The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #5)

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The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #4)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 4,611 ratings · 170 reviews

90-year-old General Fentiman was definitely dead, but no one knew exactly when he had died and the time of death was the determining factor in a half-million-pound inheritance. Lord Peter Wimsey would need every bit of his amazing skills to unravel the mysteries of why the General's lapel was without a red poppy on Armistice Day, how the club's telephone was fixed withou

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published May 10th 1995 by HarperTorch (first published 1928)

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May 01, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Where I got the book: my bookshelf. A re-read.

I have grown to love this Lord Peter Wimsey mystery because of its somberness, although I remember that when I first read it as a teen I found it uninteresting. Amazing how history (and, therefore, literature) becomes more complex and interesting as you age. The mystery LPW is called on to investigate is the time of death of ancient, doddery General Fentiman, which will make a big financial difference to one or more of three potential heirs. Of cours...more Where I got the book: my bookshelf. A re-read.

I have grown to love this Lord Peter Wimsey mystery because of its somberness, although I remember that when I first read it as a teen I found it uninteresting. Amazing how history (and, therefore, literature) becomes more complex and interesting as you age. The mystery LPW is called on to investigate is the time of death of ancient, doddery General Fentiman, which will make a big financial difference to one or more of three potential heirs. Of course things turn out to be way more complicated than the natural death of a very old soldier...

This novel is set against the background of the aftermath of World War I, hence its more realistic, sober tone than the earlier novels. LPW comes very well out of this book, with far fewer fantastic speeches or superhuman feats of everything than some of the Wimsey novels are prone to. I feel, though, that the writing's a little rougher than usual, as if Sayers were on a short deadline.

Another thing that struck me this time round (and I may be completely wrong) is that Ann Dorland, one of the heirs and thus a potential suspect, was a prototype of Harriet Vane, who will turn up in the next novel as LPW's love interest. Ann is an unhappy woman because she's been crossed in love, is a murder suspect but underneath it all (as LPW tells her) is a fine person with good taste. Does that sound familiar, Wimsey fans? Can't help thinking that at some point Sayers thought "hey, there's a little spark there. I could develop it for the next novel".

A good mystery, of course: Sayers is nothing if not ingenious (although this is two times in quick succession that the victim has been an elderly person who would soon die anyway...) But it's the brooding, foggy feel of the book that really gives it its worth. Even Parker (inside whose head we dwell rather disconcertingly at times) seems to be permanently depressed, and the end of the book sort of drifts off into the mist. One to read by a cheerful log fire with a glass of old brandy...
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Mar 08, 2013 Ken Moten rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very convenient time for me to review my first novel by Dorothy Sayers. During [US] Womens History Month and on International Womens Day.

While this is not my first mystery story I ever read it is the first mystery novel. I had read some Sherlock Holmes stories in school and I was have read the Poe detective stories (which I am procrastinating on reviewing at the moment) but never a detective story in novel form. I have to say that I don't think I could have found a more interesting character th...more Very convenient time for me to review my first novel by Dorothy Sayers. During [US] Womens History Month and on International Womens Day.

While this is not my first mystery story I ever read it is the first mystery novel. I had read some Sherlock Holmes stories in school and I was have read the Poe detective stories (which I am procrastinating on reviewing at the moment) but never a detective story in novel form. I have to say that I don't think I could have found a more interesting character than this.

Lord Peter Wimsey is a...Lord (I'm guessing hereditary peer) and WWI veteran who takes up solving crimes for a living. Not usually what early 20th century nobles did but he seems to have a knack for it. He's well aware of literary characters like Holmes and he has no trouble referencing them. But what makes Lord Peter stand apart to me is that he is more likable and cooler without seeming too obnoxious.

My trouble with mystery stories is that they always struggle to grab my attention for long. I have tried again and again to read The Hound of the Baskervilles but have never made it past the third or forth chapter. Here it is something different it is a setting that is aware but not overly smug. There is a humor and emotional depth to Peter Wimsey and his allies...

That is another thing that I like. Unlike in other detective stories, the main protagonist isn't the only character that is allowed to be right or competent or even semi-literate and that really pleased me. I get tired of an author trying to show that their pet character is so great by making all the side characters and friends of the [main] character functionally retarded. Sayers takes great pain not to do that and this adds a realism to the characters and a humanity to the plot [and author]. Many of the co-protagonists, but especially Charles Parker the inspector-general, are actually really good at their job and accomplish a lot in helping solve the mystery. They might not always be 100% right (and this case they're not) but they are respectable characters.

