Rustic old Riddlesdale Lodge was a Wimsey family retreat filled with country pleasures and the thrill of the hunt -- until the game turned up human...
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reviews
Jul 31, 2008
Ann
rated it: 
"Clouds of Witness" was a very delightful book! In both the mystery and the characters, I thought Sayers came through brilliantly!
Lord Peter Wimsey (the main character and detective) is truly a humorous, clever, thoughtful, and lovable character! He breezes through life, always seeing the amusement and humor in situations, but doesn't lack the ability to understand people and events for the gravity they may hold.
Wimsey himself was a delightful enough character to More...
Lord Peter Wimsey (the main character and detective) is truly a humorous, clever, thoughtful, and lovable character! He breezes through life, always seeing the amusement and humor in situations, but doesn't lack the ability to understand people and events for the gravity they may hold.
Wimsey himself was a delightful enough character to More...
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Jul 05, 2008
Kathryn
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4.0+ stars. I quite enjoyed my first Sayers mystery, and am delighted to have begun what I assume will be a long and pleasant acquaintance with Lord Peter Wimsey. Hard to describe his mixture of intelligence and thoughtfulness, compassion, humor but served up with a good share of the silly, foppishness of young men of the era who have little to do but spend the fortunes and honor to which they were born as aristocratic Englishmen. Yet, as one character so wisely remarks, Lord Peter doesn't j
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May 26, 2010
Nikki
rated it:
I do like Lord Peter. I was surprised at how little of him there was in this one, considering the family connection. In the first book, there were hints at his PTSD and such, but I didn't feel like the narrative of this book was as close to him. He wasn't so annoying, either, in his speech or attitude: part of that was probably knowing what to expect, of course, but still, it all felt somewhat toned down in this one, and not much by way of overarching plot seemed to happen -- I'm told it will, l
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Aug 01, 2007
Jack
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A reread of one of my least-read Lord Peter Wimsey novels—least-read because it's only the second one in the series, and the earliest ones were much more straight-out 'tec yarns in the classic English tradition, before Sayers felt free to deviate from the formula.
So you get the usual Agatha Christie sort of setup: a bunch of aristocratic Brits staying at a country house, and one turns up dead, and everyone's got a shaky alibi, and of course there are three or four completely unrelate More...
So you get the usual Agatha Christie sort of setup: a bunch of aristocratic Brits staying at a country house, and one turns up dead, and everyone's got a shaky alibi, and of course there are three or four completely unrelate More...
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May 29, 2007
Jessica
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"Clouds of Witness" is the first novel by Dorothy Sayers that I have read. I was an avid Agatha Christie fan in junior high and high school and haven't really read much of the mystery genre since. However, I was recently recommended "Clouds of Witness" so I picked it up.
"Clouds of Witness" follows Lord Peter Wimsey, an amateur detective who lives in Britain, as he tries to clear his brother Gerald, the Duke of Denver, of murder charges that have been brought a More...
"Clouds of Witness" follows Lord Peter Wimsey, an amateur detective who lives in Britain, as he tries to clear his brother Gerald, the Duke of Denver, of murder charges that have been brought a More...
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May 25, 2011
Bev
rated it:
I SO needed this book. I've read every Lord Peter Wimsey book and story written by Dorothy L Sayers, so this was a reread for me. But after spending eight grueling days on Tristram Shandy, I really needed a comfort read. I can always count on a Sayers mystery for that. Clouds of Witness is her second novel featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. And this time, it's not just a matter of him indulging his detective hobby--the family honor and his brother's life is at stake.
Lord Peter's brother--Ger More...
Lord Peter's brother--Ger More...
Dec 25, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
"The barometer is falling."
Melodramatic, yes, but one of the most wonderful lines ever uttered in a courtroom, fictional or otherwise. This moment of levity made the excessive use of the courtroom slightly more forgivable. I had very little patience for the entire inquest at the very opening of the book. Even though it did contribute to the character building and presented lots of little clues to be unpacked later on, I could not help but skim the last couple of pages. It jus More...
