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

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Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #8)

4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 · rating details · 7,750 ratings · 310 reviews

When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of Pym's Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, it looks like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in, and he soon discovers there's more to copywriting than meets the eye. A bit of cocaine, a hint of blackmail, and some wanton women can be read between the lines. And then there is the bruta...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published May 10th 1995 by HarperTorch (first published 1933)

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Sep 19, 2007 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1900-1945, gbr_ire_cmnwlth, own, mystery, favorites

An absolute delight. I am increasingly of the opinion that Dorothy Sayers is the finest mystery serial writer of - well, I can't say "all time," having only read two or three of her competitors, but VERY FINE INDEED. Sayers doesn't just write good mysteries, she writes good novels. One might almost mistake Murder Must Advertise for a novel about an ad firm (and brilliantly done at that) that happens to concern a murder, rather than the other way around, and I don't say that at the expense of the...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of mysteries, those interested in advertising or in life in Britain in the 20's and 30's

Shelves: mystery, 2009, before-1986, revisited, own, old-favorite

This is the best Wimsey book. A marvelously venomous send-up of the advertising world, still sickeningly applicable today, it has lots of biting wit and some compassion as well for those caught up in this silly little world. Wimsey's incarnations here...ad man, himself, evil man-about-town, and outstanding cricketer...are fascinating. One is so intrigued with the book that one doesn't notice that Wimsey can be, and sometimes is, soporifically perfect. Nevertheless, for fans of the literate myste...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Kaethe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boarding-school, fiction, drugs, humor, language, mystery, social-issues, uk

As an example of the times (1933) it's unbeatable. While the details of advertising have changed over the years, the general feel remains much the same, I think. So, there's the delight of Wimsey observing a normal workplace and, of course, doing a marvelous job. Then there's the whole series of scenes with Dian, the fast woman and addict, which are rather trippy. But the most fascinating part was the class issues. Sayers shows an oblivious privileged person (Wimsey) complaining about a less pri...more

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Vicki My very favorite bit:

Mr. Bredon had been a week with Pym's Publicity, and had learnt a number of things. He learned the average number of words that c...more My very favorite bit:

Mr. Bredon had been a week with Pym's Publicity, and had learnt a number of things. He learned the average number of words that can be crammed into four inches of copy; that Mr. Armstrong's fancy could be caught by an elaborately-drawn lay-out, whereas Mr. Hankin looked on art-work as waste of a copy-writer's time; that the word “pure” was dangerous, because, if lightly used, it laid the client open to prosecution by the Government inspectors, whereas the words “highest quality,” “finest ingredients,” “packed under the best conditions” had no legal meaning, and were therefore safe; that the expression “giving work to umpteen thousand British employees in our model works at so-and-so” was not by any means the same thing as “British made throughout”; that the north of England liked its butter and margarine salted, whereas the south preferred it fresh; that the Morning Star would not accept any advertisements containing the word “cure,” though there was no objection to such expressions as “relieve” or “ameliorate,” and that, further, any commodity that professed to “cure” anything might find itself compelled to register as a patent medicine and use an expensive stamp; that the most convincing copy was always written with the tongue in the cheek, a genuine conviction of the commodity's worth producing—for some reason—poverty and flatness of style; that if, by the most far-fetched stretch of ingenuity, an indecent meaning could be read into a headline, that was the meaning that the great British Public would infallibly read into it; that the great aim and object of the studio artist was to crowd the copy out of the advertisement and that, conversely, the copy-writer was a designing villain whose ambition was to cram the space with verbiage and leave no room for the sketch; that the lay-out man, a meek ass between two burdens, spent a miserable life trying to reconcile these opposing parties; and further, that all departments alike united in hatred of the client, who persisted in spoiling good lay-outs by cluttering them up with coupons, free-gift offers, lists of local agents and realistic portraits of hideous and uninteresting cartons, to the detriment of his own interests and the annoyance of everybody concerned.(less)
Feb 08, 2013 09:55am