Now of course what makes Lord Peter Wimsey the main protagonist is that he is ALWAYS two moves ahead of everyone else in the story. At times it feels like even the narrator is trying to catch up with him and it makes for good reading as you are trying to guess ahead of the protagonists only to find out that Lord Peter is still ahead of you. This is a testament to how well Sayers wrote him and the story and when you see how well Wimsey can pull off a gambit it puts you head first in the story.

Well this is the first but not last Peter Wimsey I will be reading as I have been told that from here it really takes off into some Sayers' best mystery writing.(less)

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Jun 05, 2007 Siria rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century, british-fiction, crime-fiction

As a crime novel, it's not bad; compared to her earlier works, it's a definite improvement in terms of the tightness and plausibility of her plotting. Not the best crime novel you're ever going to read, and lightweight compared to the later books, but it still has a nice few twists and turns in it along the way.

Of course, this being a DLS novel, I'm not actually reading it for the murder mystery. The book's introduction describes Sayers' work is very much a 'tapestry novel', and I'd have to agre...more As a crime novel, it's not bad; compared to her earlier works, it's a definite improvement in terms of the tightness and plausibility of her plotting. Not the best crime novel you're ever going to read, and lightweight compared to the later books, but it still has a nice few twists and turns in it along the way.

Of course, this being a DLS novel, I'm not actually reading it for the murder mystery. The book's introduction describes Sayers' work is very much a 'tapestry novel', and I'd have to agree. Even if you were to take away the slang and the descriptions of the clothing and so on, this would still, inescapably, be a novel set in England in 1928. It's bound up and connected with the culture and the society and the mores of post-Great War Britain.

Some of this is still accessible for us at the beginning of the twenty-first century; other parts of it, not so much. I'm thinking primarily of the class issue (both the mere fact that for the people Sayers was mostly concerned with, having valets and butlers and maids still wasn't unusual, and other reasons); of the consequences of something so earth-shattering as WWI; and of the (changing) role of women within the novel (Though I suppose you could put up a damn convincing argument as to why that latter aspect really hasn't changed much at all.)

The relationship between Sheila and George Fentiman is painful to read about, truly painful; all the more so because I think it's fairly clear that they are still in love despite it all. They are a prime example of effect which the war and rising employment among married, middle-class women had on gender relations. Sheila has no choice but to work; for George, this is a reflection on him as a man, and somehow a violation of how things ought to be (again, perhaps, not so different nowadays).

We're constantly reminded of how much the war has changed everything; women can no longer afford to stay at home, nor are they content to stay in the roles which they were once expected to occupy (hence some decidedly snide remarks about 'modern' young women who 'jazz', and about lady companions). Their roles have shifted to encompass more than ever before; but there is a feeling both that this is not appropriate (as in the case of George's opinion) and that it hasn't been earned (see Robert's "I bet she never did anything in the Great War, Daddy" when talking about Ann Dorland's inheritance. The figures of women like Naomi and Ann symbolise the huge loss of life in the war, something which made it impossible for many women to even think of finding a husband; and, more disturbingly, they also show how much suspicion single women were regarded with at the time. See the constant references to sex mania, or the threat thereof, being applied to figures like Anne.

Then there are the more straightforward references to the war and Peter's (oh, Peter) reaction to it; the yearly dinner with Colonel Marchbanks; the crippled cloakroom attendant. Even when talking about Robert, the brother who supposedly came out of the war best, we are told that:

"Robert was proverbial, you know, for never turning a hair. I remember Robert, at that ghastly hole at Carency, where the whole ground was rotten with corpses--ugh!--potting those swollen great rats for a penny a time, and laughing at them. Rats. Alive and putrid with what they'd been feeding on. Oh, yes, Robert was thought a damn good soldier."

Try telling me that we don't know from that part onwards that Robert's been more than a little damaged by the war - let alone when we realise how he's willing to manipulate his grandfather's death for financial gain.

