From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10)

Dorothy L. Sayers

Start date: September 1, 2016

Finish date: September 30, 2016

Discussion: Group Challenges

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 168 topics — 7,798 comments total

Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 17 posts · 20 views

last updated Sep 25, 2025 01:00PM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
By Susan · 13 posts · 22 views

last updated Sep 16, 2025 12:58PM

showing 7 of 7 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 21, 2016 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1933, much of this novel is set within a world that author, Dorothy L. Sayers, knew well – that of an advertising agency, in which she herself worked. Lord Peter Wimsey is masquerading as plain Death (pronounced ‘Deeth’) Bredon at Pym’s Publicity; having been called in my Mr Pym after the suspicious death of Mr Victor Dean, who broke his neck after falling down a staircase.

Mr Bredon finds himself occupying Mr Dean’s room and, before long, is heavily involved in all aspects of office ...more

20 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2011 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, vintage-mystery, bought-2016, british-mystery

I've always liked Murder Must Advertise. Maybe it's because Mr. Hankin is almost a relation. Maybe it's because LPW goes undercover. Maybe it's because he comes up with the most hilarious ad campaigns. Maybe it's the image of him "seeing red" when whacked on the elbow in the cricket game and blowing his cover--he goes in as Death Bredon, but retires from the game as Lord Peter Wimsey, master cricketer. I don't know. But it's truly good stuff and I was delighted to dip into it again on my way thr I've always liked Murder Must Advertise. Maybe it's because Mr. Hankin is almost a relation. Maybe it's because LPW goes undercover. Maybe it's because he comes up with the most hilarious ad campaigns. Maybe it's the image of him "seeing red" when whacked on the elbow in the cricket game and blowing his cover--he goes in as Death Bredon, but retires from the game as Lord Peter Wimsey, master cricketer. I don't know. But it's truly good stuff and I was delighted to dip into it again on my way through the works of Dorothy L Sayers.

In this outing, there is something rotten in Pym's Publicity--and it's not over cooked "Peabody's Porridge." Victor Dean, a not-so-popular copy-writer at Pym's, has taken a deadly fall down an iron staircase--leaving behind evidence that he had come across some rather nasty doings at the oh-so-respectable place of business. Enter Mr. Death Bredon, a rather Bertie Wooster; money-come-down-in-the-world sort, who seems to be a friend of the boss and whom no one expects to make a copy writer. They would be wrong. Mr. Bredon seems to have a flair for bon mot turned advertising slogan and a way with witty literary quotes and puns. Just thing to make the client's advertising heart all a-flutter. He also seems to have a nose for gossip and soon has turned the entire staff inside out on the subject of Dean and the deadly staircase.

Little does Pym's know that they are nursing a detective in sheep's clothing and in their midst is none other than Lord Peter Wimsey that aristocratic sleuth-hound. Hot on the scent, Wimsey discovers that Dean was right and porridge and sanitizers and household supplies aren't the only things being advertised in Pym's campaigns. Before he's uncovered the entire scheme, there will be run-ins with bright young things and dope dealers; there will be masquerades and unmaskings....and, of course, a spot of murder.

This is a grand story. Lots of action, and yet lots of the Sayers wit and smooth writing. As with some of her short stories, this is Sayers at play. Surely no one in the world really believes that Wimsey could get away with such an obvious impersonation--not as well-known as he is. But we willingly suspend our disbelief in order to join in the fun.

I love the inside look at the advertising game. All true-to-life, as Sayers spent time in the advertising world--and much of it could be said of the game today. As Wimsey says: "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 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 misrepresentations into a form that the public can swallow." Listening to "Bredon" and his fellow copy-writers toss around slogans is highly entertaining and well worth the read--even if the story weren't so good. Which it is. Four stars. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2019 Bev rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, mystery, vintage-mystery, virtual-mount-tbr-2019, mcpl-book, audionovel

This review is for the particular audio novel version of Murder Must Advertise read by John Franklyn-Robbins and is not focused on the content of the Dorothy L. Sayers story. For my thoughts on the story itself, please see my previous review at the link above.

According to the notes on the back of this library audio edition, our narrator John Franklyn-Robbins has performed a wide variety of classic stage roles (from London to Broadway), made hundreds of appearances on BBC television, and has been This review is for the particular audio novel version of Murder Must Advertise read by John Franklyn-Robbins and is not focused on the content of the Dorothy L. Sayers story. For my thoughts on the story itself, please see my previous review at the link above.

According to the notes on the back of this library audio edition, our narrator John Franklyn-Robbins has performed a wide variety of classic stage roles (from London to Broadway), made hundreds of appearances on BBC television, and has been the "Voice of English Poetry" on British radio. I can only hope that he brought more depth and feeling to those performances than he did to his narration of Sayers' mystery novel. Throughout a large portion of the recording Franklyn-Robbins does not appear to make any great effort to differentiate characters from one another save for making his voice slightly (but only slightly) higher for the female characters and trying to imbue Ginger Joe with a somewhat youthful tone. For the most part, Franklyn-Robbins reads his script as if he were hoping to lull the reader to sleep. In fact, if I were looking for an audio novel to help me drift off to slumber land, this would be an ideal choice.

One wouldn't think that a story chock full of dangerous falls down staircases, men being run over by cars and trains, women having their throats cut (my, but Lord Peter seems to have gotten himself into some very nefarious doings this time....), drug running, and impersonations galore could possibly be so "yawn-making" as the notorious Dian de Momerie would say. But it is...at least in this particular audio edition. I will say that Franklyn-Robbin did seem to find his range in the latter portions of the novel and livened things up a bit. But still--I'm very glad that I checked this out of the library and didn't buy it. Ian Carmichael gives a much more lively (and varied vocal) performance. I wanted to see what another actor would do with the Lord Peter stories. I had hoped to be better pleased--perhaps I'll come across another version to try some day. ★★ --just.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block ...more

Like · see review