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Available
Call number
Library's review
England, London, november 1922
Lord Peter Wimsey er født i 1890, Han bor Piccadilly 110 A i London. En dag er han på vej til bogauktion, men hans mor ringer og fortæller at præstens kone, mrs Throgmorton har været der og fortalt at arkitekten mr Thipps har fundet en død mand i sit badekar.
Manden i badekarret er blevet dræbt med et enkelt hårdt slag i nakken og var udstyret med et par dyre lorgnetter. Wimsey sætter en annonce i avisen og en mr Thomas Crimplesham svarer. Han forfølger også et spor i Levy sagen, for en forretningsmand John P. Milligan kunne måske have motiv til at sætte Levy midlertidigt ud af spillet.
I stedet viser det sig at være gammel jalouisi eller forsmåethed. Lægen Julian Freke var i sin tid forelsket i en pige, der i stedet giftede sig med jøden Levy.
Freke slog Levy ihjel i sit bibliotek og byttede ham med et fattighuslem, der var blevet indleveret til brug for undervisning af medicinstuderende. Freke har helt koldblodigt stået og dissekeret Levy's hovede, mens de studerende dissekerede de andre dele og kommenterede på den velnærede jøde, de pillede fra hinanden. Freke er også bjergbestiger, så han transporterer liget af fattighuslemmet op på taget og et par hustage væk. Her får han den ide at drille Thipps ved at bruge et åbent vindue til at plumpe liget ned i badeværelset og lorgnetterne er også bare en spøg.
Wimsey får via Parker udvirket en opgravning af stumperne og Levy's stakkels kone kan identificere resterne på ar og modermærker og tænder. Wimsey har et udmærket blik for at Freke på den ene side er en dygtig og forstående nervelæge og på den anden side er en farlig skruppelløs morder, der bør spærres inde eller aflives. Han opsøger Freke for at blive helt sikker i sin sag og afslår Frekes tilbud om en indsprøjtning.
Freke bliver anholdt og aflægger en detaljeret tilståelse.
Glimrende krimi, selv om plottet er lidt langt ude.
Lord Peter Wimsey er født i 1890, Han bor Piccadilly 110 A i London. En dag er han på vej til bogauktion, men hans mor ringer og fortæller at præstens kone, mrs Throgmorton har været der og fortalt at arkitekten mr Thipps har fundet en død mand i sit badekar.
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Wimsey har en hobby som amatørdetektiv, så han tager over til Thipps, der bor i Battersea, Queen Caroline Mansions 59. Wimsey når at undersøge liget inden inspektør Sugg dukker op igen. Wimseys ven Parker kommer på besøg og fortæller at liget måske er jøden sir Reuben Levy, som er forsvundet fra sit hjem tilsyneladende uden sit tøj og med lidt underlig opførsel inden. Liget har hård hud i hænderne, loppebid og vabler på fødderne. Wimsey har mange indicier på at det er en vagabond, der er shinet op til at ligne Levy. og har også tanker over hvordan liget er havnet i badekarret. Inspektør Sugg har forhørt Thipps og fundet huller i hans forklaring, så Thipps og stuepigen Gladys Horrocks er blevet arresteret. Måske er der to sager, den forsvundne Levy og manden i badekarret, måske kun en.Manden i badekarret er blevet dræbt med et enkelt hårdt slag i nakken og var udstyret med et par dyre lorgnetter. Wimsey sætter en annonce i avisen og en mr Thomas Crimplesham svarer. Han forfølger også et spor i Levy sagen, for en forretningsmand John P. Milligan kunne måske have motiv til at sætte Levy midlertidigt ud af spillet.
I stedet viser det sig at være gammel jalouisi eller forsmåethed. Lægen Julian Freke var i sin tid forelsket i en pige, der i stedet giftede sig med jøden Levy.
Freke slog Levy ihjel i sit bibliotek og byttede ham med et fattighuslem, der var blevet indleveret til brug for undervisning af medicinstuderende. Freke har helt koldblodigt stået og dissekeret Levy's hovede, mens de studerende dissekerede de andre dele og kommenterede på den velnærede jøde, de pillede fra hinanden. Freke er også bjergbestiger, så han transporterer liget af fattighuslemmet op på taget og et par hustage væk. Her får han den ide at drille Thipps ved at bruge et åbent vindue til at plumpe liget ned i badeværelset og lorgnetterne er også bare en spøg.
Wimsey får via Parker udvirket en opgravning af stumperne og Levy's stakkels kone kan identificere resterne på ar og modermærker og tænder. Wimsey har et udmærket blik for at Freke på den ene side er en dygtig og forstående nervelæge og på den anden side er en farlig skruppelløs morder, der bør spærres inde eller aflives. Han opsøger Freke for at blive helt sikker i sin sag og afslår Frekes tilbud om en indsprøjtning.
Freke bliver anholdt og aflægger en detaljeret tilståelse.
Glimrende krimi, selv om plottet er lidt langt ude.
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Genres
Publication
[Kbh. ] : Samleren, 1963.
