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Lord Peter Wimsey #1,10,12
Three Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Novels: Whose Body? / Murder Must Advertise / Gaudy Night
"Whose Body?"--The stark naked body was lying in the tub.Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder -- especially with a pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath. "Murder Must Advertise"--When advertising executive Victor Dean dies from a fall down the stairs at Pym's Publicity, Lord Peter Wimsey is asked to investigate. It seems that, before he died, Dean had begun a letter to Mr. Pym suggesting some very unethical dealings at the posh London ad agency. Wimsey goes undercover and discovers that Dean was part of the fast crowd at Pym's, a group taken to partying and doing drugs. Wimsey and his brother-in-law, Chief-Inspector Parker, rush to discover who is running London's cocaine trade and how Pym's fits into the picture--all before Wimsey's cover is blown. "Gaudy Night"--When Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the "Gaudy," the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obsentities, burnt effigies and poison-pen letters -- including one that says, "Ask your boyfriend with the title if he likes arsenic in his soup."Some of the notes threaten murder; all are perfectly ghastly; yet in spite of their scurrilous nature, all are perfectly worded. And Harriet finds herself ensnared in a nightmare of romance and terror, with only the tiniest shreds of clues to challenge her powers of detection, and those of her paramour, Lord Peter Wimsey.
586 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1990
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78 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy L. Sayers
726 books3,006 followersThe detective stories of well-known British writer Dorothy Leigh Sayers mostly feature the amateur investigator Lord Peter Wimsey; she also translated the
Divine Comedy
of Dante Alighieri.
This renowned author and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature an English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. She is also known for her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
This renowned author and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature an English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. She is also known for her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 23, 2011
Gaudy Night was actually the first Sayers novel I ever read, and still my favorite, but I don't recommend reading it first. At the very least, before tackling it, I'd read the two previous novels featuring Harriet Vane, Strong Poison and Have His Carcase. I think Sayers' Wimsey novels are different than say Christie's Poirot because they're not really standalones with no character development in the detective. There's an arc to and emotional life to Wimsey. Having said that, the later novels in my opinion are much stronger, so if you don't care for Whose Body? I hope you'll try some of the later ones, such as The Nine Tailors or the two other novels in this omnibus.
Whose Body? I found Wimsey's aristocratic manner irksome at first, and I was put off with his attitude that murder was a hobby and puzzle. It's akin to an attitude you see in Sherlock Holmes, but somehow seemed more callous in a wealthy aristocrat who seems equally as diverted by collecting rare books. However, more and more as I read the novel I got hints that Wimsey is more than a dilettante, yet a charmer, and that there's more to his behavior than what lies on the surface. The mystery plot hangs together well, but what's most striking is that there's a lightness, a deft humor and wordplay that sets Sayers apart from Christie or Doyle. I should mention there are anti-semitic views expressed by characters in this book--but given the positive depiction of the Jewish character in the book, I think that's meant to reflect on those characters and the times, and not the views of the author. Three Stars
Murder Must Advertise In this novel, after a half-finished letter implying corruption is found among the effects of a seeming accident victim, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover in an advertising agency to investigate. Dorothy Sayers herself worked as a copy-writer in an advertising agency, and it shows in the details of the workings of the agency and the theme throughout of the ethical complexities, nay, more like the ethical shortcomings, of the business. There are also the running themes of class distinctions based on education and the futility of the drug war. The book seems quite relevant still today. There's also a sophisticated style apparent at times--even some passages that use the stream-of-consciousness technique. For all that I don't want you to think this makes for dry reading. As with all of Sayers' books, there's plenty of wit and humor to be found. Particularly striking in that regard is the boy Ginger Joe, who aspires to be a detective and the incident with Mr Copley, where his view of himself as savior of the firm is punctured the next day. Sayers paints a deliciously comic yet insightful picture of office politics among a murder investigation. Unfortunately, as is often the case with the Sayers books I've read, not everything comes across as credible (the identical cousins subplot made me raise my eyebrows almost to my hairline), but this one did have a clever resolution. Not so much as to who--Sayers tips her hat to that fairly early--as to how. A clever, enjoyable, and thoughtful novel. Four Stars