Kaethe Still true. And funny.
Feb 08, 2013 11:11am

May 25, 2012 Kristel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature

Ms Sayers wrote detective novels but later shifted to theological dramas. This book is one in a series of detective novels featuring the hero, Lord Peter Wimsey and is set in an advertising agency. Wimsey is undercover, hired to investigate the death of one of the copy writer’s, Dean. Wimsey uncovers a cocaine dealing ring. It is an enjoyable mystery but the main reason the book made the list is because of Ms Sayers portrayal of the advertising world. Ms Sayers worked as a copywriter in the adve...more

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Nov 10, 2008 Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, lord-peter-wimsey, not-recommended

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

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Kat I'm currently rereading Murder Must Advertise, and it is interesting--I noticed both of things you noticed this time around (how Lord Peter treats Dia...more
Dec 17, 2008 08:38am

Brandy Painter I just finished reading this book and had a completely different reaction to the line about Harriet. Given the place of this book in the publishing or...more
Jun 13, 2010 12:06pm

Carly I totally agree about the continuing serious over-glamourisation of Wimsey. As soon as Sayers wrote herself into the series (Harriet Vane), she turned...more
Feb 15, 2012 11:56am

Aug 14, 2012 Abbey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, vintage, myst-cosies, own, myst-fems-project, myst-set-andor-auth-uk

#8 Lord Peter, Pyms Advertising, London; classic aristo-detective, still superb story even after many rereads. (note: I don't include the short story compilations in my numbering of series reads)

The snappiest of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories, the fast pacing and a rather different setting than usual make it lots of fun. It's my favorite Peter story (except for Gaudy Night and the novella "Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves", heck, almost the entire collection of short stories....!). OK, I admit it,...more #8 Lord Peter, Pyms Advertising, London; classic aristo-detective, still superb story even after many rereads. (note: I don't include the short story compilations in my numbering of series reads)

The snappiest of the Lord Peter Wimsey stories, the fast pacing and a rather different setting than usual make it lots of fun. It's my favorite Peter story (except for Gaudy Night and the novella "Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves", heck, almost the entire collection of short stories....!). OK, I admit it, Sayers is one of my MOST fave writers ever. Now, to the plot (and it's a juicy one, too!).

The fastidious Peter goes undercover as an advertising copywriter in the search for a drug ring, and encounters talented children, wild debutauntes, evil crime lords, and all manner of nefarious doings. Based largely upon Sayers' own work as an advertising copywriter, this is a tart rendering of an occupation that hasn't changed much in the almost 100 years since - the similarities to modern huckstering always make me laugh - people don't change much, do they? (Translation: there's a sucker born every minute!).

The personalities on view here are especially sharp, the plot moves rather faster than her usual, and there's a bit more darkness along the edges than generally show up in a Sayers novel. She often tackles difficult themes, but usually approaches them a bit more softly than here - some of the scenes at the drug dens are pretty dark. But this novel also has one of my favorite Peter "bits"- the dive from the fountain...

BOTTOM LINE: One of Sayers best, with a superbly intricate plot, wonderful characters, and magnificent pokes at business ethics and behaviors that, unfortunately, still prevail. Sayers’ many years as a copywriter serve her well in this wickedly sharp mystery, one of my all-time favorites.

I read it this last time via audio book (1997, Recorded Books LLC, read by John Franklyn-Robbins), and the narration wasn't bad most of the time but occasionally gets far too “precious” and Wodehousian for me.

(less)

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Aug 06, 2007 Rita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-novel, mystery-detective

James and I read most of Sayers' mysteries in the 1970s after seeing BBC's charming dramatizations of them.
Have just reread this one. It's a joy to read. She writes very well, her sentences run smoothly, her word choice is excellent. Parts of the book are just great fun -- it's the dialogues I really love.

Also read an unauthorized biography of Sayers, which says her descriptions of how the aristocracy live are mostly invented. [She grew up strictly middle class.] Somehow this disappointed me ter...more

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Jun 07, 2010 Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-prior-to-2009

Listening through http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio7/

One of my favorites from the series. Biting, funny, wicked...

The radio version was really good, but it left out (necessarily) the parody of advertising agency life, which Sayers knew from first hand experience. I recommend reading this book -- it is well worth it.

