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thenovelbook's review against another edition
3.0
Lord Peter and Harriet Vane are ok in this book (written, not by Dorothy Sayers, but by another author tasked with the job of furthering the series), but they're not as sparkling as they could be, and I got a little tired of the long episode of storytelling about a mystery from Lord Peter's early days.
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
Third (& last?) in the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane historical mystery series carried on from Dorothy L. Sayers by Jill Paton Walsh.
My Take
It is a recollection of Lord Peter's rising as a detective to his "death" as a detective now that he has something of more immediacy to occupy his thoughts, using the stories and intrigue surrounding the Attenbury emeralds through the years.
This was a sad tale, partly because it doesn't even feel like a Dorothy Sayers and partly because there is so much loss.
We do learn what happened when Peter came home from the war, a broken man. How Bunter came to enter his service and save him.
There are bits of fun along the way; I did enjoy reading of Peter's first case and his fledgling efforts---that linen closet was rather funny.
Sugg was an idiot. One of those policemen who give all cops a bad name with his making up his mind based on class rather than evidence.
All in all, this feels more like a mopping up before the door is closed on a series begun by Dorothy Sayers. And I would have much preferred that it had gone on living. Including Jerry.
The Story
It begins over breakfast and the paper when Harriet asks Peter about the Attenbury emeralds. The case that saw him begin his career as a detective and one on which he first met Sergeant Parker...and Inspector Sugg.
A story that unravels and reveals incident after incident, murder after murder through the years
The Characters
Lord Peter Wimsey is 60 years old in this story and very comfortable with his life, his wife, and his children. Harriet is still writing her detective stories and still learning about Peter's past. The last time we visited the Wimseys, they only had two children who were three and one years old. Now they have Bredon, Paul, and Roger who are 16, 14, and __, respectively.
Lord Peter's manservant and friend, Mervyn Bunter, is with Lord Peter as well. Hope is still doing her photography. They have a son, Peter, a.k.a., PB, whom the Wimseys consider family and who is at school with the Wimsey boys. Mrs. Trapp is still cooking for the Wimseys.
Gerald is Peter's older brother and the Duke of Denver. Helen is still the duchess and a nasty piece of work. The sunny Viscount St. George is no more having died during the war in the Battle of Britain. Honoria Lucasta Wimsey, their mother and the dowager duchess, is still alive; her maid, Franklin, is still with her. Mrs. Farley is still housekeeper at Duke's Denver while Thomas continues as butler. Dr. Fakenham is the physician there. Jim Jackson and Bob are gardeners at Duke's Denver who help the boys take inventory. Dick Jenkins is the new lodgekeeper; old Bill's son.
Lady Mary does charity work for the Prisoners' Aid Association, and CID Chief Inspector Charles Parker is still hard at work at Scotland Yard. Their children are Charles Peter, 23, (call him Charlie; he'll finish up his degree and wants to join the air force); Mary is called Polly and wants to be a policewoman like her dad; and, Harriet is 16 with an itch to play hockey.
The Attenburys include:
The recently deceased Arthur Abcock was the Earl of Attenbury who has been succeeded by Edward, his grandson---his father, Roland, died. And Edward has a huge problem with those bloody emeralds again! His mother, Sylvia, Lady Abcock, and the rest of the family are insistent on Edward's keeping their country seat in spite of the death duties. (His sister Verity died when a bomb hit a nightclub she was in.)
Claire is now the dowager Lady Attenbury and Edward's grandmother; Sarah was her maid at the start of Peter's story. Ladies Charlotte (she was engaged to a scoundrel, Reginald Northerby, but later married Frank Morney and they run a stud); the wild Diana, who was eventually claimed by the Marquis of Writtle and almost did a Northerby; and, Ottalie (never did marry and she sings these days) are her daughters. Jeannette was Charlotte's maid at the start. Mrs. Ethel DeBerris is widowed and related to the Attenburys through Claire, Lady Attenbury; Ada is her daughter and still good friends with Lady Ottalie.
Freddy Arbuthnot is a friend of Peter's and of the Attenburys; he's still doing his financial wizardry. And still happily married to Rachel.
Cavenor Bank has an issue with the emeralds
Mr. Sander is a director of the bank and trying on some threats, which Peter counters nicely. Mr. Orson and Mr. Whitehead are employees.
