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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
The story is rather predictable. Like one of my favorite (fictional) detective always says, the bizarre murder is rather easy to solve; it's the simple mysteries that are most confounding.
*Mild spoilers ahead*
A naked man is found in a bathtub. Another man has disappeared, apparently naked. Of course there's a connection. The motive is the worst cliché possible. And like the bad guy goes to great pains to prove, his downfall was brought about more by pure chance, than by any hard work on the part of the detective. Overall, not a bad murder mystery but nothing particularly admirable either.
*Spoiler ends*
I've read only one Peter Wimsey book before (actually only one Sayers novel, to be honest) and I liked 'Gaudy Night' much better. Not just from a plot perspective, but also from a language perspective. Like many other reviewers have noted, this is an unpolished work from the early days. Not bad, but will definitely not reread.
*Mild spoilers ahead*
A naked man is found in a bathtub. Another man has disappeared, apparently naked. Of course there's a connection. The motive is the worst cliché possible. And like the bad guy goes to great pains to prove, his downfall was brought about more by pure chance, than by any hard work on the part of the detective. Overall, not a bad murder mystery but nothing particularly admirable either.
*Spoiler ends*
I've read only one Peter Wimsey book before (actually only one Sayers novel, to be honest) and I liked 'Gaudy Night' much better. Not just from a plot perspective, but also from a language perspective. Like many other reviewers have noted, this is an unpolished work from the early days. Not bad, but will definitely not reread.
A body has turned up in the bathtub of a house that he didn't belong to. This is at the same time that a prominent financier has disappeared. Lord Peter Wimsey is called in to help when the man who owned the bathtub is accused of the murder. He is thrown into a mystery that comes down to the underpinnings of one man's ego.
Great instance of Peter having PTSD which, of course, wasn't talked about at the time so, I think, a wonderful addition to the story. Disappointingly casual racism in the book especially towards Jewish people.
Great instance of Peter having PTSD which, of course, wasn't talked about at the time so, I think, a wonderful addition to the story. Disappointingly casual racism in the book especially towards Jewish people.
Long and dry language of days gone past. A little hard to understand and little dragging. One would need to first enjoy mystery.
I enjoy this book, but it's a relatively weak Wimsey book. Which is to say, still well worth reading but I always turn to... well, almost other book in the series. Except Unnatural Death or maybe The Five Red Herrings. But any Sayers fan must read it at least once or twice; it's our first glimpse of Wimsey. It reads a bit like a TV pilot - the characters are there, but not quite in the form we will come to know and love.
adventurous
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
The body of a man, wearing nothing but a pince-nez is found in a bathtub. Who is the mystery man, and why was he killed? Lord Peter investigates.
What I Liked
This is an interesting setup for a mystery. I liked the main character, Lord Peter and how his relationships with his mother, his butler, and a policeman friends of his are portrayed. He is much less insufferable than I'm used to seeing detectives portrayed, which is a breath of fresh air. Additionally, there is some discussion of post-WWI PTSD in this book, which I felt was well done.
What I Didn't Like
The mystery itself seems very implausible and convoluted. It takes a long time to get to the reveal, and it felt like we stumbled into it instead of revealing it bit-by-bit. I also didn't really believe the killer's motivation. There is also some antisemitism in this book.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book as a quirky mystery, if you aren't too particular about the details being air-tight.
What I Liked
This is an interesting setup for a mystery. I liked the main character, Lord Peter and how his relationships with his mother, his butler, and a policeman friends of his are portrayed. He is much less insufferable than I'm used to seeing detectives portrayed, which is a breath of fresh air. Additionally, there is some discussion of post-WWI PTSD in this book, which I felt was well done.
What I Didn't Like
The mystery itself seems very implausible and convoluted. It takes a long time to get to the reveal, and it felt like we stumbled into it instead of revealing it bit-by-bit. I also didn't really believe the killer's motivation. There is also some antisemitism in this book.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book as a quirky mystery, if you aren't too particular about the details being air-tight.
Content Warnings
Minor: Antisemitism
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
3 Stars
*A serviceable mystery that is a bit too posh*
I’ve been working my way through classic Mystery novels and had yet to read anything by Sayers. So I started with the first in her Lord Peter Wimsey series. But while the case itself was interesting, I did not care for any of the characters. Whose Body is not a story that has aged well.