Melodramatic, yes, but one of the most wonderful lines ever uttered in a courtroom, fictional or otherwise. This moment of levity made the excessive use of the courtroom slightly more forgivable. I had very little patience for the entire inquest at the very opening of the book. Even though it did contribute to the character building and presented lots of little clues to be unpacked later on, I could not help but skim the last couple of pages. It jus More...
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Jan 20, 2010
Sun
rated it:
Lord Peter Wimsey is called back from France when his brother, the Duke of Denver, is accused of murder. The man Denver is accused of killing is Denis Cathcart, unluckily also the man affianced to Denver and Wimsey's sister, Lady Mary. Wimsey investigates, aided by friend and capable inspector Parker but it's a sticky family affair as Denver refuses to alibi himself, Mary hides behind illness, and all the visible evidence points against them.
'Clouds', published in 1926, is the secon More...
'Clouds', published in 1926, is the secon More...
Sep 16, 2010
Sarah Pi
rated it:
It's interesting the degree to which I have to recalibrate to read books such as this one. The language, the pacing, the structure, and even the typeface all force me to slow down and have patience that I'm not accustomed to anymore. I haven't decided how much I appreciate that aspect, but it is more than made up for by the character of Lord Peter Wimsey. I've now read two Wimsey books and seen one of the movies, and I've enjoyed him in all three (as well as loyal and clever Bunter). Wimsey seem
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Jul 09, 2011
Mary Ronan
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Hebrews 12:1: ‘we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.” Why Dorothy L Sayers moved the s in her title I’m not certain. Perhaps she was suggesting that there were too many witnesses, too many clues, in this difficult case where Lord Peter must prove that his brother, the Duke of Denver, did not murder his sister’s fiancé despite an explosive argument with him shortly before the crime took place.
A few things in this book deserve mention. The dead man was fond of More...
A few things in this book deserve mention. The dead man was fond of More...
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Mar 28, 2011
Clarissa
rated it:
Once again I picked up a book by Sayers--her second book. She's a wonderfully complex writer, trying to find her niche. Although her plots are intriguing, I have to admit I had a difficult time getting through it. I don't really know why.
Perhaps it's because I couldn't relate to some of the characters. Lord Peter Wimsey's brother is on trial (and facing the death penalty) for murder, and even though I thought I would feel anxious about it, I didn't In fact, at one point in the readin More...
Perhaps it's because I couldn't relate to some of the characters. Lord Peter Wimsey's brother is on trial (and facing the death penalty) for murder, and even though I thought I would feel anxious about it, I didn't In fact, at one point in the readin More...
Jan 02, 2012
Vislius
rated it:
Ever since having read Gaudy Night in an undergraduate modern British history course, I have been intrigued by the Lord Peter Wimsey series. A few years ago, I read The Nine Tailors, but it wasn't until last January that it dawned upon me that it might make a bit more sense to read the books of the series in order. Fancy the thought! I read Whose Body?, which I thoroughly enjoyed, only to abandon the project out of no malice -- merely neglect on my part. So, here I am, nearly one year later, to
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Nov 09, 2010
Hayes
rated it:
The second in the series. A little long winded, but it sets up the Wimsey family, especially Mary (Peter's younger sister).
I liked learning about the British legal system for the peers and all of the social nonsense.
http://manybooks.net/
I liked learning about the British legal system for the peers and all of the social nonsense.
http://manybooks.net/
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Dec 10, 2009
Anne
rated it:
So far, thoroughly enjoying this, although there's definitely a marked stylistic difference from "Whose Body?" and "Clouds of Witness" to "Murder Must Advertise" and all of the Harriet Vane books. Sayers changes the way that Wimsey talks later on, but materially not that much changes. Glad to have so much of the Dowager Duchess of Denver and her colorful turn of phrase.
Not much to add to this review now that I've finished it. I think I may have actua More...
Not much to add to this review now that I've finished it. I think I may have actua More...
Dec 22, 2011
Nikki
rated it:
Like the first Sayers radioplay, Whose Body?, Clouds of Witness is well cast and well dramatised. I can't think of anything it left out or changed, from the original book, yet it was just as interesting and exciting to listen to it as to read the book the first time. Again, I'd forgotten how everything worked out, so I was surprised all over again.
