Rating: 
Summary: Ian Carmichael the perfect reader for a Wimsey novel
Review: Among the more successful mysteries is Dorothy Sayers' "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club." A very wealthy woman dies, leaving a fortune to her brother if he is still alive, otherwise to a young female companion. When the brother is found dead in his chair at the Club, the novel becomes, not a whodunit, but a "whenwasitdun," a question much on the mind of not only the heirs of the two deceased persons but of Lord Peter Wimsey, who is asked by the brother's lawyer to help establish the time of the brother's death (that of the sister being certain).
The question of When is answered halfway through the novel. But even before that, the other questions of how he died and by whose hand become paramount; and Wimsey winds up offending almost everybody concerned in his inexorable quest for the solution. There is a certain tongue-in-cheek element in Sayers' writing that calls out for a good reading--and that is exactly what we get in the Audio Partner's set of 6 audio cassettes with none other than Lord Peter himself, which is to say Ian Carmichael, doing the honors. Having read the book twice in the past and watched the Acorn Media video release many times, I enjoyed listening to this tape even more, picturing in my mind the scenes from the television version, which seems to be remarkably faithful to the novel. This set is highly recommended for those who love a good mystery, well-told and (here) well read.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific mystery - Lord Peter makes a triumphant return!
Review: Another fantastic entry in (to my mind) one of the best mystery series ever written. Lord Peter Wimsey surely deserves to be counted as one of fiction's greatest detectives, along with Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Inspector Maigret. This mystery showcases Lord Peter at his finest, along with the usual cast of Bunter, Parker and Mr. Murbles (with the lamentable exception of Miss Climpson!). Lord Peter has to untangle an unusually knotty mystery where a half-million pound inheritance hangs upon an uncertain time of death. His own feelings in the case are at issue since he has been friends with the brothers who stand to gain. I also liked the deveopment of Ann Dorland's character and the very real sympathy and desire to help that Lord Peter comes to feel for her is echoed in the reader's mind. The mystery itself is intricately plotted and as usual, Ms Sayers does a fine job of pulling together all the threads for the reader. A most satisfying and absorbing read!
Rating: 
Summary: Literary virtues, perhaps, but not my favorite Lord Peter
Review: I'm sorry to say that I did not enjoy this segment of the Lord Peter series. I do think the other reviewers are correct in their assessment of the literary virtues of this work and of the author. My problem is with the idioms of the era. I found myself wishing I had a "Lord Peter to English" Dictionary! Please don't misunderstand me - I like this series and I have a growing respect for Dorothy Sayers' work. I simply found myself wondering what on earth these people (the characters in the novel) were talking about. But I bet my grandmother, a contemporary of Lord Peter, would have known... I am reading Sayers' works in order of publication, and so far Clouds of Witness is my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant and whimsical
Review: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB wasn't the best mystery novel that I've ever read, but it was certainly enjoyable enough that I didn't feel I was wasting my energy. The characters are, at times, clichéd, but I was entertained by all of them enough not to be too bothered by any lack of real substance. It's a tale of murder, deceit and money, but is told with enough whimsy to make it fully enjoyable. Despite some initial false assumptions on my part, the plot managed to keep me mostly surprised much of the time. At first glance, I thought that I was in for a fairly tedious journey, as I wasn't very far into the book when I suddenly figured out what I assumed was a large part of the mystery. Faced with the prospect of having to read through the entire rest of the story pretending not to know how the murderer had gotten away with it, I began to wonder if perhaps the remainder wouldn't be worth reading. To my great surprise, while the portion of the mystery that I figured out was fairly well signposted, it didn't turn out to be as important as I had anticipated, and I was greatly pleased that Lord Peter figured out the puzzle not long after I did. This allowed the story to turn into directions that I hadn't anticipated, and brought me back into the narrative. There are several clever little moments of storytelling that successfully managed to keep my on my toes, which is an ideal situation for any detective story. This was the first Dorothy Sayers book that I've read, and I was surprised at how much of the story was conveyed purely through the dialog. There is almost no description at all and there were times where it seemed as though I was reading a television or a film script. (Incidentally, this is probably why the series translates so well to visual mediums.) This did contribute to a feeling of triviality, but it did make the book pass by much more quickly. This is not a book to be slowly picked apart, but rather one to be enjoyed quickly, in large gulps. The fast-pace adds to the fanciful flavor and allows the story to rapidly wash over the reader. I found THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB to be a fun and enjoyable, if light, detective adventure. It's a great little piece of fiction to read on a lazy afternoon, and it should be recommended to any fan of mystery novels. A short, and fairly unambitious novel, but definitely quite enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant and whimsical
