Death of an Author by E.C.R. Lorac
Published: 1935 | Series: Standalone
In this meta-fictional mystery, a pair of police detectives investigate the vanishing of a reclusive novelist whose true identity — and very existence — is called into question after his secretary reports him missing.
About E.C.R. Lorac
E.C.R. Lorac was the pseudonym of Edith Caroline Rivett (1894–1958), a prolific British author who began publishing during the golden age of detective fiction. Elected as a member of the prestigious Detection Club in 1937, over the course of her life she wrote over 70 mysteries. Her most notable series was that featuring Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald, but she also wrote other books under both the Lorac name and as Carol Carnac.
This is the Shedunnit Book Club's chosen book for April 2026, picked for the "Bibliomystery" theme. On the main podcast, I have devoted two episodes to E.C.R. Lorac so far: an introduction to her fiction with Sarah Ward and the wartime biographical exploration E.C.R. Lorac Rises Through The Ranks.
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