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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I think this was the first Sayers novel I read where I first realized just how funny she could be with her characters. Enjoyable mystery that not only has some great twists, but at the deepest level just has some delightfully quirky characters to spend time with.
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars (Good).
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars (Good).
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Favorite Lord Peter Wimsey book in the series so far.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Still team Christie over Sayers, but Wimsey may eventually win out over Poirot! Shocking, I know. Excited for further developments in this case.
This is one of my favourites ... there's a scene, perhaps 2/3 of the way through, between our Lord Peter and the mysterious Mrs. Forrest that's particularly riveting for me--in a few short paragraphs the scene is set, and I'm there, and it's so vitally alive, just wonderful writing. The milieu is interesting (everyone's an unstated lesbian, basically--the victim, the victim's partner, the victim's partner's niece, the victim's partner's niece's partner, etc.), and unlike most cosy mysteries, this wasn't really a whodunnit--Peter lets us know right away that's he's quite sure who's dunnit, just not how, and why (or why then, at any rate).
I first read these long ago in my teens/early 20s and are delightedly returning to them. This, her third, is already at least twice as good as the first, and I think it makes a good starting point for the series. There's nothing in particular here that would spoil books 1 and 2 which you could easily return to if you liked this one, but this is of higher quality and is more likely to lure you in. Or, you could start with Strong Poison, but because it introduces Harriet Vane, and she's not in the first few books, you may miss her too much to enjoy them.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). (less)
I first read these long ago in my teens/early 20s and are delightedly returning to them. This, her third, is already at least twice as good as the first, and I think it makes a good starting point for the series. There's nothing in particular here that would spoil books 1 and 2 which you could easily return to if you liked this one, but this is of higher quality and is more likely to lure you in. Or, you could start with Strong Poison, but because it introduces Harriet Vane, and she's not in the first few books, you may miss her too much to enjoy them.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). (less)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
Lord Peter Wimsey investigates a death with no apparent means or motive. There are lots of lesbians. The story is pretty gripping but one of the twists is pretty obvious. I found Miss Climpson's style of letter writing incredibly amusing. The language is dated by use of certain slurs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Car accident
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoy the Lord Peter Wimsey stories but this one is not my favourite. The plot is rather nasty, which would be ok but the stereotypes are too hard to forgive.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No