Helpful Score: 1
The off-hand, humorous and charmingly self-deprecating Lord Peter makes a hobby of detecting murderers. His mother obligingly puts him in the way of this one. What starts out as a particularly interesting puzzler turn gruesome and hits a little too close to home.
A strong Lord Peter mystery- highly recommended. Great mystery, great storytelling, great characters.
A strong Lord Peter mystery- highly recommended. Great mystery, great storytelling, great characters.
Helpful Score: 1
Sayers created the Lord Peter Wimsey books in the interwar era (between WWI and WWII) and through them, explored the shifting politics, values, and social attitudes of Britain. Lord Peter himself is a wwI veteran of trench warfare and suffers occasional bouts of what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He's a younger son and must make his own living, which he sets out to do by solving crimes.
Helpful Score: 1
It took me a couple of chapters to get used to Lord Peter's verbal expressions, but over all, the book was interesting, logical, and even intellectually challenging. (I'm not well versed in brain physiology.) I love books that explain everything by the end.
Helpful Score: 1
Fun tale, with enough twists and turns, though many of you will figure out the culprit, as I did.
I think this is the first Lord Peter novel, so its great to see him before he is fully formed and made more sophisticated through the later novels.
I think this is the first Lord Peter novel, so its great to see him before he is fully formed and made more sophisticated through the later novels.
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.
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.
Patsy A. S. (duetproductions) reviewed Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey, Bk 1) on + 47 more book reviews
It's hard to beat Dorothy Sayers for a classic British mystery. One is always sorry she wrote so few books.
Love, love, love!
Always a pleasure! Great classic mystery.
This was the Lord Peter book I read and after that, I was hooked. This is a stand-alone, not part of the Harriet Vane mini-series.
I irritate myself occasionally. Although I've tried a few times to read Golden Age mysteries, they just don't seem to be for me. However, time will pass and once again I'll begin to feel that I'm missing out on something. This is why I picked up Dorothy L. Sayers' very first Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, Whose Body? I've always had the feeling that-- if I liked any Golden Age mystery writer-- I would like her.
After reading the first few chapters of this book, I almost gave up in disgust. The pages were filled with dialogue that was supposed to be sparkling and witty but only sounded like dated, superficial piffle. (See? I may not have read Sayers before, but I've evidently been able to mine a nugget or two from various sources.)
Fortunately the book settled down and steered clear of conversational piffle throughout the rest of the story, and I actually enjoyed watching Wimsey figure out identities, timelines, and what actually happened. In fact I enjoyed it enough to start looking for the second book in the series. All you Golden Age mystery lovers-- there may be hope for me yet!
After reading the first few chapters of this book, I almost gave up in disgust. The pages were filled with dialogue that was supposed to be sparkling and witty but only sounded like dated, superficial piffle. (See? I may not have read Sayers before, but I've evidently been able to mine a nugget or two from various sources.)
Fortunately the book settled down and steered clear of conversational piffle throughout the rest of the story, and I actually enjoyed watching Wimsey figure out identities, timelines, and what actually happened. In fact I enjoyed it enough to start looking for the second book in the series. All you Golden Age mystery lovers-- there may be hope for me yet!