I think it's perhaps a bit less funny than the first book, but there are still points that made me smile -- particularly the ending, and P More...
I think it's perhaps a bit less funny than the first book, but there are still points that made me smile -- particularly the ending, and P More...
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Jun 30, 2009
This one had more surprises than Whose Body, by far. About two thirds of the way through the book, at a point where I thought things were going to resolve, I looked at all the pages left and thought, "Huh!" But Sayers kept the action and plot going pretty well. I was especially amused by the epilogue — both how it undercut certain things about Lord Peter while at the same time reinforcing other aspects of his character. All the main players certainly grew on me quite a bit more with th
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Feb 06, 2010
Telyn
rated it:
I've been making my way through a recently rediscovered, long-lost box of early Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries. The second Lord Peter novel (published in 1926, which can sometimes feel further removed than ancient Egypt) is a highly entertaining combination of English country house mystery and comedy of manners. The writing feels slightly uneven, but it lets one to observe how Sayer's writing style developed and matured. It also strains the credulity credulity in a couple of spots but is still a l
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Jun 17, 2011
Muttering Mama
rated it:
I didn't love this book as much as I loved Whose Body?, but I think that might be slightly more my fault than the authors. I read the first couple of chapters while also reading another book and I found it heard to get into a good groove. Not being as invested in the beginning of the book might have cost me the small details that make mystery novels so fun and interesting.
There were still lots of great one-liners, though, and even a few evidences of social taboo (extra-marital affairs More...
There were still lots of great one-liners, though, and even a few evidences of social taboo (extra-marital affairs More...
Apr 18, 2011
Susie
rated it:
Another charming Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. This time Peter's brother the Duke of Denver has been charged with the murder of their sister's fiance on their estate after it is discovered the man is a card cheat. Much intrigue ensues to prove the Duke's innocence, including the discovery that the Duke was carrying on an affair with a local farmwife (his real alibi) and Peter getting almost swallowed in a bog but saved by his man, Bunter. Det. Parker plays a nice support character and friend to Pet
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Jun 18, 2011
Madeline
rated it:
Well, the Lord Peter novels certainly improve the older they get. This one, the second mystery that Sayers wrote, is mostly okay. Not bad, not great, just okay. It has some good points, like more of the frankly marvelous Wimsey/Bunter dynamic (seriously, I love these two. Not since Holmes and Watson has literature known such a true bromance), plus it ends with a scene where Lord Peter is drunk as a skunk for no apparent reason. But the mystery itself isn't terribly compelling (which, considering
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Apr 16, 2011
Sydney
rated it:
In 2010 I glutted myself on detective fiction. I read many of the Scandanavian authors — Mankell, Fossum, Indridason, Larsson. Some were better than others, and it is always engaging to read about foreign cultures. However, I was not satisfied by any of these contemporary novels, so I returned to Dorothy L. Sayers. Okay, the ending of this particular novel is a bit pat, and the class system is a major force in the plot, but I find I would rather follow these characters' struggles to understand l
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Nov 13, 2011
Moira
rated it:
Achtung! If you have an awful terror of dying by being sucked into an English bog at dead of night, there may be a certain chapter in this book that will disturb you. I have just such a dread fear myself and was sorely tempted to skip those passages where death by bog seemed imminent. As usual, some of my favorite pieces in this book were of Bunter gathering clues from below stairs, and the evidence given at trial by the butler and other servants. The inquest and trial themselves were presented
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May 16, 2010
Ali
rated it:
Peter Wimsey is an hilarious character, the way he speaks to Parker and Bunter is fabulous, some of the most entertaining dialogue in fiction I am sure. A great bit of country house murder mystery - with plenty of red herrings and potential culprits. of course Lord Peter sweeps in to save the day, and poor old Charles Parker ( a humble copper no less) develops a bit of a crush on Lord Peter's sister the Lady Mary. To read a Dorothy L Sayers novel is also to explore the British class system in th
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Jan 13, 2011
Heather
rated it:
Ok, I just read this, and if any of ya'll also have a nook, when I'm done with the second bookmI'll happily lend it to you. As Sayers go, this one is rpetty good, and compelling enough that I bought it even though I've read it before and REMEMBER how it turns out. Sad, but true... I'm now rereading even mysteries thatI remember. What am I going to do... Laurie R King's Sherlocks have all been finished and I am sad and alone with no good mysteries.... but.... if you want to borrow this on your b
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Sep 03, 2009
Sbuchler
rated it:
Genre: Mystery
This is the second of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. It follows directly after _Whose Body?_. This novel, more then the first one, is a character study. Mostly it's delving into the characters of Lord Peter's family, as it starts with his brother being accused of murdering his sister's fiancé. Though the book, I kept guessing wrong about who the murderer was... I'm not 100% sure that Sayers played fair in giving the information to guess beforehand, however, it was the More...