All these young men trapped in a world they helped to create, unable to cope with it--they've suffered so much, and yet they're being castigated for it by their elders, the old military gentlemen of the Bellona Club, who are unable to comprehend what they've been through. Such a sad novel.(less)

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Dec 23, 2011 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, mystery, crime

Not my favourite when I read it, I remember, and rather too predictable, I think. I remembered most of the twists and turns, and figured out what I didn't. The best part about this radioplay was Wimsey and Parker and Wimsey figuring out to some extent that his meddling messes things up and gets people into trouble. Decidedly lacking in Bunter, though.

I really forgot how long it takes for there to be much of an overarching plot. I think it took until Harriet Vane enters the scene for me to be ent...more

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Jul 30, 2008 Jarrah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: author-dorothylsayers, series-lordpeterwimsey, genre-crimefiction, bohemian-set, country-england, genre-cosymystery, setting-realworld

Golden Age mystery. General Fentiman, ninety years old, is found quietly passed away in his armchair at the Bellona Club. It's hardly what you want to happen at a respectable club, but it wouldn't have been anything Lord Peter Wimsey, gentleman sleuth, felt the need to involve himself in, if there hadn't been one curious question of inheritance. The general's sister left her considerable fortune to her brother, provided he did not predecease her. The lady also died that morning. If she died firs...more Golden Age mystery. General Fentiman, ninety years old, is found quietly passed away in his armchair at the Bellona Club. It's hardly what you want to happen at a respectable club, but it wouldn't have been anything Lord Peter Wimsey, gentleman sleuth, felt the need to involve himself in, if there hadn't been one curious question of inheritance. The general's sister left her considerable fortune to her brother, provided he did not predecease her. The lady also died that morning. If she died first, then the general's heir will inherit in turn; if the general died first, the fortune goes to the lady's paid companion. In investigating this peculiar case, Lord Peter discovers that the situation may not be quite so innocent as it appeared at first.

I've been meaning to try a Dorothy L. Sayers for a while. This seems to be a sort of pure example: there's no Wimsey Family involvement, and no Harriet Vane at this stage; there's nothing but the mystery itself. It was fascinating to compare it to the Georgette Heyer pattern of mysteries - the only other mystery author I've read enough of to be really familiar with. Where Heyer sets up suspects like ducks in a row to be knocked down in turn, in this book Sayers' mystery follow a series of revelations that bring you closer to the final truth. The resolution to the first part of the mystery came halfway through the book, somewhat to my shock - I'd been busily compiling clues and theories, and then bang, they were confirmed, I could feel very clever - only there was so much book left, and I'd obviously only worked out a very small part of the whole mystery after all. Rather cool. Still, the final resolution - the identity of the murderer - wasn't perfect. Lord Peter's primary clue was something that we, the reader, couldn't see, which is awkward.

Lord Peter himself is hugely likable - I can entirely see why he gets so much love. He has a foolish manner and an engaging conversational style, a brilliant mind, and a very human core. He often feels put at a disadvantage despite all his wit and suavity, he never feels truly distant despite his social masks. The other characters are also wonderfully drawn and expressed.

I have only one issue, really, which was one of style. The entire book, almost, is composed of dialogue; and it's ghost dialogue, without speech tags. At one point I was taken-aback enough to go back and count and found that, yes, of the last four pages I'd read, there was one speech tag only, and every other word came inside quote marks. On a purely practical note, this often makes it a bit difficult to follow what's happening - often I would be brought up short by some decidedly out of character phrasing, go back and count lines from the last speech tag or "Now see here, Wimsey" address, and work out that, oh, right, no wonder it was out of character: Lord Peter hadn't said it at all, it was Parker. But the constant dialogue also meant that other parts of the narrative suffered, too. I usually had no idea what the characters looked like, and no real way of picturing the scene. A good bit of the action took place off-screen, and was related to us in conversation, which steals some of the drama from it. The book might have been a radio play. In fact it would have worked uncommonly well as a radio play.