ETA: Only "fly" on this book is the too long description of the cricket match. As GB Shaw once said: The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some ide...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Riona rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: whodunit, detectives

This was my first Lord Peter Wimsey story--I've been meaning to read more classic mysteries--and though maybe I should have started at the beginning of the series with Whose Body?, I still enjoyed this one. I completely understand why Sayers has so many fans: the plot was clever, with witty little asides, and it's just so very British. Like many literary detectives, Lord Peter is a bit eccentric and maybe things come to him a little too easily at times, but he's a fun character.

This particular...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, crime

Another reread. I liked this one more this time round, actually, though I can't quite put my finger on why. I'm not sure why I thought the solutions were all so obvious, the first time I read it; they were reasonably obvious now, but then I've read it once before and listened to the BBC radioplay, so of course they were. Couple of winces from me with several of the female characters -- Dian de Momerie, mostly, and also Tallboy's mistress. They were plot devices, not people; Dian could almost be...more

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

Shelves: mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really liked this the first time and I liked it even more to re-read, remembering how the mystery worked and spotting all the clues amid the advertising shop-talk. I really like other people's shop talk, so all the scenes inside the advertising office are great fun for me.

I am not giving it five stars mainly because, Sayers having proven to me that she can write engaging and plot-driving female characters, I'm always disappointed when she doesn't. This book is set in an office! Where is Miss C...more I really liked this the first time and I liked it even more to re-read, remembering how the mystery worked and spotting all the clues amid the advertising shop-talk. I really like other people's shop talk, so all the scenes inside the advertising office are great fun for me.

I am not giving it five stars mainly because, Sayers having proven to me that she can write engaging and plot-driving female characters, I'm always disappointed when she doesn't. This book is set in an office! Where is Miss Climpson?? Half a chapter in which Wimsey consults Miss Climpson (she could have told him not to wear such expensive clothes) would have been worth another star to me. In fact, I am sure she could have solved the entire mystery herself, apart from gaining access to Dian de Momerie's set, and then we wouldn't have had that chapter about the cricket game.

(I am sure there are lots of people who like the chapter about the cricket game! But I have now read it a second time without understanding it any better than the first time. All it adds to the book are excitement (mostly for those who understand cricket) and unnecessary confirmation that Tallboy has good aim.)

Dian de Momerie: her death advanced the plot, but it was the lazy way out of her own story. Had she survived to the end of the novel, she would have been left in interestingly changed circumstances: her ex-boyfriend/supplier was (also) killed and the intriguing Harlequin had vanished, leaving her with a cocaine addiction and a sense of shock. I don't think the police would have bothered arresting her, since she knew nothing about the trafficking. I would have liked to see her live, to see what she made of her life after this, and to see her haunt Wimsey.

I also wonder what happened to Tallboy's wife and baby and to Miss Vavasour. Especially Miss Vavasour.

As to Miss Meteyard... She does so little in the book, yet she's revealed to have perceived so much. Of course Sayers would have put a university-educated woman in the copy department. I can imagine it would have been tricky for her to decide how important a role to give Miss Meteyard, and perhaps that's the source of my confusion about her.

I'm also not sure what I think about the non-advertising-office part of the story. I'd like to know what first-hand knowledge Sayers had of the Dian de Momerie kind of party, or of people like Dian de Momerie, or of drugs. And I'm also curious about the history of Stories That Get Told About Illegal Drugs. This book, published in 1933, has the same basic elements that I recognize from much more recent narratives.

[My review after reading Murder Must Advertise for the first time, in 2011, before I joined Goodreads: "...my favorite so far (it's the latest in the series that I've read). The best of this is most closely related to the advertising agency in which it's set -- not surprising, as Sayers worked in advertising for many years, and her depictions of office life and her opinions about advertising ring very true. The characters' thoughts about workplace safety (relevant to the murder plot!), the details of the advertising workweek (from meeting with the fussy clients who have no real notion of what makes a good ad, but think they do, to the printing and distribution stages that are so different from what must happen today), and the interpersonal tensions in the office along class, gender, and age lines are all very, very worth reading.