This is the second of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. It follows directly after _Whose Body?_. This novel, more then the first one, is a character study. Mostly it's delving into the characters of Lord Peter's family, as it starts with his brother being accused of murdering his sister's fiancé. Though the book, I kept guessing wrong about who the murderer was... I'm not 100% sure that Sayers played fair in giving the information to guess beforehand, however, it was the More...
Jun 16, 2011
mark
rated it:
dashing peter wimsey dashes into some more dashing adventures. he's one of literature's greatest detectives. but just as enjoyable is his faithful manservant bunter. peter runs around figuring things out with his clever, brilliant mind but it is bunter who often gets his hands dirty with rather agreeable tasks like chatting up all the various maidservants and domestics, tasks he clearly relishes but approaches with both professionalism and suaveness. various witnesses never fail to succumb to bu
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Nov 08, 2011
Norain MT
rated it: 
The Cloud of Witness is just that, cloud of witnesses. Starting from the Duke of Denver being suspected of murdering (his sister) Lady Mary’s fiancé, Lord Peter with the help of Inspector Parker tried to prove his brother’s innocence by following the trail of the case both figuratively and literally. No. 10 footprints were found on the crime scene, so was a cat-shaped jewellery, but did they belong to the same person? The former led Lord Peter to the railway station and back to London, the latte
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Aug 13, 2011
Joon-kyu
rated it:
오래간만에 읽은 추리소설 이틀이라는 시간이 걸렸지만 흡입력도 있고 법정에서 증명되는 과정들이 자세히 묘사가 되어서 다른 추리소설과는 다른 느낌을 주었다. 셜록홈즈와 비슷하면서도 다른 피터윔지의 캐릭터는 정신도 좀 산만하고 어떤 때는 두서 없어 보이지만 위트도 있고 문학에서 가져오는 비유와 표현들로 강한 인상을 준다. 취미생활 정도로 하는 탐정일 평소에 보여지는 무기력함등은 홈즈가 보여주는 그것을 느낄 수 있다. 하지만 그의 사이킥인 번턴은 왓슨보다는 조금 등장하지만 탁월한 능력을 보여준다. 이 책에서 가장 인상적으로 느껴진 부분은 그가 의심을 가지고 메리의 치마에서 혈흔과 은모래등의 증거를 수집하는 모습이다. 수완이 뛰어나고 적극적인 모습을 보여준다. 그의 그러한 모습은 왓슨의 어느 정도는 수동적인 접근 태도와는 다른 모습을 보여주고 하인이라는 역할이 부여된 상황이기에 그 모습이 더 강렬해 보이는게 아닐까라는 생각이다. 캐릭터가 여러 추리 소설에서 모아놓은 듯한 느낌을 받았고 그것은
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Dec 18, 2010
Mmyoung
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 18, 2008
Vera
rated it:
Sayers is always heaps of fun as long as she stays away from the phonetic spelling of regional accents. Such foolery made Five Red Herrings almost completely unreadable. Okay, maybe the train timetable business contributed to its high ranking on the snoozefest ladder.
Anyway, her dodgy attempts at rendering a northern accent to the reader's ear were only saved by one delightful scene where Wimsey attempts to interview an ostler:
To the grumpy ostler who took the horse, Pete More...
Anyway, her dodgy attempts at rendering a northern accent to the reader's ear were only saved by one delightful scene where Wimsey attempts to interview an ostler:
To the grumpy ostler who took the horse, Pete More...
