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

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Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #1)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 12,292 ratings · 588 reviews

The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder -- especially witha pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detect...more

Paperback, 212 pages

Published July 11th 1995 by HarperTorch (first published 1923)

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Jan 12, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-fiction, re-read, buddy-reads-with-jemidar

It's difficult for me to be objective about Dorothy L Sayers. Since discovering Strong Poison in the school library when I was about 14, she has been one of my favourite writers and one whose novels I re-read regularly. In the past couple of years I've ventured beyond the novels and the short stories (not being much of a short story reader, I've not read all of these) to read Sayers' collected letters, some of her essays (such as Are Women Human?) and Barbara Reynold's excellent biography, Dorot ...more
It's difficult for me to be objective about Dorothy L Sayers. Since discovering Strong Poison in the school library when I was about 14, she has been one of my favourite writers and one whose novels I re-read regularly. In the past couple of years I've ventured beyond the novels and the short stories (not being much of a short story reader, I've not read all of these) to read Sayers' collected letters, some of her essays (such as Are Women Human?) and Barbara Reynold's excellent biography, Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul. This has in turn made me want to read more of Sayers' non-fiction as well as her plays and her translation of Dante. Suffice to say, I'm a big fan and a shared love of Sayers' writing is what has introduced me to a number of my GR friends.

This novel is where it started for Sayers' best known contribution to ~~crime fiction~~ literature, Lord Peter Wimsey. At the time the novel was published in 1923, Sayers was an Oxford University graduate (she was amongst the first group of women graduates to be finally awarded their degrees in 1920) and a published poet. She had worked in publishing and as a high school teacher and was then working as a copy writer in a London advertising agency - all of which makes her stand out from other women of her generation.

For a first novel, this has a lot of strengths. Lord Peter, the wealthy and erudite younger son of a Duke, shell-shocked WWI veteran, musician, collector of incunabula and amateur detective, comes to the page fully created. He develops throughout the course of the twelve novels in which he features, but the essentials of his character are there from the beginning: the sharp intelligence, the ready wit, the tendency to quote poetry at odd moments, the silly-ass impersonation and affected drawl of his public persona, which disappears when he speaks seriously to those he is closest to, the troubled conscience, the lingering effects of shell-shock. Lord Peter is a superb character, as are his manservant Bunter, his friend Scotland Yard inspector Charles Parker and his truly wonderful mother, the Dowager Duchess, all of whom (thankfully) also feature in later novels.

The deft characterisation - not at all common in a Golden Age mystery novel - is not the only strength of Sayers' writing. Her prose is excellent, her dialogue is witty and the mystery itself is interesting enough. That said, the novel is not without its weaknesses. There is, for example, a startling lapse from the third person voice to the second person at one point in the narrative. In addition, the perpetrator is not that difficult to pick (although admittedly the big reveal is not necessarily a feature of Sayers' novels), the perpetrator's method is complex and improbable and the novel contains one of my pet peeves in crime fiction - the extended confession in the form of a letter.

The weaknesses are enough for me to rate the novel lower than I would want to rate anything written by Sayers. However, the fangirl in me means I can't bring myself to give this less than 4 stars, well, maybe 3-3/4. I'm looking forward to a Lord Peter re-read over the next 12 months with my good friend and Sayers novice Jemidar. (less)

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Sep 30, 2009 Jack rated it 5 of 5 stars

The very first Lord Peter Wimsey novel, and thus the genesis of one of the most engaging characters I've ever encountered, literary or otherwise. Actually, make that at least two (since Bunter is equally astounding), and maybe three (because the Dowager's quite engaging, too). In rereading this, I found myself surprised at how solid the characters are at the very beginning of the series; they are essentially the same fully-realized people they are ten books later, though we only see certain face...more The very first Lord Peter Wimsey novel, and thus the genesis of one of the most engaging characters I've ever encountered, literary or otherwise. Actually, make that at least two (since Bunter is equally astounding), and maybe three (because the Dowager's quite engaging, too). In rereading this, I found myself surprised at how solid the characters are at the very beginning of the series; they are essentially the same fully-realized people they are ten books later, though we only see certain facets of them here. More dimension follows later.

There is so much that I love about this book, including the very first page; its first two words, and indeed the first two words Wimsey ever utters to us, are "Oh, damn!" Just a few lines down is the sentence that encapsulates so much about Sayers's writing, the perfect litmus test for the Lord Peter series: "His long, amiable face looked as if it had generated spontaneously from his top hat, as white maggots breed from Gorgonzola." Either you find that quirkily poetic and want to read more, or you should be reading something else entirely.