Various people involved in the emerald problems through the years
Inspector Sugg was an idiot policeman then, and has been down through the years, allowing his prejudices to close his mind down to the possibilities. Miss Pevenor is compiling a history of jewelry. Nandine Osmanthus is attempting to recover a part of the emeralds for his employer, the Maharaja of Sinorabad. Mr. Handley and his son are pawnbrokers. Mr. Tipotenios attempts to recover a pawned emerald. Sir Impey Biggs defended the naughty Diana. Mrs. Prout was a cleaner at the House of Lords. Captain Rannerson was desperate to sell his horse, Red Fort. Rita Patel who helped identify bodies and their belongings during a bombing in 1941 during the war. Joyce and Sue worked at the Coventry Street mortuary. Inspector Vaud is bit much like Sugg; too willing to make his theories more real than the facts. Bill Rumm is a safecracker friend of Peter's who helps out. Mr. Bird may be a retired insurance company owner, but he can't stay away from the office.
The Cover and Title
The cover continues the silhouette concept, just more spare and as a darkened black-and-white photograph of a couple walking, as though they were in the park: Harriet in her knee-length coat and Peter in his hat and overcoat against a gradated background of a teal blue rising to a pale teal.
The title is the focus throughout the story, The Attenbury Emeralds
My Take
It is a recollection of Lord Peter's rising as a detective to his "death" as a detective now that he has something of more immediacy to occupy his thoughts, using the stories and intrigue surrounding the Attenbury emeralds through the years.
This was a sad tale, partly because it doesn't even feel like a Dorothy Sayers and partly because there is so much loss.
We do learn what happened when Peter came home from the war, a broken man. How Bunter came to enter his service and save him.
There are bits of fun along the way; I did enjoy reading of Peter's first case and his fledgling efforts---that linen closet was rather funny.
Sugg was an idiot. One of those policemen who give all cops a bad name with his making up his mind based on class rather than evidence.
All in all, this feels more like a mopping up before the door is closed on a series begun by Dorothy Sayers. And I would have much preferred that it had gone on living. Including Jerry.
The Story
It begins over breakfast and the paper when Harriet asks Peter about the Attenbury emeralds. The case that saw him begin his career as a detective and one on which he first met Sergeant Parker...and Inspector Sugg.
A story that unravels and reveals incident after incident, murder after murder through the years
The Characters
Lord Peter Wimsey is 60 years old in this story and very comfortable with his life, his wife, and his children. Harriet is still writing her detective stories and still learning about Peter's past. The last time we visited the Wimseys, they only had two children who were three and one years old. Now they have Bredon, Paul, and Roger who are 16, 14, and __, respectively.
Lord Peter's manservant and friend, Mervyn Bunter, is with Lord Peter as well. Hope is still doing her photography. They have a son, Peter, a.k.a., PB, whom the Wimseys consider family and who is at school with the Wimsey boys. Mrs. Trapp is still cooking for the Wimseys.
Gerald is Peter's older brother and the Duke of Denver. Helen is still the duchess and a nasty piece of work. The sunny Viscount St. George is no more having died during the war in the Battle of Britain. Honoria Lucasta Wimsey, their mother and the dowager duchess, is still alive; her maid, Franklin, is still with her. Mrs. Farley is still housekeeper at Duke's Denver while Thomas continues as butler. Dr. Fakenham is the physician there. Jim Jackson and Bob are gardeners at Duke's Denver who help the boys take inventory. Dick Jenkins is the new lodgekeeper; old Bill's son.
Lady Mary does charity work for the Prisoners' Aid Association, and CID Chief Inspector Charles Parker is still hard at work at Scotland Yard. Their children are Charles Peter, 23, (call him Charlie; he'll finish up his degree and wants to join the air force); Mary is called Polly and wants to be a policewoman like her dad; and, Harriet is 16 with an itch to play hockey.
The Attenburys include:
The recently deceased Arthur Abcock was the Earl of Attenbury who has been succeeded by Edward, his grandson---his father, Roland, died. And Edward has a huge problem with those bloody emeralds again! His mother, Sylvia, Lady Abcock, and the rest of the family are insistent on Edward's keeping their country seat in spite of the death duties. (His sister Verity died when a bomb hit a nightclub she was in.)
Claire is now the dowager Lady Attenbury and Edward's grandmother; Sarah was her maid at the start of Peter's story. Ladies Charlotte (she was engaged to a scoundrel, Reginald Northerby, but later married Frank Morney and they run a stud); the wild Diana, who was eventually claimed by the Marquis of Writtle and almost did a Northerby; and, Ottalie (never did marry and she sings these days) are her daughters. Jeannette was Charlotte's maid at the start. Mrs. Ethel DeBerris is widowed and related to the Attenburys through Claire, Lady Attenbury; Ada is her daughter and still good friends with Lady Ottalie.
Freddy Arbuthnot is a friend of Peter's and of the Attenburys; he's still doing his financial wizardry. And still happily married to Rachel.
