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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When I told a friend I was starting at the beginning of Sayers and planning to work through her backlist in publication order, she hastened to assure me that things do get better. I can see what she means, but this was still, as the characters might say, a ripping good yarn.
My tastes in mysteries tend to be picky. I am not drawn to the books about little old ladies who solve crime out of their sweet shops with the help of their super-intelligent animal friends. But I don't really like books that seem to linger lovingly over violence. Lord Peter seems to fit the bill of things I look for quite nicely. This book certainly had violence, but it was offstage and we never got to see it in action.
As for the characters, mostly they were stock characters, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of them. Lord peter himself is so great. I couldn't help but bring up comparisons in my head to Batman. After all, by day Batman is silly, foppish billionaire Bruce Wayne, but he secretly fights crime. Lord Peter tends to put on an affected air of aristocratic silliness, but he also fights crime in his own way and there's a keen mind beneath all that foppishness. Also he seems to have a troubled past, and there was a short scene that illustrated that which nearly broke my heart.
I loved some of the other characters. Bunter may be a stock English butler, but he definitely brought the snark. And Lord Peter's mother was an absolute delight as well.
As to the mystery, I had it figured out a few minutes before Lord Peter did, which is OK. At least I wasn't listening to the book thinking, "Come on, you idiot! It's obvious."
For the most part I enjoyed the writing. I liked that Sayers wasn't afraid to poke fun at herself or the genre she was writing in. The humor is desert-dry, but it is there, and it worked for me.
I have to take off points for minor quibbles, though. I found the dialogue to be quite hard to follow at times, and since there's so much good banter, that was a shame. But aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Overall, I found that I liked this book more in hindsight, so I'll give it a 4 out of 5.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Truthfully, not my favourite. It certainly had some good moments, fairly lighthearted for a murder mystery, but I had a hard time getting into it. Maybe needs a retry one day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Murder
Minor: Suicide attempt
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
I lived getting to the beginning of Lord Peter Wimsey, what a darlin'! This one had a pretty gorey scene.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2020:
I really enjoyed rereading this story. I remember this one being weak after reading through the series, and I actually remembered the mystery because it’s pretty simple, but the characters are so fun to meet again. Looking forward to more Wimsey.
2011:
The start was a little slow, mostly because I couldn't quite figure out how to read Wimsey. But once I got past the initial 30 pages or so, I couldn't not read fast enough! I loved the characters and the intrigue of the storyline was dark and absurdly hilarious at the same time. So different from the lost tools of learning, and yet still masterfully crafted. I can't wait to get the next Wimsey novel started!
I really enjoyed rereading this story. I remember this one being weak after reading through the series, and I actually remembered the mystery because it’s pretty simple, but the characters are so fun to meet again. Looking forward to more Wimsey.
2011:
The start was a little slow, mostly because I couldn't quite figure out how to read Wimsey. But once I got past the initial 30 pages or so, I couldn't not read fast enough! I loved the characters and the intrigue of the storyline was dark and absurdly hilarious at the same time. So different from the lost tools of learning, and yet still masterfully crafted. I can't wait to get the next Wimsey novel started!
I was feeling the urge to revisit Lord Peter, and decided to start at the beginning. I tend to think of this one as one of the weaker books of the series, but I was surprised to find it better than I remembered (not quite four stars, but definitely three and a half), and that all of the characters are in line with their later showings, which is pretty rare in a series written over many years.
Some of the things this book does very right:
1) Allowing the reader to get to know Lord Peter naturally through the text, and consistently showing, not telling. We learn who Peter is through his actions and his relationships, and though subtle, they speak volumes. One of my favorite bits was actually the brief scene of Peter with his older brother. Sayers makes it very clear that Gerald doesn't understand Peter, is frustrated by him, but loves him anyway (and the feeling is mutual). Siblings are great for context.
2) Not making this an origin story. We get bits and pieces of Peter's history, but the text is concerned with the here and now of the story. Peter is already established as an investigator (as is Bunter), he's already known to the police (and friends with Parker). Sayers is able to get right into this story without unnecessary buildup or infodumping.
3) The mystery itself. I actually remembered whodunnit and why quite well, but even so, it's a creative story that still stays within the bounds of reasonable and plausible.
Really, the only thing I found clunky was the ending, which was an unnecessary villain confession infodump. It definitely could have been wrapped up without that level of detail. There were also a few odd POV switches, but those were fairly minor, and this was after all a first book.
And in the end, I was quite impressed at how present and well developed Peter was as a character, even in just this one book.
Some of the things this book does very right:
1) Allowing the reader to get to know Lord Peter naturally through the text, and consistently showing, not telling. We learn who Peter is through his actions and his relationships, and though subtle, they speak volumes. One of my favorite bits was actually the brief scene of Peter with his older brother. Sayers makes it very clear that Gerald doesn't understand Peter, is frustrated by him, but loves him anyway (and the feeling is mutual). Siblings are great for context.
2) Not making this an origin story. We get bits and pieces of Peter's history, but the text is concerned with the here and now of the story. Peter is already established as an investigator (as is Bunter), he's already known to the police (and friends with Parker). Sayers is able to get right into this story without unnecessary buildup or infodumping.
3) The mystery itself. I actually remembered whodunnit and why quite well, but even so, it's a creative story that still stays within the bounds of reasonable and plausible.
Really, the only thing I found clunky was the ending, which was an unnecessary villain confession infodump. It definitely could have been wrapped up without that level of detail. There were also a few odd POV switches, but those were fairly minor, and this was after all a first book.
And in the end, I was quite impressed at how present and well developed Peter was as a character, even in just this one book.