(Curiously, this is only the first of no fewer than three completely random and incidental mentions in this volume of that particular cheese. I have to assume that Sayers was a fan.)

The actual mystery is brilliant: a man goes into his bathroom one morning to find a naked corpse in the tub, wearing nothing but a pair of golden pince-nez. He has no idea who the man might be or how he came to be dead in his tub. Meanwhile, a financial bigwig's gone missing, and while he bears a superficial likeness to the corpse found across town, they are clearly not one and the same.

But as satisfying as the cases are, more satisfying by far is the chance to meet Lord Peter as he babbles foolishly in the way only the very rich can get away with, picking apart the mysteries while quoting poetry in between snifters of Napoleon brandy and bidding on early editions of Dante. And early-'20s England is painted beautifully—which is not entirely surprising, given that the book was written in, erm, early-'20s England. Quite.

There are some rough edges, to be sure (the odd temporary shifts into second person perspective leap to mind), but they are ultimately very forgivable in a first novel and almost seem charming in light of the later works.

If you'd like to give it a whirl before expending any energy to get an actual copy of the book, the novel is now public domain, and appears in its entirety here: [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/wome...]. And the preface is quite good, too.(less)

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Apr 07, 2012 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, i-own-a-copy, 4-stars, read-in-2012, read-in-teenties, london, ebook, lord-peter-wimsey, reviewed, freebie

A body is discovered and a man is missing. Superficially it appears to be the same case but the body turns out to not be the missing man. Lord Peter Wimsey knew this to be true from the start, but while the two police investigations diverge Lord Peter believes the two cases may still be connected in a less obvious way.

Lord Peter is a top toff, a gentleman who decides to investigate crimes to entertain himself. In a way, like Sherlock Holmes or Poirot, but Lord Peter is not so detached or analyti...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Norain MT rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book

I should say, this was like Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s mixed together but not to perfection. It was set in a frame bigger than just identifying who was the murderer (in this book the murderer was announced while there was like a quarter of the book to be finished) so honestly, the thrill was not there. The characters spoke a lot, they must have a gallon extra supply of saliva, and Lord Peter could rant for pages and pages you lost track of what he was actually talking about. But ironi...more

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May 24, 2011 Madeline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-fiction

At last, I pick up Dorothy Sayers' first mystery novel and finally learn the Origins of Lord Peter!

...except, this isn't an origin story like I was expecting. We don't get to see Lord Peter as Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, deciding to become a defender of justice while pretending to be a empty-headed rich playboy (oh man, did anyone else start thinking of Peter Wimsey/Batman slashfic? Maybe Batman builds a time machine and goes back to the 1930's and he and Peter fight crime together while Alfre...more At last, I pick up Dorothy Sayers' first mystery novel and finally learn the Origins of Lord Peter!

...except, this isn't an origin story like I was expecting. We don't get to see Lord Peter as Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, deciding to become a defender of justice while pretending to be a empty-headed rich playboy (oh man, did anyone else start thinking of Peter Wimsey/Batman slashfic? Maybe Batman builds a time machine and goes back to the 1930's and he and Peter fight crime together while Alfred and Bunter hang out and trade dry witticisms ~~and then everyone makes out~~. Give me a couple days, I'll work on it.) - instead, this is more like the earlier Batman movies, where he's already running around Gotham punching people in funny outfits and it's always been that way. There are some references in this book to Peter taking up detective work out of boredom, but when the book starts he's already solved several important cases and has his method figured out. Boo on Sayers for not giving me the gritty origin story I expected, but that's okay.

Aside from that quibble, I enjoyed this story pretty well - like most other reviewers, I guessed the culprit pretty quickly, but it's not Sayers' fault that I watch so much Law and Order: SVU and have learned to pick out the patterns. This is very obviously a first novel, and her style has improved a lot since this book. It's not the best in the series, but it's still a fun, brief detective romp. Which leaves only one thing left to talk about.

RACISM.

In her very thoughtful review of this book, Kelly expressed discomfort with what she saw as anti-Semitic elements present throughout the plot. Having now finished the book, I disagree with this reading, and will try to explain myself without pissing anyone off.

First: an author is not her characters, and just because a character expresses a certain view does not mean that the author shares this view. It's true that some of the minor characters in this book express anti-Semitic opinion, but I think Sayers is using their prejudiced beliefs to make a point about how Jews were seen by the general population at the time - I don't think anyone can deny that in the 1920's, people were still racist as hell.