Cavenor Bank has an issue with the emeralds
Mr. Sander is a director of the bank and trying on some threats, which Peter counters nicely. Mr. Orson and Mr. Whitehead are employees.
Various people involved in the emerald problems through the years
Inspector Sugg was an idiot policeman then, and has been down through the years, allowing his prejudices to close his mind down to the possibilities. Miss Pevenor is compiling a history of jewelry. Nandine Osmanthus is attempting to recover a part of the emeralds for his employer, the Maharaja of Sinorabad. Mr. Handley and his son are pawnbrokers. Mr. Tipotenios attempts to recover a pawned emerald. Sir Impey Biggs defended the naughty Diana. Mrs. Prout was a cleaner at the House of Lords. Captain Rannerson was desperate to sell his horse, Red Fort. Rita Patel who helped identify bodies and their belongings during a bombing in 1941 during the war. Joyce and Sue worked at the Coventry Street mortuary. Inspector Vaud is bit much like Sugg; too willing to make his theories more real than the facts. Bill Rumm is a safecracker friend of Peter's who helps out. Mr. Bird may be a retired insurance company owner, but he can't stay away from the office.
The Cover and Title
The cover continues the silhouette concept, just more spare and as a darkened black-and-white photograph of a couple walking, as though they were in the park: Harriet in her knee-length coat and Peter in his hat and overcoat against a gradated background of a teal blue rising to a pale teal.
The title is the focus throughout the story, The Attenbury Emeralds
bookwoman1967's review against another edition
3.0
There are a lot of flaws with this book, but I enjoyed it anyway. The biggest problems are the incredible amount of time spent on the back-story and the far too convoluted nature of the mystery. Yes, mysteries are supposed to be mysterious, but given the cold-case nature of the story it all seems over the top. Then, there will always be the fact that the author isn't Dorothy Sayers -- if you are going to enjoy this book you must take it for what it is, which is basically fan fiction.
What made it enjoyable for me was the continuation of the characters' lives (though even as fan fiction some of it strained credulity) and the very, very Britishness and phrasing of the language. It's not Dorothy Sayers, but it's like comfortable old slippers.
What made it enjoyable for me was the continuation of the characters' lives (though even as fan fiction some of it strained credulity) and the very, very Britishness and phrasing of the language. It's not Dorothy Sayers, but it's like comfortable old slippers.
applegnreads's review against another edition
2.0
Sad. The previous two were fun and this one... left a bit to be desired. My least favorite part - the part where Peter and Harriet chase from one character to another and back learning bits here and there. They both seem like such amateurs. Bummer.
I couldn't decide if the state of London after the war, the social changes, Denver situation, etc were interesting or the only part of the book that Walsh could write well and therefore a detraction from the interest of the story line itself.
I couldn't decide if the state of London after the war, the social changes, Denver situation, etc were interesting or the only part of the book that Walsh could write well and therefore a detraction from the interest of the story line itself.
lessard8424's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fun read! It was refreshing to be back in the world of Harriet and Peter. It felt as if it were a natural continuation of the series.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly good! I don’t really think of the characters as being the same as Sayers, but I enjoy them very much!
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
4.0
It has been years since I've read any of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers but they remain a favorite of mine. I was reluctant to pick up this book by Jill Paton Walsh for fear that it would be sub-par but...I was pleasantly surprised. This book takes place several years after WWII and Lord Peter and his beloved wife Harriet Vane are living comfortably in London when Peter tells the story of his very first case, that of the Attenbury jewels. Shortly thereafter, another case involving the same jewels is presented and the story begins in earnest. Walsh does a fine job at capturing the humor of Lord Peter and Harriet, all while weaving an intricate plot that has unfolded over nearly 30 years. I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed this one!
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars - This novel felt more like a few short stories cobbled together with a series framework around them. Yes, throughout the book, the author is dealing with the emeralds, but it's very choppy with a lot of back and forth (short story feel). The places where we visit the Wimsey family plot line that's carrying on through the series seem to have a disconnect from the emerald stories. Sometimes, the bits of the emerald story that trickle into this backdrop seem forced. I also get the impression that the author likes writing about the Wimsey family, particularly Harriet, more than she does about the mysteries, which is somewhat disconcerting, as what I want to read from a mystery is the other way around. She does write well, however, and captures the feel of the times, both wartime and '50s. Edward Petherbridge does an admirable job as narrator on the audio book.
ajitate's review
5.0
I am loving Paton Walsh's books. The stories are involved with multiple threads all beautifully woven together. She's also done a fabulous job of continuing the lives of the characters so creditably. Is it sacrilegious to say I think her books might even be better than Sayers' own??