Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac
After finishing Esther Kinsky’s wonderful but rather melancholic “Grove”, I must admit that I did feel in need of a little contrast and perhaps something lighter. Enter another beautiful British Library Crime Classic, which was just the kind of escapism I needed. And after travelling to a somewhat muted Italy, this book took me off to the crisp clear snow of the Austrian Alps!
“Crossed Skis” by Carol Carnac is subtitled “An Alpine Mystery” and it was first published in 1952, since when it’s become extremely rare – so kudos to the BL for republishing it. And interestingly, it turns out that I’ve read Carnac (whose real name was Edith Caroline Rivett) before; she also published crime novels under the name of E.C.R. Lorac and several of those mysteries have also been reprinted as BLCCs! I read and loved “Murder by Matchlight” at the start of 2019, and her stories have also turned up on BL anthologies; fortunately, too, I have more Lorac titles on the TBR…
Anyway, back to Carol Carnac and the book in hand! “Crossed Skis” opens with a group of eight young women and eight young men setting off on a skiing jaunt to Austria at the start of January. The party has been assembled in a bit of a rush, with some last minute additions, and not all the members are actually known to each other. Bridget ‘Biddy’ Manners is the organiser, and somehow manages to corral her motley crew together to catch the boat train from Victoria. The journey is relatively uneventful, the group seem to gel quite well apart from a bit of ragging, and all are looking forward to escaping from the dull, damp British winter into a brighter, more exciting setting; understandable really, as it’s clear from the narrative that the things we moan about today are often the same things being moaned about nearly 70 years ago…
The reason we get into a mess in England during heavy snow falls is that we don’t cater for it. It always takes us unawares.
However, back in London, all is not well. A body has been discovered in a rented room in Bloomsbury, burnt to death; but it’s no accidental event. A brutal murder has been committed, and a sharp-eyed detective spots the mark of a ski stick left behind outside the house. Can the crime be connected to a group of skiiers? Who *is* the murder victim? Is there a criminal hidden in amongst the Austrian party? And will Chief Inspector Julian Rivers, himself a keen skier, be able to track down the murderer before it’s too late?
That’s a simplistic summary of what is a very clever and niftily constructed work, as Carnac dexterously runs the two separate strands of her plot alongside for a large part of the book. Alternating chapters and sections watch the group of 16 arrive in Lech am Arlberg, settle into their lodgings and take to the slopes. The bright clear landscape, the plentiful food and the chance to escape from everyday cares is a striking contrast to what’s happening back at home; although cracks do start to appear with some odd happenings taking place.
It was a disgusting evening, pondered Rivers, as he left the lights of St Albans behind and accelerated on the first long straight stretches of the Barnet Road. Wet snow drove depressingly against the windscreen and slush flew out in dirty cascades from the wheels, while mist tended to settle in the hollows. Into Rivers’ mind there flashed a visualisation of crisp, dry shining snow on the Scheidegg-Wengen slopes, hot sun and the hiss of skis flying on a delectable unbroken surface of glittering whiteness. He swore softly as a huge northbound lorry threw a small avalanche of dirty slush right over his own car. Snow?- heaven save the word!
Meanwhile, back in the coldest and dampest British January you could imagine, the detectives of the CID are following up the few hints they have about the murder victim. Negotiating a still bomb-damaged city, they have little to go on, and can’t even really identify the corpse properly. However, the detectives are not only skiiers themselves, but also gifted with imagination; and a recent crime has points which hint towards the involvement of a criminal with particular skills. Gradually, they build up a picture of the kind of person they’re looking for, which points them in one direction only.
The book’s title is apt for a number of reasons: crossed skis are bad luck, which they certainly will be for some of the party. And it’s also a good metaphor for the narrative itself, as the two straight lines of the parallel plot strand finally dovetail beautifully at the end, where there’s a very exciting and dramatic climax! It’s wonderfully inventive and certainly keeps you guessing right up until the finishing line; there were any number of suspects at the start, and although one (maybe two) characters came to the fore as the most likely, Carnac avoided the obvious.