Secondly, I read the book specifically looking for anti-Semitic statements and...I just don't see them. Some (not all) characters are prejudiced against Jews, but no one is saying that Jews are evil - if anything, characters just echo commonly accepted misconceptions and stereotypes about Jews, and none of it seems motivated by a particular malice, but by just general ignorance. A prime example of this is Peter's mother who delivers what Kelly saw as a lengthy rant against Jews (I think she was referencing Peter's mother, anyway - the character's not named in the review, so I apologize if I got it wrong, Kelly) Here's some of the Duchess's dialogue, judge for yourself: "...and I'm sure some Jews are very good people, and personally I'd much rather they believed something, though of course it must be very inconvenient, what with not working on Saturdays and circumcising the poor little babies and everything depending on the new moon and that funny kind of meat they have with such a slang-sounding name, and never being able to have bacon for breakfast. Still, there it was, and it was much better for the girl to marry him if she was really fond of him..."

I don't see anti-Semitism in that. Peter's mother doesn't understand Judaism very well, but there's nothing particularly unkind in her dialogue - in fact, she's basically saying, "Yes, Jews are different and I don't understand their religion at all, but they should be able to marry who they like." Furthermore, I think that based on what I know of Sayers' other books, the speech is meant to be a comic display of how little Judaism was understood at the time. I don't think Peter's mother is anti-Semitic, and I don't think the book is, either. (less)

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May 02, 2010 Michele rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was the first Peter Wimsey mystery, indeed the first Dorothy Sayers' novel that I've read. Wimsey's wealthy sleuth, butler assistant and willing sidekick (Parker) reminded me of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe characters.

I found the dry humor smooth, but not particularly involving. However, I embarked on this series because I've heard such good things about Wimsey and Harriet Vane. I started at the beginning, with the expectation that the books would get better overtime and that the witty romance to...more This was the first Peter Wimsey mystery, indeed the first Dorothy Sayers' novel that I've read. Wimsey's wealthy sleuth, butler assistant and willing sidekick (Parker) reminded me of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe characters.

I found the dry humor smooth, but not particularly involving. However, I embarked on this series because I've heard such good things about Wimsey and Harriet Vane. I started at the beginning, with the expectation that the books would get better overtime and that the witty romance to come would fill any voids appearing in the clockwork mysteries. So, while this first entry left no strong impression upon me, I remain open to future delights.

I was surprised by Wimsey's nervous hallucinations, both because I didn't expect to see Post Traumatic Stress Disorder featured in a light, 1923 mystery and> because it added a certain vulnerability to Wimsey's character that was not unwelcome.

We first saw a deeper thread peeking out from Wimsey's glib exterior when he told Parker that he was now approaching a part of the investigative work that he dreaded, when the thrill of the chase gave way to conscience and regret. Of course, his reluctance could be written off as mere words with little substance behind them, except that Parker's response is rather serious and sharp. He doesn't just tell Wimsey that he shouldn't feel guilty about letting a murderer go free, he also tells him that he should take no joy in playing detective for sport. It might make him seem debonair and interesting, but if that's all he is, what's the point?

The way in which Parker tells Peter, his social and intellectual superior, that instead of just playing bon vivant, he needs to do something meaningful with his life, without feeling apologetic about it is not heavy-handed, but coming unexpectedly, the moment carries a certain force, one that I didn't expect to find in a serial mystery.

Obviously, I'm accustomed to the detective moralizing as they make observations about the criminal mind. Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot do that all the time. However, I'm unused to the hero himself being analyzed by someone with a perception that is as on target as their own.

Parker's words brought me up short and then they were followed by the scene in which a weary Wimsey is frightened by flashbacks to German gunfire.

At the end of the book, when they are walking in the graveyard, Peter is grasping Parker's sleeve, needing that guidance and security, as he pushes aside memories. He reminds himself that he has been in graveyards for far more painful tasks. The sudden switch to a 2nd person narrative at the beginning of this chapter is a bit jarring. Yet, it does bring the reader closer to Peter. When he is referred to as "you" and "your" there's an illusion that one is having an intimate conversation with Peter. "You" (for instance the "tu" in Spanish) is familiar and personal.

This first mystery hints at a man who has been battered. He wasn't broken, but he hasn't completely healed either. That little hint of psyche is not explored, but it's already enough to prevent Wimsey from being an archtype. We never knew why Nick Charles drank too much. I don't think Dashiell Hammett considered it a problem that needed a reason. In their last stories, Marple and Poirot both ultimately engaged in conduct that warranted a closer examination of their personalities, but we never got it. In this, Wimsey's first outing, we see that something fragile and fascinating lies beneath his clue-collecting. He's motivated by more than a love of mischief and doesn't even bother to hide his weakness from those who care enough to look.