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML:In the debut mystery in Dorothy L. Sayers's acclaimed Lord Peter Wimsey series, the case of a dead bather draws Lord Peter into the 1st of many puzzling mysteries Lord Peter Wimsey spends his days tracking down rare books, and his nights hunting killers. Though the Great War has left his nerves frayed with shellshock, Wimsey continues to be London's greatest sleuth�??and he's about to encounter his oddest case yet. A strange corpse has appeared in a suburban architect's bathroom, stark naked save for an incongruous pince-nez. When Wimsey arrives on the scene, he is confronted with a once-in-a-lifetime puzzle. The police suspect that the bathtub's owner is the murderer, but Wimsey's investigation quickly reveals that the case is much stranger than anyone could have predicted. Published in 1923, during detective fiction's Golden Age, Whose Body? introduced a character and a series that would make Dorothy L. Sayers famous. To this day, Lord Peter remains 1 of the genre's most beloved and brilliant characters. Whose Body? is the 1st book in the Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, but you may enjoy the series by reading the books in any order. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Dorothy L. Sayers including rare images from the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton Colle… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
Whose Body? was Dorothy Sayers' first Lord Peter novel and was published in 1923. I am reading the Lord Peter books very much out of order, so it was fun to go back and see where it all started. Somehow I had the impression that the Lord Peter books started off a bit weak and gathered steam and
A dead man has been found reposing in the bathtub of an inoffensive little man named Mr. Thipps. What is even more ridiculous is that the dead man is wearing nothing but a pair of gold-rimmed pince-nez — which, as Lord Peter observes, are not exactly enough to satisfy the demands of modesty. Lord Peter confers with his friend Inspector Parker, who is investigating the sudden disappearance of a wealthy Jewish financier. As the story progresses, it becomes evident that the two cases are connected somehow. But how?
In this story Sayers explores at length the rising idea that conscience is a physical aberration that can be surgically removed like the appendix. I like a mystery that actually has some theory behind it, some idea that needs working out. Agatha Christie does this sometimes, only hers are psychological hypotheses rather than academic ideas.
Wikipedia informs me of a fascinating little nugget, that Sayers originally intended the man's nakedness to be a clue that he was not the missing financier; Lord Peter would have deduced this from the man's not being circumcised. But this was a little too much for the publisher at the time, and the deduction that the bathtub body is not Sir Reuben Levy is made from his calloused workman's hands.
Oh, the characters. I think they are unsurpassed in the murder mystery genre. Lord Peter is like a brainy Bertie Wooster, if such a thing can be imagined. He plays the fool the whole time right up to the end when his madness suddenly shows a highly intelligent method. Readers quickly learn that he is a character to be reckoned with (and enjoy watching other characters in the story misjudge him). And yet Lord Peter also has a vulnerability about him that makes him both human and appealing; he has "attacks," terrible memories of his experiences during World War I. The other characters are great too. Bunter is the perfect manservant, an incarnation of Jeeves with his own flavor; Peter's mother, the Dowager Duchess, is so much fun; Mr. Thipps and his beautifully deaf mother are very well drawn and believable, right down to correcting dropped h's; and Inspector Sugg provides the requisite stupid foil for Lord Peter's brilliance. And the villain in this one is particularly chilling.
Sayers' irrepressible sense of humor is evident everywhere, both in the characters' dialogue and the wry narrative voice. I love how she describes Alfred Thipps, as a "small, nervous man, whose flaxen hair was beginning to abandon the unequal struggle with destiny." At one point Lord Peter sympathizes with the unhelpful neighbors, saying how Christian feelings really can break up one's domestic peace. Often the humor is highbrow; that is, it relies on adapted quotations from literary works or involves clever puns. The dialogue is perfect — believable and (depending on the speaker) often very witty, peppered with those Britishisms that Anglophiles like myself so enjoy.
I feel compelled to mention that there are some anti-semitic sentiments expressed in the story; at one point someone says that "one can be a Jew and still be a good man." Eep! Though perhaps that was considered a progressive statement at the time? From what I've heard, Sayers herself was not anti-semitic, but wrote her characters and settings to accurately reflect their times. It isn't overly pervasive and did not worry me overmuch, but some readers may have a problem with it.
I listened to this on audiobook, read by David Case, and I have to say he is one of the best narrators I've ever heard. He wrecks all my theories about how female narrators do better male voices than male narrators can do for female characters. Case's voice for the Duchess is so good I had to listen carefully to make sure it was still him! And he does similar wonders with the other characters. Mr. Thipps is one of my favorites, with his breathless, stop-and-go style. I wish David Case had read all the Lord Peter mysteries!
All in all, this is another brilliant one from the "Doyenne of the Golden Age of the Mystery." I will certainly revisit it; I think Sayers is one mystery author whose works won't grow stale after you know the solution. Recommended!
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depth as they went. Well, I was wrong. Whose Body? is right up there with any of Sayers' other novels, with a well-plotted mystery and fascinating yet believable characters. Sayers hit the ground running when she wrote this book.A dead man has been found reposing in the bathtub of an inoffensive little man named Mr. Thipps. What is even more ridiculous is that the dead man is wearing nothing but a pair of gold-rimmed pince-nez — which, as Lord Peter observes, are not exactly enough to satisfy the demands of modesty. Lord Peter confers with his friend Inspector Parker, who is investigating the sudden disappearance of a wealthy Jewish financier. As the story progresses, it becomes evident that the two cases are connected somehow. But how?
In this story Sayers explores at length the rising idea that conscience is a physical aberration that can be surgically removed like the appendix. I like a mystery that actually has some theory behind it, some idea that needs working out. Agatha Christie does this sometimes, only hers are psychological hypotheses rather than academic ideas.
Wikipedia informs me of a fascinating little nugget, that Sayers originally intended the man's nakedness to be a clue that he was not the missing financier; Lord Peter would have deduced this from the man's not being circumcised. But this was a little too much for the publisher at the time, and the deduction that the bathtub body is not Sir Reuben Levy is made from his calloused workman's hands.
Oh, the characters. I think they are unsurpassed in the murder mystery genre. Lord Peter is like a brainy Bertie Wooster, if such a thing can be imagined. He plays the fool the whole time right up to the end when his madness suddenly shows a highly intelligent method. Readers quickly learn that he is a character to be reckoned with (and enjoy watching other characters in the story misjudge him). And yet Lord Peter also has a vulnerability about him that makes him both human and appealing; he has "attacks," terrible memories of his experiences during World War I. The other characters are great too. Bunter is the perfect manservant, an incarnation of Jeeves with his own flavor; Peter's mother, the Dowager Duchess, is so much fun; Mr. Thipps and his beautifully deaf mother are very well drawn and believable, right down to correcting dropped h's; and Inspector Sugg provides the requisite stupid foil for Lord Peter's brilliance. And the villain in this one is particularly chilling.
