From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey, #1)

Dorothy L. Sayers

Start date: May 1, 2022

Finish date: May 31, 2022

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: Next in our Detection Club challenge.
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Group Challenges

* 2026 Challenge
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last updated Oct 17, 2025 02:23AM

* Oct 25: A Murder Is Announced (1950) by Agatha Christie
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last updated Oct 16, 2025 07:31AM

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What Members Thought

Feb 24, 2014 BrokenTune rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Review first posted on Booklikes:
http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...-

" ‘You see, Lady Swaffham, if ever you want to commit a murder , the thing you’ve got to do is to prevent people from associatin’ their ideas. Most people don’t associate anythin’ – their ideas just roll about like so many dry peas on a tray, makin’ a lot of noise an’ goin’ nowhere, but once you begin lettin’ ’em string their peas into a necklace, it’s goin’ to be strong enough to hang you, what?’ ‘Dear me!’ said Mrs Tommy Review first posted on Booklikes:
http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...-

" ‘You see, Lady Swaffham, if ever you want to commit a murder , the thing you’ve got to do is to prevent people from associatin’ their ideas. Most people don’t associate anythin’ – their ideas just roll about like so many dry peas on a tray, makin’ a lot of noise an’ goin’ nowhere, but once you begin lettin’ ’em string their peas into a necklace, it’s goin’ to be strong enough to hang you, what?’ ‘Dear me!’ said Mrs Tommy Frayle, with a little scream, ‘what a blessing it is none of my friends have any ideas at all!’"

There is a certain resemblance between Lord Peter Wimsey and Bertie Wooster and the worlds they both inhabit. Of course, the obvious similarity is that both are somewhat nit-witted upper-class toffs who are aided through life both their valets and a group of strong-willed female relatives - Bertie by his aunts and Peter by his mother.

For the first part of Whose Body? I just could not get over this similarity, because it seemed that Mrs Tommy Frayle's circle of friends may as well have included most of the book's characters, including Lord Peter. I just could not find an angle to his character that showed him to be more than a two-dimensional caricature of the Wooster archetype.

However, then it happened: Whose Body? presented a pivotal moment that changed my appreciation of Lord Peter and his relationship with Bunter, his old friend and servant. I don't want to spoil this experience of discovery for any prospective readers so I won't go into much detail, but the main reason I came to appreciate Lord Peter - and to be fair this is the only memorable part of the story for me even after only a few short weeks of reading the book - is that he is portrayed as a man of his times. Sayers lifts Wimsey out of the cliche and attributes him with a real world experience and complexity that is lacking not only in Bertie Wooster - who of course was always meant as a caricature - but also other notable fictional contemporaries (maybe with the exception of Poirot).

Had it not been for this sub-plot, I am not sure I would have enjoyed the story much at all. ...more

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Feb 14, 2014 AngryGreyCat rated it it was ok

Dorothy L. Sayers was the focus of a current mystery book I read, The Sayers Swindle. That peaked my interest in this classic mystery series. Whose Body? is the first book introducing the Lord Peter Wimsey. First published in 1923, the series continued on for several years with Lord Peter Wimsey becoming a beloved character for many readers.

I found the book to have more of a humorous bent (whether intentional or not) than the Ngaio Marsh books. I was not as enamored of the writing style, extreme ...more

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Jul 22, 2021 Tahlia Fernandez rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

12/16/2022 Addendum to 7/2021 Review:

While I enjoy reading Lord Peter Wimsey books, I found him incredibly confusing to listen to an audiobook. Wimsey’s quirky tendency to ramble does not translate well to the audiobook format; I kept having to go back and listen again because I got lost as to what the man was actually saying. I think the only Golden Age detective who might translate worse to audiobook could possibly be Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion, who also tends to ramble in a way that ...more

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May 12, 2013 Rosario rated it liked it

Audiobook. Guardian Demon was the culmination of my reread of the entire Guardians series, and I'm moving on to rereading the Lord Peter Wimsey books. This first one is not nearly as good as later books. Sayers is clearly still finding her feet and is sometimes a bit awkward (e.g. that looong confession letter from the murderer at the end, going over the entire thing yet again), but you can see the seeds of what a magnificent character Lord Peter turns out to be latter in the series. ...more

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