The Nine Tailors

Rating:
Summary: The Nine Tailors is a great book
Review: I like this novel more than all the other Lord Peter Wimsey stories by Dorothy L. Sayers. It captures the atmosphere of the English fens as it weaves suspense and history together in one astonishing tale of murder and crime solution. I highly recommend reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Best of All Time
Review: I would agree with some others that this is the best mystery of all time. It indeed is a book best to be read in the winter, in a big comfortable easy chair, in front of a roaring fire.

I have several copies, but am always on the lookout for another one. Sayers has her ace detective and consumate English gentleman Lord Peter Wimsey in an absolutely engrossing rural landscape. Like many traditional country areas, this one is dominated by a massive church. And the parish has some strong bell ringers, but also some members with dark secrets. The plot develops slowly, like fine wine.

I am sorry that the Masterpiece Theater version is not yet out in video. Then I could read the book and watch the video throughout the long, freezing winters we have in my home in Arctic Alaska. Enjoy this book. Cherish it and buy a few extra copies, including a few for very close friends. It is a book you will want to keep handy on your bookshelf for the rest of your days! Earl Finkler in Barrow, Alaska

Rating:
Summary: Great Sayers novel even without "the gang"
Review: I'm a huge fan of the Wimsey novels and had read all of the books in the series--some twice--except for this one. I had been putting it off because 1) the subject of change-ringing sounded dull and unduly esoteric; and 2) I had heard that none of the usual characters appeared.

I must admit that I am still unclear on exactly what change-ringing is. Regardless, I loved this book, even though there was very little Bunter and no Parker, Biggs, or Vane. The writing is outstanding, and I found the mystery aspect of the novel deeply satisfying. Even though I guessed one asepct of the mystery early on (the identity of the man in the grave), the rest of it was a nice twist.

Rating:
Summary: Great Sayers novel even without "the gang"
Review: I'm a huge fan of the Wimsey novels and had read all of the books in the series--some twice--except for this one. I had been putting it off because 1) the subject of change-ringing sounded dull and unduly esoteric; and 2) I had heard that none of the usual characters appeared.

I must admit that I am still unclear on exactly what change-ringing is. Regardless, I loved this book, even though there was very little Bunter and no Parker, Biggs, or Vane. The writing is outstanding, and I found the mystery aspect of the novel deeply satisfying. Even though I guessed one asepct of the mystery early on (the identity of the man in the grave), the rest of it was a nice twist.

Rating:
Summary: One of the great novels of the century
Review: It's a cliche to say that something "transcends its genre." However, any time I want to point to an example, I use The Nine Tailors. Sayers' best novel is far more than just a mystery novel. It is well written, with great characters, atmosphere, and a sense of place that rivals the best of Thomas Hardy. Even if you don't like mystery novels, you should read The Nine Tailors.

Rating:
Summary: The Bells Toll
Review: Lord Peter Wimsey, sleuth extrordinaire, assists the Police Superintendent of Fenchurch St. Paul to identify the body of a man buried in the recently deceased Lady Thorpe's grave. The grave was meant to be shared by Lady Thorpe's husband, who recently died during an influenza epidemic. Wimsey and the Superintendent also endeavor to find out who so sadistically defaced the grave's temporary occupant and why, and hope to uncover secrets related to the theft of a valuable emerald necklace and its connection, if any, to the unidentified body. On the way to the resolution of these misdeeds, I endured an endlessly tedious analysis of the crimes and possible perpetrators' motives. The introduction of a cryptogram allegedly sent by the unidentified victim is an over-elaborate plot device that I found more than a bit trite.

What gives this book a big boost, though, is Ms. Sayers' scintillating presentation of synchronized ringing of the Fenchurch St. Paul's bells by rope. Ms. Sayers creates imagery of sheer beauty and magnificence. I almost felt as if I were there experiencing such overwhelming loveliness. The names of two of the bells, Batty Thomas and Tailor Paul are colorful and also figure strongly in the plot. The actions of the heroic Mr. Venables, the church Rector, who assists the towns people and helps to pull them together during a horrific flood is very memorable. I also enjoyed reading various quotations from the Psalms and other parts of the Bible that were peppered throughout the book and gave it the poignance that it might not otherwise have had.