"There are other parts to this book, external to the advertising world, that I found more strange and jarring than enjoyable. There is a thread of the story having to do with drugs, which sounded surprisingly like things that concerned but basically uninformed people said in my childhood (1980s and 90s) to warn young people against temptation. In this part of the story, Wimsey drops his copy-writer disguise and indulges the acrobatic, flamboyant part of himself, which is very, very Chestertonian and seemed to me like it should be in a different novel."](less)

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Feb 18, 2012 Lizzie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-long-weekend, mystery, read-in-2012

I have not re-read this Wimsey in ages; I had forgotten the focused, biting description of life in a 1930s ad agency. From tipping the charwoman to selling corsets and face cream, there is an intriguing mashup of the modern and the Victorian. The three faces of Wimsey here take you places Sayers's books do not normally go- diving off the top of a fountain to amuse Bright Young Things.

I always skimp on this book because there is no true Peter-Harriet action; that said, it is infinitely meatier an...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mystery Lovers and More

Reading this novel I get why people praise Dorothy Sayers not just as some clever puzzle-maker, creator of a classic detective or a mere mystery writer, but as a fine novelist who wrote works that can be called literature.

In this story, after a half-finished letter implying corruption is found among the effects of a seeming accident victim, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover in an advertising agency to investigate. Dorothy Sayers herself worked as a copy-writer in an advertising agency, and it s...more Reading this novel I get why people praise Dorothy Sayers not just as some clever puzzle-maker, creator of a classic detective or a mere mystery writer, but as a fine novelist who wrote works that can be called literature.

In this story, after a half-finished letter implying corruption is found among the effects of a seeming accident victim, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover in an advertising agency to investigate. Dorothy Sayers herself worked as a copy-writer in an advertising agency, and it shows in the details of the workings of the agency and the theme throughout of the ethical complexities, nay, more like the ethical shortcomings, of the business:

"Of course there is some truth in advertising. There's yeast in bread, but you can't make bread with yeast alone. Truth in advertising," announced Lord Peter sententiously, "is like leaven, which a woman hid in three measures of meal. It provides a suitable quantity of gas, with which to blow out a mass of crude misrepresentation into a form that the public can swallow."

There are also the running themes of class distinctions based on education and the futility of the drug war. The book seems quite relevant still today. There's also a sophisticated style apparent at times--even some passages that use the stream-of-consciousness technique. For all that I don't want you to think this makes for dry reading. As with all of Sayers' books, there's plenty of wit and humor to be found. Particularly striking in that regard is the boy Ginger Joe, who aspires to be a detective and the incident with Mr Copley, where his view of himself as savior of the firm is punctured the next day.

Sayers paints a deliciously comic yet insightful picture of office politics among a murder investigation. Unfortunately, as is often the case with the Sayers books I've read, not everything comes across as credible (the identical cousins subplot made me raise my eyebrows almost to my hairline), but this one did have a clever resolution. Not so much as to who--Sayers tips her hat to that fairly early--as to how. A clever, enjoyable, and thoughtful novel.(less)

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Feb 04, 2013 Andrea added it

Shelves: 1900s-1950s-era, amateur-detective, havedeadtree, mystery, british

One of the stronger books of the series, purely for delving into the worlds of advertising and office politics.

I did spend a lot of this book totting up all Wimsey's virtues: premier wine connoisseur, unerring on matters of fine apparel, matchless driver (and car to match), exceptional cricketer, superb athlete generally, apparently irresistable to (most) women - and that's not even counting his originally noted manuscript expertise and his ability to detect his way out of paper bags. Many write...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Where I got the book: purchased from The Book Depository. I'm absolutely sure I had the 70s NEL edition once upon a time, but you know how it is with really good books. They grow legs and walk away.

Quickie story roundup: Lord Peter Wimsey, for the first time in his life, is pulling in a salary (of £4 a week). Adopting the persona of Mr. Death Bredon, he becomes a copywriter in the advertising firm Pym's Publicity to investigate the mysterious death of one Victor Dean, and discovers that Dean's d...more Where I got the book: purchased from The Book Depository. I'm absolutely sure I had the 70s NEL edition once upon a time, but you know how it is with really good books. They grow legs and walk away.