Having Freke = Freak was a nice touch. The journey to Gaudy Night should be promising.(less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Bazi added it

Shelves: detective-mystery

I thought I'd really enjoy this series. You've got your whip-smart, blue-blood, amateur English detective; the near precognitive butler who is regarded more like a friend by his employer; and the friend who is an actual Scotland Yard detective who serves as an "in" to all these police cases and is the most down-to-earth. But I don't know, it felt uneven, like the author wrote some here and some there and cobbled it all together later. She seemed to just love the idea of these characters but the...more I thought I'd really enjoy this series. You've got your whip-smart, blue-blood, amateur English detective; the near precognitive butler who is regarded more like a friend by his employer; and the friend who is an actual Scotland Yard detective who serves as an "in" to all these police cases and is the most down-to-earth. But I don't know, it felt uneven, like the author wrote some here and some there and cobbled it all together later. She seemed to just love the idea of these characters but the murder case itself wasn't as clever. It seemed kind of obvious pretty early on and then it took forever until Wimsey suddenly figures it out and still THEN a little more dragging on until the whole plan is revealed down to the tiniest details in a letter from the killer at the very end of the book. Most of the time the clues seemed to reveal themselves through someone blindly bumping into them but there was a great example of Super Interrogation By a Detective In Order To Reveal Clues towards the end.

Lord Peter at first just seems quippy and silly and very, very English but later he realizes, "You know this is all actually morbid and a little upsetting." I was so glad the author had it all affect him because otherwise I might have assumed him to be a sociopath. And I get why he wants to do some amateur sleuthing because I have no idea what he'd do otherwise. He's a rich noble who doesn't work, his elder brother is in charge of all the family's stuff, he's unmotivated to be married, seems to find a lot of his peers insufferable, and doesn't seem interested in whoring and drinking his day away. So I mean if you're unemployed and unwilling to schmooze with the rest of your class all day and aren't quite ready to become a hermit then you better get yourself a hobby and I guess this is his.

There were a few moments of, "Woah, when was this written?" Lots of talk about True Nobility and I Heard He Was Jewish She Said Furtively. Although the author was clearly writing about in such a way as to say she did not approve of antisemitism, more like, "This is a thing that people talk about and I'm going to show you how these characters talk about it so you'll be able to cull their personality traits from this." Except for the true nobility thing which I think she was serious about.

I may pick up the next one sometime to see how these characters develop but if the mystery plods along again I won't bother to read the third.
(less)

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Dec 04, 2009 Dan Schwent rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-and-mystery

Mr. Thipps goes to have his morning bath, only to find the corpse of a naked man wearing only a pince nez in the tub. A first glance, the corpse appears to be that of Lord Levy, a Jewish financier. Only things aren't always as they seem. Fortunately, Lord Peter Wimsey is on the case...

I really liked this one. I have to believe Dorothy Sayers was influenced by P.G. Wodehouse at least a little bit. Lord Peter Wimsey could easily be a Wodehouse character. He's a short pompous British aristocrat, sh...more

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Aug 24, 2012 booklady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2004, mystery

I discovered Dorothy L. Sayers through homeschooling as the author of "The Lost Tools of Learning". It was only after I read that, learned she was a contemporary and friend of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien that I stumbled on her original claim to fame--Lord Peter Wimsey.

Whose Body? is the first of the eleven Lord Peter mysteries she wrote in her lifetime. Each one gets progressively better. I'm stretching it to give this four stars--it's not so good as her later ones, but I don't want to put an...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: brit-lit, mystery

There were a few parts of this book very well written, but over all, I felt like she borrowed way too much (or attempted to) from Conan Doyle. Since normal people don't typically take to memorizing Sherlock Holmes (I am an unhealthy fanatic) they probably wouldn't recognize a lot of the borrowing, but I began being put off at the outset by the "golden pince-nez." Come now, use your own ideas, please. I liked the characters, but disliked Sayers' constant references to "just like you'd read in a n...more

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Sep 03, 2007 LJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, amateur_sleuth, england, london, golden_age_1918-1939, wealthy

WHOSE BODY? (Amateur Sleuth-London-1920s) – VG
Sayers, Dorothy L. – 1st in series
Harper, 1923- Paperback
Lord Peter Wimsey is called to view the body of an unknown dead man found in the bathtub of a friend. The body is wearing nothing but a gold pince-nez. When Ruben Levy, a prosperous member of the Exchange, disappears, Wimsey, and his intrepid man Bunter and detective friend Mr. Parker, set out to find the solution.
*** I had forgotten how fun this is. Reflecting the social attitudes of English a...more

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Jul 02, 2008 Maureen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Maureen by: Patsy Morris

Shelves: mystery

"Her Grace tells me that a respectable Battersea architect has discovered a dead man in his bath."
"Indeed, my lord? That's very gratifying."
"Very, Bunter. Your choice of words is unerring. I wish Eton and Balliol had done as much for me..."

