Busman's Honeymoon

Rating:
Summary: Last completed novel containing Harriet Vane.
Review: The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. In fact it was a play that was also made into a movie "Hunted Honeymoon" (1940) starring Robert Montgomery and Constance Cummings. There are still some short stories and a novel finished by someone else; however Busman's Honeymoon is the last of the novel series containing Harriet Vane. Some of the short stories are "The Haunted Policeman" and "Talboys."

The book starts off with a series of letters from well-known friends of the couple, described previous in Dorothy L. Sayers' novels. They bring you up to date while describing the wedding of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Some of the charters are just referenced yes it ought on and you will have to have read the previous novels for fuller detail.

The primary thrust of this novel is the relationship between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. With exquisite descriptions of their life and the English environment in which they live. Oh yes, there is also a mystery. However the mystery does not overshadow the rest of the story.

One of the most important overlooked items in most descriptions of this book is the expanded explanation of the history and relationship of Bunter to Lord Peter.



Rating:
Summary: Read this one last
Review: This book is one of the most enjoyable mysteries ever written, but it has to be approached in the right way. First you must read Strong Poison, then Have His Carcase, then Gaudy Night. When you have finished the first three, you are ready for a reading experience that will delight any lover of good literature. Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie may not have liked each other very much, but I am in love with both of them. They knew how to WRITE!

Rating:
Summary: A romance with detective interruptions
Review: This is the 13th Lord Peter novel, and the fourth in the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane story. This is definitely NOT a good place to begin the series.

BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON begins shortly after GAUDY NIGHT. The opening chapter consists of letters and diary enteries from their family and friends concerning the wedding. For fans of the series these are hilarious portraits of the various characters, the delightful Dowager Duchess, the obnoxious Duchess of Denver, the unflappable Bunter and others.

The newly wed Wimseys take up the action after their escape from the reception as they drive to their honeymoon destination, their newly purchased weekend cottage, 'Talboys'. The carefully arranged plans for a peaceful honemoon begin to come apart at their arrival. The house is cold, dark and locked, the former owner nowhere to be found, and no one apears to be aware of their pending arrival. These obstacles are overcome, the family takes up residence but the next day the missing former owner turns up - dead in the basement.

Naturally the Wimseys solve the crime as they sort out the details of their new life.

The only flaw I see with this novel is that the mystery aspect is a bit labored. Sayers was quite fond of the 'time-table' sort of mystery but tended to belabor the point. This, coupled with the array of characters/suspects that appear and are all given quite a lot of action, cause the story to drag a bit. Still, the solution is clever, the characters are charming and the scenes between Peter and Harriet are gems, finally resolving their 5 year (and 4 book) romance.

The biggest problem with this novel is that it is the last full-length book in the series. Even though we were given farewell glimpses of many old friends from earlier books it is still sad to say goodbye.

Rating:
Summary: A romance with detective interruptions
Review: This is the 13th Lord Peter novel, and the fourth in the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane story. This is definitely NOT a good place to begin the series.

BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON begins shortly after GAUDY NIGHT. The opening chapter consists of letters and diary enteries from their family and friends concerning the wedding. For fans of the series these are hilarious portraits of the various characters, the delightful Dowager Duchess, the obnoxious Duchess of Denver, the unflappable Bunter and others.

The newly wed Wimseys take up the action after their escape from the reception as they drive to their honeymoon destination, their newly purchased weekend cottage, 'Talboys'. The carefully arranged plans for a peaceful honemoon begin to come apart at their arrival. The house is cold, dark and locked, the former owner nowhere to be found, and no one apears to be aware of their pending arrival. These obstacles are overcome, the family takes up residence but the next day the missing former owner turns up - dead in the basement.

Naturally the Wimseys solve the crime as they sort out the details of their new life.

The only flaw I see with this novel is that the mystery aspect is a bit labored. Sayers was quite fond of the 'time-table' sort of mystery but tended to belabor the point. This, coupled with the array of characters/suspects that appear and are all given quite a lot of action, cause the story to drag a bit. Still, the solution is clever, the characters are charming and the scenes between Peter and Harriet are gems, finally resolving their 5 year (and 4 book) romance.

The biggest problem with this novel is that it is the last full-length book in the series. Even though we were given farewell glimpses of many old friends from earlier books it is still sad to say goodbye.