Quickie story roundup: Lord Peter Wimsey, for the first time in his life, is pulling in a salary (of £4 a week). Adopting the persona of Mr. Death Bredon, he becomes a copywriter in the advertising firm Pym's Publicity to investigate the mysterious death of one Victor Dean, and discovers that Dean's death is the tip of an iceberg which affects thousands of lives all over London.

Dorothy L. Sayers worked in an advertising firm for seven years, and engineering Lord Peter into a job in the environment she knew so well was a gold-plated stroke of genius. By the time she wrote Murder Must Advertise, her copywriting days were three or four years behind her but clearly still burned into her memory and affections. During those years she had been through heartbreak and the carefully concealed birth of an illegitimate child, and there is an edge to her descriptions of Pym's despite the resolutely jolly tone of many of the scenes, although she is careful to direct her cynicism at the practice of advertising in general. It is my theory that the lanky, clever, university-educated Miss Meteyard--cool and sardonic yet knowing--is a self-portrait, DLS in her earlier days, even as Harriet Vane is the embittered post-heartbreak self.

I have said before that every Wimsey novel has a tone quite unlike the others. What strikes me about this one is that the chorus of London voices almost makes Lord Peter take second place. From society cocktail parties to cricket to Covent Garden, this is a loving portrait of Sayers' real world wrapped around an ingeniously plotted mystery with plenty of twists and reveals. It paves the way for the realism Sayers achieves in Gaudy Night whereas The Nine Tailors, her next novel, is a throwback to an earlier style (but none the worse for that).

I've heard many people say that Murder Must Advertise is their favorite Sayers novel, and I can see why. The drawbacks for me were the cricket match (I never did learn the game, despite having grown up in England) and Lady Mary Parker's dreary domesticity when she'd been such a promising character. And I believe I stumbled across a terrific mistake in chapter 18 (see my updates). But hey, DLS almost certainly spotted it too at some point in her life, and no doubt laughed it off. She was one of the most human of writers, and her fans love her for it.(less)

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Jul 12, 2010 Madeline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-list, detective-fiction, all-time-favorites

After a brief fling with Miss Marple, I'm back with Lord Peter Wimsey - the most delightful detective who ever delighted whilst detecting. This book is one of two Dorothy Sayers mysteries featured on The List, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as Strong Poison, it was still very good.

The majority of the action takes place at Pym's Publicity, an advertising firm in London. One of their employees recently and mysteriously died after falling down an iron staircase in the office, and it's suspect...more After a brief fling with Miss Marple, I'm back with Lord Peter Wimsey - the most delightful detective who ever delighted whilst detecting. This book is one of two Dorothy Sayers mysteries featured on The List, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as Strong Poison, it was still very good.

The majority of the action takes place at Pym's Publicity, an advertising firm in London. One of their employees recently and mysteriously died after falling down an iron staircase in the office, and it's suspected that he may have known something about another employee that caused him to be murdered. So Lord Peter gets out his Super Awesome Detective Disguise Kit and goes to work at Pym's undercover in order to find out what this guy might have known.

Like Strong Poison, you learn a lot of random but useful information over the course of the mystery. Then, it was lockpicking and Spiritualism. Now, it's the secrets of advertising and the cocaine trade. (and the two are not necessarily unrelated) In fact, you learn a lot about the whole advertising business, resulting in some interesting bits like this:
"Like all rich men, [Lord Peter:] had never before paid any attention to advertisements. He had never realized the enormous commercial importance of the comparatively poor. Not on the wealthy, who buy only what they want when they want it, was the vast superstructure of industry founded and built up, but on those who, aching for a luxury beyond their reach and for a leisure for ever denied them, could be bullied or wheedled into spending their few hardly won shillings on whatever might give them, if only for a moment, a leisured and luxurious illusion."

Wow. I'm also happy to report that Lord Peter is still a darling in this one, and still hilarious. My favorite moment was at a point in the plot when it becomes necessary to sneak Peter out of police headquarters. His brother-in-law, an officer, is explaining that they'll have to sneak him out the back and Peter interrupts happily, "Disguised as a policeman? Oh, Charles, do let me be a policeman! I should adore it."