Was that man in the bathtub, wearing nothing but a pince-nez, shaved after death in order to bolster his superficial resemblance to a wealthy missing industrialist? This introduction to one of literature's most favored sons, Lord Peter Wimsey, is a cracking...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Kirsten rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-pre-12-07, own, fiction

I decided it's time to re-read the Lord Peter mysteries, in publication order. This one is a lot of fun, and Sayers deftly sets up the elements and characters that will serve so well in the coming novels: Bunter, who is capable, efficient, and secretly soft-hearted; Detective Parker, stolid but an excellent detective in his own right; the delightful Dowager Duchess; and of course Lord Peter Wimsey himself, both fascinated by crime and conflicted by the idea that his hobby of choice is putting pe...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Gabby rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: British Mystery Fans

Shelves: mystery, 2008

Through the first few chapters of Whose Body?, I thought Lord Peter Wimsey was what you'd get if you crossed Sherlock Holmes with Benny Hill. Since I find both those men insufferable, I was prepared to loathe Wimsey.

And then something happened about halfway through the book. Lord Wimsey became more of a real person instead of a know-it-all gasbag. In fact, Wimsey had some rather sobering thoughts about life, the universe, and everything which made me re-evaluate my thoughts on him.

By the end of...more

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Mar 24, 2013 awbrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can't decide if I like Peter or not. I don't especially love his brainless dilettante act, which is laid on very thick at the beginning of the book; this book, the beginning of the Peter Wimsey stories, seems to be about Peter's transition from lightheartedly involving himself in other people's problems for his own entertainment to taking seriously the events that are tragedies for other people. His own PTSD appears briefly, but it kind of comes from nowhere and goes back into the fog as soon...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Frances Brody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lord Peter Wimsey, witty, urbane and damaged by his wartime experiences, makes his debut. The story begins with the discovery, in a bath, of a naked male corpse. Because of a superficial resemblance between the dead man and a missing financier, the investigating police officer wrongly identifies the body. Wimsey, of course, knows better.

There's a huge sense of enjoyment in the unfolding of this tale, nice set pieces, and much playing with voices. For instance, Bunter, Wimsey's butler, relates pa...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd heard of Dorothy Sayers in conjunction with C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, and was impressed by the idea that she was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford, so I had high hopes for this mystery. I listened to it while doing an eight-hour drive, and let me just say that (sorry, Ohioans) my interest level in the book was comparable to that of the beauty and variety of the Ohio scenery on Route 80. ...Okay, maybe that's being a little too harsh to Sayers. The mystery of the body with the pinc...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have made a conscious decision to return to some of the great Golden Age detective stories, and D.L. Sayers was certainly one of the queens of the genre. But, this is assuredly a first novel, which means that despite it's great moments there are some flaws.

The character of Lord Peter Sunset doesn't come alive fully for me at the start of the novel, where he comes across as an arrogant, loquacious high class dilettante lowering himself to help solve crimes. I absolutely adore, however, that th...more I have made a conscious decision to return to some of the great Golden Age detective stories, and D.L. Sayers was certainly one of the queens of the genre. But, this is assuredly a first novel, which means that despite it's great moments there are some flaws.

The character of Lord Peter Sunset doesn't come alive fully for me at the start of the novel, where he comes across as an arrogant, loquacious high class dilettante lowering himself to help solve crimes. I absolutely adore, however, that the novel begins with the famous first words "Oh, damn!" and a minor, inconvenient mistake. By the second half of the novel, however, Lord Peter comes into his own in a scene showing the terrible effects of PTSD as well as the loving relationship he has with his valet and sidekick, Mervyn Bunter.

The overall plot is more delicious and amusing than gritty, as Golden Age novels tend to be, and is certainly influenced enormously by Sayers' love of Wilkie Collins' famed sensation novels. But Sayers is also self aware enough to draw attention to the drawbacks of the genre, giving monologues about how people always think in a linear, simplistic fashion in detective novels and giving Lord Peter a degree of guilt and uncertainty about his role in the process of solving crimes, as a way of explaining himself.

