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Fiction. Mystery. HTML: In three stories, Lord Peter Wimsey confronts land barons, killers�??and fatherhood: "One of the most skillful of mystery writers" (The New York Times). For decades, Lord Peter Wimsey has made life tough for England's criminal class. In town and country he solved some of the most baffling mysteries of the Jazz Age, facing down killers armed only with wit, charm, and a keen nose for deception. His work brought him 1 great reward: the love of beautiful mystery novelist Harriet Vane. After years of pleading, he has finally convinced her to marry him. Now the real adventure begins. In the final 3 Wimsey stories, Lord Peter confronts land barons, killers, and the terror that comes from raising 3 young sons. Through it all, his clear thinking never fails him, and he solves these last puzzles as successfully as he did his 1st. He may be a family man now, but like good wine, a great detective only gets better with age. Striding Folly is the 15th 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 College.… (more)
User reviews
I wasn't overly impressed with the mysteries, but they're a wonderful excuse for the scenes describing Peter's and Harriet's marriage. What is it about the relationship between these two characters that is so riveting? It's humorous and secure and intelligent, and just so much fun. Peter's reaction to his wife's labor and the subsequent production of an heir is especially priceless. There is also some highly amusing snark directed at modern attempts to reinvent traditional child-rearing.
I can't comment on Janet Hitchman's introduction to this volume, as I skipped it on principle when I read the stories. I'm sure it's quite illuminating, but the book has gone mysteriously missing since I read it, so my good intentions of returning to the introduction are all in vain. Alas, I'm left to my own analysis, and so I say: this is not the best of the Lord Peter books, not by a long shot. But it's a a quick and entertaining read that Sayers fans will enjoy.
These stories aren't the best of Sayers work. However, I enjoyed them particularly for their portrayal of Wimsey's family life. This wouldn't be the place to start the Wimsey books, but most Sayers fans will want this in their collections. I found Ian Carmichael's narration difficult to follow in the car. His voice is low-pitched and breathy, and road noise often made it hard to distinguish some of the words. I'll be looking for a print copy to read the parts that I missed on the audio version.
I listened to this, just like I'll be listening to a few other hallowed crime authors to give them a chance, but certainly this did nothing to change my mind; this remains a genre I can live without.
The degree to which Wimsey's life is cushioned by money and privilege is not a minor detail in theses stories. Without hat privilege, access and special treatment nothing that happened could have happened. The reader of these stories is no less required to suspend their rationality than is the reader of most science fiction stories.
That said, as a long time fan of Wimsey and Sayers I found these stories lightly enjoyable although not worth rereading.
I much preferred the second 2 (The Haunted Policeman & Talboys) to the somewhat odd first story (Striding Folly). I particularly liked the way Lord Peter and his eldest son worked together at the end of Talboys!
The title
The final story reads as allegory about the role of society and the family in the rearing of children, with interferring society embodied in the visiting Miss Quirk, who neither Wimsey nor his wife Harriet seem to have any real connection with, but who has been foisted upon them. Woven in amongst the mystery of who, exactly, has stolen which of a neighours peaches, is a pointed commentary on discipline of children and the long-term effects thereof. I'm not convinced that the arguments necessarily held up at the time of writing, and they are very much contrary to what I consider to be current child-rearing wisdom, but as extremes of view and arguments either way, there is an interesting juxtaposition.
Problems? There wasn't much mystery or suspense. Or maybe Wimsey just doesn't work as well in a shorter format, at least not for me. Or maybe my tastes have changed four decades later. I have no plans for a reread of what I considered to be pablum.
“The Haunted Policeman” takes place immediately following the birth of Lord Peter and Harriet’s first son. A shaken Lord Peter steps outside for a smoke and encounters a policeman new to the beat. The policeman is rattled about something he has just witnessed, and Lord Peter loosens his tongue with celebratory champagne. An easily solved puzzle is just what Lord Peter needs to relieve the stress that built up during his anxiety for Harriet’s well-being during her hours of labor and childbirth.
“Talboys” is my favorite of the three stories. Seven years after their honeymoon at Talboys, Lord Peter and Harriet are on holiday there with their three young sons. The eldest, Bredon, gets into mischief with a neighbor’s peaches. No harm is done and all is forgiven. However, the very next night all of the peaches on the tree disappear. Lord Peter and Harriet’s unwanted house guest, Miss Quirk, insists that she can prove that Bredon is guilty this time, too. Lord Peter must find out what really happened to the peaches in order to prove Bredon’s innocence. Father and son get into some shared mischief in the process. Lord Peter is at his best when he converses with children, and it’s satisfying to me that the Wimsey canon closes with this glimpse of Peter as a father.
The final 3 short stories about Lord Peter.
I much preferred the second 2 (The Haunted Policeman & Talboys) to the somewhat odd first story (Striding Folly). I particularly liked the way Lord Peter and his eldest son worked together at the end of Talboys!
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Fic Mystery Sayers |