The story boils down to this: Lord Peter Wimsey is a privileged, posh aristocrat who inserts himself into an investigation because solving crimes is "his little hobby." He did not have any discernable skills or elevated intelligence. He was literally a bored nobleman who throws around his aristocratic title and money whenever anyone dares question why he is poking around in things that are none of his business.
While the Mystery genre is full of amateur detectives sticking their noses into police investigations, I found it unpalatable when said amateur sleuth was a spoiled rich guy with nothing noticeable to recommend him other than his status. Sherlock Holmes may have run rampant over the police squad, but at least I was never in doubt of his intelligence and effectiveness at solving cases. In contrast, Wimsey was a useless fop whose investigation was frequently interrupted by wardrobe changes. And yes, I mean that literally. This dude was such a dandy and had to spend significant amounts of time conferring with his manservant about the proper waistcoat to wear while interrogating people. It almost crossed over into being farcically funny, but not quite. And while this bourgeois devotion to multiple wardrobe changes per day was accurate to the time period, it did not make for a compelling story. Particularly when paired with Wimsey’s laissez faire attitude towards solving murders.
That section sums up the tone and attitude of the entire story. Wimsey never moved past being the bored, unqualified, rich guy who strong-armed his way into an investigation using his title. It also felt like there was too much filler dialogue especially given how short the story is.
The bottom line is that I liked the mystery, but I dearly wish it had been solved by someone else. I doubt I’ll continue on with the series.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars
*A serviceable mystery that is a bit too posh*
I’ve been working my way through classic Mystery novels and had yet to read anything by Sayers. So I started with the first in her Lord Peter Wimsey series. But while the case itself was interesting, I did not care for any of the characters. Whose Body is not a story that has aged well.
The story boils down to this: Lord Peter Wimsey is a privileged, posh aristocrat who inserts himself into an investigation because solving crimes is "his little hobby." He did not have any discernable skills or elevated intelligence. He was literally a bored nobleman who throws around his aristocratic title and money whenever anyone dares question why he is poking around in things that are none of his business.
While the Mystery genre is full of amateur detectives sticking their noses into police investigations, I found it unpalatable when said amateur sleuth was a spoiled rich guy with nothing noticeable to recommend him other than his status. Sherlock Holmes may have run rampant over the police squad, but at least I was never in doubt of his intelligence and effectiveness at solving cases. In contrast, Wimsey was a useless fop whose investigation was frequently interrupted by wardrobe changes. And yes, I mean that literally. This dude was such a dandy and had to spend significant amounts of time conferring with his manservant about the proper waistcoat to wear while interrogating people. It almost crossed over into being farcically funny, but not quite. And while this bourgeois devotion to multiple wardrobe changes per day was accurate to the time period, it did not make for a compelling story. Particularly when paired with Wimsey’s laissez faire attitude towards solving murders.
“‘If Sir Reuben has been murdered, is it a game? And is it fair to treat it as a game?’
‘That’s what I’m ashamed of, really,’ said Lord Peter. ‘It is a game to me, to begin with, and I go on cheerfully, and then I suddenly see that somebody is going to get hurt, and I want to get out of it.’
‘Yes, yes, I know, said the detective, ‘but that’s because you’re thinking about your attitude. You want to be consistent, you want to swagger debonairly through a comedy of puppets or else to stalk magnificently through a tragedy of human sorrows and things. But that’s childish. If you’ve any duty to society in the way of finding out the truth about murders, you must do it in any attitude that comes handy. You want to be elegant and detached? That’s all right, if you find the truth out that way, but it hasn’t any value in itself, you know.”
That section sums up the tone and attitude of the entire story. Wimsey never moved past being the bored, unqualified, rich guy who strong-armed his way into an investigation using his title. It also felt like there was too much filler dialogue especially given how short the story is.
The bottom line is that I liked the mystery, but I dearly wish it had been solved by someone else. I doubt I’ll continue on with the series.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars
This book is a thrilling mystery with interesting characters. It is a fun read and it’s definitely a good mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery to be honest, and don’t have much else to say!
Really enjoyed this look forward to my next adventure with Lord Peter Wimsey.