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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
the lesbian aspect was pretty fascinating…also lowkey do not feel bad for miss dawson like bitch just write a will
"But if he thought the woman was being murdered--"
"My dear Charles," said the man with the monocle, "it doesn't do for people, especially doctors, to go about 'thinking' things. They may get into frightful trouble. In Pritchard's case, I consider Dr. Paterson did all he reasonably could by refusing a certificate for Mrs. Taylor and sending that uncommonly disquieting letter to the Registrar."
Thus begins the story of Unnatural Death by Dorothy L Sayers. The two friends and partner sleuths, Inspector Charles Parker and Lord Peter Wimsey are at lunch discussing a case where murder was suspected, but not provable and how doctors can get themselves into all sorts of trouble if they stir things up. And just to prove the point a fellow diner overhears them and says he can certainly attest to the truth of it--because it happened to him. There he was just trying to do his duty as he saw it and the village folk turned against him for stirring up a "mare's nest" and causing trouble.
It seems that his elderly patient, Agatha Dawson, suffered from cancer. So, yes, she was ill. But she seemed to be responding well to surgery and treatment, she seemed determined not to die, and her doctor fully expected her to live for several months if not longer. But the wealthy old lady died unexpectedly from no discernible cause. After holding up the funeral in order to do an autopsy which produced no evidence of foul play, the doctor gave up and ascribed the death to "natural causes." But he wasn't happy about the diagnosis....and neither was Lord Peter.
Despite Parker's insistence that there was no case, Lord Peter sets off on the trail. A trail of horrible and senseless murder that leads from the quiet Hampshire village to a fashionable London flat. A trail that includes attempts on the life of a London lawyer, Lord Peter's Miss Climpson, and on Lord Peter himself. There will be rumors of kidnapping and a gang with a "black man" as the leader. There will be not-so-innocent picnics in the British countryside. And at the end is a very cunning criminal mind--determined to have his or her own way and armed with a nearly undetectable method of murder.
This is another wonderful work by Sayers. Her writing is absolutely lovely and I thoroughly enjoy all the quotes she sprinkles throughout her prose. She manages to address the plight of the unmarried woman in post-WWI society. And I think it brilliant how she envisioned the use of these middle-age ladies as the "eyes and ears" of detectives like Lord Peter. Going in to places where policemen would never get straight answers, armed with knitting needles and tea cakes, and ready to "gossip" their way to clues. Miss Climpson is every bit as endearing as Lord Peter's mother. The book is worth it just for her letters to Lord Peter! Sayers also continues to explore Lord Peter's ethical wrestling...as he gets further and further into the tangles of the mystery and more people are hurt or murdered, he begins to question whether he's doing the right thing. He wonders if he had let the murderer get away with shuffling one dying old woman into eternity just a little bit before her time whether the murderer would have been content and not killed anyone else. He has quite an interesting conversation with a priest over the matter. Personally, given the character of the culprit...I think the next time some got in their way, that person would have been polished off too.
Marvelous vintage mystery. And it doesn't grow stale with repeated readings. I can't tell you how many times I've read the Wimsey books. But I always notice something new and I always enjoy the writing.
"My dear Charles," said the man with the monocle, "it doesn't do for people, especially doctors, to go about 'thinking' things. They may get into frightful trouble. In Pritchard's case, I consider Dr. Paterson did all he reasonably could by refusing a certificate for Mrs. Taylor and sending that uncommonly disquieting letter to the Registrar."
Thus begins the story of Unnatural Death by Dorothy L Sayers. The two friends and partner sleuths, Inspector Charles Parker and Lord Peter Wimsey are at lunch discussing a case where murder was suspected, but not provable and how doctors can get themselves into all sorts of trouble if they stir things up. And just to prove the point a fellow diner overhears them and says he can certainly attest to the truth of it--because it happened to him. There he was just trying to do his duty as he saw it and the village folk turned against him for stirring up a "mare's nest" and causing trouble.