A few other reviewers have complained about Lord Peter's conduct towards one of the characters, Dian de Momerie. She's in with the cocaine-smuggling crowd, so Lord Peter basically has to seduce her in order to get at the drug kingpins. This involves dressing in disguises, following Dian around, and admittedly treating her rather dismissively. Ungentlemanly? Yes. Proof that Lord Peter isn't as great as I say he is? Shut your whore mouth. Here's the thing: I think Lord Peter acted like a jackass to Dian because that's the kind of guy she'd be most attracted to. She's dating a drug kingpin who treats her like dirt, and she in turn treats her various beaux like dirt. She responds best to dismissive and insulting behavior (what we'll call the Bella Swan Complex), and that's just the fastest way to get on her good side. I maintain that Lord Peter is still wonderful.

Also there's a great offhand line that mentions that Lord Peter "went out to keep his date with the one young woman who showed no signs of yielding to him" and I got really excited there because I knew who Sayers meant. I read that line and was like, "It's Harriet Vane! He's going on a date with Harriet! Hi, Harriet! Hi!" and it was a little embarrassing. (less)

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Jun 08, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries

This DS is a riot -- it's one of my favorites -- but the first time I read it, I didn't like it much. I thought the story was weird and improbable. (In fact, it is -- I'm just over it.) I think MMA marks a transition from Peter-the-fool to Peter-the-godlike. It's a little disconcerting since he starts off the series short, slight, and unattractive and by this installment has unmatched athletic abilities and is irresistable to women. I read an essay once that accused DS of falling in love with he...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Masanobu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, read-in-2011, library

Murder Must Advertise is part of the Lord Peter Wimsey series, and it's the first book I've read by Dorothy L. Sayers and so the first book I've read from this series, although it is no less than installment number ten! I can safely say not much is lost if you read this as a stand-alone novel.

Lord Peter Wimsey is a nobleman and a sleuth related to Scotland Yard Chief-Inspector, for whom he tries to solve mysteries as a private detective. (I'm guessing that is how it goes in the rest of novels)....more

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Dec 30, 2010 H. M. Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of my favorite aspects of Dorothy L. Sayers' mystery novels is her facility with words. Lord Peter Wimsey, her best-known protagonist, always has a glib reply--often a literary quote-- for any occasion. In Murder Must Advertise, Sayers provides Wimsey with supporting characters who can match him toe-to-toe: the members of an ad agency where a man has been murdered. The mystery aspect of the story often seems to get lost underneath the details of how the agency functions, but thanks to the li...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, literary-fiction

I remember seeing the excellent BBC adaptation of this novel (with the fabulous Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey) in the 1970s, so I was already familiar with the story and the solution. Little matter, though, since the "whodunit" aspect of the novel is not terrific (and, to be honest, Sayers is not particularly known for her gasp-inducing denouements). There are moments in the action when I found myself saying "why didn't they investigate that angle long ago?" or "why doesn't Wimsey find tha...more

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Sep 17, 2012 sabisteb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hörspiele, hörspieleserien, krimi-thriller

