Some of the things to be admired about Sayers's writing are it's quality & how she does such great worldbuilding.In this book, the 5th in the Lord Peter Wimsey detective series & first published in 1928, I learnt more about shell-shock & I was surprised how very sympathetic most of the characters were to victims of it. I've now done a bit of (superficial) reading, & eventually shell-shock victims were expected to 'snap out of it.' but certainly Sayers shows compassion through her...

The Lord Peter Wimsey series almost feels like Dorothy Sayers channeled Agatha Christie and stole one of P.G. Wodehouse's characters. <--that's a compliment. I'm not trying to say Sayers plagiarized anything, for the love of god!The aforementioned "unpleasantness" starts when an elderly gentleman at Lord Peter's club is found dead in his favorite chair - surely of natural causes!But things get sticky when it is discovered that it is necessary to determine when exactly he died, as that means t...

I'm glad I persevered with Lord Peter Wimsey, the first three books being just so-so for me, but this one was clever and witty. I think the relationship between Charles Parker, Scotland Yard detective, and Lord Peter is developing quite nicely. There were many twists and turns, and I followed several rabbit trails, but ultimately had it figured out before the final unpleasantness. Looking forward to the next book!

Lord Peter Group Read September 2022After this last re-read I am very tempted to up my review to 5 stars. The writing is excellent, the characters very lifelike albeit from almost 100 years ago and the story is just such a great detective mystery novel.Lord Peter gets involved quite early on as a dead body is found in one of his clubs. However despite everyone thinking the old gentleman had died a natural death , Lord Peter is concerned about one aspect, and from there all th rest of the story ...

I should disclaim that I Iistened to the BBC radio dramatization of this on my commutes rather than read it. (For those thinking about doing the same: Each of the stories in the collection is around about three hours to listen to, so time your own commute out accordingly.)And really, the story is pretty perfect for the medium. Sayers’ stories are generally heavy on talk anyway, and the very few action scenes that are required are amply taken care of by someone banging on the walls, creaking a do...

This is the book where Sayers starts to hit her stride with Lord Peter. He is suddenly beginning to look like a fully fleshed out man, perceptive, subtly hard-edged, sometimes silly, and thoroughly likable. The mystery gives us a chance to see him puzzle out two different puzzles while watching him measure up people. I like how Sayers throws social commentary around artfully. She never preaches, but I always find myself nodding along, wondering why I didn't think of that. The reason I didn't is ...

This is the fifth Dorothy Sayers novel I have read in her Lord Peter Wimsey series, and I continue to enjoy her writing, and Lord Peter’s character development. There is even an updated biography (by Lord Peter’s uncle) at the back of the book so we can continue to fill in the gaps of his life as the author herself discovers more about him.The plots are growing more refined over time with lots of red herrings – and I especially like the ones that Lord Peter tosses immediately back into the sea. ...

EXCERPT: 'What in the world, Wimsey, are you doing in this Morgue?' demanded Captain Fentiman, flinging aside the Evening Banner with the air of a man released from an irksome duty. 'Oh, I wouldn't call it that,' retorted Wimsey amiably. 'Funeral Parlour at the very least. Look at the marble. Look at the furnishings. Look at the palms and the chaste bronze nude in the corner.''Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know - 'Waiter! Take away Lord Wha...

Published in 1928 this Lord Peter Wimsey mystery is set around Remembrance Day. When Wimsey arrives at the Bellona Club he meets up with his friend, George Fentiman, who is a victim of poison gas and shell shock during the war. He admits to Lord Peter that he is struggling financially and is upset that he is dependent upon his wife Sheila going out to work. This novel sees Lord Peter Wimsey, and author Dorothy L. Sayers, in a much more reflective mood. There is an obvious distance between the ge...

On the surface, a pleasant puzzle-piecey little murder mystery, with Peter bounding here and there, declaiming and detectiving his way to an answer. But under that . . . yikes. What an uncomfortable book, with people turning and twisting and snagging on each other like brambles on silk. Everyone stuck inside a little box called marriage or poverty or shell shock or police rules. This book is all tight spaces – the badly lit veteran’s club, the body crammed up tight in the phone box, the stifling...