Lord Peter Views the Body [Paperback]

Dorothy L. Sayers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1986

One solution requires expertise in fine wines; another calls on his knowledge of fine art. Lord Peter has the knack of being on the spot at just the right time to spot a thief or blackmail a blackmailer. Or even prevent a murder . . .Whatever the occasion, the aristocratic detective uses his razor-sharp mind and unerring instincts to unmask the guilty and go to the aid of their victims.One solution requires expertise in fine wines; another calls on his knowledge of fine art. Lord Peter has the knack of being on the spot at just the right time to spot a thief or blackmail a blackmailer. Or even prevent a murder . . .

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lord Peter Views the Body is a collection of the early adventures of Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayers's upper-class detective. Those already familiar with Wimsey's foibles and illustrious career from Sayers's full-length novels, will meet the "early" Lord Peter here. At this period, his character still alternates between being a "silly ass" (to quote his own description) and a superhero of detection. Regular listeners will find that several of the stories are surprisingly graphic and creepy. The insanely jealous artist who makes his own furniture ("The Abominable History of the Man with the Copper Fingers") is someone Alfred Hitchcock would have liked to meet, and the tale of great-uncle Joseph's legacy to his grand-nephew ("The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach") requires a strong stomach. The solutions to these problems test Wimsey's acting ability, his counterespionage skills, his knowledge of metallurgy, and his palate for fine wines ("The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba"). He even solves one crime ("The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face") without having ever seen the body, the clues, the scene of the murder, or any of the possible suspects. Actor Ian Carmichael's fluid reading allows the listener to appreciate fully Sayers's skill with language and vocabulary. Oddly, although this audiobook is marketed as "unabridged," there are only nine mysteries here; the complete print version contains 12. One of the missing tales concerns the visual clues involved in a complex crossword puzzle, so it is not hard to understand why that one has been deleted. Originally produced in 1993, these tapes have been repackaged into a flimsy cardboard box. Most libraries will want to move the cassettes into a sturdier case that will hold up to circulation. Recommended where the works of Sayers are popular. Barbara L. Rhodes, Northeast Texas Lib. Syst., Garland
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.' -- P. D. James 'I admire her novels ... she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail' -- Ruth Rendell 'D. L. Sayers is one of the best detective story writers.' -- E. C. Bentley, Daily Telegraph --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperPerennial (September 30, 1986)
• ISBN-10: 006080839X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060808396
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,371,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Wimsey's short stories, December 1, 2001

By 

Michele L. Worley (Kingdom of the Mouse, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord Peter Views the Body (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries) (Paperback)

The otherwise excellent 'unabridged' audio edition (read by Ian Carmichael, who portrayed Lord Peter in most of the adaptations of Sayers' novels) actually omitted 3 of these 12 stories, although the rest were indeed unabridged.

The complete set of short stories can only be found in the _Lord Peter_ collection; apart from that, this volume is the largest single batch. They don't overlap with _Hangman's Holiday_ or _In the Teeth of the Evidence_, which contain both Wimsey and non-Wimsey stories.

"The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers" - Varden, an American actor and a guest of one of Lord Peter's friends at the Egotists' Club, tells a story of an encounter with a mysterious stranger years before. A good story; Sayers' rare American characters are much better than, e.g. Christie's, although Varden does slip occasionally into British colloquialisms.

"The Entertaining Episode of the Article in Question" - Omitted from the 'unabridged' audio edition, Heaven only knows why. The affair of the Attenbury diamonds, so often mentioned elsewhere as the beginning of Lord Peter's career in detection. A word of warning - Sayers never provided English translations of French dialogue unless forced to do so by her publishers, so part of one scene may be incomprehensible to the reader.

"The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager's Will" - "A woman who pretends to be serious is wasting her time and spoiling her appearance. I consider that you have wasted your time to a really shocking extent. Accordingly, I intend to conceal this will, and that in such a manner that you will certainly never find it unless by the exercise of a sustained frivolity." This letter threw down a gauntlet for Hannah Marryat, one of Lady Mary's terribly earnest Radical friends (who will otherwise lose the money to the Primrose League via an earlier will). Very enjoyable; a shame it wasn't included in the audio edition (it involves a visual clue).

"The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag" - One motorcyclist chases another all along the Great North Road, followed by Lord Peter's Daimler, in pursuit of a small bag. But instead of the Dowager's jewelry stolen from Lord Peter in Piccadilly, the bag contains a woman's severed head. Which of the denials of ownership is a lie?

"The Unprincipled Affair of the Practical Joker" - Mrs. Ruyslander is the victim of the bald-faced theft of two items: the 'Light of Africa' (a diamond necklace of 115 stones), and a small portrait 'with an inscription that nothing, *nothing*, could ever explain away.' Lord Peter tackles the job of retrieving them from the thief without exposing Mrs. Ruyslander's secret.

