E.C.R. Lorac provides clues right there in the title of her Golden Age mystery, These Names Make Clues, if you’re clever enough to pick up on them. I wasn’t. Fortunately, Chief Inspector Macdonald from Scotland Yard was on the scene when one of the murders occurred. He’s much cleverer than I am.

Fortunately for all of us who read the British Library Crime Classics, Martin Edwards is on the scene as well. These mysteries wouldn’t be quite as fascinating without the background Edwards provides. This story, set in April 1936, was first published in 1937, and not reprinted until now. Edwards finds that odd because he says this is Lorac’s book that most closely fits the mood of traditional detective fiction of the “Golden Age of Murder”.

Graham Coombe, a publisher, and his sister, Susan, invite a small group of writers and others, including Macdonald, to “A Treasure Hunt where clues of a literary, historical and practical nature” are provided. Macdonald isn’t sure he wants to attend. He suspects he’ll be a figure of fun. But, he flips a coin, and attends the party. He later wishes he had not attended.

When the electricity goes out in the middle of the treasure hunt, Macdonald suspects it wasn’t an accident. When he and his host, Graham Coombe, find one of the writers dead, Coombe assumes it’s a heart attack. Macdonald isn’t too sure, and he handles the entire situation as if it was a crime scene. When a second body is found under mysterious circumstances, Macdonald knows the deaths aren’t accidents. Although some of the writers are irritated with the investigation, Macdonald is determined to find a killer.

E.C.R. Lorac’s mysteries are for those of us who appreciate logical explanations. We can follow the clues right along with Macdonald, although Martin Edwards says Lorac sometimes keeps information back until the last minute. For those of us who are fans, that doesn’t really matter. Lorac’s books are enjoyable mysteries.

These Names Make Clues by E.C.R. Lorac. Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks, 2022. ISBN 9781728261188 (paperback), 256p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, with only an expectation of an honest review.