Certainly Sayers develops and becomes better as a novelist, and her characters really do become indelible and vital canonical characters. That incredible self-awareness, as well as the droll, dry humor really set Sayers apart from her contemporaries. She herself was quite dismissive of her detective novels and tended to look down her nose at them as easy income rather than original and intriguing contributions to the genre. Do yourself a favor and ignore her personal criticisms...read her Wimsey series in order to see the enormous contribution that she made with mystery novels that aren't solely focused on plot and characters that are alive and self-conscious, engaged in the world of 1920s England.(less)

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Dec 02, 2012 Nila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-classic-british

"Whose Body?" (Lord Peter Wimsey series) by Dorothy L. Sayers

I read this book and all the Lord Peter Wimsey books many years ago. They were also produced on "Mystery" on PBS and in several different audio versions. Since I'm familiar with them all, you can tell that I was a fan.

This is the least satisfying of the books and, as pointed out by others, is a bit derivative in characters and plot. It is enhanced in my mind by the excellent visual and audio productions.

I think I was most drawn to the...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries, literary-mysteries

I am re-reading Sayers again for the, as my mother would say, umpteenth time. I read them now for the exquisite quality of the writing, the characters, settings, and relationships, not the mysteries.

However, if you haven't read them, then do read them for the mysteries. They are far from average in terms of situation and resolution. In this one, Mr. Thipps discovers the naked body of a man in his bathtub. Whose body is it? How did it get there? Why was it put there? Lord Peter Wimsey is brought...more I am re-reading Sayers again for the, as my mother would say, umpteenth time. I read them now for the exquisite quality of the writing, the characters, settings, and relationships, not the mysteries.

However, if you haven't read them, then do read them for the mysteries. They are far from average in terms of situation and resolution. In this one, Mr. Thipps discovers the naked body of a man in his bathtub. Whose body is it? How did it get there? Why was it put there? Lord Peter Wimsey is brought into it by his mother, the every-delightful Honoria, Dowager Duchess of Denver, who had hired Mr. Thipps to do some work on the church roof.

We meet Bunter, Wimsey's manservant, assistant and former batman (that may come in a later book) -- at some point in this reading, I suddenly realized that Bunter and Wimsey are the antithesis of Jeeves and Wooster and wouldn't it be wonderful if Fry and Laurie were to film the Sayers works? -- Charles Parker with who Peter obviously has a long friendship, the incompetent and hostile Sugg of Scotland Yard. We learn that Peter suffers from shell-shock, due to his experiences in the War (there's only been one at this time), and suspect that his frivolous foolishness is a defense mechanism.

Sayers introduces us to these characters and to their setting with a skill and ease that is rare today. We come to know them through their words, actions, choices, and occasionally the eyes of others, but never through awkward and ham-handed explication. Sayers is not Dickens, but she nearly has his facility with creating memorable and individualistic minor characters who provide the perfect accent. We are virtually transported to England between the Wars, for the good and the bad. I find myself wincing at the casual racism and the nonchalant ethnic slurs, yet that is part of what makes the setting and time period so authentic, along with the clothes, the food, the class structure and class consciousness. Sayers was writing about the world she knew and lived in; she certainly demonstrates progressive attitudes, but also has the same blind spots that we all do about our own times and our own manners and customs.

And her characters develop throughout the books, becoming more realistic and less caricatured with each one, while staying true to their original presentation. So, it is worth beginning with the first book and continuing to the end to appreciate this growth and development, just as we do with family and friends in our lives outside of books.

Many of the early works pay homage to one of the other, more famous mystery writers. In this, Wimsey is quite Holmesian, literally crawling around at times to gather the minute clues from which he will deduce the identity of the victim and the murdered, the means and method of murder, as well as its motive. Personally, I don't care for the resolution of this particular work; the motive is one that cannot be easily deduce from the clues, but is so cliched that it's easy to guess. However, I will read it again and again just for the pleasure of Peter's piffles.(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Valerie added it

Dorothy L Sayers was a brilliant, if somewhat jaundiced, observer of her own time and set. She had difficulty with people like the overbred Lord Peter, because she didn't actually know anybody from this stratum of society. Making him eccentric helped with that, but it didn't really help make other members of his 'high society' family any more realistic in this or other books. The Dowager Duchess is an exception, of course, but she is to every rule.

