A reread, of course. Not the best of the Wimsey books, but full of Sayers usual brains and wit. Theres some excellent character interactions especially one between Lord Peter and Parker, where Peter is somewhat resenting the fact that hes working with the police and potentially having to betray friends. Theres some great quotes, like Peter saying that books are kind of like shells that we discard when we grow out of them, but which lie around as a record of people we used to be. Yes!This is one of the not-really-high-stakes mysteries, though; the death was of an old man, and was somewhat predictable, and the person who killed him didnt try to cover his tracks by attacking other people. It becomes more of an intellectual puzzle, though there are some good bits about the feelings of particular characters. I dont want to say too much in case anyones interested in reading this and forming their own opinions about the murder, so Ill stop there! A solid mystery, but not the most emotionally involving of the Wimsey books, nor the cleverest.Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

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 generations as George Fentiman struggles with the post-war world, both his brother Robert and his grandfather, General Fentiman, see the war as something to be celebrated and the elderly General perceives Georges problems as weakness.When the elderly general is found dead in his armchair at the club, there is an attempt to contact his estranged sister, Lady Dormer. However, it is discovered that, not only had she also died, but the two met on Lady Dormers deathbed only the evening before. Solicitor Mr Murbles asks Lord Peter to investigate which of them died first; as the terms of Lady Dormers will mean that if she died first, Robert and George Fentiman will inherit a fortune. However, if General Fentiman died first, the money will go to Ann Dorland, a distant relative of Lady Dormer, who acted as her companion.Of course, what begins as a simple investigation to discover the time of General Fentimans death becomes a much more involved and complicated affair. There are mysterious sightings of someone who may be able to clarify the matter, chases across the Continent, wonderful detours into some of the popular fads of the period, and even an exhumation, before Lord Peter, along with his detective-inspector friend Charles Parker, discover the truth. This is a well plotted and interesting novel clearly showing how the WWI veterans are viewed by the older generation and highlighting the staid, unsympathetic opinions of the elderly, ex-military members who make up the majority of the gentlemans club. They are a generation separated by a new kind of warfare and perfectly capture the truth that the generation gap is by no means a new experience. I love Dorothy L. Sayers novels and Lord Peter Wimsey is one of my favourite fictional sleuths. This is a wonderful glimpse into a vanished world, as well as a fascinating mystery.

Very convenient time for me to review my first novel by Dorothy Sayers. During [US] Womens History Month and on International Womens Day. While this is not my first mystery story I ever read it is the first mystery novel. I had read some Sherlock Holmes stories in school and I was have read the Poe detective stories (which I am procrastinating on reviewing at the moment) but never a detective story in novel form. I have to say that I don't think I could have found a more interesting character than this. Lord Peter Wimsey is a...Lord (I'm guessing hereditary peer) and WWI veteran who takes up solving crimes for a living. Not usually what early 20th century nobles did but he seems to have a knack for it. He's well aware of literary characters like Holmes and he has no trouble referencing them. But what makes Lord Peter stand apart to me is that he is more likable and cooler without seeming too obnoxious. My trouble with mystery stories is that they always struggle to grab my attention for long. I have tried again and again to read The Hound of the Baskervilles but have never made it past the third or forth chapter. Here it is something different it is a setting that is aware but not overly smug. There is a humor and emotional depth to Peter Wimsey and his allies...That is another thing that I like. Unlike in other detective stories, the main protagonist isn't the only character that is allowed to be right or competent or even semi-literate and that really pleased me. I get tired of an author trying to show that their pet character is so great by making all the side characters and friends of the [main] character functionally retarded. Sayers takes great pain not to do that and this adds a realism to the characters and a humanity to the plot [and author]. Many of the co-protagonists, but especially Charles Parker the inspector-general, are actually really good at their job and accomplish a lot in helping solve the mystery. They might not always be 100% right (and this case they're not) but they are respectable characters. Now of course what makes Lord Peter Wimsey the main protagonist is that he is ALWAYS two moves ahead of everyone else in the story. At times it feels like even the narrator is trying to catch up with him and it makes for good reading as you are trying to guess ahead of the protagonists only to find out that Lord Peter is still ahead of you. This is a testament to how well Sayers wrote him and the story and when you see how well Wimsey can pull off a gambit it puts you head first in the story. Well this is the first but not last Peter Wimsey I will be reading as I have been told that from here it really takes off into some Sayers' best mystery writing.