Sayers' irrepressible sense of humor is evident everywhere, both in the characters' dialogue and the wry narrative voice. I love how she describes Alfred Thipps, as a "small, nervous man, whose flaxen hair was beginning to abandon the unequal struggle with destiny." At one point Lord Peter sympathizes with the unhelpful neighbors, saying how Christian feelings really can break up one's domestic peace. Often the humor is highbrow; that is, it relies on adapted quotations from literary works or involves clever puns. The dialogue is perfect — believable and (depending on the speaker) often very witty, peppered with those Britishisms that Anglophiles like myself so enjoy.
I feel compelled to mention that there are some anti-semitic sentiments expressed in the story; at one point someone says that "one can be a Jew and still be a good man." Eep! Though perhaps that was considered a progressive statement at the time? From what I've heard, Sayers herself was not anti-semitic, but wrote her characters and settings to accurately reflect their times. It isn't overly pervasive and did not worry me overmuch, but some readers may have a problem with it.
I listened to this on audiobook, read by David Case, and I have to say he is one of the best narrators I've ever heard. He wrecks all my theories about how female narrators do better male voices than male narrators can do for female characters. Case's voice for the Duchess is so good I had to listen carefully to make sure it was still him! And he does similar wonders with the other characters. Mr. Thipps is one of my favorites, with his breathless, stop-and-go style. I wish David Case had read all the Lord Peter mysteries!
All in all, this is another brilliant one from the "Doyenne of the Golden Age of the Mystery." I will certainly revisit it; I think Sayers is one mystery author whose works won't grow stale after you know the solution. Recommended!
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LibraryThing member mmyoung
Rereading Sayers’ first Wimsey book, Whose Body? reminding this reviewer why it was they had so loved this genre of story. Sayers’ writing style is unobtrusively good. One is seldom consciously aware of the fact that the author has managed to draw deep and nuanced word portraits in a few
Although the method by which the murderer carried out his plans strains credulity Sayers does not resort to the all too common plot device of a massive international criminal conspiracy that one encounters among so many of English mystery writers of this time. This murderer’s motivations are almost mundane in comparison to those found in many of the author’s contemporaries.
A number of things stand out to this reader.
First, there is a base level of anti-Semitism in the Britain of the 1920s that may take a modern reader aback. People are described as “Hebrew” as if that was an identifier no different from “blond.” And many of the characters in this book are clearly prejudiced against Jews. Yet Sir Reuben Levy, the “self-made” and wealthy Jew around whose disappearance much of the book revolves, is not characterized as miserly or money-grubbing. Yes, he holds to the personal economies that helped him become a very wealthy man but he is also shown to be extremely generous to his wife and daughter. His marriage is portrayed as happy and sound and his wife, who braved criticism when she chose to marry a Jew is shown as having never had a reason to regret that decision.
Second, near the end of this book there is a short and stunningly effective depiction of PTSD. It was at that time known as shell-shock but there can be no question that that is what Lord Peter is victim of. This PTSD functions as the reason why he sometimes withdraws in apparent fatuity. As a man who knows that deep emotions may trigger flashbacks he uses a variety of techniques to dampen down those emotions at moments of stress. This grounds Wimsey’s behaviour, and the acceptance of that behaviour on the part of those around him, not in his “class” or the fashion of his social circle but in their knowledge that he has, in a sense, earned the right to sometimes withdraw both intellectually and emotionally.
Third, Sayers treats her non-aristocratic characters as intelligent and rational people. One understands why Lord Peter would find Mr. Parker an enjoyable person to dine with. Parker himself is well-educated and is shown to read books that are as intellectually challenging as those that interest Wimsey. Indeed, when he and Lord Peter discuss the morality and rationale of detective work and law on a serious level it is often Parker who seems to make the better argument.
Bunter, is another character who, written by a lesser author, could easily fall into caricature rather than characterization. Bunter does not drop letters from his speech and fall back on cant and argot. He, it is pointed out in the text, has been educated well. And the last line in the “shell-shock” scene makes it clear that what ties Bunter to Wimsey is not loyalty based on a class relationship but the loyalty that is forged by shared experiences in combat and physical deprivation.
Whose Body? is not the “perfect” mystery novel the plot is over complicated and the denouement under impressive. This is, however, an impressive first outing for a detective, and a cast of characters, whose motivations and psychologies are better drawn in a scant few hundred pages than other authors can achieve after several books.
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sentences. Words are used carefully yet the author seldom makes a point of her erudition save for her choice not to translate the portions of a conversation that take place in French.Although the method by which the murderer carried out his plans strains credulity Sayers does not resort to the all too common plot device of a massive international criminal conspiracy that one encounters among so many of English mystery writers of this time. This murderer’s motivations are almost mundane in comparison to those found in many of the author’s contemporaries.
A number of things stand out to this reader.
First, there is a base level of anti-Semitism in the Britain of the 1920s that may take a modern reader aback. People are described as “Hebrew” as if that was an identifier no different from “blond.” And many of the characters in this book are clearly prejudiced against Jews. Yet Sir Reuben Levy, the “self-made” and wealthy Jew around whose disappearance much of the book revolves, is not characterized as miserly or money-grubbing. Yes, he holds to the personal economies that helped him become a very wealthy man but he is also shown to be extremely generous to his wife and daughter. His marriage is portrayed as happy and sound and his wife, who braved criticism when she chose to marry a Jew is shown as having never had a reason to regret that decision.
Second, near the end of this book there is a short and stunningly effective depiction of PTSD. It was at that time known as shell-shock but there can be no question that that is what Lord Peter is victim of. This PTSD functions as the reason why he sometimes withdraws in apparent fatuity. As a man who knows that deep emotions may trigger flashbacks he uses a variety of techniques to dampen down those emotions at moments of stress. This grounds Wimsey’s behaviour, and the acceptance of that behaviour on the part of those around him, not in his “class” or the fashion of his social circle but in their knowledge that he has, in a sense, earned the right to sometimes withdraw both intellectually and emotionally.