Gaudy Night This is the third book with Harriet Vane, Lord Peter Wimsey's romantic interest, and indeed Gaudy Night is more centered on her, with Wimsey, although often on her mind, not appearing until over half-way through the book. Vane's a mystery writer herself, and at one point in this book Wimsey challenges her to delve deeper into her characters, and tells her that she can do better than just writing puzzle pieces. That made me smile the second time reading through, and after having read other Wimsey books, because I do think this is both what separates this book from books earlier in the series, and say even the best of Agatha Christie. Purely as a mystery, I find this the most satisfying Sayers I've read--it kept me guessing to the end, it wrapped up the strange goings on at an Oxford women's college very neatly, and it didn't feel at all contrived or too clever. But it also was a lot more than a mystery. I loved the picture of Oxford in the mid-1930s. It was fascinating to read in a book published in 1936 all the hints of the war to come in references to Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy. It was amusing to hear the dons describe the generation of students in terms reminiscent discussing students of say the 1960s or today--rowdy, undisciplined, wild. The more things change... There was a feminist theme evident in Have His Carcase, the second book with Harriet Vane, but I'd say the entire theme of men, women and their relations is even more to the fore in Gaudy Night and I loved the way Sayers played with that. This novel has richness and complexity befitting literature, and indeed even on second read I felt I hadn't peeled all layers and certainly haven't caught all the different literary and classic allusions. Wimsey is also at his most appealing here, and I'd put his conversation at the end with Harriet high up in my personal list of favorite romantic scenes--all the more for how it fits the themes throughout the novel. I finished the book wanting to cry "Bravo!" Five Stars
Whose Body? I found Wimsey's aristocratic manner irksome at first, and I was put off with his attitude that murder was a hobby and puzzle. It's akin to an attitude you see in Sherlock Holmes, but somehow seemed more callous in a wealthy aristocrat who seems equally as diverted by collecting rare books. However, more and more as I read the novel I got hints that Wimsey is more than a dilettante, yet a charmer, and that there's more to his behavior than what lies on the surface. The mystery plot hangs together well, but what's most striking is that there's a lightness, a deft humor and wordplay that sets Sayers apart from Christie or Doyle. I should mention there are anti-semitic views expressed by characters in this book--but given the positive depiction of the Jewish character in the book, I think that's meant to reflect on those characters and the times, and not the views of the author. Three Stars
Murder Must Advertise In this novel, after a half-finished letter implying corruption is found among the effects of a seeming accident victim, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover in an advertising agency to investigate. Dorothy Sayers herself worked as a copy-writer in an advertising agency, and it shows in the details of the workings of the agency and the theme throughout of the ethical complexities, nay, more like the ethical shortcomings, of the business. There are also the running themes of class distinctions based on education and the futility of the drug war. The book seems quite relevant still today. There's also a sophisticated style apparent at times--even some passages that use the stream-of-consciousness technique. For all that I don't want you to think this makes for dry reading. As with all of Sayers' books, there's plenty of wit and humor to be found. Particularly striking in that regard is the boy Ginger Joe, who aspires to be a detective and the incident with Mr Copley, where his view of himself as savior of the firm is punctured the next day. Sayers paints a deliciously comic yet insightful picture of office politics among a murder investigation. Unfortunately, as is often the case with the Sayers books I've read, not everything comes across as credible (the identical cousins subplot made me raise my eyebrows almost to my hairline), but this one did have a clever resolution. Not so much as to who--Sayers tips her hat to that fairly early--as to how. A clever, enjoyable, and thoughtful novel. Four Stars
Gaudy Night This is the third book with Harriet Vane, Lord Peter Wimsey's romantic interest, and indeed Gaudy Night is more centered on her, with Wimsey, although often on her mind, not appearing until over half-way through the book. Vane's a mystery writer herself, and at one point in this book Wimsey challenges her to delve deeper into her characters, and tells her that she can do better than just writing puzzle pieces. That made me smile the second time reading through, and after having read other Wimsey books, because I do think this is both what separates this book from books earlier in the series, and say even the best of Agatha Christie. Purely as a mystery, I find this the most satisfying Sayers I've read--it kept me guessing to the end, it wrapped up the strange goings on at an Oxford women's college very neatly, and it didn't feel at all contrived or too clever. But it also was a lot more than a mystery. I loved the picture of Oxford in the mid-1930s. It was fascinating to read in a book published in 1936 all the hints of the war to come in references to Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy. It was amusing to hear the dons describe the generation of students in terms reminiscent discussing students of say the 1960s or today--rowdy, undisciplined, wild. The more things change... There was a feminist theme evident in Have His Carcase, the second book with Harriet Vane, but I'd say the entire theme of men, women and their relations is even more to the fore in Gaudy Night and I loved the way Sayers played with that. This novel has richness and complexity befitting literature, and indeed even on second read I felt I hadn't peeled all layers and certainly haven't caught all the different literary and classic allusions. Wimsey is also at his most appealing here, and I'd put his conversation at the end with Harriet high up in my personal list of favorite romantic scenes--all the more for how it fits the themes throughout the novel. I finished the book wanting to cry "Bravo!" Five Stars
July 28, 2008
Reading three books in one was a bit of a slog, and I did put it down between books two and three to cleanse the palate so to speak. However, that being said, it was fascinating watching Sayer's style develop over the course of the three novels. The first one had a very staccato tone which took a little patience on my end to follow (although the results were well worth it). This mellowed over the course of the two others books. Gaudy Night was remarkable in many respects, and highly recommended. Perfect summer reading, winter reading... any time of the year, really.
October 8, 2023
A good survey set.
This is a strange combination of Dorothy L. Sayers’s mysteries. However, if you just wanted a good overview of her mysteries this to be a nice set. If you intend to read more skip this strange combination.