Sayers is very good at dialogue: it's engaging, amusing, intelligent, conveys character marvellously. But being good at something isn't an excuse to do nothing else ...(less)

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Nov 08, 2007 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, mystery

With this, I finish my last LPW mystery. It was a good time. *moment of silence* Anyway --

When half-star ratings are added, I'll add another half star to this. It's not quite the literary accomplishment that deserves four full stars, but that shouldn't deter anyone from reading it. This is a really solidly written mystery, an unexpectedly interesting read. It's not a book most people mention as one of their favourites, but I can't think of a bad thing to say about it.*

It had twists and was rathe...more

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Jun 07, 2008 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Bellona Club is the sort of all-male, all-privileged bastion where the members' habits are so regular that it is a number of hours before it is noticed that one of the regulars, sitting in his regular chair, is actually deceased.
Unpleasantness, indeed. But it is only when Lord Peter Wimsey discovers that the member actually was deceased BEFORE he arrived in his chair that the plot really thickens.
And thickens. And thickens.
So much so, that I can't keep up with Lord Peter's thinking, or with...more

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Jun 05, 2007 Writerlibrarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read2007, 1920s-1930s, mystery, april-pile

In this one, Lord Peter stumbles on to a dead body who has all the signs of a natural death with one tiny, little quibble of the rigor mortis sort. When Murbles comes to Wimsey to pinpoint the time of death of the deceased it opens up a can of worms. Interesting and intricate little mystery. It has all the charm and fun of the others Lord Peter novels with the added touch of a "vernis" of personal conflict and tortured conscience. Add the character of George which might be a distorted vision of...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: winter-20102011, mystery-thriller, published-1935, poison

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 29, 2008 Kirsten rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-pre-12-07, from-library

It's unpleasant enough when members of the Bellona Club discover that the elderly General Fentiman has apparently passed away in front of the fire. But unpleasantness continues when, due to some complications of inheritance, it becomes necessary to acertain when exactly the good general passed on -- and Lord Peter finds it may have been earlier, and in different circumstances, than anyone previously thought. This is a great puzzler, which takes the conventions of the detective genre and uses the...more

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Mar 29, 2013 ladydusk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Library.

It took me a while to read this one. I liked it, but March Madness was a bit more enthralling (Go Buckeyes!) I enjoyed the way Sayers made this essentially two mysteries. I was surprised by the murderer, but will avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that I was wrong in my suppositions - but sort of right in the mode.

There was a great deal of unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and I enjoyed how Sayers weaved that throughout and tied up loose ends. I appreciated how she gave sympathy to unsy...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Dorothea rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I was trying to read all the Wimsey novels in order, but I got confused and skipped directly from Whose Body? to The Unpleasantness of the Bellona Club. So I might make some observations in this review that I wouldn't have made if I'd been reading in the correct order!

I really like this one. I think the ways Sayers discusses women are -- agreeably knotty and interesting, if not what I always agree with. And I like the shape of the plot (more below).

I can never tell if I would have got along with...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Jodi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another book, ‘read’ on my commute in the mystery genre. This one involves the timing of the deaths between elderly siblings to determine which group of heirs inherits. A bit of a twist is added that made it an enjoyable read.

Sir Peter Wimsey, the main investigator, is independently wealthy and solves cases for the sport---that is a good word for him. A typical English phrase “Very sporting of you” would fit him. Of course he sees clues the detectives do not and since he is not involved in any...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Madeline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-fiction

A pretty well-done mystery, with lots of good twists and turns, but not quite up to the standard of Sayers' later novels. All the regulars are here: Mr. Murbles, Bunter, Charles Parker, and most delightfully, the man known as Waffles. As in her other early novels, the big theme of this one is post-World-War-I trauma, and the mystery centers on this concept. The body that Peter investigates was found on Armistice Day, which ends up being an important factor in the case.

Lord Peter is delightful a...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Harsha Priolkar rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

As a fan of the mystery genre, I sure am glad to have discovered Dorothy L. Sayers work! I cannot believe it's taken me so long!

I decided to read this book (although it's not the first in the series), because of a great review by Louise at Louise's Home Library that you can read here http://louiseshomelibrary.wordpress.c...

She had only good things to say and with the e-book now just a click away, I downloaded the book right away! Lord Peter Wimsey is my kind of detective - irreverent, intelligen...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Simon rated it 5 of 5 stars

The biggest mystery was getting to the halfway point with all the loose ends being neatly tied up and 125 pages still to go. Up to there it had been an almost perfect mystery; after there it becomes messier to reflect the true nature of the crime and the solving of the crime. This leads to a tension in the narrative brilliantly reflected in tensions between Wimsey, that most affable of fellows and, first Robert Fentiman and later with his stalwart partner in crime (solving), Charlie Parker. (Par...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical, mystery

On the surface, a pleasant puzzle-piecey little murder mystery, with Peter bounding here and there, declaiming and detectiving his way to an answer. But under that . . . yikes. What an uncomfortable book, with people turning and twisting and snagging on each other like brambles on silk. Everyone stuck inside a little box called marriage or poverty or shell shock or police rules. This book is all tight spaces – the badly lit veteran’s club, the body crammed up tight in the phone box, the stifling...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Moira Fogarty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, audiobook

Reading Sayers' fifth mystery novel in November is perfect timing, as the plot centres around events that take place on Armistice Day (aka "Remembrance Day", November 11), with some fun clues around wearing poppies and the two-minutes of silence. A great follow up to reading book #4 in October.

