Whose Body?

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the ones with Harriet
Review: "Whose body" isn't bad - but the books really only get good after "Have His Carcasse," when Peter meets Harriet. Up 'til then, they're just mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: Let Her Whimsy Take You
Review: "Whose Body?" is the first Lord Peter Wimsey novel written by Dorothy Sayers in the 1920s, and was the second I read after "Gaudy Night." As someone who generally likes to read series in order, I still have to say it was fun knowing the type of put together gentleman that Lord Peter will become even as I enjoyed reading of his casual manner and clever impulsiveness in his first big fully-recorded case.

Lord Peter must figure out what happened to a naked dead man that an architect friend of his mother's finds in his London bathtub one night wearing only a pair of pince-nez glasses. Meanwhile a rich London financier has turned up missing. Peter is not the first to make the connection, but no one but he can possibly figure out that what connection there is to be made wasn't quite the one the police came up with.

"Whose Body?" is short, clever and enjoyable. Sayers is an excellent and sympathetic writer who respects both her characters and the reader. Her very much alive English settings, both the cold wet bogs and the warm dry fireplaces make Wimsey's world feel like a place I could happily call home. And if you like this one they keep getting better as the series progresses. Cheers!

Rating:
Summary: Let Her Whimsy Take You
Review: "Whose Body?" is the first Lord Peter Wimsey novel written by Dorothy Sayers in the 1920s, and was the second I read after "Gaudy Night." As someone who generally likes to read series in order, I still have to say it was fun knowing the type of put together gentleman that Lord Peter will become even as I enjoyed reading of his casual manner and clever impulsiveness in his first big fully-recorded case.

Lord Peter must figure out what happened to a naked dead man that an architect friend of his mother's finds in his London bathtub one night wearing only a pair of pince-nez glasses. Meanwhile a rich London financier has turned up missing. Peter is not the first to make the connection, but no one but he can possibly figure out that what connection there is to be made wasn't quite the one the police came up with.

"Whose Body?" is short, clever and enjoyable. Sayers is an excellent and sympathetic writer who respects both her characters and the reader. Her very much alive English settings, both the cold wet bogs and the warm dry fireplaces make Wimsey's world feel like a place I could happily call home. And if you like this one they keep getting better as the series progresses. Cheers!

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the ones with Harriet
Review: "Whose body" isn't bad - but the books really only get good after "Have His Carcasse," when Peter meets Harriet. Up 'til then, they're just mysteries.

Rating:
Summary: Smashin', simply smashin' readin', what?
Review: Allow me to commit heresy and say that pound for pound Dorothy Sayers is more entertaining than Agatha Christie. There, I'm doomed to perdition for all eternity, but so be it. The Lord Peter books are, plainly put, more FUN than Christie's due to her rather more sensitive characterizations and her greater skill at evoking the Art Deco society whirl that is responsible for snagging so many readers in the first place. Lord Peter's eccentricities are easier to bear than Hercule Poirot's due to his massive joie de vivre, and his often hilarious Bertie Wooster act is more effective than Poirot's ignorant foreigner pose(the fact that Lord Peter is a shameless borrowing from the works of my countrywoman the Baroness Orczy should bother you not a whit; Lord Peter is if anything an improvement on the Pimpernel theme). While this novel doesn't fully succeed as a mystery (thus the 3-star rating), it is a rollicking good adventure, and it is a necessary introduction to the series. The Roaring Twenties were never so much fun.

Rating:
Summary: A Beginner's Effort
Review: Although it has much to recommend it in terms of pure detection, Sayers' first Lord Peter Wimsey novel must be regarded as one in which the writer is learning how to create and present the person of Wimsey; consequently, the entire tone of the novel--and particularly the presentation of Wimsey himself--has a mechanical feel that greatly distracts from the work itself. Die-hard Sayers fans will enjoy the book, largely because it shows the way in which Sayers developed the character, but more casual readers will be unimpressed, and should skip the work in favor of Sayers most successful works, such as Busman's Honeymoon, Gaudy Night, and the famous Murder Must Advertise.

Rating:
Summary: Dorothy L. Sayers mystifies us from the beginning
Review: From the very beginning we are capture by her writing style and characters. She only gets better from here. It is the interaction and relationship of her characters that make the story come alive.
We start off with two mysteries at once. A naked man wearing sunglasses is found in someone else's bathtub. Across town an important person goes missing. The local policeman had figures it out already (or has he). He has even nabbed the suspects. Lord Peter (armature sleuth) and friend of Inspector Parker must figure out if one plus one is one or two. Whose body?

Rating:
Summary: I'm glad there are more Lord Peter books
Review: I began this series because one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George, cites D.L. Sayers as a major influence on her work. I always start series books with the first one, so "Whose Body?" was the obvious choice. I'm glad there are more of this series because this one is not worthy of the praise that has been bestowed upon the author. "Whose Body?" was too predictable; I knew right away who did it. And it was quite tedious. But Lord Peter is eccentric to a fault, and I'm sure that is his charm. If you are a series reader, I think you will find the value of this book is the background information about Lord Peter himself, his way of approaching life and crime, and his relationships with other recurring characters. So my advice is read it anyway. You will learn something and get a good start on what is known as a remarkable body of work (no pun intended...)

I must add that I am currently reading "Clouds of Witness" which I am thoroughly enjoying.

Rating:
Summary: Great entry in the first of a most entertaining series
Review: I count myself as a devoted fan of Lord Peter Wimsey. The first book I read in the series was "Unnatural Death" which I would highly recommend, but only after reading "Whose Body?" first. It is a most entertaining introduction to Lord Peter, the impeccable Bunter, his policeman friend Parker, and Peter's family, including the spirited and hilarious Dowager Duchess of Denver and Peter's elder brother, the present Duke, who is disgruntled at his younger brother's being mixed up in police business (a trait, he will however find very useful in "Clouds of Witness"). The mystery itself is genuinely gripping and although Sayers deliberately makes the reader aware of the identity of the killer halfway through the book (a similar tactic she used in "Unnatural Death"), the real pleasure lies in the carefully orchestrated revealing of further details, and the way Lord Peter's hypothesis is gradually confirmed in every respect. No blood and gore and car chases here, just a great intellectual exercise and a fascinating novel. Highly recommended for readers who love the period!

Rating:
Summary: A good mystery
Review: I enyjoyed reading this novel by Sayers and I thought the character of Lord Peter to be bright and amusing. Since this is the first mystery that I have read from Sayers, I had nothing to compare it to and started reading with my eyes wide open, so to speak.

The plot is intelligent and sometimes amusing, but Lord Peter could have been better developed as a person. The supporting cast is good and I look for greater things from Bunter and the bunch in the next novel I read. This novel is written along the lines of a Sherlock Holmes story with great deductions being made with very little to go on as far as evidence.

Overall, I found this a great introduction to Sayers and her friend Lord Peter and I look forward to the next novel.