What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Red Herrings
The small town of Kirkudbright had always been a placidly contented community of artists and fishermen until the arrival of Sandy Campbell, a belligerent Scot who seems to thrive on making enemies.
His talent proves great in that arena but, when his broken body is found at the foot of a ravine, the local constabulary are convinced the argumentative painter was merely the victim of a tragic accident rather than vengeful murder.
Enter Lord Peter Wimsey, who almost immediately discovers some highly suspicious clues which the police have missed. Before long the hunt is on for an ingenious killer.
Faced with six men, all of whom have a motive for murder, the aristocratic amateur-sleuth must deduce who are the five red herrings and exactly who has blood on his hands.
Adapted by Alistair Beaton and starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey it was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 4 January to 22 February 1978.
Running time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
His talent proves great in that arena but, when his broken body is found at the foot of a ravine, the local constabulary are convinced the argumentative painter was merely the victim of a tragic accident rather than vengeful murder.
Enter Lord Peter Wimsey, who almost immediately discovers some highly suspicious clues which the police have missed. Before long the hunt is on for an ingenious killer.
Faced with six men, all of whom have a motive for murder, the aristocratic amateur-sleuth must deduce who are the five red herrings and exactly who has blood on his hands.
Adapted by Alistair Beaton and starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey it was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 4 January to 22 February 1978.
Running time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
4 pages, Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 27, 2012
Yikes. I love Lord Peter, but this might well be Sayers' worst effort.
Five Red Herrings has a lovely setting, taking place in Galloway. The characters are nicely penned, with an affectionate look at Scotland's dogged policemen and the recalcitrant local artists and fishermen whose obstinate refusal to tell the truth prevents them from serving justice.
However, the plot is weak, repetitive and dull. Unless you are obsessed with train tickets, schedules and the minutiae of bicycle speeds, models and tire treads, you should likely avoid this.
The retelling of the story of the murder happens so often that one would suspect that Campbell was killed on Groundhog Day. Seriously, six investigations of six suspects is WAY too many. Even the 1985 movie Clue had only 3 alternate endings. This book comes perilously close to being a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.
Then, to make sure the horse has really been flogged properly, every person who worked on solving the case gets to present their opinions on how the murder was carried out - nobody agrees on a suspect, of course - and then Lord Peter, comparing himself once again to Sherlock Holmes, comes up with the somewhat unlikely solution, pulling two rabbits out of his hat to make his case.
My boyfriend, hearing me moan about how painfully long and boring the audiobook was, asked: "Who did it, the painter?" I groaned out loud. "They're ALL painters! I can't tell who's who anymore!" Lack of differentiation between suspects annoys me. When Chapter Seven arrived, I felt certain I had reached the end. Nope. Three chapters left... Zzz.
Struggling to the end, I waited for the whodunnit. Reenactment of the crime was slightly more interesting than the rest, but utterly unbelievable (no police department would agree to such shenanigans).
I give this a pass. Do yourself a favour: skip over this hot mess to the next book, "Have His Carcase". She wrote that in 1932, the year my Dad was born. It's a much better mystery. You'll enjoy it more, I promise.
Five Red Herrings has a lovely setting, taking place in Galloway. The characters are nicely penned, with an affectionate look at Scotland's dogged policemen and the recalcitrant local artists and fishermen whose obstinate refusal to tell the truth prevents them from serving justice.
However, the plot is weak, repetitive and dull. Unless you are obsessed with train tickets, schedules and the minutiae of bicycle speeds, models and tire treads, you should likely avoid this.
The retelling of the story of the murder happens so often that one would suspect that Campbell was killed on Groundhog Day. Seriously, six investigations of six suspects is WAY too many. Even the 1985 movie Clue had only 3 alternate endings. This book comes perilously close to being a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.
Then, to make sure the horse has really been flogged properly, every person who worked on solving the case gets to present their opinions on how the murder was carried out - nobody agrees on a suspect, of course - and then Lord Peter, comparing himself once again to Sherlock Holmes, comes up with the somewhat unlikely solution, pulling two rabbits out of his hat to make his case.