Third, Sayers treats her non-aristocratic characters as intelligent and rational people. One understands why Lord Peter would find Mr. Parker an enjoyable person to dine with. Parker himself is well-educated and is shown to read books that are as intellectually challenging as those that interest Wimsey. Indeed, when he and Lord Peter discuss the morality and rationale of detective work and law on a serious level it is often Parker who seems to make the better argument.
Bunter, is another character who, written by a lesser author, could easily fall into caricature rather than characterization. Bunter does not drop letters from his speech and fall back on cant and argot. He, it is pointed out in the text, has been educated well. And the last line in the “shell-shock” scene makes it clear that what ties Bunter to Wimsey is not loyalty based on a class relationship but the loyalty that is forged by shared experiences in combat and physical deprivation.
Whose Body? is not the “perfect” mystery novel the plot is over complicated and the denouement under impressive. This is, however, an impressive first outing for a detective, and a cast of characters, whose motivations and psychologies are better drawn in a scant few hundred pages than other authors can achieve after several books.
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LibraryThing member girlunderglass
This is the first of Dorothy L. Sayers's mysteries to feature Lord Peter Wimsey. The bored aristocrat has, apparently, no love interests to occupy his time and is in desperate need for a hobby, so he turns to crime-solving. Encouraged by his mother (who heartily approves of her son's new pursuit),
At first my only impression of the Lord Peter & Bunter team was that D.L.Sayers just plain stole them from a very popular Wodehousian series: the "-what?" that Lord Peter often adds to finish off his sentences and Bunter's concern for his master's appearance ("not those trousers sir!") ring way too many loud and annoying bells to anyone who has ever read any Wooster and Jeeves stories. Thankfully, as the plot thickens and the question of whether the two cases are related or not grows more persistent you're allowed to forget for a while about the not-particularly-great-or-original characters. The mystery is resolved neatly enough - no loose ends - but not particularly dramatically or satisfactorily either. This is only the author's first book, to be sure, and I've heard the series gets better; but I still wasn't sure whether I would continue with it or not until I read something that was only included in subsequent re-issues of the book: "a short biography of Lord Peter Wimsey...communicated by his uncle Paul Austin Delagardie." The uncle's letter informs us about Peter's years at college, about his service during the difficult years of war and about the disappointments he has suffered in his personal life. All in all, this "short biography" makes Lord P. Wimsey transcend the stereotype of the idle and rich Englishman and brings him a little closer to being a real flesh-and-bones (and-heartbreaks-and-toilet-needs- and-other-such-trivial-things) character. I think it is an indispensable part of the novel and one that managed to make up my mind about reading the rest of the series. It boils down to this: if, as it is foreshadowed by this late addition to the book, D.L.Sayers will find it worth her time to expand upon the character of her detective-hero and transform him into a real person then I don't want to miss reading all about it.
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aided by Parker (a loyal and observant police-officer) and assisted by his talented butler Bunter (Superman), Lord Peter will attempt to unveil the mystery of an unidentified man found naked in a bathtub, wearing a pince-nez and looking very dead. Only, the same night the man's body was found, someone else decided to go missing as well. Someone who wore a physical resemblance to the victim. Coincidence? One-and-the-same person? Two cases to be solved - or just one?At first my only impression of the Lord Peter & Bunter team was that D.L.Sayers just plain stole them from a very popular Wodehousian series: the "-what?" that Lord Peter often adds to finish off his sentences and Bunter's concern for his master's appearance ("not those trousers sir!") ring way too many loud and annoying bells to anyone who has ever read any Wooster and Jeeves stories. Thankfully, as the plot thickens and the question of whether the two cases are related or not grows more persistent you're allowed to forget for a while about the not-particularly-great-or-original characters. The mystery is resolved neatly enough - no loose ends - but not particularly dramatically or satisfactorily either. This is only the author's first book, to be sure, and I've heard the series gets better; but I still wasn't sure whether I would continue with it or not until I read something that was only included in subsequent re-issues of the book: "a short biography of Lord Peter Wimsey...communicated by his uncle Paul Austin Delagardie." The uncle's letter informs us about Peter's years at college, about his service during the difficult years of war and about the disappointments he has suffered in his personal life. All in all, this "short biography" makes Lord P. Wimsey transcend the stereotype of the idle and rich Englishman and brings him a little closer to being a real flesh-and-bones (and-heartbreaks-and-toilet-needs- and-other-such-trivial-things) character. I think it is an indispensable part of the novel and one that managed to make up my mind about reading the rest of the series. It boils down to this: if, as it is foreshadowed by this late addition to the book, D.L.Sayers will find it worth her time to expand upon the character of her detective-hero and transform him into a real person then I don't want to miss reading all about it.
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LibraryThing member cyderry
This is the first of the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy Sayers. It was originally published before the depression and has a distinct style that still stands up by today's standards.
Lord Peter, an unemployed aristocrat, enjoys his hobby of investigating crimes and uses his social situation (
I have heard of this series, mainly through the PBS series (which I've never seen) and decided that this was the right time to try it out. The style is sharp and amusing. Even though the story is set nearly 100 years ago, it still held my interest and entertained.
Lord Peter, an unemployed aristocrat, enjoys his hobby of investigating crimes and uses his social situation (
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the son and brother of a duke) to help Scotland Yard inspectors solve some unusual crimes. In this story a naked man is found dead in the bathtub and the Dowager Duchess (Peter's mother) asks him to search for the killer. Peter's friend Inspector Parker is searching for a missing businessman and the two decide to swap cases. Little do they know what lies ahead.I have heard of this series, mainly through the PBS series (which I've never seen) and decided that this was the right time to try it out. The style is sharp and amusing. Even though the story is set nearly 100 years ago, it still held my interest and entertained.
