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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
A bit long winded at times, but a clever plot. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, and felt it got bogged down a bit in the middle. And pages of Lord Peter and Harriet solving a cipher ... well, I didn't grasp the concept of the cipher nor was I that interested in how it worked ... and having at first decided they needed an expert, they worked it out fairly quickly when the expert turned out not to be available.
Harriet is on a walking tour after her acquittal from murder charges. She's trying to work out the plot of her new novel, and getting a lot of fresh air after her ordeal -- and getting away from the attentions of Lord Peter Whimsey. And what does she do? She stumbles on a corpse. And because the corpse is about to be covered by the tide, she takes photos and removes some items to prove that it existed.
She is delayed getting to the police, and the tide is well and truly up by the time they are informed. The body doesn't reappear for some days. In the meantime, it is discovered it is a hired dancer in the big hotel in the larger town ... who was engaged to a much older and quite wealthy woman.
Lord Peter shows up, having been notified by friends in the newspaper business, and detecting the ways and means of the murder made to look like suicide begins. Once you know the main riddle, the plot comes apart ...
A classic, but not one of my favorites of her works.
Harriet is on a walking tour after her acquittal from murder charges. She's trying to work out the plot of her new novel, and getting a lot of fresh air after her ordeal -- and getting away from the attentions of Lord Peter Whimsey. And what does she do? She stumbles on a corpse. And because the corpse is about to be covered by the tide, she takes photos and removes some items to prove that it existed.
She is delayed getting to the police, and the tide is well and truly up by the time they are informed. The body doesn't reappear for some days. In the meantime, it is discovered it is a hired dancer in the big hotel in the larger town ... who was engaged to a much older and quite wealthy woman.
Lord Peter shows up, having been notified by friends in the newspaper business, and detecting the ways and means of the murder made to look like suicide begins. Once you know the main riddle, the plot comes apart ...
A classic, but not one of my favorites of her works.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
I enjoyed this book, as I have all Sayers' books, but I felt it was a bit too long. I am particularly looking for the next one: Gaudy Night.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Excellent mystery that kept me guessing right until the last end. Deliberately unsatisfying ending that did its work perfectly.
One thing - Sayers translates well to audiobook, except the bits that are clearly visual. For example - decoding cyphers is not something that can be read aloud. I am so sick of the recitation of 5x5 tables and random strings of letters.
One thing - Sayers translates well to audiobook, except the bits that are clearly visual. For example - decoding cyphers is not something that can be read aloud. I am so sick of the recitation of 5x5 tables and random strings of letters.
My favorite one so far. I really fell in love with Harriet in this one! The mistery was fun to follow along, apart from that nefarious coded message bit, which I must admit I totally skipped without a shred of remorse. The twist in the end that finally explains how the murder was done was also a little too over the top, but it was still very fun to read.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have always loved the Lord Peter Wimsey books, but for this one I needed three tries to actually finish it.
Mystery novelist Harriet Vane, on vacation away from the hurly burly of being on trial for murder herself, discovers a dead body on a rock outcropping at the seashore. His throat has been slashed and it appears he took his own life. Some deft sleuthing by Harriet and Lord Peter, who fancies himself her paramour, uncovers an ingenious murder plot rife with international intrigue, multiple identities, and several cases of vivid pettiness.
The solution makes sense, perhaps too much sense, and the latter third of the novel is bogged down with way more detail about some aspects of the plot than are really called for. Lord Peter is as amusing as ever (despite being somewhat insufferable in his infatuation with Harriet) but the kitchen sink resolution renders this one a second tier Sayers effort.
Mystery novelist Harriet Vane, on vacation away from the hurly burly of being on trial for murder herself, discovers a dead body on a rock outcropping at the seashore. His throat has been slashed and it appears he took his own life. Some deft sleuthing by Harriet and Lord Peter, who fancies himself her paramour, uncovers an ingenious murder plot rife with international intrigue, multiple identities, and several cases of vivid pettiness.
The solution makes sense, perhaps too much sense, and the latter third of the novel is bogged down with way more detail about some aspects of the plot than are really called for. Lord Peter is as amusing as ever (despite being somewhat insufferable in his infatuation with Harriet) but the kitchen sink resolution renders this one a second tier Sayers effort.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was fun (much better than five red herrings) and I enjoyed the codes, but again there was an over emphasis on timetables that was frustrating and hard to follow. Also the ending was far too abrupt, I want dramatic accusations and confessions and the moment the murderer knows all is up.