My boyfriend, hearing me moan about how painfully long and boring the audiobook was, asked: "Who did it, the painter?" I groaned out loud. "They're ALL painters! I can't tell who's who anymore!" Lack of differentiation between suspects annoys me. When Chapter Seven arrived, I felt certain I had reached the end. Nope. Three chapters left... Zzz.
Struggling to the end, I waited for the whodunnit. Reenactment of the crime was slightly more interesting than the rest, but utterly unbelievable (no police department would agree to such shenanigans).
I give this a pass. Do yourself a favour: skip over this hot mess to the next book, "Have His Carcase". She wrote that in 1932, the year my Dad was born. It's a much better mystery. You'll enjoy it more, I promise.
October 2, 2021
I listened while I worked. It was fun to listen to the BBC radio version.
January 2, 2012
Five Red Herrings was probably my least favourite of the Wimsey books, and I found it rather infuriating as a radioplay, too. One entire episode was given over to people all expounding wrong theories about the murderer -- theories which I knew to be wrong. The end of the episode, where Peter says they're all wrong, is the highlight of the whole thing, and couldn't come soon enough.
The mystery itself is interesting, but far too convoluted.
The casting was pretty good, though I missed Gabriel Wolf as Inspector Parker -- whoever read his lines wasn't quite right.
The mystery itself is interesting, but far too convoluted.
The casting was pretty good, though I missed Gabriel Wolf as Inspector Parker -- whoever read his lines wasn't quite right.
May 28, 2019
Review of Audio version
Once again, I've settled down to an audio presentation of a Sayers novel. This time, heading to Scotland with Lord Peter and Bunter for a fishing holiday. Of course, it turns into a busman's holiday when Lord Peter gets involved with a corpse amongst the artist's community that he's landed in. For my full review of the story, please see my review on the printed edition. I'll just say here, that the BBC cast does an excellent job of bringing Sayers's characters to life. It is always a pleasure to hear Ian Carmichael in the lead as Lord Peter and the supporting cast are excellent as well. The only disappointment is that the story is shortened just a tad too much. As I mention in the linked review, the filmed version does condense the story as well--but does a much better job of it. All the essentials are there and the condensation simply removes Lord Peter's endless recounting of the facts and trying to fit them to each of the suspects. This radio version removes some of the more interesting (though not absolute vital) bits.
However, the performance is an overall good one and thoroughly enjoyable.
Once again, I've settled down to an audio presentation of a Sayers novel. This time, heading to Scotland with Lord Peter and Bunter for a fishing holiday. Of course, it turns into a busman's holiday when Lord Peter gets involved with a corpse amongst the artist's community that he's landed in. For my full review of the story, please see my review on the printed edition. I'll just say here, that the BBC cast does an excellent job of bringing Sayers's characters to life. It is always a pleasure to hear Ian Carmichael in the lead as Lord Peter and the supporting cast are excellent as well. The only disappointment is that the story is shortened just a tad too much. As I mention in the linked review, the filmed version does condense the story as well--but does a much better job of it. All the essentials are there and the condensation simply removes Lord Peter's endless recounting of the facts and trying to fit them to each of the suspects. This radio version removes some of the more interesting (though not absolute vital) bits.
However, the performance is an overall good one and thoroughly enjoyable.
November 6, 2016
I have to confess I got an awful shock when Inspector Parker made his brief appearance in this book — it’s no longer Gabriel Woolf! I knew it was coming, but gah, I hate the transition every time. And it doesn’t really help that this might be my least favourite of the mysteries: in the original book, it relies on suppressing information that, in the end, wouldn’t actually help the uninformed reader that much. At least that doesn’t happen in this version, but it’s also a murder mystery worked to a very specific timetable, and on a second, third or fourth reading it gets a little tedious. To me, anyway. I’m sure there’s someone for whom Five Red Herrings is their favourite.
Of course, the attraction in Sayers’ clever dialogue and Ian Carmichael’s perfect delivery remains, and with some crochet to occupy my hands, it’s still a pleasant interlude.
Originally posted here.
Of course, the attraction in Sayers’ clever dialogue and Ian Carmichael’s perfect delivery remains, and with some crochet to occupy my hands, it’s still a pleasant interlude.
Originally posted here.