Once again Kate realised that there was an element of terror in this mountain loveliness: the massive clouds and the snow slopes made the wooden houses seem puny. Only the gaunt stone church standing abrupt on its little plateau seem to have any quality of strength, as though, if the village were submerged, the stone tower and steep roof of the angular Gothic building might survive above it all.
Pleasingly, too, not all characters bright young things; Catherine (Kate) Reid and Frank Harris are more mature members of the party, and Martin Edwards opines in his excellent introduction that Kate is most probably a representation of Carol Carnac, herself a keen skier. If I had to make any criticism it would be that the minor members of the skiing party are perhaps a little lightly sketched in, so that some of them blended together a touch. But that’s only a minor quibble. The detectives are a lively lot, too, and I had to laugh at Carnac’s description of their reading matter at one point in their travels:
Rivers had taken with him The Way of All Flesh and Erewhon, by Samuel Butler, and two Anthony Trollopes, and he read his way uncomplaining across Europe. Lancing had bought six Penguin detective novels, from which he derived much entertainment: he left them all in the train at Langen, ”as propaganda”, he said to Rivers.
So “Crossed Skis” was a pure delight. As a mystery, it’s thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining and it certainly transported me away from lockdown for a few hours of pure escapism and puzzlement. Carnac writes beautifully, capturing her locations vividly, and that element of the book is one which really hit home with me. The book was published and set in the early 1950s, an era we don’t always connect directly with the Second World War. Yet as the vignettes of life in London make clear, this was a city which was still in many ways a bombsite; for example, the house where the murder takes place is one of a few surviving in a row, still standing in the middle of piles of rubble, where the owner scratches out a living taking in lodgers. Carnac’s prose captures strikingly the sense of being in a cold, damp, miserable post-War London with rationing and no cheer at all. No wonder the skiing party was keen to get away! “Crossed Skis” is yet another winner from the British Library Crime Classics imprint, and I really hope more of Carol Carnac’s titles will see the light of day.
Review copy kindly provided by the publisher, for which many thanks!
JacquiWine
May 21, 2020 @ 07:43:16
How interesting to hear that Carol Carnac and E. C. R. Lorac are one and the same – thank you for that! I enjoyed Lorac’s Fire in the Thatch when I read it last year, so this is definitely of interest to me. We all need a bit of escapism every now and again, especially right now when we’re still in the midst of so much uncertainty…
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 09:33:31
I know! She was obviously a very prolific author! This was a wonderful piece of escapism, and the settings (with the contrast between London and Europe) added a lot to it. I do want to dig out more the Lorac titles, as I know I have some unread!
damiankelleher
May 21, 2020 @ 09:56:21
Fascinating. A writer completely unknown to me. I liked this write-up, thank you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 09:59:18
Thanks Damian! I probably see more in these Crime Classics than was intended originally, but so often they provide fascinating snapshots of a time gone by, and in fact perhaps bring them to life more than a dry, factual account would!
janetemson
May 21, 2020 @ 10:03:22
I have a copy of this. Or I did, I can’t seem to find it now, which is typical as I really want to read it!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 10:37:11
Nooooo! I hope you can find it – it’s a brilliant read!
heavenali
May 21, 2020 @ 10:42:21
Ha, the quote about England not being ready for snow made me smile noting ever changes it would seem. I didn’t know that Carol Carnac and LCR Lorac were one and the same. I’ve read one Lorac novel I think and I know she is very popular amongst golden age fans. Luckily I have this one tbr, it does sound good.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 10:45:41
I know – that really made me chuckle! It’s a great book – really captures the time, and so cleverly done. I’ve enjoyed the Lorac I’ve read, she really was a talented woman. I think you’ll enjoy this!
