Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Library
Description: A stranger is found in the bathtub of a friend of Lord Peter Whimsey's mother and the stranger is very much dead. The disappearance of a wealthy financier is making headlines all over England. Is there a connection?
Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: I love Agatha Christie, I love Patricia Wentworth and I love Ngaio Marsh. However, my knowledge of Sayers and the famous Lord Peter Whimsey is sadly lacking.
My Impression:
Pretty much for as long as I can remember I've been a fan of any and all British mysteries. I've gobbled up Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh. I've read Patricia Moyes and am still trying to find all of Patricia Wentworth's books. But somehow I never managed to read Dorothy Sayers. I don't really know why. Maybe my library didn't have a huge collection of her books? I don't know. All I know with the exception of Gaudy Night I never read any Sayers which is why when I made my Reading Assignment Challenge list I decided it was time to get to know Lord Peter Whimsey a bit better.
And now I do and I kind of love him. It wasn't love at first page. I didn't immediately want to spill out all my troubles and let him fix them like I want to do with Maude Silver. I didn't want to gossip endlessly like I'd love to do with Jane Marple. In fact for the first few chapters I thought he was kind of silly. But then slowly he started to grow on me and when he admitted that while he was all about the initial excitement of the beginning of the investigation he wasn't sold on the legwork in the middle I was pretty well hooked. And then right and the end of chapter 8 we saw the grand flippant Whimsey vulnerable and I basically went on and ordered the rest of Sayer's books.
Sayers' writing style was a bit on the dry side and took some getting used too. This wasn't a good book to read right before bed as I really had to pay attention to follow all the bits of dialogue and who was who and what was what. That being said, the mystery itself was interesting. The twists and turns were well plotted and when I finally figured out who the killer was and what had happened it was definitely a gasp out loud kind of moment. This isn't a book that hooks you from the start and takes you for a wild ride. This is a cup of tea (and a scone if you're lucky) while you read the unraveling of lies and deceptions.
While Sayers probably won't usurp Agatha's position on the throne I will definitely be looking for more of her books. I'm really looking forward to getting to know Lord Peter Whimsey better!
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, definitely!
Would I Recommend this Book?: If you like all things British and classic mysteries I think you'd enjoy this!
Challenges Met? Library Challenge, The Reading Assignment Challenge (February book), Alphabet Soup Challenge (W)
There has been a time when I've read all (and I mean all) of Agatha Christie's books, then moved on to Patricia Wentworth and Ngaio Marsh too, such delicious British mysteries ! I don't know Lord Peter that much, I think I only read one book by Dorothy Sayers, maybe I should pick up :)
ReplyDeleteI sure do like British mysteries so I'm intrigued! I've heard of Dirothy Sayers but never picked up one of her books.
ReplyDeleteI confess. I've never read a Sayers book. Not sure why. I bought the first in the series a few days ago and plan to try it soon. Thanks for the nudge!
ReplyDeleteI've never read anything by this author but this book has been on my wishlist for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Dorothy Sayers Lord Peter Whimsey books a lot. I don't think I ever read them all though.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would agree, Agatha Christie will always reign. :)
That's excellent that you found another mystery author to add to your list. And it seems like these books bring a very different MC than the authors. So that's always a plus as well.
ReplyDeleteI love British humor. It really isn't for everyone. But being English and growing up with it. I gets it. And I loves it.
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
My favorite Lord Peter stories came later in the series. Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Sayers either but now I might have to try her. Excellent review!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one too, although I might have liked it a little less. :-) I wanted more character development than there was, but I thought the mystery was well done. Like you, I though it started out on the slow side, but it was a fun read.
ReplyDeleteThis is the one that I actually have on my TBR, but never thought of it while compiling my Classics Club list. I really must add her.
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