Es ist ja bekannt, dass in der Werbebranche mit harten Bandagen gekämpft wird, dass jemand aber so weit geht, einen Werbetexter an seinem Arbeitsplatz zu ermorden, das ist durchaus neu. Natürlich möchte die angesehene Werbeagentur Pym's Publicity, Ltd. keine negativen Schlagzeilen wegen eines Mordes riskieren, und engagiert daher Lord Peter, diesen Fall zu untersuchen. Unter dem Namen Death Bredon nimmt Wimsey den Job als Nachfolger des ermordeten Victor Dean an, der die eiserne Wendeltreppe her...more Es ist ja bekannt, dass in der Werbebranche mit harten Bandagen gekämpft wird, dass jemand aber so weit geht, einen Werbetexter an seinem Arbeitsplatz zu ermorden, das ist durchaus neu. Natürlich möchte die angesehene Werbeagentur Pym's Publicity, Ltd. keine negativen Schlagzeilen wegen eines Mordes riskieren, und engagiert daher Lord Peter, diesen Fall zu untersuchen. Unter dem Namen Death Bredon nimmt Wimsey den Job als Nachfolger des ermordeten Victor Dean an, der die eiserne Wendeltreppe herunterfiel und dabei zu Tode kam. Schon bald hat er den Ruf eines Sonderlings.
Dies ist Lord Peters zehnter Fall und erneut spricht Ian Carmichael Lord Peter. Je später die Fälle, desto affektierter scheint mir Lord Peter zu werden, und desto mehr erinnert er mich an eine kompetente, intelligente Version von Bertie Wooster. In diesem Hörspiel wird er sogar gleich in der ersten Episode mit P.G. Woodhouses Bertie Wooster verglichen. Der Fall ist, wie auch die andere Lord Peter Fälle, sehr sauber ermittelt. Lord Peter beginnt mit einem Mord ohne Motiv und ohne Verdächtigen und kommt schon bald einem sehr ausgeklügelten Verbrechen auf die Spur. In Conan Doyle Manier wird nichts verschwiegen, alle Hinweise sind von Anfang an da, jeder hat die Chance mitzuraten und selber auf die Lösung zu kommen und der Verdächtige stand für mich zumindest recht bald fest, dennoch bleibt es bis zum Ende spannend, denn es bleibt immer noch herauszufinden, warum der Mörder es getan hat.
Ein durch und durch sehr gut konstruierter Fall in ausgezeichneter Besetzung vertont. Obwohl das Hörspiel aus dem Jahr 1983 stammt, merkt man ihm sein Alter nicht an. Wie üblich bei BBC Hörspielen gibt es keinen bis kaum Soundtrack, dafür jedoch eine authentische Geräuschkulisse, die eine perfekte Illusion erschafft. Die Sprecher sind typgerecht Besetzt und von den Stimmen so unterschiedlich, dass man sie gut voneinander unterscheiden kann. Auch wird diesmal mehr oder minder Oxford Englisch gesprochen gewürzt mit einigen in den 20er Jahren typischen affektierten Begriffen, die heute so nicht mehr gebräuchlich sind, die man aber bereits aus früheren Episoden kennt.
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Jan 27, 2012 Nisha-Anne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

Man, this started out with such promise and then Sayers managed to bog the mystery down in so much irrelevant detail that I got quite quite bored with all the dialogue and very little action or description. And I never like when what looks like a small murder suddenly gets connected to a much bigger syndicated crime. That just takes all the humanity and psychological interest out of it. But then I'm odd like that, I like my murders to be small and tightly contained, not sprawling and ambitious a...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Maria Thermann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because, just like Dorothy L Sayers herself, I used to work in the advertising business, albeit in sales not in copywriting like Ms Sayers.

When Lord Peter Wimsey is called into an advertising agency to investigate an incident that may look like an accident at first sight but turns out to be a cleverly disguised murder, he doesn't know what a can of worms he's opening. The characters are all drawn from life - egocentric, not very likeable, self-obsessed copy w...more

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Mar 16, 2013 awbrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Several people have already pointed out some of this book's weaknesses, including Lord Peter's relentless perfection and the dearth of richly developed female characters. There are a lot of interesting details about the advertising industry, as well as a critical/cynical view towards the results of the copywriters' toil and wit. I really didn't like the office boy who, we were informed very casually, killed his relative's cat, and people's deaths are also taken very lightly (in the sense that we...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Lydia Shellenbarger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As far as murder mysteries go, few do a better job of keeping you guessing, yet giving you all-to-most of the revelant information than Sayers. Also, I love the depth and humanity of Wimsey's character and the overall interesting side characters in every story.

So why is this book only a three star? Honestly, it's got a great mystery and solid characters, but occasionally Wimsey can't get the ending he wants, which adds to his character, but causes the entire book to end on a bit of a sad note (

...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, mystery, crime

This wasn't my favourite of the series when I was reading it in print, I think. It has a decent ratio of Peter Wimsey and Parker, but argh, I hate that Parker has a different voice actor to the earlier episodes. That guy was perfect. Anyway, the problem is the total lack of either Harriet or references to her, and I don't think Bunter shows up, either. Peter's going it alone, undercover, so it makes sense, but...

