A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane, #2) in Reading the Detectives

Feb 04, 2017 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Having greatly enjoyed, “Thrones, Dominations,” I was keen to read the second in the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane series, continued by author Jill Paton Walsh. This begins in 1939, with England in the early days of the Second World War. Lord Peter is away on a dangerous mission overseas and Harriet has closed up the London house and retreated to Talboys with her two sons, Bredon, aged three, and Paul, who is nearly one. She also has the care of the children of Charles and Mary Parker; Char Having greatly enjoyed, “Thrones, Dominations,” I was keen to read the second in the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane series, continued by author Jill Paton Walsh. This begins in 1939, with England in the early days of the Second World War. Lord Peter is away on a dangerous mission overseas and Harriet has closed up the London house and retreated to Talboys with her two sons, Bredon, aged three, and Paul, who is nearly one. She also has the care of the children of Charles and Mary Parker; Charlie, Polly and Harriet.

The local village has changed, with land girls and troops bringing new faces and the community preparing itself for war with air raid practice. Most of the village intend to use the cellars of the local public house as a shelter, but the Methodists are unhappy about taking refuge in a public house, so nearby caves are utilised for them. However, although the practice seems to go well, when the all clear sounds and everyone emerges into the village, it is to find the body of a young woman dead in the middle of the street…

With Superintendent Kirk short staffed, he asks Harriet for help. She soon discovers the young lady, Wendy Percival, is nicknamed, “Wicked Wendy,” and is known as something of a flirt. However, although she has caused some disruption among several young men, it seems the case is not going to be a simple one to solve.

I really enjoyed this novel, even if I did not find it worked quite as well as the first. I like the fact that Walsh has brought in new characters, although she does seem to want to use them all and sometimes it seems that, despite the advice to only travel where absolutely necessary, almost everyone is haring about the country visiting each other. Still, we have Helen; Harriet’s disapproving sister in law, who is always interesting as a character, the delightful Dowager Duchess and Mary Parker, among others. I thought the author really portrayed the period well and the mystery, if slightly confusing at times, made you think about the choices that sometimes had to be made in war time. I look forward to reading on and will certainly read the next in the series.

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May 30, 2018 Doris rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, reread, z-2018-challenge, z-2018-new, z-2021-challenge

Well, it wasn't as bad Thrones, Dominations, but it was painfully transparent and the characters of Peter and Harriet bear little resemblance to Sayers's originals. ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 GeraniumCat rated it liked it

A bit of a curate's egg (for those who don't know, "good in parts") - I enjoyed it, and the reading by lovely Edward Petherbridge, who played Wimsey in BBC adaptations, is excellent, but I got slightly lost a couple of times (possibly due to listening while busy doing other things). I think Jill Paton Walsh does a pretty good job of picking up where Sayers left off - there's a lovely tender moment when Bunter returns alone from a mission - but, not surprisingly, her sequels lack the perfection o ...more

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Apr 16, 2014 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It is 1940 and Harriet Vane - now Lady Peter Wimsey - has taken her children and those of her sister in law, Lady Mary Parker, to the country to Tallboys. Those people who have read Busman's Honeymoon will recall that Tallboys was the scene of Peter and Harriet's somewhat disrupted honeymoon. Here are some of the same characters - Aggie Twitterton, the Rev Simon Goodacre, Mr Puffett and Superintendent Kirk.

Then the village experiences its first air raid practice and the all clear reveals a dead ...more

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Nov 25, 2023 Lynnie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, read-in-2023, mystery, world-war-2

This novel was based around the The Wimsey Papers (being wartime letters and documents of the Wimsey family), by DLS and published weekly in eleven parts in The Spectator between November 17, 1939 and January 26, 1940.

Harriet is living at Talboys with her children and sister-in-law's children and it's mainly about life in a village during wartime. Air-raid shelters, evacuees, food rationing, the black market plus an odd section about the blacksmith mending the wheel of a cart.
Of course because ...more

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Apr 13, 2021 Leslie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, kindle

Maybe even 3.5*

Nice to see Lord Peter & Harriet & Bunter again! 1939-1940: WW2 is going on & on the home front, there is rationing, air raid drills & evacuees... and a murder or two to be cleared up!

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