May 31, 2025
This is one of the few cases where a condensed adaptation works better than the original novel - "Five Red Herrings" has always been one of Sayers' most tedious detective stories, and I found this dramatization a lot less boring than my last read of the novel. (I note that they do exactly as I suggested in my original review of the book and simply don't attempt to hide the clue about the white paint; this really doesn't give away anything about the case (Wimsey contrives to watch all the suspects painting, but doesn't mention why until his exposition at the end), while making the plot device a lot less annoying!) Even the infamous string of rival theories at the end becomes magically non-boring once you've got actual people delivering them and enthusing over them.
I did miss the scene where Gowan is revealed to be completely ridiculous in appearance without his grandiose beard (Wimsey alludes to his potentially 'looking like a skinned rabbit' after being shaved, but the dramatisation doesn't mention that this isn't a mere allusion to the lack of hair, but to his unfortunate facial features!) I wasn't aware of any other missing elements, and the audio background of cars, trains, wind etc. does a good job of setting the scene. I also enjoyed the selection of period tunes on the soundtrack, many of which I recognised!
I did miss the scene where Gowan is revealed to be completely ridiculous in appearance without his grandiose beard (Wimsey alludes to his potentially 'looking like a skinned rabbit' after being shaved, but the dramatisation doesn't mention that this isn't a mere allusion to the lack of hair, but to his unfortunate facial features!) I wasn't aware of any other missing elements, and the audio background of cars, trains, wind etc. does a good job of setting the scene. I also enjoyed the selection of period tunes on the soundtrack, many of which I recognised!
August 23, 2025
One of, if not the most tedious of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories. I’ve seen the TV adaptation, and now listened to the BBC radio production. Wonderful acting and radio production, but a very slow story with the most appalling amount of exposition, minutia, and repetition of details. It reminds me of a badly executed adventure video game where you have to go and interview each character multiple times, explore every blinking scene in the game and pixel hunt for random “clues”. You then spend hours combining every one of items in your inventory until finding some obscure combo that works. BUT, only after you asked a specific character a specific question in a dialog prompt that you have to get just right. Even once you have done that, it still doesn’t make much sense. Skip this one unless you just really love repetitive details that don’t provide any details about how the crime was committed until the very last, after Lord Peter and all the constabulary go on a reenactment tour.
August 12, 2023
Set in Scotland. 297 pp. Book originally published 1931. Not my favorite; rather tedious with everyone sounding alike (maybe I just have trouble distinguishing UK accents). This would have been easier to read. This is only my second Wimsey, but I have to say the story just didn’t feel all that strong to me.
The Five Red Herrings (Lord Peter Wimsey, #6)
The Five Red Herrings (Lord Peter Wimsey, #6)
September 10, 2012
Wimsey macht Urlaub in Schottland, genau gesagt in Galloway. Aber nicht einmal hier ist die Welt heil, denn erneut stolpert er über einen Mord. Sandy Campbell ein eher mäßig tallentierter Maler, dafür umso besserer Trinker, der mit fast allen anderen Malern der Gegend im Streit war, wurde ermordet. Der Mord ist so arrangiert worden, dass es wie ein Unfall aussehen soll, doch die Farbe auf dem Bild ist noch nass, der Maler jedoch bereits viel zu lange tot, um dieses Bild gemalt haben zu können. Einer seiner sechs Kollegen muss es gewesen sein, alle haben ein mehr oder minder gutes Alibi und alle verhalten sich verdächtig.
Erneut ein BBC Hörspiel aus dem Jahr 1975 mit Ian Carmichael als Lord Peter und Glyn Houston als sein Butler Bunter. Man merkt dem Hörspiel natürlich sein alter ein wenig an, der Aufnahmetechnik damals war eben nicht so ausgefeilt wie heute, der Klang ist eben 70er Jahre, aber charmant.
Die Umsetzung ist, wie man es von einem BBC Hörspiel erwartet: Hervorragende, rollengerechte Sprecher, gelungene Geräuschkulisse, so gut wie kein Soundtrack. In der rollengerechten Besetzung liegt für deutsche Hörer auch das große Problem. Die Geschichte spielt in Schottland. Wer dieses Hörspiel hören möchte sollte mit dem Schottischen vertraut sein, denn einige Worte unterscheiden sich und es gibt Lautverschiebungen. Man sollte also mal in Schottland gewesen sein, vielleicht mal Walter Scott im Original gelesen haben oder einfach damit leben, dass man einige der Sprecher eben nicht komplett versteht.
