Category: Crime fiction (classic)
Synopsis: Harriet Vane has been accused of murdering her former lover by way of arsenic poisoning. Lord Peter Wimsey is however certain that she did NOT do it and sets out to find out who the culprit is.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It was a very easy to read, easy to figure out who-dunnit but thoroughly satisfying as a reader.
Those who read my reviews know that I did not like Agatha Christie because there was no chance for the reader really to figure out who did it, how and why. In that respect this book was much better. It did rather serve the who on a silver platter but the how and why was a bit more of a mystery but I did work out the how before they “told you” and I really liked that.
I also liked the fact that Lord Wimsey uses females for his sleuthing. I loved the idea of an office filled with women who are ready to go out and collect information. It seems like the forerunner to the women who were instrumental in the intelligence community during world war 2. It seems so very intuitive to use women.
Despite the fact that there are several intersting women in the book, especially the murder suspect Harriet Vane, I think my favourite character is Buntner, Lord Wimsey’s man. There is something dry and comforting about him. I love the scene with him and the maid and cook at Urquhart’s. It is also from this scene that one of my favourite lines comes
“Nothing goes so well with a hot fire and buttered crumpets as a wet day without and a good dose of comfortable horrors within” (106)
There is something so very true with that sentence. I mean why else would murder mysteries and horror movies be so popular? And I have to admit, this book really made me crave buttered crumpets and by extension, English muffins. There is a lot of good eating in this book!
I’m really looking forward to the next instalment in this series.
Copyright ©2010 Zee from Notes from the North. This post was originally posted by Zee from Notes from the North. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.
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4 comments:
Bunter is awesome - and he gets even better!
What I liked the most about Miss Murchison was the fact that she could get away with anything because she was constantly underestimated. I wonder what Sayers was getting at there :P
Awesome review. I haven't heard of this author. I'll definitely be reading this one.
I'm craving crumpets and tea right now. Maybe I should get breakfast going. I loved your review and plan to read Sayers again. It's been a long time...
Aloha from Rob
..stopping by from Book Review Wednesday....
I'm glad you liked this! I love Dorothy Sayers so much, and she's at her best in the books about Harriet Vane. Plus, did you know that the situation between Harriet and Philip (not the murder, but the whole thing about him "testing" her before deciding to marry her) happened nearly exactly to Dorothy Sayers herself? I love it that she killed a fictional version of her ex-lover in this book!
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