It is holiday time, and a group of sixteen young people, 8 men and 8 women, have gotten together for a joint holiday in the Austrian Alps at the resort of Lech am Alberg. They really don't know each other very well, but (at their age) who cares? Some are expert skiers, others are rank beginners, but all are looking forward to a thoroughly enjoyable vacation.
At the same time, in London's Bloomsbury, there is a fire in a rundown house which not only destroys much of the building. It also leaves the body of a man, found dead in the fire. Chief Inspector Julian Rivers and Inspector Brook quickly become convinced that it is not an accident - it is murder. And a curious piece of evidence suggests that the murderer may be a skier. And that will lead to a most interesting - and dangerous - chase across half of Europe. You'll find the full story in Crossed Skis, a 1952 novel by Carol Carnac. It's the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.
This is the first book I’ve read by “Carol Carnac,” but not the first by that author using another pen name. Edith Caroline Rivett wrote a long series of mysteries beginning in the heart of the Golden Age, using the pen name “E.C.R. Lorac,” and I’ve had the pleasure of reading several of those titles. But she also wrote another popular series as “Carol Carnac” which starred Chief Detective Inspector Rivers. Long out of print, it is being reprinted now as part of the British Library’s Crime Classics series, which is published in the United States by Poisoned Pen Press. The publisher has sent me a copy for this review.
It’s a skillfully constructed mystery. The viewpoint shifts back and forth between the two halves of the story – first following the young English skiers on their holiday in Austria, then switching back periodically to the murder investigation in London. Carnac keeps the action moving, and the plot really takes off when it begins to be clear to both the police and the skiers that it is quite possible – even likely – that one among their group of sixteen vacationers may be a killer.
Once again, mystery historian Martin Edwards has provided a critical introduction to this new British Library edition that shares information about the author, Edith Caroline Rivett, and her long career writing as both E.C.R. Lorac and Carol Carnac. If you’re looking for a good mystery to get you through a long winter’s night or two, try Crossed Skis, by Carol Carnac.
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