"The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention" - ENORMOUS, for a 'short' story, and not really worth the trip. Lord Peter's hosts are on the stuffy (and in one instance, spiteful) side, and gossipy, which gives us the background on the local rich old reprobate whose funeral is on the morrow. The mystery here isn't about the death, but who steals the body, and why. Sayers throws in a good bit of supposedly supernatural hocus-pocus for trimming. Although the old man's sons are named Martin and Haviland, they're not related to the 'Haviland Martin' in _Have His Carcase_. (This one *wasn't* cut from the audio edition; I'd have traded it gladly for the 3 that were, visual clues notwithstanding.)

"The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran" - On a hot June day in 1921, Lord Peter and Bunter have called at the home of a medical friend, a Bloomsbury G.P. who appreciates Bunter's photography of his experiments. Throughout their conversation and the meal, Lord Peter notices the footsteps of the doctor's neighbours on the floor overhead - which end in murder.

"The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste" - One of Lord Peter's government errands, for the War Office this time; he is to purchase a formula for poison gas. Some bright person sold out, however; two Lord Peters show up at the scientist's country estate in France (as a titled Royalist, he offers no allegiance to the upstart French government). The story follows Death Bredon, a 3rd party carrying a letter of introduction. Le comte proposes to find the real Lord Peter with an impromptu wine-tasting competition.

"The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head" - Introducing St. George, staying with his uncle Peter during an outbreak of measles at prep school, as well as Lord Peter's first meeting with Bill Rumm. St. George buys a damaged rare book (nearly all the double-page maps having been torn out) which the bookseller picked up at an estate sale. The audio edition omitted this story, probably because the "treasure map" on which the story turns is a visual clue.

"The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach" - 95-year-old Great-Uncle Joseph left medical student Thomas Macpherson only one thing - his digestive system in a bottle - before jumping out a 6th-storey window after a stroke. "He left a letter. Said he had never been ill in his life and wasn't going to begin now." Lord Peter takes an interest after Mac (a fishing buddy) mentions that cousin Robert, the residuary legatee, can't find most of the old man's assets. You really should listen to Carmichael's narration of this one. :)

"The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face" - A strangler left the corpse on the beach at East Felpham, face mutilated beyond recognition. The story begins with several strangers on a train discussing the newspaper headlines - one of whom turns out to be Lord Peter, and another the inspector in charge of the case.

"The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba" - Begins with a newspaper account of Lord Peter's will, mentioning his death at age 37 in a hunting accident in Tanganyika. Rogers, upon reading the story, breathes a sigh of relief and proceeds with his plans to join a criminal mastermind's burglary & blackmail organization. The story follows Rogers, rather than the efforts of the Law.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Collection, August 6, 2001

By 

Matthew Gladney (Champaign-Urbana, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord Peter Views the Body (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

'Lord Peter Views the Body' comprises twelve short stories of mystery. They are well-structured, well-written little puzzlers, though some are definitely more engaging than others. There are no bad stories here (of course not! this is Dorothy L. Sayers, after all), but a couple leave only a mark of complancency, rather than intrigue.

With these twelve little morsels, Sayers shows a side of Wimsey not often explored in the full-length novels. We see Wimsey, the affable protagonist, involved in cases ranging from the flimsy, to the bizarre, to the positively horrific. There are stories concerned with solving crossword puzzles, preventing a theft, witnessing a ghostly apparition in the form of a headless horseman carriage, and even a tale which includes THREE Lord Peter Wimseys!

My paperback copy professes, on the rear teaser, that Wimsey views the body in twelve different ways. This is somewhat misleading, as not every one of the twelve stories is an actual *murder* mystery. Some are just fun adventure/spy dramas. All of them are sturdy tales, some better than others.

Relish the well-done 'Lord Peter Views the Body'. It is one of the best golden age mystery collections out there.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Hardcore Dorothy Sayers Fans Only, February 16, 2003

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lord Peter Views the Body (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

At her best, Sayers used a complex style to create complex characters in complex settings and playing out a complex plot, and such novels as MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, GAUDY NIGHT, and BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON are classics of the mystery genre. But few authors seem able to create both excellent novels and excellent short stories, and Sayers is no exception to the general rule.

Her wordy style simply does not show as well in the short story form as it does in a novel-length work, and she has considerable difficulty in actually constructing plots for these stories that might in any way be described as "mysteries" per se. While most of the stories collected here are readable in a general sort of way, they read more as 1920s pulp-adventure than as "mystery." Fans of the Lord Peter Wimsey series (myself among them) will certainly enjoy them, and have fun noting that Sayers later expanded some of these short story ideas into more substantial work, but newcomers will likely be unimpressed. Recommended for hardcore Sayers fans only.