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The Attenbury Emeralds (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane, #3)

Jill Paton Walsh

Start date: March 11, 2017

Finish date: April 20, 2017

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Mar 07, 2017 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Having read all of the Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey books, I have continued with those written by Jill Paton Walsh. In the two previous novels, she has used writing, or notes, from Sayers herself, but, in this work she steps out on her own. As all fans of Wimsey will know, the Attenbury Emeralds were Lord Peter’s first case, recounted here, to Harriet in 1951, by her husband and Bunter. The case took place during Lord Peter’s first foray into society after WWI, for the engagement party of Having read all of the Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey books, I have continued with those written by Jill Paton Walsh. In the two previous novels, she has used writing, or notes, from Sayers herself, but, in this work she steps out on her own. As all fans of Wimsey will know, the Attenbury Emeralds were Lord Peter’s first case, recounted here, to Harriet in 1951, by her husband and Bunter. The case took place during Lord Peter’s first foray into society after WWI, for the engagement party of Lord Attenbury’s daughter and was felt, by Bunter, to be a safe outing for the still fragile Wimsey. His old friend, Freddy Arbuthnot, is also a house guest, along with other friends and family.

During the house party, Lady Charlotte is to wear the famous Attenbury emeralds, when a man turns up, attempting to buy back the largest jewel for the Maharaja of Sinorabad. Later, the jewel goes missing – enter Sugg and also Charles Parker, for the first time. Of course, Lord Peter famously discovered the missing emerald and embarked on the hobby of detecting. However, the novel then continues with a later story concerning the emeralds, as well as a story set in the novel’s present time – as the current Lord Attembury asks for Peter’s help to clarify whether the emerald currently held in the bank is really his.

At this point, the novel embarks on a rather confusing tale of missing, or possibly switched, emeralds, theft, revenge and murder. Along the way, there is a side story concerning the family seat of Duke’s Denver (along with the massive taxes the aristocracy faced after the war) and Paton Walsh cleverly draws parallels between characters in the story of the Attenbury Emeralds and how Harriet has been treated by some members of Lord Peter’s class; notably Gerald’s wife, Helen.

In some ways this is a confusing novel, attempting to cram in every reference to the Attenbury Emeralds, possibly to the detriment of the whole story. However, the author keeps sympathy with her characters and touches on many of the themes that Sayers wrote about in her books – Lord Peter’s regret at the might of the Law being brought against those he proves to be guilty, for instance. Overall, a good read which is almost seamless from the original and brings the characters believably into a more modern age. I will certainly read on.

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Dec 22, 2013 Tracey rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: completed-posthumously, another-author-s-characters, mystery, period, hist-myst

I was pointed to an article about Jill Paton Walsh’s writing process for her DLS rip-offs – er, pastiches - - er, sequels, and it made me ~~angry~~ realize I hadn’t written a review of this thing.

On the phone from her home in Cambridge, the author, age 76, also said that this is likely to be her only flashback Wimsey novel. “I honestly don’t think Peter is that interesting without Harriet – the only exception being The Nine Tailors, which is such a good book it doesn’t really matter whether he’s got

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Feb 01, 2013 Judy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'd previously read the two Dorothy Sayers books which Jill Paton Walsh finished off, and although I enjoyed them I didn't find them very memorable. For me this one, where she has entirely written her own story, is by far the best - it was almost like finding a new Sayers novel. I liked the way she takes the characters on and allows major things to happen to them.

The story is set many years after the originals, in the 1950s, with Peter, Harriet and their sons and the Bunter family coming to ter ...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Susan in NC rated it really liked it

I won't bother with a synopsis as that is provided above; but if you are a Peter Wimsey/Sayers fan like me, you will be thrilled to see another novel in the wonderful series by Jill Paton Walsh. It helps to be a fan of the whole genre of Golden Age British Mysteries (Christie, Allingham, Sayers, Marsh, Heyer, etc.), and I collect and treasure all of those authors. I read an Amazon review that very wisely pointed out that if you are NOT a fan of the slower-paced, more conversational mysteries of ...more

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Jul 12, 2022 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, mystery, british-mystery, mcpl-book, audionovel, virtual-mount-tbr-2022

The titular Attenbury Emeralds have been the focus of mystery for quite some time. In 1921 Wimsey, just making his entrance back into society in his recovery effort after the war, is involved with the hue and cry that goes up when the famous large stone of the set goes missing. It is his maiden venture into the realm of amateur detecting and his handling of it and the publicity around the recovery of the gem launches him into the career that serves as the most efficacious cure for his shell-shoc The titular Attenbury Emeralds have been the focus of mystery for quite some time. In 1921 Wimsey, just making his entrance back into society in his recovery effort after the war, is involved with the hue and cry that goes up when the famous large stone of the set goes missing. It is his maiden venture into the realm of amateur detecting and his handling of it and the publicity around the recovery of the gem launches him into the career that serves as the most efficacious cure for his shell-shocked nerves. He relays this story of his first case to Harriet in the opening chapters.