Mein Hauptproblem bei diesem Hörspiel war jedoch ein anderes: die sechs Verdächtigen sind sich zu ähnlich. Alle sechs sind Maler, haben sehr ähnliche oder fast gleiche Stimmen und so waren sie für mich nicht bis kaum unterscheidbar. Ich hatte erhebliche Schwierigkeiten der Ermittlung zu folgen, da ich die Alibisund Motive teils kaum noch zuordnen konnte. Die Auflösung ist logisch rekonstruiert, dennoch ist der Fall über eine große Strecke einfach nur verwirrend und ein mit raten war für mich jedenfalls nicht möglich.
Erneut ein BBC Hörspiel aus dem Jahr 1975 mit Ian Carmichael als Lord Peter und Glyn Houston als sein Butler Bunter. Man merkt dem Hörspiel natürlich sein alter ein wenig an, der Aufnahmetechnik damals war eben nicht so ausgefeilt wie heute, der Klang ist eben 70er Jahre, aber charmant.
Die Umsetzung ist, wie man es von einem BBC Hörspiel erwartet: Hervorragende, rollengerechte Sprecher, gelungene Geräuschkulisse, so gut wie kein Soundtrack. In der rollengerechten Besetzung liegt für deutsche Hörer auch das große Problem. Die Geschichte spielt in Schottland. Wer dieses Hörspiel hören möchte sollte mit dem Schottischen vertraut sein, denn einige Worte unterscheiden sich und es gibt Lautverschiebungen. Man sollte also mal in Schottland gewesen sein, vielleicht mal Walter Scott im Original gelesen haben oder einfach damit leben, dass man einige der Sprecher eben nicht komplett versteht.
Mein Hauptproblem bei diesem Hörspiel war jedoch ein anderes: die sechs Verdächtigen sind sich zu ähnlich. Alle sechs sind Maler, haben sehr ähnliche oder fast gleiche Stimmen und so waren sie für mich nicht bis kaum unterscheidbar. Ich hatte erhebliche Schwierigkeiten der Ermittlung zu folgen, da ich die Alibisund Motive teils kaum noch zuordnen konnte. Die Auflösung ist logisch rekonstruiert, dennoch ist der Fall über eine große Strecke einfach nur verwirrend und ein mit raten war für mich jedenfalls nicht möglich.
September 13, 2025
The Five Red Herrings is a pure puzzle; not much care is given to the characterisation of the suspects or their possible motives. As such, it's more of a maths problem than a mystery and it felt like the author was just waiting to go, "Hah! You idiots!" to the readers.
Because I had absolutely no idea who it could be, I did find myself looking forward to the reveal. I also had a strong sense of the worldbuilding (I kept imagining the scenery from Ron Kamonohashi's "The Case of the Benizome Hot Spring Murder".) Wimsey has grown on me as a protagonist, so he, in part, made up for the otherwise flat supporting cast.
(Side note: They changed Parker's voice actor and it's completely changed his vibe! He sounds so pretentious now 😕)
Because I had absolutely no idea who it could be, I did find myself looking forward to the reveal. I also had a strong sense of the worldbuilding (I kept imagining the scenery from Ron Kamonohashi's "The Case of the Benizome Hot Spring Murder".) Wimsey has grown on me as a protagonist, so he, in part, made up for the otherwise flat supporting cast.
(Side note: They changed Parker's voice actor and it's completely changed his vibe! He sounds so pretentious now 😕)
December 13, 2013
A flock of painters in Scotland have one thing other than their painting in common and that is a dislike for their fellow painter (admitedly not a very endearing chap) who happens to turn up dead. Unfortunately for them, though fortunately for justice, Lord Peter Wimsey is vaccationing in the area and is able to eventually sort out the false clues from the true crime.
Having been forwarned that this is Sayers slowest and probably least enjoyable mystery, mostly as Harriet, Bunter and Parker are not at all or very little in it, I decided to skip my usual order (reading before I'm allowed to get it on CD) particularly as the full cast version has Ian Carmichael playing Lord Peter (he also played him for all of BBC's mini-series versions of Sayer's works) and he does an excellent job! As it was, made it through the story, figured out the murder before Lord Peter could prove it (so I couldn't have proved it when I figured out who done it, but I did have logical surmises) and was reasonably entertained, but glad I listened to it instead of reading it.
