Forgotten Book - Crook O'Lune aka Shepherd's Crook

E.C.R. Lorac has become of the most popular authors in the British Library's Crime Classics series, something which causes me considerable pleasure. I am a fan, but it's also true to say that because she was so productive I still have a lot of entertaining reading ahead of me. The latest book I've devoured is Crook O'Lune, published in 1953. It is a good one, and what's more, as I explained on Monday, it prompted a very enjoyable trip to Lorac country last weekend.

At first, though, I wasn't sure if I was going to love the story. It begins slowly -very slowly. Gilbert Woolfall arrives at Kirkholm Station (based on the real-life Hornby station, which no longer exists) and enjoys an exhilarating walk through fell country. He has inherited a house at High Gimmerdale - which is a fictional version of Roeburndale. In the first three chapters, Lorac presents us with a lot of background information, and although it is relevant, it does mean that the pace and mood are rather low-key. I'm surprised she didn't try to integrate the factual material into the story in a more exciting way.

That said, things begin to warm up once Chief Inspector Macdonald arrives on the scene. He is on holiday - and is thinking of buying a farm in the area - but we all know what happens when fictional detectives go on holiday, don't we? Soon there are stories about sheep-stealing and before long there is a case of arson which has fatal consequences.

From then on, we have Lorac at her best. The characters are well-drawn and presented, for the most part, with compassion as well as insight. The setting is especially well evoked and you can tell how much she loved the area in which she lived. The story, too, turns out to be a pretty good one. All in all, it's well worth hunting for this mystery.

A pilgrimage to Lorac country

I'm back from a short but exhilarating trip to the countryside E.C.R. Lorac knew so well in and around the north of Lancashire and the Lune valley. The inspiration for this little pilgrimage was Crook O'Lune, her novel of 1953, which is set in the fictitious environs of High Gimmerdale. I'll write about the book in a future Forgotten Books post, but for now I'll concentrate on the visit.

I was lucky to have as my guides on Saturday afternoon Lena and David Whiteley, who have given me a great deal of help in my researches into Lorac's life and work. Lena knew Carol Rivett, who wrote as Lorac and as Carol Carnac, and has very warm memories of her. She and David know the area like the back of their hands and they kindly took me to Roeburndale, which was the real-life model for the setting of the story.

This is sheep farming country (the US title for the book was Shepherd's Crook). The Trough of Bowland is in one of the least densely populated parts of England and it was fascinating to explore the area - our route was eventually blocked by a gate. Two bikers managed to get through, on their way to Slaidburn, which was my next destination. The sat nav, however, took me the long way round. It was a delightful journey as the sun set over the quiet fells.

Lorac often disguises her settings, but in the novel, Chief Inspector Macdonald goes to the Hark to Bounty pub in Slaidburn and enjoys a dinner there. I was pleased to discover that not only is the Hark to Bounty a real pub, they have accommodation too. So we emulated Macdonald (a first-rate steak and ale pie was my choice, not sure what the detective ate!) and went one better, by staying the night as well. It seems from what we were told that Lorac too may have stayed at the Hark to Bounty, I think she must have been impressed, since in truth there was no obvious need for Macdonald to go there; I suspect she just wanted to give them a plug - and why not? Slaidburn is a lovely village and it was good to explore it on a beautiful Sunday morning after a filling breakfast which leaves me needing to lose weight! All in all, a great trip. And an enjoyable book, too.   

Exploring Lorac Country

Last week I spent a fascinating day exploring the area where Carol Rivett, alias E.C.R. Lorac and Carol Carnac, lived for the last fifteen years or so of her life. This is Lunesdale in north Lancashire, an area that is - in comparison at least to the much-visited hot spots of the Lake District - somewhat off the beaten track, yet a very appealing area of the English countryside. The photo above is of Crook O'Lune - which supplied the title for one of Lorac's novels.

My guide was someone who actually knew Carol Rivett well, and who features as a minor character in one of her books. I learned a great deal from her, not least that Carol was a strong-minded woman with many talents. I had the chance to admire some of her artwork, embroidery, and calligraphy; she was also an accomplished musician, who taught the piano prior to the Second World War. I also learned something I hadn't realised before, that her output included a novel for children called Island Spell.

Carol moved to Lunesdale during the war, in the early 1940s, to be close to her sister Maud and her brother-in-law. The family was very close; there was a third sister, Gladys, and although she lived in London, all three sisters are buried in  the churchyard at Aughton (pronounced "Afton", and not to be confused with Aughton near Ormskirk) where Carol lived. We went on a pilgrimage there, and also to the neighbouring houses where Carol and her in-laws lived.

Whilst walking around the area - some of the narrow and bumpy rural lanes are not ideal for driving! - by chance we bumped into someone who lives in another house nearby which features in one of the Lorac books. She put a lot of her experiences (and people she knew) into her books, and it was a pleasure to be able to see them for myself. It's a lovely part of the world, and I can see why she was happy to live there. And I wondered what she would have made of the enthusiasm which has greeted the British Library's recent reprints of her work - with another title, Fell Murder, which is set in Lunesdale, due out next month.