Years later, after the Second World War, another crisis arises with emerald and the newest Lord Attenbury asks Wimsey to investigate. With all the changes after the war, most immediately the heavy death duties he faces on the passing of his father, the new lord would like to sell the emerald and save his estate. But a claimant has popped up--asserting that the emerald held in the bank vault is not Attenbury's at all, that somehow it has been switched. The bank will not allow Attenbury to remove the stone for sale until proof can be supplied that it is, indeed, the family's property. Wimsey with the assistance of Harriet and Bunter must track down the crucial moment when the stones may have been switched....but the case takes a more diabolical turn when they discover that each time the emerald was removed from the vault a death followed.

I first read this a bit closer to its original publication date and I have reused my synopsis from the time. My full review from that reading may be found
Volume issues aside, I will say that when I could hear everything well, Petherbridge made this new Wimsey story much more appealing than my previous reading. Perhaps, since I picture him as Wimsey he helps to lend credence to the story as a Lord Peter Wimsey story. ★★★ for the audio version (two stars previously)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks. ...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Jan C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, england, mystery

I found it enjoyable.

I think Walsh has kept true to the characters.

The Attenbury Emeralds had been one of Wimsey's early cases where he just happened to be at a house party when someone wanted to purchase the main emerald and then it went missing. Much of the book is Wimsey and Bunter, his man-servant since before WWI, telling Harriet the story and then the case comes back to life again.

This is the third Wimsey tale that Walsh has done, apparently with the blessings of the Sayers estate. Ooooooh ...more

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Jul 11, 2014 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014reviews

I enjoyed reading The Attenbury Emeralds. I love Lord Peter Wimsey. I do. I love, love, love him. And I like the romance between Harriet and Lord Peter. So it was charming to revisit Lord Peter and Harriet several decades later in 1951. This mystery novel opens with a bit of storytelling. Lord Peter and Bunter team up and take turns telling Harriet about some early detecting concerning the Attenbury family jewels. The first such story begins in 1921. At one point the first mystery was solved, an ...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Zander rated it it was ok

What's to say about this book, a lot happens and nothing happens by the time the mystery was solved I didn't care. The real herrings were more interesting than the actual culprit and it really didn't hold up to plausibility. It was nice to see Wimsey and Vane acting true to the characters and while some people would prefer they stay forever in the early 30's I liked the contrast between pre and post war but again the plot was just a hot mess.

There are errors in the book with cultural and histor ...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Bev rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-mystery, mystery, british-mystery, mount-tbr-2014

Currently (at least on Facebook) there is a major debate raging over Sophie Hannah's forthcoming Hercule Poirot novel. A large number of diehard Christie fans are up in arms and who can blame them? All of the promotional material I've seen shows the cover with "Agatha Christie" emblazoned in huge letters at the top of the book.* Many commenters have initially been confused--asking if this has recently been found among Christie's papers. I have to say that it gives every appearance of the Christi Currently (at least on Facebook) there is a major debate raging over Sophie Hannah's forthcoming Hercule Poirot novel. A large number of diehard Christie fans are up in arms and who can blame them? All of the promotional material I've seen shows the cover with "Agatha Christie" emblazoned in huge letters at the top of the book.* Many commenters have initially been confused--asking if this has recently been found among Christie's papers. I have to say that it gives every appearance of the Christie estate trying to hoodwink readers into thinking that this is an Agatha Christie story. It's not. And this sense of being tricked is what really puts me off. Of course, I also am not terribly keen on authors trying to take up the mantle of a much beloved novelist. It rarely goes well. (The sequel to Gone With the Wind, anyone?) There are a fair number of good Sherlock Holmes pastiches--but there are also a multitude of poor ones. But to my knowledge none of them try to pass themselves off as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. [*Please note how tiny the "Based on the characters of Dorothy L. Sayers" is on the cover to the right.]

Which brings me to The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh. The Lord Peter Wimsey novels which have sprung forth from Paton Walsh's hand would be a prime reason why I am very reluctant to pick up The Monogram Murders by Hannah. I dearly love Dorothy L. Sayers's novels and was, quite honestly, thrilled to hear that she was going to use DLS's notes and partially finished work to give us Thrones, Dominations. What LPW fan wouldn't want more adventures with our lordly sleuth? That book was okay--not even close to the brilliant gem it could have been if Sayers had completed it, but okay. And when the next one came out I read that too in the hopes that Paton Walsh would be more comfortable with the characters and begin to come into her own with them. It didn't happen and, in fact, the second novel was much weaker than the first--probably because there was even less Sayers material to work with. So, why, you may ask, have I continued with the series when I have been disappointed with the results so far? Because I cannot resist the Wimsey charm even when it hasn't been properly represented. The same reason that I've already started the most recent LPW/Harriet Vane adventure, The Late Scholar. Resistance is futile...I don't want that to happen with Poirot. So....unless an overwhelming majority of reviewers I know and trust give rave reviews to The Monogram Murders, I won't be touching it.