There's some evidence that Lord Peter got his lo...more Dorothy L Sayers was a brilliant, if somewhat jaundiced, observer of her own time and set. She had difficulty with people like the overbred Lord Peter, because she didn't actually know anybody from this stratum of society. Making him eccentric helped with that, but it didn't really help make other members of his 'high society' family any more realistic in this or other books. The Dowager Duchess is an exception, of course, but she is to every rule.

There's some evidence that Lord Peter got his love for books from his mother. His brother the Duke has a library in every house because it's expected: but Lord Peter doesn't collect books (mostly incunabula: very early printed books from before the creation of movable type) just because they're rare, or valuable, or even because of the 'curious' (read: pornographic) plates. Unlike many collectors, though he nurtures his books, he also reads them. At one point in Gaudy Night, he's asked if he is easily intoxicated with words, and replies that he has a hard time NOT being so intoxicated.

Busman's Honeymoon is described as a 'love story with detective interruptions'. This book might be a character study with detective interruptions. While Lord Peter really enjoys his avocation (until it gets real, and he's forced to take responsibility for the lives of others, a task he's always hated), and plays the part to the hilt, including carrying a magnifying monocle (nice touch, I always thought), and other unobtrusive apparatus, he's a real. human character for all his affectations.

This book is a good introduction, but I can't say how good, as I didn't read it first. The conceit is an interesting one. Bertie Wooster often comments on the problems murderers in books have disposing of the body. This is an ingenious (if somewhat disturbing) solution.

Sayers was a good observer of her time in many ways. She kept abreast of developments in the sciences and arts, and much of her work seems surprisingly modern. But she was too prone to let bias sway her. Sometimes in interesting ways. Sayers was apparently a hearty drinker, and had no patience for advocates of temperance. She often takes swipes at reformers of all sorts, and decries the 'malignant decency' of people like the present Duchess of Denver (his sister-in-law). But in many ways she was yearning after what she regarded as a lost elysium; a nostalgic and not particularly accurate hearkening back to the 'gay '90s'.

Speaking of gay, if the books had been written a little later, people might have noticed things like the fact that Lord Peter, despite his reputation with Italian opera-singers, never has a serious relationship with a woman until he meets Harriet Vane. Maybe he was just waiting for the right woman to come along. But he's awfully cozy with some of his male companions... Naaah, he was just waiting for the right woman. Wasn't he?(less)

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Jul 14, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thipps goes into his bathroom one morning to find in his bathtub the dead body of a man wearing nothing but a pair of pince nez glasses. That same night, a businessman bearing modest resemblance to the dead body seems to disappear, leaving his clothes behind. Lord Peter Wimsey (yes, that’s spelled correctly), an amateur detective, takes on the second matter, eventually joining forces with Inspector Parker, the police officer assigned to the first matter. They include Wimsey’s man Bunter, an avid...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, first-novel, mystery

I love Lord Peter Wimsey! Although I've read two of his other escapades, this, as his first, is the one in which he is at his funniest and most engaging.
While Sayers used her later novels as vehicles for topical commentary and her own research, this stands out as an excellent character study, an insight into the life of a fictional and yet most probably truthful Bright Young Thing about town. Wimsey is rich, relatively handsome, quick-witted, bored, and clever. He is a joy to read, and his mans...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Philip Jackson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Whose Body? is not only Sayers' first detective novel, published in 1923, but it is also the first appearance of her gentleman detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. Unlike most detectives who are mere ciphers in a game of logic, Wimsey is a more fleshed out creation. In amidst the mystery element of this novel is an unexpected episode concerning Wimsey's shell shock from the Great War, and this touch adds real character to the man.
This novel isn't so much a whodunnit, more of a whoisit.
Mr Thripps awakes...more

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Jul 06, 2011 William S. rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a clever writer, I would have said if I had just picked this book up. But I might have added, too clever by half! The introduction of Lord Peter Wimsey is endearing, but the occasional anti-semitism is appalling (for good measure, there is also a caricature of an American). That might have been put into its time and place, except for one rather silly slip. Much of the plot revolves around trying to figure out the identity of a nude man who is found in a bathtub. Now, a prominent Jewish m...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Juliana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter are enjoyable characters-- I very much enjoy their uniqueness (particularly Bunter's snarky letter to Lord Peter explaining how he got Freke's servant to talk to him). Lord Peter's shell shock seems to be handled rather well given how little was known about PTSD at the time (not that we really understand it or write about it consistently well now). (view spoiler)...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Virginia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't wild about Gaudy Night, but am so glad I finally read this. (My finally doing so was precipitated by the book finally being made available on Kindle). Gaudy Night had too much inside baseball (inside cricket?) about Oxford, but no such challenge here. Lord Peter Wimsey is a wonderful character with many layers, a magnificent butler and equally magnificent mother.

