Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our May 23 challenge read of The Nine Tailors book 11 in the Peter Wimsey series, first published in 1934.

When his sexton finds a corpse in the wrong grave, the rector of Fenchurch St Paul asks Lord Peter Wimsey to find out who the dead man was and how he came to be there.

The lore of bell-ringing and a brilliantly-evoked village in the remote fens of East Anglia are the unforgettable background to a story of an old unsolved crime and its violent unravelling twenty years later.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I don't really know how many times I have read this. It is one of my favorites. I am always moved by the situation the Thodays find themselves in and the sad outcome. I wish Sayers had brought back Hilary Thorpe in later books. Since Wimsey was her trustee and it appears she would be at Oxford it would have been natural for him to keep up with her.

Yes, on this reread, it had been years for me and I forgot the tragic resolution of the Thodays situation - Deacon really cut a swath of misery, didn’t he? Not just for the Thodays, but his second family in France, Hilary and her family, the family of the soldier he killed after his jail break, etc. Of course, his death was horrific, also.

Deacon’s fate, and Will’s, felt almost biblical, as if Sayers felt there must be atonement. Couldn’t help feeling, as a modern reader, that there were extenuating circumstances for Will, but I guess Sayers didn’t abide by that thinking. I’m reminded she wrote on religious themes later, I’ve never read any of those works, but I wonder what her own beliefs were?

I agree that this is a classic. What a shame that Sayers did not write more Wimsey novels.

I found this on her religious beliefs:
https://www.religion-online.org/artic...

Susan wrote: "I agree that this is a classic. What a shame that Sayers did not write more Wimsey novels.

I found this on her religious beliefs:
https://www.religion-online.org/artic......"

Thank you, Susan - I admit, of the most famous British GA female mystery writers, Sayers and Christie intrigue me the most.

Very interesting, I can see her beliefs in her writing clearly now. Makes me want to go back and reread all of her Lord Peter mysteries again!

Ellen wrote: "I don't really know how many times I have read this. It is one of my favorites. I am always moved by the situation the Thodays find themselves in and the sad outcome. I wish Sayers had brought back..."

Mild rest of series spoiler(view spoiler)[ it is puzzling that DLs didn't bring Hilary back! She is such a vivid, well realised character! (hide spoiler)]

I've finished & while I loved the start, I found it started to get really involved. Really involved. I've finished the book now & I had to mentally retrace the steps to find out what happened. Excellent characterisation though.

I found I remembered the plot of this fairly well from previous reads, but still really enjoyed it because of the quality of the writing and the characterisation. Even though I knew where the emeralds were going to be found, it still somehow feels like a shock! I think Will is seen as making amends for his actions by giving his life for someone else.

I didn't really understand why Peter climbs up the tower while the bells are ringing, although it is an incredibly powerful sequence - can anyone shed light on this? I think I must have missed or forgotten something.

Judy wrote: "I didn't really understand why Peter climbs up the tower while the bells are ringing, although it is an incredibly powerful sequence - can anyone shed light on this? I think I must have missed or f..."

I didn't think they were ringing when he started but were rung unexpectedly, perhaps for a death?

Sandy wrote: "Judy wrote: "I didn't really understand why Peter climbs up the tower while the bells are ringing, although it is an incredibly powerful sequence - can anyone shed light on this? I think I must hav..."

I thought that was the case.

Ah, that makes sense, thank you Sandy and Susan. Do you know why he was going up there?