And now....on with the review.

The titular Attenbury Emeralds have been the focus of mystery for quite some time. In 1921 Wimsey, just making his entrance back into society in his recovery effort after the war, is involved with the hue and cry that goes up when the famous large stone of the set goes missing. It is his maiden venture into the realm of amateur detecting and his handling of it and the publicity around the recovery of the gem launches him into the career that serves as the most efficacious cure for his shell-shocked nerves. Years later, after the Second World War, another crisis arises with emerald and the newest Lord Attenbury asks Wimsey to investigate. With all the changes after the war, most immediately the heavy death duties he faces on the passing of his father, the new lord would like to sell the emerald and save his estate. But a claimant has popped up--asserting that the emerald held in the bank vault is not Attenbury's at all, that somehow it has been switched. The bank will not allow Attenbury to remove the stone for sale until proof can be supplied that it is, indeed, the family's property. Wimsey with the assistance of Harriet and Bunter must track down the crucial moment when the stones may have been switched....but the case takes a more diabolical turn when they discover that each time the emerald was removed from the vault a death followed.

****************
This novel, as with the first two, contains flashes of Wimsey and his lady that are true to form but they are too few and far between. The entire first quarter of the book reads like a bad drawing room comedy between two people who are doing their best to appear that they know and love each other but don't really. Peter and Harriet's literary quote filled banter always had a thread of joy and sexiness running through it that is sadly lacking. Bunter's relationship to the two is also slightly askew. Granted, the times they are a-changing and the relationships between the gentry and servants may not be the same--but Bunter is too old-school to ever change and Paton Walsh's efforts to indicate this make Bunter into a wooden version of himself throughout a large portion of the book. The person who comes off best is the Dowager Duchess--she still isn't quite as Sayers wrote her, but she is the closest rendition we have.

The story has a very self-aware feel especially in the first third with coy references to "if this were one of my detective novels" and "not nearly as good as Christie or Sayers." Let's just announce in a loud voice that "Hey look, we're amateur detectives in a mystery novel" shall we? I should also make reference to the quite awful method of delivery for the previous emerald incident. Sitting round the fire for "story hour" was bad enough, but then we follow Peter and Harriet around from tea shop to kitchen table and back to the fireside for installments (like this is a radio serial story or something). There must have been a better way to tell the back history. Peter could have started out in story-teller mode...fade to black and whoosh we're in 1921 and following events...fade back to present with wrap-up comments/questions and Bob's your uncle. Tally-ho and let's play hunt the emerald in modern times. I don't know. All I do know is the first half of the book does not work well for the reader or the characters involved. [Speaking of Bob and his uncle, since when does Peter say "old chap" except perhaps in deliberate and obvious irony?]

The mystery itself is convoluted and full of coincidence. The investigation itself is fairly well done but the plot leaves a lot to be desired. Paton Walsh does a much better job with her own Imogen Quy series--most likely because the characters are hers and she doesn't have to worry about writing in the shadow of such a fabulous author. She can just tell her story and concentrate on the plot construction.

★★ purely for my beloved characters and the chance to visit with them despite their imperfect renderings.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks. ...more

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Dec 05, 2023 Lynnie rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2023, historical-mystery, post-war

Okay.....it's now post-war (1951) and Peter and Bunter are telling Harriet all about Peter's first case in 1921 - The Attenbury Emeralds. This case is mentioned quite a bit in the DLS novels so I was curious to know more. I started off enjoying it but then felt it was going on too long. There were so many people involved - in fact I should have been warned because there was a dauntingly long cast list at the beginning of the book!

Back in 1951 there are further developments involving the emeralds ...more

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Apr 22, 2022 Tracey rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned

Me: I will never read any of Jill Paton Walsh's terrible 'Lord Peter' attempts again.

*finds free audiobook read by Edward Petherbridge*

Oh, that's not fair.

I started listening to this through the Audible Plus library. I cordially loathe and despise the Jill Paton Walsh "Lord Peter" pastiches; I go on at length as to why in other reviews. (It's me: I go on at GREAT length.) But, I thought, surely listening to the wonderful Edward Petherbridge reprise his role as Lord Peter will more than balance t ...more

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Feb 14, 2013 ShanDizzy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This was brilliant! Kept to the original characters created by Dorothy L. Sayers. Jill Paton Walsh did it again! You really can't tell that Sayers did not write it. I was happy to read a continuation of LPW's and HV's life. Such a sweet, interesting story. I hope she writes another one. ...more

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