Rating:
Summary: An authoritative dramatic-reading of a difficult mystery
Review: The 1934 Dorothy L. Sayers mystery titled "The Nine Tailors" is not about the garment industry. Instead it centers on the venerable tradition of "change ringing" still practiced in England in which a given number of church bells or "tellers" are rung in every possible combination. So nine of them would have to be rung in (what we call in math class) "9 factorial" or 362,880 different combinations. You can figure out how long that would take at one peal per second.

Well the combinations do play a part in the solution of a particularly involved plot concerning jewelry stolen considerably in the past, a freshly dug grave with the wrong body in it, a flood, a snowstorm, and a villageful of really interesting characters, one of whom might be a thief, another a murderer, and so on. However, I am not reviewing the book itself but a marvelously effective complete reading of it by Lord Peter Wimsey himself, which is to say character actor Ian Carmichael who played Wimsey so well on the television series (now available on both VHS and DVD from Acorn Media). Here is the novel, complete on 6 cassettes, from Audio Partners, which is increasing their catalogue of complete mystery recordings very quickly indeed.

Of course, Carmichael is the perfect Wimsey; but he is also very good at every other voice needed to make this an excellent reading. Some books-on-tape readers merely use their own voices throughout; and success depends on how interesting and appropriate that single voice is. Like David Suchet on the companion Poirot readings, Carmichael makes his reading into a full dramatization.

Highly recommended for those who love a really intricate mystery read by a terrific actor.

Rating:
Summary: An authoritative dramatic-reading of a difficult mystery
Review: The 1934 Dorothy L. Sayers mystery titled "The Nine Tailors" is not about the garment industry. Instead it centers on the venerable tradition of "change ringing" still practiced in England in which a given number of church bells or "tellers" are rung in every possible combination. So nine of them would have to be rung in (what we call in math class) "9 factorial" or 362,880 different combinations. You can figure out how long that would take at one peal per second.

Well the combinations do play a part in the solution of a particularly involved plot concerning jewelry stolen considerably in the past, a freshly dug grave with the wrong body in it, a flood, a snowstorm, and a villageful of really interesting characters, one of whom might be a thief, another a murderer, and so on. However, I am not reviewing the book itself but a marvelously effective complete reading of it by Lord Peter Wimsey himself, which is to say character actor Ian Carmichael who played Wimsey so well on the television series (now available on both VHS and DVD from Acorn Media). Here is the novel, complete on 6 cassettes, from Audio Partners, which is increasing their catalogue of complete mystery recordings very quickly indeed.

Of course, Carmichael is the perfect Wimsey; but he is also very good at every other voice needed to make this an excellent reading. Some books-on-tape readers merely use their own voices throughout; and success depends on how interesting and appropriate that single voice is. Like David Suchet on the companion Poirot readings, Carmichael makes his reading into a full dramatization.

Highly recommended for those who love a really intricate mystery read by a terrific actor.

Rating:
Summary: The Nine Tailors
Review: The Nine Tailors is a well written book which enravels a murder mystery in a very quiet town called East Anglia. This book is a joy to read and is one of Dorothy Sayers finest books. This book is a mus

Rating:
Summary: Well-Written, But Not Very Mysterious
Review: The Nine Tailors is a well-written story; unfortunately the crafting of the mystery has not held up over the years. Many of Sayers' plot devices have become routine, if not clichéd, so it's little wonder modern readers leap to conclusions ahead of Lord Peter Wimsey.

The plot revolves around a rural community in England and certain misdeeds past and present. Central to the community is its church, and it is here that Lord Peter spends most of his time, either in the Rectory, the cemetery, or the church building itself.

The story is told through the metaphor of "change ringing." If you know nothing of this English tradition it is possible to soldier through - the text does provide some clues - but it's rough going. A website with some particularly helpful information is www.nagcr.org/pamphlet.html. An online Java application that enables you to ring your own bells is www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/kvdoel/bells/bells.html. Googling for "change ringing" will provide additional examples, but these two cover many of the points Sayers includes in the novel.

While the mystery is not the most challenging (outside of a cryptogram, which is almost as unsolvable as the code in Have His Carcase), this is still an extremely good novel. Sayers' small church characters are written spot on, and her inclusion of church and governmental politics feels authentic. Other Lord Peter novels have held up better over time; that this one hasn't serves as a testimony to the effect Dorothy Sayers has had on the mystery writers that came after her. I enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it with the minor caveats listed above.