Content notes: mild British period language. Other than hints at an affair of one of the artists, which actually didn't happen, no sensuality issues. Violence is fisticuff style, mostly with just bruises to show for it.
December 2, 2023
This is the hardest of the BBC adaptations of Sayers' Wimsey novels to follow. The intricacies of the murder are carefully plotted, with suspects and red herrings aplenty. Unfortunately for a radio dramatisation, all of the suspects are men of a similar age who enjoy painting, and almost all of them share the same Scottish accent. We go straight into the murder, with very little set-up, and there is only limited character development as the tale unfolds. All this makes it difficult to delineate the characters and follow the investigation. I tend to listen to these dramatisations while pottering about doing chores, but this one really needs you to sit with pen and paper, plotting a map of the area and pen pictures of the suspects.
The final reveal is expertly done - Sayers writes a marvellous how-dunnit - but I stopped caring who had done it about halfway through. There's a painful half hour where five people expound their wrong theories purely to set up Wimsey's right one. It's worth listening to if you want to complete the set of BBC adaptations, but I find it the weakest one.
The final reveal is expertly done - Sayers writes a marvellous how-dunnit - but I stopped caring who had done it about halfway through. There's a painful half hour where five people expound their wrong theories purely to set up Wimsey's right one. It's worth listening to if you want to complete the set of BBC adaptations, but I find it the weakest one.
April 16, 2020
Another fun Sayers mystery, this time as a radio drama with all the different accents and sound effects!
Does listening to a radio drama count as reading the book like an audiobook would? I'd say yes - it was fun to hear the conversations and the sound effects giving a sense of the characters' movements and actions. About halfway through I did begin to miss the narration, as Sayers' often-omniscient narration gives interesting insights into the action and the characters. I may have also read this before years ago, as there were details that I remembered before the mystery was solved (and I half-remembered the identity of the murderer, even though I was not absolutely sure). The complex details were sometimes hard to follow through listening, but I decided just to go along for the ride.
If you like mysteries and want to check out a radio drama, this one's a good one!
Does listening to a radio drama count as reading the book like an audiobook would? I'd say yes - it was fun to hear the conversations and the sound effects giving a sense of the characters' movements and actions. About halfway through I did begin to miss the narration, as Sayers' often-omniscient narration gives interesting insights into the action and the characters. I may have also read this before years ago, as there were details that I remembered before the mystery was solved (and I half-remembered the identity of the murderer, even though I was not absolutely sure). The complex details were sometimes hard to follow through listening, but I decided just to go along for the ride.
If you like mysteries and want to check out a radio drama, this one's a good one!
January 30, 2021
A plethora of Scottish accents punctuate this romp regarding a murder of a particularly obnoxious artist, performed with passion by Warren Clarke - until the murder! Lord Peter encounters a variety of edgy locals and has to deal with bicycles, trains and, as usual, a vivacious young thing. He and his loyal manservant Bunter manage to solve the case with flair and panache.
Read
June 20, 2016Another witty sleuthing job by Lord Peter Wimsey. I expeted Helen Vane to show up, but she didn't...I guess that romance is still simmering (off page). This one involved, you guessed it, 5 red herrings--possible murderers who are investigated and foudn to be NOT guilty...till one is!
January 13, 2017
The train schedules and transportation routes are tedious when read aloud and the possible candidates for murderer (the red herrings) are indistinguishable on audio. This audiobook could make a long trip seem endless.
December 2, 2008
Excellent! Ian Carmichael and Peter Jones are on top form as Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter.
Read
August 5, 2012This dramatisation had uneven sound quality so was a bit hard to follow. The mystery was a good one and the ending was superb. Kudos Lord Peter!
August 16, 2015
Who? What? Where? When? How?
The dramatization is very well done but the red herrings are so convoluted that I need to reread/listen again and take notes!
The dramatization is very well done but the red herrings are so convoluted that I need to reread/listen again and take notes!
August 13, 2025
Enjoyable character study.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews