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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Am My Brother's Keeper, February 23, 2002
Dorothy Sayers' second Lord Peter Wimsey novel comes in on a more serious note. Wimsey, just returned from a long rest in Corsica, finds himself embroiled in a murder far closer to home. While staying at a hunting lodge with friends Peter's brother Gerald has gotten tangled up in a murder, and has become the chief suspect. To make matters more complicated, the victim is their sister Mary's ex-fiancée. Very recently ex, as a matter of fact. The murder was done shortly after Gerald has thrown him out of the house as a card cheat. When an alibi is demanded, Gerald refuses to give one, and so is charged with the crime. As he is the Duke of Denver, Gerald's case will not be heard in court, but before the House of Lords. Lord Peter is confronted with a case in which the accused seems bound and determined to get himself hung. Gerald offers no help to his brother, the police, or even Impey Biggs, his barrister. Peter and his long time friend Inspector Parker, are left with only faint clues and surmises as the basis for building a defense. It quickly becomes apparent that there is guilt everywhere. Denis Cathcart, the victim, had lived a suspicious life in Paris, Lady Mary has complicated ties to the British socialist movement, and Gerald, if he wasn't killing Cathcart, had to be doing something he didn't want to reveal. Wimsey and Parker find a surplus of suspicious behavior, in England and abroad, but the puzzle refuses to be unlocked. Worse, those mysteries they can solve do nothing to help Gerald. Time marches inexorably on, and Lord Peter must make a last minute race against time in an effort to solve the mystery. Despite the seriousness of this case, with all its lurking tragedies, Lord Peter retains his sarcastic style, providing both comic relief and the insights of the master detective. This time however he does reveal more of serious side, leaving behind his facetious exterior as he displays new depth. Sayers, of course, continues to write brilliantly, providing finely grained characters and a wonderful sense of place. An unexpected side romance shows signs of beginning, which will delight the readers, as Inspector Parker leaves behind theology long enough to embarrass himself. The Wimsey novels can be read in any order, although the latter part of the series does have some thematic material with develops over several volumes. The early novels are independent tales, and I exhort the reader to start with whatever is at hand. In little time you will find yourself addicted to an England that never really was, but certainly should have been.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The ideal introduction to Wimsey and his world, December 16, 2000
This is one of my three favorite Lord Peter Wimsey novels (the other two are The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and Murder Must Advertise), and unless you plan to read the entire series (in which case you should start with Unnatural Death), it's the best introduction to Wimsey and his world, as it revolves around his brother Gerald, the Duke of Denver, being accused of murdering their sister Mary's fiance. It also features Wimsey's friend Chief Inspector Parker, as well as introducing several recurring characters. Unlike Unnatural Death, where Wimsey seems more devil-may-care and speaks in more slang-y sentences, this book shows a more mature Wimsey who's fully aware of his duties to his family and the responsibilities of his position in life (an occasional theme in the series), and we see that Wimsey is far from being merely a man about London. The mystery itself is one of the more clever ones in the series, revolving around holes in Gerald's testimony which Wimsey must investigate, as well as the background of the murder victim, although the final resolution seems not to completely justify the build-up. (This is common in Sayers' mysteries; the setting and characters tend to be stronger than the puzzle driving the plot.) Overall, though, it's an entertaining book, featuring more moments of dramatic suspense than in the later novels, making it perhaps the most well-rounded Wimsey adventure.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Shades of the Future, July 3, 2004
Clouds of Witness is a good book, but not among Sayers best. Written early in her career, the story allows one to feel that there will be greater books yet to come, but this - alas - is not that book. The book suffers mainly because it feels as if Sayers is emulating other writers (at one point Wimsey refers to his "gray cells"), and not trusting her own voice enough. It's understandable, given that this is her sophomore outing, but it's regrettable that it isn't quite what a modern reader might think of as a "Dorothy L. Sayers mystery." The characters, women particularly, are well fleshed-out stereotypes. We have the noble fool (Lady Mary), the gold-digger (Simone Vonderaa), and the caged bird set free (Mrs. Grimethorpe). Even the legal team of Murbles and Biggs are set at the far ends of the spectrum of lawyerly caricature (Biggs' closing argument is an especially hammy monologue). While it's nice to meet Wimsey's family, the rest of the hunting party is mostly useless (murder victim excepted). Wimsey and D.I. Parker's camaraderie is enjoyable, though the latter likely has a conflict of interest - doubly so, given his attraction to Lady Mary, Wimsey's sister and the deceased's fiancée. My greatest frustration with the book has to do with the way the emerald-eyed cat charm is handled. Although its ownership is proven relatively early in the book Wimsey and Parker keep trying to determine if it belonged to someone else. It seems Sayers wants it to be a red herring, but in light of the fact that we know whose it is - as do Wimsey and Parker - it just doesn't work. Sayers also tries her hand at adventure writing, most notably in the "foggy bog" and "trans-Atlantic flight" scenes; in these she succeeds and it's a pity that in the future these dramatic touches are saved mainly for scenes involving the detective and his Daimler. Even though the book has several shortcomings it's still an entertaining piece of writing. It does better at charting the rise of one of England's finest authors than as a literary masterpiece in its own right, but for all that Sayers fans should be sure not to overlook this early treasure.
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