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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
An interesting set of short stories. Some of them were truly creepy and horrifying; some were nice cases that didn't involve corpses; and the last story is the most hilarious send up of Sherlock Holmes I have ever read.
A set of short stories/vignettes all featuring Lord Peter sleuthing in the best traditions of Sherlock Holmes. A lovely interlude to the novel length stories, these are all tightly plotted and full of Lord Peter's own brand of witty repartee.
A few of these were rather disturbing! And read on a windy, rainy night. Much creepier than any of the full-length novels. My favourite was the story about the book. Most magical.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
LORD PETER VIEWS THE BODY (4) is the first collection of Wimsey short stories, which are where Sayers really lets the morbid freaks of her imagination fly. My favorite of the lot is the first one, "The Abominable History of the Man with the Copper Fingers." Gruesome, taut, and freaky as HELL. REC: Definitely read that one story, at least.
"Lord Peter could have been an insurance investigator," I remember latching onto this vague thought as I read through 12 short stories featuring our favorite amateur detective, full-time lordling, His Lordship Peter Wimsey. A number of these stories involved wills - either missing or ridiculously confusing - which Lord Peter, in his curiosity and general nosiness, just had to solve for the benefit of the people around him. And us, of course, because who doesn't like a good inheritance mystery.
In my quest to finish all Lord Peter books before I conk out, I accidentally passed over this, and was actually already reading Five Red Herrings before I got the timelines straight and went back for these short stories. Now, I love short stories. I just adore how easily one can squeeze them in in daily life. I particularly find this form very rewarding in mystery and horror, like Sherlock Holmes and Poe and Lovecraft. So, when I found out I was missing out on some (possibly very quality) Lord Peter short stories, I dropped Five Red Herrings and started on them immediately.
And it all worked very well, except that it was 2 am and the first story, The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers almost gave me a nightmare.
Lord Peter shows off his prowess in various areas, which include but are not limited to: (1) languages; (2) crossword puzzles; (3) wine; (4) books; (5) being a Glorified Uncle; and (6) criminal organizations. His nephew Gherkins, or Gerald, Viscount Saint-George, appears in The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head and it's no surprise that it's my favorite story of the bunch. Wimsey! With a kid! I wish Gherkins appeared more often because their dynamic was just golden.
A couple stories were quite silly and unbelievable, and there were about 5 paragraphs or untranslated French which I had to Google Translate, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. They weren't all about murders too, which is a plus in my book. All in all a very entertaining collection of shorts, with the most charming detective I know!
In my quest to finish all Lord Peter books before I conk out, I accidentally passed over this, and was actually already reading Five Red Herrings before I got the timelines straight and went back for these short stories. Now, I love short stories. I just adore how easily one can squeeze them in in daily life. I particularly find this form very rewarding in mystery and horror, like Sherlock Holmes and Poe and Lovecraft. So, when I found out I was missing out on some (possibly very quality) Lord Peter short stories, I dropped Five Red Herrings and started on them immediately.
And it all worked very well, except that it was 2 am and the first story, The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers almost gave me a nightmare.
Lord Peter shows off his prowess in various areas, which include but are not limited to: (1) languages; (2) crossword puzzles; (3) wine; (4) books; (5) being a Glorified Uncle; and (6) criminal organizations. His nephew Gherkins, or Gerald, Viscount Saint-George, appears in The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head and it's no surprise that it's my favorite story of the bunch. Wimsey! With a kid! I wish Gherkins appeared more often because their dynamic was just golden.
A couple stories were quite silly and unbelievable, and there were about 5 paragraphs or untranslated French which I had to Google Translate, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. They weren't all about murders too, which is a plus in my book. All in all a very entertaining collection of shorts, with the most charming detective I know!