The plot itself is reasonably interest, and the part with Tallboy at the end was wel...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Inder rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century, 1001-books, england, mystery, summer-reading, read-2011

I think it's funny that this book is in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. When I wasn't enjoying this as a silly, trashy, mystery novel, I was wondering what great insights into 1920s British culture and the development of the mystery genre I was gaining by reading this novel.

Going beyond the whodunnit aspect, which is actually a bit weak in this novel, I think the most culturally interesting aspect of this book is its vivid description of the advertising business - full of whimsical word...more I think it's funny that this book is in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. When I wasn't enjoying this as a silly, trashy, mystery novel, I was wondering what great insights into 1920s British culture and the development of the mystery genre I was gaining by reading this novel.

Going beyond the whodunnit aspect, which is actually a bit weak in this novel, I think the most culturally interesting aspect of this book is its vivid description of the advertising business - full of whimsical word play, slogans, persuasion, and let's face it, semi-truths (otherwise known as lies). Apparently Dorothy Sayers was a copywriter in her past. It is the best aspect of the book, by far.

The novel starts off at a good clip, although our hero detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, is a bit hard to get a grasp on. Like James Bond, he is magically good at everything, and has no apparent flaws whatsoever. He is clever, wealthy, aristocratic, good looking, an amazing athlete and cricketer, a great driver, and a bit cruel to the women who fawn all over him and cause "awkwardness" for him.

Yawn.

I like his character much better in the later Harriet Vane novels (e.g. Strong Poison, etc.). By that time, he has developed vulnerabilities and is no longer The Perfect Man (TM).

Warning: Contains just a few racial slurs that another reviewer very rightly calls (I paraphrase) "occasional, but jarring to the nerves."

Unfortunately, the book really petered out (Petered out, hehe) at the end.

This is not exactly a spoiler, but turn away if you plan to read this next week: Just when you get really excited to see the resolution of the novel, there is a 10 page long cricket game, wherein Lord Peter performs admirably (or so I'm told, I have no idea how cricket actually works), but the plot is advanced hardly at all. In fact, the plot screeched to a sudden halt, from which it was never to completely recover. I was reading it - well, actually, skimming it - thinking, "Why? Whhhhyyyyyy?"

And then the very end ... well, meh. It's fine, but this is no Agatha Christie novel. However, kudos for the intelligent woman character who pops up at the end to remind us that while Lord Peter may be a tiny bit of a chauvinist, this book was written by a woman who has a higher opinion of female intelligence than he does.

Not the very best mystery novel, but a fun foray into advertising in a British, pre-Mad Men world.(less)

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Mar 20, 2009 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

This was my first encounter with Lord Peter Wimsey -- I thought I should read one where he was acting like himself before I started reading the ones where he meets Harriet Vane and goes off his head. Possibly for those purposes I picked badly, since he spends much of the book in disguise. I'm not sure I'm charmed by the character -- actually I didn't find any of the characters particularly vivid -- but it was an entertaining read with a sufficiently complex plot. Some of the commentary on advert...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mysteries, saw-the-movie, guardian-1000-novels

I almost think this is my favorite of the Wimsey stories, even though I dearly love Harriet Vane, who doesn't appear here. I think it's the setting in the advertising agency that I like so much -- advertising still almost in its infancy and Wimsey discovering his talent for it. I can easily see why it is one of two Wimseys to make the 1000 Novels list.

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Feb 04, 2011 Kristel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, crime-fiction, cozy, reread-2012

Murder Must Advertise is a wry commentary on the inherent ridiculousness of the advertising business, and how people twist themselves into a state for ten words’ worth of ad copy. Dorothy L. Sayers really uses her experience in the business to great effect, articulating how frantic and potentially soul-crushing the job is. Add a little business about cocaine trafficking and you have a plot that’s surprisingly modern and gritty for a Golden Age Mystery.

First, how much do I love the setting? Wimse...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)

Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #6)

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

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Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries #8)

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