Review: THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB wasn't the best mystery novel that I've ever read, but it was certainly enjoyable enough that I didn't feel I was wasting my energy. The characters are, at times, clichéd, but I was entertained by all of them enough not to be too bothered by any lack of real substance. It's a tale of murder, deceit and money, but is told with enough whimsy to make it fully enjoyable. Despite some initial false assumptions on my part, the plot managed to keep me mostly surprised much of the time. At first glance, I thought that I was in for a fairly tedious journey, as I wasn't very far into the book when I suddenly figured out what I assumed was a large part of the mystery. Faced with the prospect of having to read through the entire rest of the story pretending not to know how the murderer had gotten away with it, I began to wonder if perhaps the remainder wouldn't be worth reading. To my great surprise, while the portion of the mystery that I figured out was fairly well signposted, it didn't turn out to be as important as I had anticipated, and I was greatly pleased that Lord Peter figured out the puzzle not long after I did. This allowed the story to turn into directions that I hadn't anticipated, and brought me back into the narrative. There are several clever little moments of storytelling that successfully managed to keep my on my toes, which is an ideal situation for any detective story. This was the first Dorothy Sayers book that I've read, and I was surprised at how much of the story was conveyed purely through the dialog. There is almost no description at all and there were times where it seemed as though I was reading a television or a film script. (Incidentally, this is probably why the series translates so well to visual mediums.) This did contribute to a feeling of triviality, but it did make the book pass by much more quickly. This is not a book to be slowly picked apart, but rather one to be enjoyed quickly, in large gulps. The fast-pace adds to the fanciful flavor and allows the story to rapidly wash over the reader. I found THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT THE BELLONA CLUB to be a fun and enjoyable, if light, detective adventure. It's a great little piece of fiction to read on a lazy afternoon, and it should be recommended to any fan of mystery novels. A short, and fairly unambitious novel, but definitely quite enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: A death in the sitting room
Review: This book shows the charming and dry British humor. The setting: an old austere British club in 1928. On Remembrance Day, three men are sitting down to lunch. One notices an old soldier sitting not far away. He has a newpaper in front of him and a drink to his side. He is quite dead, and so the Unpleasantness begins. Wonderful
Rating:
Summary: A death in the sitting room
Review: This book shows the charming and dry British humor. The setting: an old austere British club in 1928. On Remembrance Day, three men are sitting down to lunch. One notices an old soldier sitting not far away. He has a newpaper in front of him and a drink to his side. He is quite dead, and so the Unpleasantness begins. Wonderful
Rating:
Summary: Literary virtues, perhaps, but not my favorite Lord Peter
Review: This is one of my three favorite novels in the Lord Peter Wimsey series (the other two are Clouds of Witness and Murder Must Advertise), and it's the best solid mystery in the series. By this point, Sayers was concocting more complicated plots involving trickier clues, issues of timing, and calculated motivations. In this book, old General Fentiman dies at a gentleman's club, but it turns out that the exact time of his death relative to the death of the wealthy Lady Dormer he'd once known, as if she died first, then he (and hence his heirs) inherit the bulk of her wealth, whereas if he died first then Ann Dorland, who's lived with Lady Dormer for several years, inherits most of the money. Wimsey, a member of the club, is asked to discreetly investigate, a situation complicated by the fact that he's friends with both of General Fentiman's heirs, and that Ann Dorland - not unexpectedly - is reluctant to contribute anything which might result in someone else receiving the money. So Wimsey is left to discover when the General died, whether anyone tried to hide this information, and who stands to gain from it. Sayers mixes in plenty of atmosphere of 1920s English civility (with a brief aside to the art culture of the time), and paints a variety of interesting and sympathetic characters. The end result is an entirely satisfying mystery.
Rating:
Summary: The best pure mystery in the Wimsey series
Review: This is one of my three favorite novels in the Lord Peter Wimsey series (the other two are Clouds of Witness and Murder Must Advertise), and it's the best solid mystery in the series. By this point, Sayers was concocting more complicated plots involving trickier clues, issues of timing, and calculated motivations. In this book, old General Fentiman dies at a gentleman's club, but it turns out that the exact time of his death relative to the death of the wealthy Lady Dormer he'd once known, as if she died first, then he (and hence his heirs) inherit the bulk of her wealth, whereas if he died first then Ann Dorland, who's lived with Lady Dormer for several years, inherits most of the money. Wimsey, a member of the club, is asked to discreetly investigate, a situation complicated by the fact that he's friends with both of General Fentiman's heirs, and that Ann Dorland - not unexpectedly - is reluctant to contribute anything which might result in someone else receiving the money. So Wimsey is left to discover when the General died, whether anyone tried to hide this information, and who stands to gain from it. Sayers mixes in plenty of atmosphere of 1920s English civility (with a brief aside to the art culture of the time), and paints a variety of interesting and sympathetic characters. The end result is an entirely satisfying mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantness at the Bellona Club
Review: This is the first Dorothy L. Sayers book that I have read, and I can guarantee that it won't be the last. If you're looking for a nice, Golden Age mystery book of quick length, crisp pacing, interesting plot, and colorful characterization, then look no further. The mystery unravels quite rapidly from the start as Lord Peter Wimsey (the foppish and wickedly intelligent protagonist) is taking-in the evening at the private Bellona Club, and a body soon turns up. The club itself is host to many characters, some suspicious, some amusing. Outside the four walls of the Bellona also exist many plots and characters that are fun to meet and get to know. Whether it was murder or natural causes is part of the mystery. And then midway through the book another mystery springs up which takes things in a somewhat different direction. Never boring for a second, this was one of those books that was hard to put down. The atmosphere is good and appropriate throughout, especially a creepy scene in a graveyard. My only qualm is with a portion of the ending, which is a little to civilized for its own good. But that's small in comparison with the rest of this enjoyable Golden Age mystery. I highly recommend it.
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