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LibraryThing member Herenya
I suspect I judged Whose Body? differently, after studying Victorian crime fiction - my expectations of a murder mystery have altered and the lack of main female characters and any romantic subplottheir absence did not bother me at all. The plot is intriguing - Lord Peter is looking into the case
Certain discoveries were unsurprising, and aspects about the ending weren't completely satisfactory. However, the mystery progressed quickly and it is told in such an interesting and entertaining manner that it does not really matter. Peter is a unemployed, unattached aristocrat who is amused by the intellectual challenge his hobby of investigating crimes provides - but not so much by the implications that involves catching a man who will invariably hanged. He is confident, quick-witted and sociable, with an entertaining manner of speech. His conversations with Parker and his interactions with his manservant are quite amusing.
I have managed to read the first Lord Peter Wimsey practically last, and was interested to observe Peter is portrayed as a much younger man - as he should be; Whose Body? was written (and set) over a decade before Gaudy Night*. It is interesting to see the sort of person he was; he was both more flippant and more serious than I expected him to be. I was interested that the story included information about his shell-shock and how it affects him - it makes him more human and likable, somehow.
Peter's mother, the Dowager Duchess, makes more than one appearance and is delightfully charming and verbose. Other points of interest include an interview with a medical student which is mostly written in the second person ("you" being the slightly bewildered doctor-to-be), an inquest, a detective called Sugg who embodies the "stupid police stereotype" and gets in Lord Peter's way, and the historical context - the mannerisms and social mores of the times.
I liked it a lot. It's not Gaudy Night, but it isn't trying to be. It's an entertaining mystery, and while it manages to hold up better on the "entertaining" rather than the "mystery" side of things, I see no reason to hold that against it.
* One of the last Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and one of my very favourite books.
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of a man who has been found dead in a bathtub wearing nothing but a pince-nez, and his friend Parker (who is a professional Scotland Yard detective) is looking for a missing business man. They swap notes - swap aspects of their investigations, even, and Peter begins to feel that the two are connected. Certain discoveries were unsurprising, and aspects about the ending weren't completely satisfactory. However, the mystery progressed quickly and it is told in such an interesting and entertaining manner that it does not really matter. Peter is a unemployed, unattached aristocrat who is amused by the intellectual challenge his hobby of investigating crimes provides - but not so much by the implications that involves catching a man who will invariably hanged. He is confident, quick-witted and sociable, with an entertaining manner of speech. His conversations with Parker and his interactions with his manservant are quite amusing.
I have managed to read the first Lord Peter Wimsey practically last, and was interested to observe Peter is portrayed as a much younger man - as he should be; Whose Body? was written (and set) over a decade before Gaudy Night*. It is interesting to see the sort of person he was; he was both more flippant and more serious than I expected him to be. I was interested that the story included information about his shell-shock and how it affects him - it makes him more human and likable, somehow.
Peter's mother, the Dowager Duchess, makes more than one appearance and is delightfully charming and verbose. Other points of interest include an interview with a medical student which is mostly written in the second person ("you" being the slightly bewildered doctor-to-be), an inquest, a detective called Sugg who embodies the "stupid police stereotype" and gets in Lord Peter's way, and the historical context - the mannerisms and social mores of the times.
I liked it a lot. It's not Gaudy Night, but it isn't trying to be. It's an entertaining mystery, and while it manages to hold up better on the "entertaining" rather than the "mystery" side of things, I see no reason to hold that against it.
* One of the last Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and one of my very favourite books.
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LibraryThing member JudithProctor
I've heard this novel referred to as being anti-Semitic, but I can't see it myself. Sir Reuben Levy is portrayed as a man who was devoted to his wife and daughter and loved by them in return. His (Gentile) wife fell in love with him before he made his money. He was known to the local prostitutes as
There are characters in the novel who have a bias against Jews, but they are not the writer. Interestingly enough, it is clear that the prejudices of Whimsey's own family are class-based, not racial. They don't like 'new money' and self-made men. That's old money and landed gentry speaking.
Overall, it's a good novel, but it does show some of the defects of being a first novel. The murder's written confession at the end is rather clumsy.
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the sea-green incorruptible because he had no interest in them at all.There are characters in the novel who have a bias against Jews, but they are not the writer. Interestingly enough, it is clear that the prejudices of Whimsey's own family are class-based, not racial. They don't like 'new money' and self-made men. That's old money and landed gentry speaking.
Overall, it's a good novel, but it does show some of the defects of being a first novel. The murder's written confession at the end is rather clumsy.
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LibraryThing member ctpress
Overall I enjoyed this first introduction to Lord Peter Wimsey. The plot and the investigation was uneven - and it was slow getting of the ground the first half - the murderer and his last confession although was a real payoff - chilling - brilliantly executed.
I liked the main characters. Rich and
Also I liked the many literary references (Wimsey with his obsesion with old Dante folios) and his love for good food and wine - and Wimsey’s mother Honoria Delagardie also prove to be a wonderful eccentric character with an old school victorian approach to things.
Don’t you just want to visit Lord Peter Wimsey’s expensive flat in Piccadilly 110A (funny reference to Baker Street 220B):
“Lord Peter’s library was one of the most delightful bachelor rooms in London. Its scheme was black and primrose; its walls were lined with rare editions, and its chairs and Chesterfield sofa suggested the embraces of the houris. In one corner stood a black baby grand, a wood fire leaped on a wide old-fashioned hearth, and the Sèvres vases on the chimneypiece were filled with ruddy and gold chrysanthemums. To the eyes of the young man who was ushered in from the raw November fog it seemed not only rare and unattainable, but friendly and familiar, like a colorful and gilded paradise in a medieval painting”.