I figured out the culprit rather early on, but that didn't detract from the pleasure. (Kindle is a boon to mystery readers wh...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Mary Ronan Drew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

Ah, Lord Peter Wimsey! Here in the first of Dorothy L Sayers' mysteries he is at his young and flippant best attempting to identify a corpse wearing nothing but a pince nez. His friend, Inspector Parker, is dealing with a disappearance in the same neighborhood. Could they be connected?

It's his mother, the dowager duchess, who alerts Lord Peter to the need for some detecting. The vicar's wife, Mrs Throgmorton, has appeared at the dower house to say that the architect who is repairing the lovely c...more

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Oct 21, 2010 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, historical-mystery, library

This was my first full-length Sayers/Wimsey mystery. I read it having read the first two novels of Allingham which feature Campion, in order to compare the two, since everyone says they're similar.

I enjoyed this mystery. It was sufficiently complicated that it took me a while to work out "whodunnit," and I also appreciated the way in which the story was resolved. Sayers' characters may be in some ways part of the English Detective Mystery tropes (wise amateur, sensible detective, stubbornly clue...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you've never read a Wimsey mystery, you're in for a treat. With Whose Body?, Dorothy L. Sayers introduces the delightfully witty and urbane Lord Peter Wimsey, gentleman detective. First published in 1923, Lord Peter's first documented case opens on a particularly curious note - thanks to a tip from his mother, the Dowager Duchess, he's called to investigate the sudden appearance of a dead man wearing nothing but a pair of gold pince-nez in the bathtub of an acquaintance. Wimsey is of course i...more If you've never read a Wimsey mystery, you're in for a treat. With Whose Body?, Dorothy L. Sayers introduces the delightfully witty and urbane Lord Peter Wimsey, gentleman detective. First published in 1923, Lord Peter's first documented case opens on a particularly curious note - thanks to a tip from his mother, the Dowager Duchess, he's called to investigate the sudden appearance of a dead man wearing nothing but a pair of gold pince-nez in the bathtub of an acquaintance. Wimsey is of course intrigued by the novelty of the case, and things become even more interesting when the pince-nez case intersects with the case of a missing financier being investigated by his friend Parker of Scotland Yard. As the two work together to solve the seemingly disparate crimes, aided by the invaluable assistance of the indefatigable Bunter, Wimsey's valet, it becomes clear that they're on the tail of a fiendishly clever killer whose methods are more gruesome and whose motive is more diabolical than they'd ever imagined.

I really love mystery series that feature strong, quirky, memorable protagonists (i.e., Poirot, Marple, Sherlock Holmes). For me, it's more about how the detective in question solves the case than the case itself - I want a detective that I enjoy spending time with, you know? Lord Peter Wimsey fits these requirements perfectly. He's cultured, witty, devilishly smart, and possesses a sarcastic sense of humor that's absolutely to die for. He rather reminds me of Sir Percy Blakeney (a.k.a. the Scarlet Pimpernel), whose foppish manners masked his intelligence, with a little of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster (Bunter is a close cousin to the long-suffering Jeeves, but Wimsey is light-years ahead of Wooster in the brains department). Wimsey's the reason I love reading Sayers, and as the series progresses so does the strength of the mysteries he encounters.

This isn't an example of Sayers's most polished Wimsey novel. There is more than one occasion where the narrative meanders or loses focus. Tone-wise the novel also veers between witty comedy and the fairly gruesome manner it is discovered that the crimes in question were carried out. That said it's still a highly enjoyable introduction to Lord Peter's quirks and deductive brilliance. I absolutely love Sayers's ability to turn a memorable phrase - she was absolutely brilliant at penning funny and sarcastic dialogue. Everything comes fast and furious with Wimsey, and Sayers, being a master wordsmith, uses her ability to full advantage to establish Wimsey's character through sparkling, funny, incisive dialogue. Lord Peter Wimsey is a fascinating mass of contradictions and brilliance, and I look forward to my next stop through the novels chronicling his investigations!(less)

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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

Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #3)

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

Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #6)

Busman's Honeymoon (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #13)

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“Even idiots ocasionally speak the truth accidentally.” — 29 people liked it

“You're thinking that people don't keep up old jealousies for twenty years or so. Perhaps not. Not just primitive, brute jealousy. That means a word and a blow. But the thing that rankles is hurt vanity. That sticks. Humiliation. And we've all got a sore spot we don't like to have touched.” — 13 people liked it

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Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #1)

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