Fire in the Thatch: A Devon Mystery

Starts quite promisingly, but once the murder happens, its becomes quite tedious. There is a several-page discussion about how a car could have crashed on a steep road. It goes on forever and concludes that it isn't possible to tell. That describes the book in a way. The detective is methodical and determined, but has suspicions and no evidence. And so we explore every possibility, in some detail before a completely unsuspected and almost irrelevant character turns out to have done it. I have read good things about Lorac, but this book was a very big disappointment. It's full of (now dated) observation about Devon and “country people”, but it is not entertaining or relevant, just background material. I will not be tracking down more Lorac books. This is #27 in the Robert MacDonald mysteries. Not for me! First and last.