ball, where attendees admit they saw the man in the devil costume, among the three-four Mephistopheles in attendance. This ball was very large, about 2000 guests, organized to benefit WWI veterans, by a very intriguing society lady who seems to know more than she’s telling. MacDonald’s further investigations lead him to a few more colorful and suspicious attendees at the same ball, who may or may not know more than they let on, of the victim and the motive.
The big questions at first are clear - who was the victim, and why was he stabbed to death? Who benefited? Once we learn the identity of the killer, it became rather mixed up with events in Spain (Spanish Civil War, this book took place in 1938), and France. It was rather garbled, honestly, but I always enjoy investigating with Macdonald. This was one of a birthday stash of Lorac paperbacks I purchased a few years ago, I look forward to reading on with Macdonald.
July 3, 2022
The opener of this story is a revisit to a real thing of the past, the London pea-souper; it's a fun and unusual opener to a murder. Unfortunately I think the plot itself is one of the less engaging of Lorac's, and the characters less appealing.
Love this original cover.
Love this original cover.
June 24, 2024
Definitely one of my favorite E.C.R. Lorac books!
May 30, 2025
This was rather a mess.
A disappointment in an otherwise very good series.
A disappointment in an otherwise very good series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews