Source: Purchased
Description: During a painting retreat, a killer takes a creative approach to the ancient art of murder...
The majestic landscape of the Scottish coast has attracted artists and fishermen for centuries. In the idyllic village of Kirkcudbright, every resident and visitor has two things in common: They either fish or paint (or do both), and they all hate Sandy Campbell. Though a fair painter, he is a rotten human being, and cannot enter a pub without raising the blood pressure of everybody there. No one weeps when he dies.
Campbell’s body is found at the bottom of a steep hill, and his easel stands at the top, suggesting that he took a tumble while painting. But something about the death doesn’t sit right with gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. No one in Kirkcudbright liked Campbell, and six hated him enough to become suspects. Five are innocent, and the other is the perpetrator of one of the most ingenious murders Lord Peter has ever encountered.
Genre: Mystery - Classic
Why I Picked This Book: This was the next full length Lord Peter Wimsey book and I'm trying to read my way through them.
My Impression: Sayers and I have a bit of a rocky relationship. I tend to either thoroughly enjoy them or find them a bit of a slog (there was one that I was really enjoying until it went off the rails at the end for an added twist). Unfortunately, this one lands in the slog category for me. The mystery is brilliant and the premise fantastic. There's a wide range of rather oddball characters that all have pretty possible motives. It's fun seeing Wimsey in the middle of an artist colony as well.
So why was this one a slog? The book takes place in Scotland - which is great, I love a Scottish setting - but unfortunately Sayers leans heavy into local dialect. Every line of dialogue spoken by a Scottish person is thick with dialect and there's a lot of dialogue. I don't mind a bit of this but this was so much that I found myself basically having to translate which pulled me out of the story every single time. This kept me from enjoying what was really a fantastic mystery. I think I'll avoid any of Sayers books with a Scottish setting in the future.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I will but I won't read anymore of her books that are set in Scotland.
Would I Recommend this Book? Eh - maybe? If you're a big Sayers fan or if dialect in dialogue doesn't bother you than I'd give it a try. It also might work better as an audio.
Would I Recommend this Book? Eh - maybe? If you're a big Sayers fan or if dialect in dialogue doesn't bother you than I'd give it a try. It also might work better as an audio.
I read all these so long ago I don't remember that aspect. Sorry it was a harder read.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
Dialogue like that would be okay if you were listening to it, but very off putting to have to read it.
ReplyDeleteI get it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI never read this author, but I want to.
ReplyDeleteShe is one Golden Age author I'm sorely lacking in my experience with. I started one of her books, put it down, and still haven't picked up since, 12 years later. I need to fix that. What would you suggest?
ReplyDelete