Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
A mi esta autora no me termina de convencer. Continuo leyendo sus libros porque son de rapida lectura y entretienen; pero son muy predecibles y tienen mucho relleno y cosas innecesarias.
Soooooo.... A very complex plot despite having some very simple characters!
It kept me reading, but a bit over the top.
It kept me reading, but a bit over the top.
Overall I really liked this mystery and these characters. It was perhaps a little too long for my tastes, but the solution was satisfying even as it was frustrating to read about all the miscommunications among the detectives. I hope we see more of Parker in future.
Unread shelf project 2021: book 64.
This was the first book by Dorothy Sayers that I’ve read and it won’t be the last! I loved the humor and sass that was Lord Peter Wimsey and I totally get why he is a very famous & well-loved detective figure. I feel like his personality was almost more attractive (in the “deserving of a cult like group of fans” manner) than Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot! Although given my love of both of those golden age detectives, that may be blasphemy…!
This was the first book by Dorothy Sayers that I’ve read and it won’t be the last! I loved the humor and sass that was Lord Peter Wimsey and I totally get why he is a very famous & well-loved detective figure. I feel like his personality was almost more attractive (in the “deserving of a cult like group of fans” manner) than Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot! Although given my love of both of those golden age detectives, that may be blasphemy…!
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was finally what I expected from a mystery novel and couldn't find in the last two books by Sayers. Now I think I need to read more of them.
I remembered virtually nothing about this book other than the instrument of murder; certainly I'd forgotten (or never noticed?) it was lesbians all the way down.
I think Unnatural Death is Sayers' first attempt at more of a noir/suspense plot, and it's not particularly to my taste. That said, there is some thoughtful exploration of gender roles as a counterpoint to ruthless murder lesbians, including a portrayal of a happy same-sex relationship and the introduction of the inimitable Miss Climpton, who despite her social conservatism is wistful not just because she is a woman of no importance, but because she ought to have been a lawyer. I was also tickled when Sayers suggests police detectives be replaced with middle-aged spinsters, which is surely police reform we can all get behind.
Race, inheritance laws, and social class are also explored in this book; Sayers asks some really interesting questions about who deserves to be counted as family or given access to economic and social power, and how legislation is used to enforce social norms. Unfortunately Sayers can't talk about race without reproducing her characters' truly cringeworthy attitudes; she may be critiquing them, but they're still our heroes, and the racial slurs and cavalier attitude toward racist policing do not make for fun reading in 2020.
Equally unfortunate is that all of this interesting subtext is a backdrop for a deeply boring murderer who has something of the theatricality of a Sherlock Holmes villain, but none of the psychological nuance. I liked the medical aspects of the mystery, but at the end of the day the murder plot felt like a lot of trope-y, homophobic silliness. It's Sayers, so it's still a decent time, but this is definitely not a novel that's aged well.
I think Unnatural Death is Sayers' first attempt at more of a noir/suspense plot, and it's not particularly to my taste. That said, there is some thoughtful exploration of gender roles as a counterpoint to ruthless murder lesbians, including a portrayal of a happy same-sex relationship and the introduction of the inimitable Miss Climpton, who despite her social conservatism is wistful not just because she is a woman of no importance, but because she ought to have been a lawyer. I was also tickled when Sayers suggests police detectives be replaced with middle-aged spinsters, which is surely police reform we can all get behind.
Race, inheritance laws, and social class are also explored in this book; Sayers asks some really interesting questions about who deserves to be counted as family or given access to economic and social power, and how legislation is used to enforce social norms. Unfortunately Sayers can't talk about race without reproducing her characters' truly cringeworthy attitudes; she may be critiquing them, but they're still our heroes, and the racial slurs and cavalier attitude toward racist policing do not make for fun reading in 2020.
Equally unfortunate is that all of this interesting subtext is a backdrop for a deeply boring murderer who has something of the theatricality of a Sherlock Holmes villain, but none of the psychological nuance. I liked the medical aspects of the mystery, but at the end of the day the murder plot felt like a lot of trope-y, homophobic silliness. It's Sayers, so it's still a decent time, but this is definitely not a novel that's aged well.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one is my second least favorite of the series, mainly because of the period typical racism that plays a large part in the second half of the book. A black man is disinherited (or his stipend is cut off, which amounts to the same thing), then he is set up for kidnapping and murder. The murderer expects the police to believe this, despite the black man being a Reverand and over 70, simply because he is black.
It is somewhat good to note that Lord Peter never actually believes any of this. But he does allow the papers to publish the false story, and to hold the black man in custody, because that makes it easier to catch the murderer.
So.
There are some good things, however! This book introduces us to Miss Climpson, the spinster "of a certain age" who goes places and asks questions that Peter and Charles Parker, as a lord and a policeman, simply can't. This puts Miss Climpson ahead of her more famous contemporary, Miss Marple. She doesn't actually solve the case, but she is a delight to read and does get a bit of an action scene at the end. The scene where Peter introduces Parker to her is hysterical, as Parker goes there thinking he is being introduced to Peter's mistress.
The mystery this time is not who but how. Peter knows really early who the murderer is, but he can't figure out how the murder was done. In fact, Parker spends a good bit of the book not entirely convinced that a murder has taken place at all. Of course, 1920s. The method is not actually medically sound. Oh well.
At least we get Miss Climpson in later books.
It is somewhat good to note that Lord Peter never actually believes any of this. But he does allow the papers to publish the false story, and to hold the black man in custody, because that makes it easier to catch the murderer.
So.
There are some good things, however! This book introduces us to Miss Climpson, the spinster "of a certain age" who goes places and asks questions that Peter and Charles Parker, as a lord and a policeman, simply can't. This puts Miss Climpson ahead of her more famous contemporary, Miss Marple. She doesn't actually solve the case, but she is a delight to read and does get a bit of an action scene at the end. The scene where Peter introduces Parker to her is hysterical, as Parker goes there thinking he is being introduced to Peter's mistress.
The mystery this time is not who but how. Peter knows really early who the murderer is, but he can't figure out how the murder was done. In fact, Parker spends a good bit of the book not entirely convinced that a murder has taken place at all. Of course, 1920s. The method is not actually medically sound. Oh well.
At least we get Miss Climpson in later books.
lighthearted
slow-paced