It seems that his elderly patient, Agatha Dawson, suffered from cancer. So, yes, she was ill. But she seemed to be responding well to surgery and treatment, she seemed determined not to die, and her doctor fully expected her to live for several months if not longer. But the wealthy old lady died unexpectedly from no discernible cause. After holding up the funeral in order to do an autopsy which produced no evidence of foul play, the doctor gave up and ascribed the death to "natural causes." But he wasn't happy about the diagnosis....and neither was Lord Peter.
Despite Parker's insistence that there was no case, Lord Peter sets off on the trail. A trail of horrible and senseless murder that leads from the quiet Hampshire village to a fashionable London flat. A trail that includes attempts on the life of a London lawyer, Lord Peter's Miss Climpson, and on Lord Peter himself. There will be rumors of kidnapping and a gang with a "black man" as the leader. There will be not-so-innocent picnics in the British countryside. And at the end is a very cunning criminal mind--determined to have his or her own way and armed with a nearly undetectable method of murder.
This is another wonderful work by Sayers. Her writing is absolutely lovely and I thoroughly enjoy all the quotes she sprinkles throughout her prose. She manages to address the plight of the unmarried woman in post-WWI society. And I think it brilliant how she envisioned the use of these middle-age ladies as the "eyes and ears" of detectives like Lord Peter. Going in to places where policemen would never get straight answers, armed with knitting needles and tea cakes, and ready to "gossip" their way to clues. Miss Climpson is every bit as endearing as Lord Peter's mother. The book is worth it just for her letters to Lord Peter! Sayers also continues to explore Lord Peter's ethical wrestling...as he gets further and further into the tangles of the mystery and more people are hurt or murdered, he begins to question whether he's doing the right thing. He wonders if he had let the murderer get away with shuffling one dying old woman into eternity just a little bit before her time whether the murderer would have been content and not killed anyone else. He has quite an interesting conversation with a priest over the matter. Personally, given the character of the culprit...I think the next time some got in their way, that person would have been polished off too.
Marvelous vintage mystery. And it doesn't grow stale with repeated readings. I can't tell you how many times I've read the Wimsey books. But I always notice something new and I always enjoy the writing.
dark
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
An EXCELLENT read! A true psychopath as the villain and Parker proving to be a very effective and useful Watson. Racist and xenophobic attitudes true to the time in which the book was written. It was quite refreshing to see those very attitudes being deliberately exploited by the villain, which could be read a hint from Sayers that she did not fully share those views. Either way a very engaging story with Wimsey less clownish and on the back foot for most of the story.
mysterious
This was a busy one, but I appreciated the twists.
(and again, serious warning for racism.)
(and again, serious warning for racism.)
So far this one wasn't my favorite Wimsey book. It was still good, but I figured out the mystery quickly and then felt impatient with the characters. Ms. Climson is added to the team and seems like an interesting character so I hope she continues to be part of the series.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-book-59.html
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/05/2023-book-100.html
The third Peter Wimsey mystery is more of the charming same, as we find Peter investigating a cold case--an elderly woman who apparently died of cancer a few years earlier, but her doctor thinks she should have lived several more months. And of course things quickly get kind of crazy, with all sorts of entertaining twists and turns. This was written in the 1920s, so some characters are pretty racist--the n-word is used several times--but none of our heroes seem to be. And Peter has taken on an associate to do some investigating--an aging spinster, who is absolutely hilarious. I love this series so much. A-.
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/05/2023-book-100.html
The third Peter Wimsey mystery is more of the charming same, as we find Peter investigating a cold case--an elderly woman who apparently died of cancer a few years earlier, but her doctor thinks she should have lived several more months. And of course things quickly get kind of crazy, with all sorts of entertaining twists and turns. This was written in the 1920s, so some characters are pretty racist--the n-word is used several times--but none of our heroes seem to be. And Peter has taken on an associate to do some investigating--an aging spinster, who is absolutely hilarious. I love this series so much. A-.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
Another delightful Wimsey romp, as narrated by Ian Carmichael. An interesting, inventive mystery.
This story kind of read like a Columbo mystery to me. It's clear very early on who the killer is but the challenge Lord Peter Wimsey faces in this book is being able to prove it. And in his trying to do so, the reader is treated to some twists, shocks and nearly seeing Peter become the victim of a crime himself!