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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
More Jeeves and Wooster than I expected but I really enjoyed it! Audiobook narrator was great. cw for a lot of semitic stereotyping.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
I know I'm supposed to be enraptured by Sayers, but I was a bit bored really. And a 5-page confession letter? Maybe not cliche in 192-...
adventurous
funny
mysterious
Loveable characters:
Yes
Crying shame that Vicar and Mrs. Throgmorton weren't main characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
Most entertaining. I like a good mystery and I like a touch of the Wodehouse, and this combines both in the high-born sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey and his butler Bunter. There's a bit more depth here--even in this first volume of his adventures, Lord P. has a well-formed past, including service in The Great War and some psychological after-effects. Sayers adds a charming and helpful mother and a friendly, rather than antagonistic, relationship with his professional counterpart in the police. The only minus to this particular story is a dated and unfortunately light-hearted take on some of the side characters' anti-Semitism. Assuming that was unique to this volume, I'll look forward to more of the Wimsey series. Very enjoyable as an audiobook.
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
Whose Body? is the first of Dorothy Sayers’ classic mystery novels starring the inimitable Lord Peter Wimsey, and to borrow the slang of the day, it’s a corker. The body of a middle-aged gentleman has turned up in the bathtub of a timid and respectable architect, stark naked except for a pince-nez. Who is he, and how and why did he come to be in Mr. Thipps’ bathroom? Lord Peter takes on the case for fun, but soon realizes he is up against a devilishly clever – and ruthless – murderer.
In Whose Body? we get our first glimpse of Lord Peter’s silly-ass-about-town façade and the formidable intelligence and detective ability it masks. We also meet a number of the series’ recurring characters, including Bunter, Wimsey’s loyal valet and former sergeant; Wimsey’s mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver; Freddie Arbuthnot; and Charles Parker of Scotland Yard.
Sayers’ writing is witty and compelling, and the crime itself is every bit as intricate, unusual, and carefully plotted as you would expect from this grande dame of Golden Age mystery. If you haven’t yet made Lord Peter’s acquaintance, Whose Body? is the perfect place to start.
I should add that the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries are among my favorite mystery series of all time!
FCC disclosure: I received a review copy from Open Road Media through NetGalley. However, since this book is a classic, I've actually read it many times before.
mysterious