In my humble opinion, "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club" is a slightly better paced mystery than "Unnatural Death" (her 3rd effort), but not as good as "Strong Poison" (novel #6). Once again she has

...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-fiction

I really love this book. For an unpretentious 1920s mystery novel, it really has a lot going on. There's the mystery itself, which has enough twists and turns to remain interesting. (I didn't guess the outcome, which is always a plus!). Then there is the social commentary: the plight of World War I veterans, the effects of poverty and unemployment, the changing role of women in society, relationships between men and women. And of course there is Peter Wimsey: intelligent, intuitive, funny and co...more

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Nov 28, 2009 pinknantucket rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ms-readathon-2007

By Gad, it was such a relief to read this after “Let the Right One In”!! Yes, in Dorothy Sayers’ books there are actually characters that say “By Gad!”. If you already read Sayers books with gusto then you won’t need to read this review, unless you want to confirm your own righteousness. The Wimsey novels are kind of addictive and you just have to read them all. Unless, of course, you didn’t warm to Sayers’ detective hero, Lord Peter Wimsey, or if you find characters that say things like “By Gad...more By Gad, it was such a relief to read this after “Let the Right One In”!! Yes, in Dorothy Sayers’ books there are actually characters that say “By Gad!”. If you already read Sayers books with gusto then you won’t need to read this review, unless you want to confirm your own righteousness. The Wimsey novels are kind of addictive and you just have to read them all. Unless, of course, you didn’t warm to Sayers’ detective hero, Lord Peter Wimsey, or if you find characters that say things like “By Gad!” deeply annoying. You might have guessed by now that I LOVE the Lord Wimsey novels. Admittedly, some are better than others – this is a strong one - but regardless I have yet to convince anyone else I know that these books are as fabulous as I think they are.

This novel begins with the death of General Fentiman, who is found in a chair by the fire at his club, the titular Bellona Club. Needless to say this shocks other club members, but it is supposed that he merely died of old age while reading the newspaper. Then it is discovered there are complications involving the will of his estranged sister, Lady Dormer, involving which of them died first. So our hero Wimsey is asked to investigate.

I thought I was reading a Wimsey novel I had previously overlooked, but I suspect I have read it before as I had strange premonitions about who did what that I couldn’t chalk up to simple cleverness. The nice thing about having a terrible memory for books you have read, though, is that you forget the words and phrasings, the small details, machinations, characterisations and convolutions of the plot, and so the pleasure of reading it for the second time is undiminished – augmented, even, as you can kid yourself that you must be cleverer than you really are because you think you know whodunnit.

Lord Peter Wimsey helped me through a rough patch once, so perhaps I am biased. Go on, give him a go – you know you want to! A word of advice, though – don’t start with The Five Red Herrings or Murder Must Advertise. These aren’t his best. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club is classic Wimsey, though.
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Sep 08, 2009 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: women

Shelves: novels, mysteries, series

I really loved this book but I have a feeling that has more to do with the main character Lord Peter Wimsey (and a strong feeling of kinship with the author) than with this specific storyline. (It's my first taste of the series.)

The mystery novel part itself was fun and clever - nothing wonderful, nothing bad - a tasty period British detective story that any Anglophile would love.

What really caught my eye, though, was finding Wimsey in the role of God (or at least my own perspective of God). Wi...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Reds_reads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1980-s, 2011, crime-fiction, historical-fiction

Lord Peter solves the mystery of when old General Fentiman died, a fact crucial to the inheritance of a considerable sum.

Reading this book makes me wish for half stars in the ratings as I preferred this book to Unnatural Death, but not enough for 5 stars. The characters continue to be more fleshed out from the earlier books, Parker has quite a sarcastic humour at times and Lord Peter is less frivolous. The plot takes more turns than the previous book and the ending is less predictable.