I liked the main characters. Rich and
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whimsical Wimsey and his “brothers in arms”, Mervyn Bunter, the ingenious manservant, and the theology-reading inspector Parker. Looks very promising. It was almost farcical at times the exchange between Wimsey and Bunter - reminding me of Wodehouse’s Jeevies and Wooster.Also I liked the many literary references (Wimsey with his obsesion with old Dante folios) and his love for good food and wine - and Wimsey’s mother Honoria Delagardie also prove to be a wonderful eccentric character with an old school victorian approach to things.
Don’t you just want to visit Lord Peter Wimsey’s expensive flat in Piccadilly 110A (funny reference to Baker Street 220B):
“Lord Peter’s library was one of the most delightful bachelor rooms in London. Its scheme was black and primrose; its walls were lined with rare editions, and its chairs and Chesterfield sofa suggested the embraces of the houris. In one corner stood a black baby grand, a wood fire leaped on a wide old-fashioned hearth, and the Sèvres vases on the chimneypiece were filled with ruddy and gold chrysanthemums. To the eyes of the young man who was ushered in from the raw November fog it seemed not only rare and unattainable, but friendly and familiar, like a colorful and gilded paradise in a medieval painting”.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I was looking forward to my first sampling of Dorothy L. Sayers. Whose Body?, the first book in her Lord Peter Wimsey series was published in 1923 and this series went on to establish her as on of the greatest mystery writers of her time. The book started off well with the discovery of a unknown
I had a little trouble warming to Lord Peter Wimsey, at first I found him to be very brittle and supercilious. Then at the end of Chapter 8 an event happens which explained a lot about the inner workings of this man.However, I totally fell in love with his admirable valet/sidekick Bunter. How I would love to have such a competent, caring man overseeing every detail of my life! The other character introduced in this book that is worth her weight in gold is Wimsey’s mother, the Dowager Duchess.
I found this book an enjoyable read, the mystery was good, although I did figure it out quickly. I enjoyed the setting of 1920’s London and the glimpses of fashion, food and pastimes. The characters are interesting and I am looking forward to seeing what they get up to in future books.
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naked man in a bathtub, at the same time a well known financier went suddenly missing, could these two cases be connected?I had a little trouble warming to Lord Peter Wimsey, at first I found him to be very brittle and supercilious. Then at the end of Chapter 8 an event happens which explained a lot about the inner workings of this man.However, I totally fell in love with his admirable valet/sidekick Bunter. How I would love to have such a competent, caring man overseeing every detail of my life! The other character introduced in this book that is worth her weight in gold is Wimsey’s mother, the Dowager Duchess.
I found this book an enjoyable read, the mystery was good, although I did figure it out quickly. I enjoyed the setting of 1920’s London and the glimpses of fashion, food and pastimes. The characters are interesting and I am looking forward to seeing what they get up to in future books.
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LibraryThing member Jim53
Sayers's first Lord Peter Wimsey mystery lacks the calm assurance and mature style of most of the later entries, but it does have its charms. Foremost among these are the characters, particularly Lord Peter himself, his mother, and his manservant Mervyn Bunter. The mystery itself is interesting,
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involving two cases which might not be related at all--but we see Lord Peter's ability to make connections, perhaps his greatest strength as a sleuth and solver of puzzles. He follows his deductions to improbable but ultimately correct conclusions. Worth reading just to see the introduction of the great character who will star in so many excellent sequels. Show Less
LibraryThing member sussabmax
I had high hopes for this one, because I love British murder mystery series, and I was hoping to find a new one to enjoy. Honestly, though, I was a bit underwhelmed. The mystery was clever enough, but hard to get close to. I just didn't care that much about it, it seemed more an academic problem.
Still, this is a first novel, and I have hopes that the series will get better. I will probably continue reading, but I think I will look for later books in the library rather than purchasing them.
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This was probably largely due to the character of Lord Peter Wimsey, who seemed to treat the mystery as pretty much the same as buying books for his collection--something to pass the time, and only worthy of doing to the extent that he finds it interesting or unusual. True, most people do choose their hobbies that way, but there is something a bit off-putting about someone who judges a murder for it's oddity level before deciding to investigate, especially when he is called on by someone who is counting on him for help out of a tight spot. One gets the impression that if Mr. Thipps had called to ask for help because his maid had been murdered, and Lord Peter had showed up and determined that it was just a boring domestic crime, he would have been happy to let Mr. Thipps rot in jail whether he had committed the crime or not.Still, this is a first novel, and I have hopes that the series will get better. I will probably continue reading, but I think I will look for later books in the library rather than purchasing them.
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LibraryThing member Crowyhead
I decided it's time to re-read the Lord Peter mysteries, in publication order. This one is a lot of fun, and Sayers deftly sets up the elements and characters that will serve so well in the coming novels: Bunter, who is capable, efficient, and secretly soft-hearted; Detective Parker, stolid but an
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excellent detective in his own right; the delightful Dowager Duchess; and of course Lord Peter Wimsey himself, both fascinated by crime and conflicted by the idea that his hobby of choice is putting people behind bars. Show Less
LibraryThing member countrylife
My first foray into the world of audio books and I found it hugely enjoyable. The narrator provided unique characters, and the story unfolded under her voice very nicely. And yet, I had no pages to mark, no notes to take; I am undone!
This is a book that I've seen recommended over and again through
This is a book that I've seen recommended over and again through
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LT, so I was anxious to give it a try. Though written in the 1920s and set in England, a setting and era not familiar to me, I enjoyed the story very much. A murder mystery well written and narrated. (3.4 stars) Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I remember adoring Sayers and her Lord Wimsey, but I admit upon reacquaintance I found his aristocratic manner irksome at first, and I was put off with his attitude that this was a hobby and puzzle. It's akin to an attitude you see in Sherlock Holmes, but somehow seemed more callous in a wealthy
However, more and more as I read the novel it came back to me why I did love Sayers' Wimsey novels, and I got glints of why eventually Wimsey is more than a dilettante, yet a charmer. The mystery plot hangs together well, but what's most striking is that there's a lightness, a deft humor and wordplay that sets Sayers apart from Christie or Doyle. I should mention there are anti-semitic views expressed by characters in this book--but given the positive depiction of the Jewish character in the book, I think that's meant to reflect on those characters and the times, and not the views of the author.