--------------------------------
Whose body?
From the very beginning of this story, we are captured by Sayers’ writing style and character sketches. She only gets better from here. It is the interaction and relationship of her characters that make the story come alive.
We start with two mysteries at once. A naked man, wearing sunglasses, is found in someone else’s bathtub. Across town, an important person goes missing. The local police officer had figured out the relationship already (or had he). He has even nabbed the suspects. Lord Peter (armature sleuth) and a friend of Inspector Parker must figure out if one plus one is one or two.
------------------------
Murder must advertise.
I only saw the movie.
Peter Wimsey goes undercover to solve a “Who-dun-it”
-----------------------
Gaudy Night
My first encounter with Dorothy L. Sayers was the Mobile Mystery Theater series showing on PBS. Unfortunately, I did not realize that my video player was also a recorder until the "Gaudy Night" was on Mystery Theater. In that sense, I was lucky to copy the complete three hours of "Gaudy Night." I now own the DVD that came out in 2002.
Naturally, the TV media cannot fill in all the details that you would pick up from reading the book, so I read the book. This added more depth and character to the story. Dorothy not only fleshes her characters out but her side trips into philosophy and psychology make the story that much more interesting. Just when you ask what the relevance to this conversation it is wrapped up in the final solution.
This is the third of the fourth book series. Enough background information is given however to make this a stand-alone story.
The notorious Harriet Vane is invited to a class reunion. She is looking forward to a quiet time with a better part of her history. Once there, she starts getting notes that carry negative connotations. The notes are pasted together from cut-out newspaper words. Soon others will receive the notes. The school authorities request Harriet to help quietly find the underlying cause of this. Circumstances eventually force her once more to go to Lord Peter Wimsey for help. I am oversimplifying the plot, but it is better to discover it for yourself. This is a five-star book.
This is a strange combination of Dorothy L. Sayers’s mysteries. However, if you just wanted a good overview of her mysteries this to be a nice set. If you intend to read more skip this strange combination.
--------------------------------
Whose body?
From the very beginning of this story, we are captured by Sayers’ writing style and character sketches. She only gets better from here. It is the interaction and relationship of her characters that make the story come alive.
We start with two mysteries at once. A naked man, wearing sunglasses, is found in someone else’s bathtub. Across town, an important person goes missing. The local police officer had figured out the relationship already (or had he). He has even nabbed the suspects. Lord Peter (armature sleuth) and a friend of Inspector Parker must figure out if one plus one is one or two.
------------------------
Murder must advertise.
I only saw the movie.
Peter Wimsey goes undercover to solve a “Who-dun-it”
-----------------------
Gaudy Night
My first encounter with Dorothy L. Sayers was the Mobile Mystery Theater series showing on PBS. Unfortunately, I did not realize that my video player was also a recorder until the "Gaudy Night" was on Mystery Theater. In that sense, I was lucky to copy the complete three hours of "Gaudy Night." I now own the DVD that came out in 2002.
Naturally, the TV media cannot fill in all the details that you would pick up from reading the book, so I read the book. This added more depth and character to the story. Dorothy not only fleshes her characters out but her side trips into philosophy and psychology make the story that much more interesting. Just when you ask what the relevance to this conversation it is wrapped up in the final solution.
This is the third of the fourth book series. Enough background information is given however to make this a stand-alone story.
The notorious Harriet Vane is invited to a class reunion. She is looking forward to a quiet time with a better part of her history. Once there, she starts getting notes that carry negative connotations. The notes are pasted together from cut-out newspaper words. Soon others will receive the notes. The school authorities request Harriet to help quietly find the underlying cause of this. Circumstances eventually force her once more to go to Lord Peter Wimsey for help. I am oversimplifying the plot, but it is better to discover it for yourself. This is a five-star book.
September 25, 2025
I have loved Dorothy Sayers' Peter Wimsey novels for decades. She is one of the classic mystery novelists of the Golden Age. But, of course, that makes her books almost a century old. And because hers are not just the formulaic puzzles of some of her contemporaries, but also a bit literary (she was one of the first graduates of the new women's colleges at Oxford), and also sometimes a bit of a commentary on contemporary stuff, they seem more out-of-date than some others. I had been re-reading this volume as part of my efforts to cull the bulging bookshelves -- is this really a book I will want to read again, is it worth giving shelf space to? Turns out the answer is yes. She's really good. But you will have to put up with the monocle-wearing Lord Peter and poor Harriet, who thinks entirely too much, even for a bluestocking -- oh, and get your Latin translator going. Still, I love her.
October 28, 2008
Perfect for a stormy night with ones feet by the fire, and a glass (or, two) of fine Tokay.
Though I love all the Wimsey books, this one is a bit unwieldy for being a three-in-one volume; I prefer the single volume which I find more handy.
Though I love all the Wimsey books, this one is a bit unwieldy for being a three-in-one volume; I prefer the single volume which I find more handy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews