Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery, #1)

by Dorothy L Sayers

The first book in Dorothy L Sayers' classic Lord Peter Wimsey series introduced by crime writer Laura Wilson - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Margery Allingham's Campion Mysteries.

'D. L. Sayers is one of the best detective story writers' Daily Telegraph

It was the body of a tall stout man. On his dead face, a handsome pair of gold pince-nez mocked death with grotesque elegance.

The body wore nothing else.

Lord Peter Wimsey knew immediately what the corpse was supposed to be. His problem was to find out whose body had found its way into Mr Alfred Thipps' Battersea bathroom.

'She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.' P. D. James

Reviewed by MurderByDeath on

4 of 5 stars

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In my quest for BL book collection perfection, I noticed just how many of my books I never reviewed in any fashion.  Since I enjoy a good re-read now and again, I've decided to re-visit my shelves and the friends that lie therein, in between my Mt. TBR reads (which really, is getting to be the TBR Range).  

My first re-read is "Whose Body?" by Dorothy Sayers.  I figure if I start with a classic, anyone reading my reviews will forgive me when I get to "Silence of the Hams" and "A Knife to Remember".

A classic.  And really, what can be said about this classic that hasn't already been said? We can take it as read all the bits about Sayers' being a master of her craft, etc. etc.

What I will comment on, was that while I really enjoyed this book, and it was just the re-read I was looking for, it's not an easy book to just dive into.  At least for me.  There's a style and pacing to Ms. Sayers' writing that does not trip delightfully off my tongue - whether it be because of the times the book was written in, Peter's personality, or the British-to-American translation issues.  No matter, it was a chapter or two before I got into the groove again.

The story is fantastical - just the physical stamina needed to perpetrate this plot is remarkable.  The villain truly villainous.  I'll admit I'm still not sure, after reading this twice, what gave the game away for Lord Peter.

The footnotes used sparingly throughout the story show a depth of character development that isn't seen anymore in today's traditional/cozy mysteries.  Lord Peters has a rich, detailed backstory that was obviously developed before the stories were written.  Nice.

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Reading updates

  • 17 October, 2013: Started reading
  • 17 October, 2013: Finished reading
  • 17 October, 2013: Reviewed