And there's something wonderful to look forward to in the later novels when his love, Harriet Vane, comes upon the scene.
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aristocrat who seems equally as diverted by collecting rare books. However, more and more as I read the novel it came back to me why I did love Sayers' Wimsey novels, and I got glints of why eventually Wimsey is more than a dilettante, yet a charmer. The mystery plot hangs together well, but what's most striking is that there's a lightness, a deft humor and wordplay that sets Sayers apart from Christie or Doyle. I should mention there are anti-semitic views expressed by characters in this book--but given the positive depiction of the Jewish character in the book, I think that's meant to reflect on those characters and the times, and not the views of the author.
And there's something wonderful to look forward to in the later novels when his love, Harriet Vane, comes upon the scene.
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LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
I must admit that my familiarity with Lord Peter Wimsey began with the Masterpiece Theater series of mysteries featuring the character, although I didn't watch them all that much. I think I was too young at the time to really appreciate him. Later I read Gaudy Night and fell in love with him and
Whose Body? is Sayers' first installment in the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. In it we are introduced to the characters who will recur throughout the books - in particular, Lord Peter and his man - Bunter. I know lots of people consider Jeeves from PG Wodehouse's books to be the quintessential butler, but for me it's Bunter. Bunter was Lord Peter's batman during the Great War. Bunter saved Lord Peter's life during the war and their partnership continues after the war. Bunter is the butler's butler - a man filled with dignity, grace, and impeccable taste. He is a talented photographer and forensic scientist and becomes Lord Peter's partner in crimesolving throughout the books.
Whose Body? is a closed room myster - a naked, unidentified man found in a bath wearing a pair of golden pince nez. Sayers takes this very simple premise and expands it into an entertaining and turntwisting whodunit. A wonderful read and a taste of what was to come.
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with the book. It's a novel not quite like anything else, a truly intellectual romance, an exploration of cloistered academic life, and a mystery tied up into a beautiful homage to Oxford and the possibility of returning home. After that I read Busman's Holiday, but never any of the real mysteries - those without Harriet Vane.Whose Body? is Sayers' first installment in the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. In it we are introduced to the characters who will recur throughout the books - in particular, Lord Peter and his man - Bunter. I know lots of people consider Jeeves from PG Wodehouse's books to be the quintessential butler, but for me it's Bunter. Bunter was Lord Peter's batman during the Great War. Bunter saved Lord Peter's life during the war and their partnership continues after the war. Bunter is the butler's butler - a man filled with dignity, grace, and impeccable taste. He is a talented photographer and forensic scientist and becomes Lord Peter's partner in crimesolving throughout the books.
Whose Body? is a closed room myster - a naked, unidentified man found in a bath wearing a pair of golden pince nez. Sayers takes this very simple premise and expands it into an entertaining and turntwisting whodunit. A wonderful read and a taste of what was to come.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
Not nearly as good as most of the later Wimsey stories, but the framework is there. An entirely decent quick read, though.
LibraryThing member weird_O
[Whose Body?] is a clever whodunit written in the early 1920s by a respected student of classical and modern languages named Dorothy L. Sayers. The book introduced a British amateur sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, and Sayers would go on to write 10 more novels and many short stories featuring him.
A naked corpse is discovered in his bathtub by a meek and mild architect. He, Mr. Alfred Thipps by name, has no idea who the dead man is or how his corpse got into his tub. Wimsey gets involved at the behest of his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, who had work—now interrupted—being done by Thipps. The cop assigned to the case, Inspector Sugg, is of course an uncooperative dolt, ill-disposed to Lord Peter, intent upon pinning the crime on Thipps or his housemaid Gladys Horrocks. An investigator named Parker drops by Wimsey's home to compare notes, as he's assigned to look into the disappearance of Sir Reuben Levy, a respected financier. The body in the tub, Parker has established, is not Levy. Working together, Wimsey and Parker work out the puzzle.
One facet of Lord Peter's personality that I liked was his candor and openness to guidance and even correction. When Wimsey talks to Parker about someone he suspects, the detective asks: "Look here, Wimsey—do you think he has murdered Levy?"
"Well, he may have."
"But do you think he has?"
"I don't want to think so."
"Because he has taken a fancy to you?"
"Well, that biases me, of course—"
...
"But perhaps I'm wrong and he did do it."
"Then why let your vainglorious conceit in your own power of estimating character stand in the way of unmasking the singularly cold-blooded murder of an innocent and lovable man?"
"I know—but I don't feel I'm playing the game somehow."
"Look here, Peter," said the other with some earnestness, "suppose you get this playing-fields-of-Eton complex out of your system once and for all. There doesn't seem to be much doubt that something unpleasant has happened to Sir Reuben Levy. Call it murder, to strengthen the argument. If Sir Reuben has been murdered, is it a game? and is it fair to treat it as a game?"
"That's what I'm ashamed of, really," said Lord Peter. "It is a game to me, to begin with, and I go on cheerfully, and then I suddenly see that somebody is going to be hurt, and I want to get out of it."
No Hercule Poirot is Lord Peter Wimsey. Refreshing. I'ma gonna read more of him.
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According to Wikipedia, Sayers imagined her creation as a mix of Fred Astaire and Bertie Wooster. Yeah, I can see that. About this book:A naked corpse is discovered in his bathtub by a meek and mild architect. He, Mr. Alfred Thipps by name, has no idea who the dead man is or how his corpse got into his tub. Wimsey gets involved at the behest of his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, who had work—now interrupted—being done by Thipps. The cop assigned to the case, Inspector Sugg, is of course an uncooperative dolt, ill-disposed to Lord Peter, intent upon pinning the crime on Thipps or his housemaid Gladys Horrocks. An investigator named Parker drops by Wimsey's home to compare notes, as he's assigned to look into the disappearance of Sir Reuben Levy, a respected financier. The body in the tub, Parker has established, is not Levy. Working together, Wimsey and Parker work out the puzzle.