This story...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, crime

First book of the current readathon!

This is more or less the third time I've read this, so there were no surprises left. I can't actually remember the audio version very well, though -- in fact, this book in general left very little impression on me. I remembered the murderer, but I forgot all about Wimsey's tortured conscience, and about Ann Dorland, who turned out to be rather a good person. I only remembered the ending, with the (view spoiler) theme, just be...more

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Aug 27, 2010 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

In this one, Lord Peter stayed ahead of me the whole time, which is when I love these books best. However, it got knocked down a star for what I felt was the rather unsympathetic treatment of, of all things, the victim and other suspects. Yes, the victim was a very old man, and, yes, the two sons were to be pitied for the way the war marked them, but it was not very pleasant to read. Also, this is the second book in a row where a very old person has died and, while I think a discussion on euthan...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Briana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dorothy-sayers

A pretty good Wimsey book...something fun, relaxing...(something NOT school-related...something I'm NOT supposed to be reading while I have a ton of other stuff to do...)

The story idea on the blurb definitely hooked me, but the plot is not all that dramatic. That's sort of typical Sayers, I've found. However, the characters and the setting are engaging. I must say that Wimsey has had funnier moments...but he's still very cool, as always.

Honestly, this book is not worthwhile for slow readers/peop...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Brenda Margriet rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: re-read

I think this is a great mystery because it is one of those where you think you know whodunnit right from the start, and DLS keeps throwing curve balls at you until you don't know which way is up.

An old gentleman is found dead in a men's club. Turns out, his sister died that morning as well, and depending when each of them died other people inherit lots of money.

I like the Wimsey novels for many things, but one of them is that Peter is often villified by the people he is supposed to be helping. I...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Steven rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This book is beautifully written and stands as one of the best of the "cozy" mysteries. Sayers has created in the character of Lord Peter Wimsey an amateur sleuth of 1920s London who is urbane, witty, occasionally sardonic, immaculately cultured and polite, yet ruthless when it comes to pursuing the perpetrators of crime. I also like the fact that, though an aristocrat and a brilliant detective, Wimsey is also human, flawed, and sometimes makes mistakes or just plain gets things wrong. The story...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Michael added it

Recommended to Michael by: Kate

Shelves: audio, detective

Whoopsie, I didn't get the ~book~ but a BBC dramatization. But, since this series is so dialog-driven, I feel like I got the price of my admission. Very diverting business about wills and what-not, and unlike its predecessor it doesn't telegraph its ending from the word go. Also, beneath the light tone of the Wimsey series, it is interesting to get a glimpse of what life must have been like in England after the trauma of the Great War, and how the veterans of the war must have been regarded as s...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Jules Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The fourth Lord Peter Wimsey book. It's Armistice Day, and ninety-year-old General Fentiman is found dead in his favourite armchair at his club. Unsurprising for a man of his age, but it turns out that the exact time of death determines who inherits a very large sum of money, for his sister died on the same day. Lord Peter happens to be on the scene, and thus gets involved when it seems merely a matter of sorting out the inheritance, but the case gradually takes on a more sinister aspect as Lord...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Larou added it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, fiction

Reading Dorothy Sayers’ story collection Lord Peter Views the Body got me wondering about just how much her Lord Peter Wimsey series might be influenced by her Catholicism. Not in the sense of them being inspirational fiction, or in any way preachy, but in the way her religious beliefs infuse the worldview of the series. In the earlier post I had noticed that this was rather bleak, due mostly to the characters ranging from unlikeable to outright evil.

Compared to that, there seems to be a shift i...more

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About Dorothy L. Sayers

Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a renowned British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist.

Dorothy L. Sayers is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between World War I and World War II that feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. However, Sayers herse...more

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Books by Dorothy L. Sayers

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #1)

Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #3)

Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #10)

Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #6)

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Quotes from The Unpleasantness at ...

“Books, you know, Charles, are like lobster-shells. We surround ourselves with 'em, and then we grow out of 'em and leave 'em behind, as evidence of our earlier stages of development.” — 2 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club Goodreads rating: 3.98 (4611 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/192887.The_Unpleasantness_at_the_Bellona_Club?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348016827l/192887.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/192887.The_Unpleasantness_at_the_Bellona_Club?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers[/url]

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #4)

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