Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
Feb. 25th, 2008 02:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreSayers's Lord Peter Wimsey books is a series I've been meaning to read for some time. I've seen a BBC production of one of the books (involving, IIRC, Wimsey's sister's fiance being murdered and both her and their brother being suspects) but never read one.
Peter Wimsey is an upperclass gent in 1920s England, and a war veteran. At first glance, he comes across as (as I believesmillaraaqworded it to me a few days ago) "a superscilious upper-class fool." I think my personal description would be "overly-absorbed, facetious twit." This does, however, seem to largely be a surface personality, and the "real" Peter Wimsey is a determined, observant investigator who often aids Scotland Yard, dragging his valet, Bunter, along with him. Most fans of the series I know seem to be fans primarily for later books in the series (which is also one of the draws for me, but I mustmustmust start series at the beginning) but this book stands up well on it's own.
Mostly a straightforward "whodunnit?" murder mystery, Wimsey is made aware of a body found in a bathtub wearing nothing but an expensive pince-nez, at the same time a prominent financier goes missing. While there is an obvious conclusion to be drawn, and one Scotland Yard's investigator eagerly jumps at, Wimsey has his suspicions, though, and lauches his own investigations into the matter.
Mixed in, though, are hints and references to Wimsey's past, indicating that the war caused a mental breakdown of some sort, including a scene where he hallucinates that he's back in the war. Perhaps I've simply encountered it too much in fiction and am jumping to conclusions, but I am assuming that Bunter is a war buddy of some sort, who entered Wimsey's service after the war. (If so, it's a setup I typically find interesting.)
I have a confession to make, though: I often got distracted from the plot by the excellent, witty dialogue, and had to reread some parts because of that. And I probably still missed something...
Peter Wimsey is an upperclass gent in 1920s England, and a war veteran. At first glance, he comes across as (as I believe
smillaraaqworded it to me a few days ago) "a superscilious upper-class fool." I think my personal description would be "overly-absorbed, facetious twit." This does, however, seem to largely be a surface personality, and the "real" Peter Wimsey is a determined, observant investigator who often aids Scotland Yard, dragging his valet, Bunter, along with him. Most fans of the series I know seem to be fans primarily for later books in the series (which is also one of the draws for me, but I mustmustmust start series at the beginning) but this book stands up well on it's own.Mostly a straightforward "whodunnit?" murder mystery, Wimsey is made aware of a body found in a bathtub wearing nothing but an expensive pince-nez, at the same time a prominent financier goes missing. While there is an obvious conclusion to be drawn, and one Scotland Yard's investigator eagerly jumps at, Wimsey has his suspicions, though, and lauches his own investigations into the matter.
Mixed in, though, are hints and references to Wimsey's past, indicating that the war caused a mental breakdown of some sort, including a scene where he hallucinates that he's back in the war. Perhaps I've simply encountered it too much in fiction and am jumping to conclusions, but I am assuming that Bunter is a war buddy of some sort, who entered Wimsey's service after the war. (If so, it's a setup I typically find interesting.)
I have a confession to make, though: I often got distracted from the plot by the excellent, witty dialogue, and had to reread some parts because of that. And I probably still missed something...
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Date: 2008-02-29 01:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 03:54 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-02-29 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-29 09:17 pm (UTC)And it's still a pretty minor quibble next to the other book's "heroine comes back from the dead" deus ex machina, but still...I think what makes it particularly noxious here is that even with the eye-color difference to conveniently tell them apart, the plot such as it is mostly hinges on the girls constantly being mistaken for each other, to the point where the Poor Dumb Injuns are confused and freaked out and thinking spirits are at work until the Nice White Girls explain about twins.
No, REALLY.
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Date: 2008-02-29 10:23 pm (UTC)That book sounds even more brain cells killing than the one I read.