One facet of Lord Peter's personality that I liked was his candor and openness to guidance and even correction. When Wimsey talks to Parker about someone he suspects, the detective asks: "Look here, Wimsey—do you think he has murdered Levy?"
"Well, he may have."
"But do you think he has?"
"I don't want to think so."
"Because he has taken a fancy to you?"
"Well, that biases me, of course—"
...
"But perhaps I'm wrong and he did do it."
"Then why let your vainglorious conceit in your own power of estimating character stand in the way of unmasking the singularly cold-blooded murder of an innocent and lovable man?"
"I know—but I don't feel I'm playing the game somehow."
"Look here, Peter," said the other with some earnestness, "suppose you get this playing-fields-of-Eton complex out of your system once and for all. There doesn't seem to be much doubt that something unpleasant has happened to Sir Reuben Levy. Call it murder, to strengthen the argument. If Sir Reuben has been murdered, is it a game? and is it fair to treat it as a game?"
"That's what I'm ashamed of, really," said Lord Peter. "It is a game to me, to begin with, and I go on cheerfully, and then I suddenly see that somebody is going to be hurt, and I want to get out of it."
No Hercule Poirot is Lord Peter Wimsey. Refreshing. I'ma gonna read more of him.
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LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
Funny, I just started reading this series at around the same time I started reading the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin books, and I feel the same way about them . These books are literature disguised as genre novels! The language is fantastic, and I love how Sayers introduces the idea that Wimsey
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suffered from PTSD after WWI. I hope that is explored more in future books. Show Less
LibraryThing member angharad_reads
Much better than the book I read next (Five Red Herrings). Had some Dowager Duchess, besides the piffle. Somewhat obvious motive for the crime, but it was fun watching them make sure about the means and so on. Also some amusing offscreen gore at the end.
LibraryThing member MrsLee
One of the best first lines ever. "Oh damn". It begins as a bit of a farce, but by the end of the book, things are very sober indeed. A great study on the debate, Do we have the right to take another man's life? Do we have the capability to assign value, high or low to another's life? A great story.
LibraryThing member mdomsky
It all started when Lord Peter Wimsey's mother phoned him to tell him she couldn't have tea with the church's architect that morning as he'd found a body in his bath tub. The infinitely resourceful Lord Peter worms his way into the murder investigation for a lark, and feels obligated to continue
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since he's convinced the police have made a mistake. Set in the London of the 1920s, this story is crackling with droll British humor, and only the first in a fantastic series of classic mysteries. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathy89
Lord Peter helps the police solve the murder of a dead body (wearing only a pince-nez) in the bathtub of an architect friend of his mother's. Silly, bored aristocracy humor of the time.
LibraryThing member horacewimsey
The first of the Lord Peter Wimsey series. We are introduced to the aristocratic sleuth when a body mysteriously appears in someone's bath. Lord Peter and his man Bunter go about in search of the murderer. And make no mistake, they find him.
A good read. Sayers, true-to-form, delivers a good story
A good read. Sayers, true-to-form, delivers a good story
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with great characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
The first of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels and one which starts the series on a high. Wimsey is confronted with two seemingly baffling mysteries which he, of course, solves in his usual inimitable style. What I particularly liked about this novel is how clearly the Wimsey's relationships with his
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friends and family are defined, his strained relationship with his brother and his closeness to his mother, his friendship with Parker and last, but not least, the wonderous Bunter whose talents and capabilities seem to have no limit. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Parts of this mystery are quick enjoyable - Lord Peter can be amusing, I quite liked his mother, and the mystery began as a promising puzzle. However, the puzzle quickly resolved itself and the final chapter where everthing is explained was a little too long. Would like to try another and see if
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the mysteries get better. Show Less
LibraryThing member lilithcat
Lord Peter Wimsey is on his way to a rare book auction when his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, calls him with an emergency. It seems the architect who is working on the church roof has found a body in his bath! As Lord Peter sets out to solve this mystery, his friend, Inspector Parker, is
The first Lord Peter Wimsey novel. Good, but the best was yet to come.
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confronted with the mysterious disappearance of a prominent financier. Can the two be connected? And what of the prominent nerve specialist who, in their youth, had hoped to marry the financier's wife?The first Lord Peter Wimsey novel. Good, but the best was yet to come.
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1923-05
Physical description
191 p.; 17.7 cm
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en mand med lorgnetter, der ligger i et badekar
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Whose Body" af Henning Næsted
Gutenberg, bind 58820
Side 83: Som i alle domkirkebyer var også her atmosfæren fra kirkens omgivelser trængt ind i hver eneste krog og hjørne af Salisbury, og det var, som om al mad i byen havde en svag afsmag af salmebøger.
Side 179: Michael Finsbury (Fra Robert Louis Stevenson: The Wrong Box)
Side 179: Hvad der bringer folk i galgen, er den uheldige omstændighed, at de føler sig betynget af brøden.
Omslaget viser en mand med lorgnetter, der ligger i et badekar
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Whose Body" af Henning Næsted
Gutenberg, bind 58820
Side 83: Som i alle domkirkebyer var også her atmosfæren fra kirkens omgivelser trængt ind i hver eneste krog og hjørne af Salisbury, og det var, som om al mad i byen havde en svag afsmag af salmebøger.
Side 179: Michael Finsbury (Fra Robert Louis Stevenson: The Wrong Box)
Side 179: Hvad der bringer folk i galgen, er den uheldige omstændighed, at de føler sig betynget af brøden.
Other editions
Peter Wimsey vækker politiet by Dorothy L. Sayers (Paperback)
Similar in this library
Series
Pages
191
DDC/MDS
| 813 |