Simon T
May 21, 2020 @ 11:08:40
Sounds great! And for people like me, already finding the heat a bit much, will be nice to read about snow…
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 11:12:45
I know! I’m working from home and really missing my air con…
But yes, this is a lovely read, and I think she’s one of the best rediscoveries of this series. She really captures time and place brilliantly (I thought that of Murder by Matchlight) so I can’t wait to read more!
buriedinprint
May 21, 2020 @ 15:58:11
This sounds thoroughly satisfying. A question from across the pond, is there simply an endless supply of British Crime Classics. Or have you simply rationed them so well that you always have one at hand, for moments such as this, on the other side of a more demanding read?
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 16:18:30
LOL! It was indeed a perfect read. As for the BLCCs, there does seem to be an endless supply! They’re issued on a regular basis, and I don’t have all of them, but I do have a rather nice unread heap which I break out regularly for when I need them. And they *are* perfect as a contrast to something a bit weightier! There must be getting on for 100 of them so far!
Charlie Bowman
May 21, 2020 @ 16:47:03
Unmistakably Innsbruck on the front cover!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 17:12:34
It certainly is! (At least that’s what it says on the back of the book!)
Vishy
May 21, 2020 @ 19:42:46
This looks very fascinating, Kaggsy! Haven’t heard of Carol Carnac before. She seems to be a wonderful writer and this book looks gripping! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 21, 2020 @ 20:40:22
It’s a great read with a really strong sense of place and very cleverly plotted. Loved it!
Liz Dexter
May 21, 2020 @ 21:43:58
That sounds like a clever plot and an excellent read, and just what was needed!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 22, 2020 @ 08:24:33
It was – exactly the right book at the right time. I love a clever mystery and the setting and the plot were just right!
BookerTalk
May 22, 2020 @ 08:22:10
This sounds like jolly good escapism. How fortunate those detectives happened to be skiers themselves!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 22, 2020 @ 08:24:03
LOL! It *was* fortunate, but it made for a wonderfully entertaining and distracting read. And very atmospheric too!
Radz Pandit
May 22, 2020 @ 09:21:11
This sounds so good Karen! I do love a good mystery set in winter. I really must start reading some of these British Library Crime Classics.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 22, 2020 @ 09:35:06
They’re wonderful, and a reliable piece of escapism when you need it. I’ve always loved Golden Age crime so the fact that so much of it is now easily available from the BL is brilliant!
TravellinPenguin
May 23, 2020 @ 05:50:19
I always enjoy hearing about these British Crime classics. I see our library now stocks quite a few of them, of course they do as the library is now closed but might open in mid June. I so want to read a few of these but have so many books here at home yelling at me for attention I feel guilty getting library books. This one does sound good though. Good review!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 23, 2020 @ 11:50:23
Thanks! I tend to be the same – I bring piles home from the library and then they go back unread because I feel I should focus on the ones I actually own. But the Crime Classics are a very quick read and once you can get hold of them, you’ll probably whizz through them! 😀
TravellinPenguin
May 24, 2020 @ 03:18:19
I must try one or two once the library reopens.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 24, 2020 @ 09:41:17
I hope you enjoy them!
madamebibilophile
May 23, 2020 @ 10:24:43
This sounds fab! I’m sure I have some ECR Lorac buried in the TBR somewhere…
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 23, 2020 @ 11:46:17
It *was* a particular joy – and I have more Lorac lurking too, which makes me very happy! 😀
ireadthatinabook
May 23, 2020 @ 16:09:19
I read it a few weeks ago and also really enjoyed it, I’m eagerly awaiting more Lorac/Carnac titles.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 23, 2020 @ 17:00:58
I thought it was fab – and I hope there are more Carnac titles from the BL soon!
SaaniaSparkle 🧚🏻♀️
May 26, 2020 @ 15:10:44
Nice blog
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 26, 2020 @ 16:51:32
Thank you! 😀
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