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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Probably 2.5
Seems a bit of a stereotypical mystery book.
Sure some details are interesting especially the final conclusion, but they also feel very rushed and almost like an afterthought made to fit the narrative.
I’m not a fan of how the book seems to sort of continually go ‘foreign = bad’ or other common tropes for the time. Also most of the characters just seem… stupid apart from the main two.
I just felt like it was really average.
Seems a bit of a stereotypical mystery book.
Sure some details are interesting especially the final conclusion, but they also feel very rushed and almost like an afterthought made to fit the narrative.
I’m not a fan of how the book seems to sort of continually go ‘foreign = bad’ or other common tropes for the time. Also most of the characters just seem… stupid apart from the main two.
I just felt like it was really average.
Enjoyable as ever, especially with the addition of Harriet Vane to the cast of characters. However the plot was slightly convoluted, and it dragged slightly as I worked out the key fact as soon as Russian princes and the health of Alexis were mentioned. It made all the business about alibis and time of death rather interminable. The developing relationship between Harriet and Peter is, on the other hand, a pure joy to witness, and I look forward to the next installment!
Oh, I forgot to mention the code breaking! Good grief, I thought it would never end! I'm sure it was all very clever, but I couldn't follow it at all and it went on for so many pages. I suppose tastes change over the years though, and it may well have gone down a storm when it was first published.
Oh, I forgot to mention the code breaking! Good grief, I thought it would never end! I'm sure it was all very clever, but I couldn't follow it at all and it went on for so many pages. I suppose tastes change over the years though, and it may well have gone down a storm when it was first published.
It wasn't my favorite from the series in terms of the actual mystery, but I loved the banter and interactions between Harriet and Lord Peter!
This was a return to form after the disappointing Five Red Herrings. I liked having Harriet Vane back and more involved in the investigation, and the mystery was interesting, with a surprising resolution. I kept guessing parts of it, but the final twist still really surprised me and worked very well. Nevertheless, I still think that these books are a little too long for their plot. By trimming them just a bit they could be more snappy and enjoyable than they are now, when they tend to drag a little before the end. Still, I'm interested to see what comes next for Harriet and Lord Peter.
I wish Harriet was in more of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels as she is one of my favorite characters ever. She's one of the rare characters with whom I'd actually want to have dinner. This book is quite convoluted, but it's fun and well done. Reading about the codes could have been really boring but Sayers made it entertaining. I was also excited about catching a major plot point early on, which was the last big reveal. Go science!
A genially preposterous murder mystery for the genially preposterous Lord Peter, with clever disguises, secret codes, multiple tangled back-stories, strange behavior by the animals, and timetable analysis that would challenge the Tokyo commuter rail system. It's all balanced precariously between being a detective story and being a parody of detective stories, especially in that co-star Harriet Vane is a writer of detective stories by trade and is happy to disparage their conventions, even while acting them out for Ms. Sayers.
Funny, romantic, psychologically complex, and a really good (if somewhat out there) mystery! One of my favorites in the series.
Perhaps because I don't care about solving the mystery as I go along, or perhaps because I'm more interested in word games than railway timetables, I just loved the heck out of this book. I love the Wimsey-Vane conversations, the banter, the literary references, and the sly authorial asides.
I may have even enjoyed it more because the mystery was completely ridiculous and the audience lacks a real connection to the victim. If I'd felt more for the victims involved than for the fun of deciphering the clues, it would have given me an anxious stomachache instead of a nice afternoon of reading at the beach. Pure enjoyment, delightfully written.
ETA 4/20: Less fun on a re-read? But still, I'll read about Harriet and Peter in anything.
I may have even enjoyed it more because the mystery was completely ridiculous and the audience lacks a real connection to the victim. If I'd felt more for the victims involved than for the fun of deciphering the clues, it would have given me an anxious stomachache instead of a nice afternoon of reading at the beach. Pure enjoyment, delightfully written.
ETA 4/20: Less fun on a re-read? But still, I'll read about Harriet and Peter in anything.