The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey #5)******

by Alistair Beaton (Adapter), Dorothy L. Sayers, Ian Carmichael (Narrator)

90-year-old General Fendman was definitely dead, but no one knew exactly when he had died -- and the time of death was the determining factor in a half-million-pound inheritance. Lord Peter Wimsey would need every bit of his amazing skills to unravel the mysteries of why the General's lapel was without a red poppy on Armistice Day, how the club's telephone was fixed without a repairman, and, most puzzling of all, why the great man's knee swung freely when the rest of him was stiff with rigor mortis.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Murder Mystery, Cozy, Crime

Audiobook

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite when I read it, I remember, and rather too predictable, I think. I remembered most of the twists and turns, and figured out what I didn't. The best part about this radioplay was Wimsey and Parker and Wimsey figuring out to some extent that his meddling messes things up and gets people into trouble. Decidedly lacking in Bunter, though.

I really forgot how long it takes for there to be much of an overarching plot. I think it took until Harriet Vane enters the scene for me to be entirely hooked.

Of course, now I already know and love Peter Wimsey, so it's different with the radioplays, but still... I'm rather tempted to skip onto Strong Poison.

[K. East · Rating 1 out of 5]

This particular recording with its use of various voices -- a radio play actually -- made it hard to follow who was speaking. It's a short book with lots of character interaction, so beyond Lord Wimsey, I wasn't always sure who was speaking. The basic mystery was clever enough and would have garnered 3 stars, but the resolution really disturbed me. The whole "saving face" thing that British aristocracy has embraced for centuries was right over the top here. Encouraging suicide to avoid the scandal of murder just seemed wrong, wrong, wrong.

[Aberdeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an audio drama, so I don't know if I technically "read" it? But still a good story, as always with Sayers/Wimsey.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been listening to a radio play, starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey. Works really well with this kind of book. A classic detective story with a charming main character!

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Another good installment to the series.

[Sheryl Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave up on BBC radio edition.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio version seems a bit hammy. Maybe it's better read than said for me.

[Sarah Esh · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDIT: Now that I've read it via print, I can say that the story made more sense to me this time around (I wonder if the legal details missed me via audio, as I had to flip back a bit a few times to remind myself of the central mystery). I want to revisit this audio though, knowing the story better!

Though re-reading it, I'm not so sure about the ending. The ending is similar to Murder Must Advertise in that the killer is encouraged by Wimsey to commit suicide in order to spare innocent people legal or social trouble resulting from the murder. However, Wimsey here seems indifferent, while in the other story his work clearly, deeply affected him. Just feels a little off from the typical Wimsey.
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Another cracking mystery with Lord Peter, well-performed by the voice actors and with a solution that still surprised me.

I'm continuing my audio journey through Sayers's work, and while I first chalked this story up to another wills-based fuddy-duddy mystery, the turns in the case made it more interesting. Of course, part of why anyone reads Sayers's mystery books is to spend time with Wimsey, who continues to show the softer side to his character, a side that we may overlook in all of his silliness. It is also interesting to see how PTSD (or shell shock) is depicted during the time. We also get a very subtle hint (at least in the audio performance, maybe more obvious in the unabridged version) that detective stories helped Wimsey through his own PTSD.

While the abridged radio script leaves out details that I struggled to follow, it is great fun to listen to. I'll be sure to look for this in book form as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. This one deals with a general who is found dead at a posh social club, but the water gets murkier when it's discovered that his estranged sister's will stipulates his inheritance relies upon his being alive prior to her death. So...Peter must discover when exactly General Fentiman died. On the way he meets Ann Dorland, an artsy relative who is crucial to the circumstances. Great backdrop of Armistice Day (when the death is discovered), and more of the peerage set dealing with life after the upheaval of WW1, shell shock, and the drug digitalis. A super BBC live performance made this a pleasure to listen to.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version was read like a play with each character being a different person/voice (rather than being narrated by one person). The characters/actors were all played very well and were distinct in voice and personalities. It was a short but interesting story and a clever ending. A good, quick who-dun-it.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm discovering audio drama podcasts and am fascinated by the format of all dialog without narrative or exposition. I appreciated the actors and sound effects of this BBC production of a Dorothy Sayers' novel, but it never quite felt like a play or a book, but rather something stuck in the middle.

[Ann Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun to listen to a dramatization of this short Sayers’ mystery. My first Lord Peter Wimsey. The action moves right along; 1930’s London & Paris are always popular “characters” & the very Britishness of the whole telling was just delightful. I didn’t realize this was an abridged version; read just fine.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standard Dorothy Sayers :-). I think I've read all of her books in the past, but I didn't remember all the details of this one. There are a couple of twists, and the method of murder is more than a little surprising. But overall, a satisfying read (listen as the case is).

[MissThomasloves2read · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyable abridgement and performance

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very satisfying performance - like an old fashioned radio play (for all I know that is what it was). At some point I'd like to read the actual book but this will do for now.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting murder mystery even though it got convoluted towards the end. Reading by Ian Carmichael was a charm.

[Jules Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb BBC full cast dramatisation, with Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter. If you're a Sayers fan, this radio dramatisation is well worth getting.

[Macky · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5⭐️

[Rowena Eddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not one of Dorothy Sayers better mysteries. It’s a straightforward story, with not much subtext on Lord Peter. This was the BBC version, so abridged (and missing the first episode).

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The timing of who died when changes who will inherit. Were the deaths natural or murder? Who did what and why. LPW slowly untwists it all.