The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Mass Market Paperback)

by Dorothy L. Sayers (Author) "What in the world, Wimsey are you doing in this Morgue?..." (more)
Key Phrases: poor old gentleman, Miss Dorland, General Fentiman, Lord Peter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Description
90-year-old General Fendman was definitely dead, but no one knew exactly when he had died -- and the time of death was the determining factor in a half-million-pound inheritance.Lord Peter Wimsey would need every bit of his amazing skills to unravel the mysteries of why the General's lapel was without a red poppy on Armistice Day, how the club's telephone was fixed without a repairman, and, most puzzling of all, why the great man's knee swung freely when the rest of him was stiff with rigor mortis.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (April 20, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061043540
• ISBN-13: 978-0061043543
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,579 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 4 in The Lord Peter Wimsey Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars General Rigor Mortis, March 19, 2002

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

When Lord Peter Wimsey comes down to the Bellona club to dine with an old friend he little expected to find the 90 year old General Fentiman sitting quietly by the fire in full rigor mortis. Nor, did he expect to be confronted with a case about which one of the General or his sister, Lady Dormer, predeceased the other. But, seeing that it was a matter of some half million pounds he was delighted to oblige old Mr. Murbles, the family solicitor.

It turns out that establishing Fentiman's time of death is going to be a major feat. No one, including his heirs, the staff of the Bellona Club and most of London seems to recall what the General was doing that morning, or when he showed up, opened his newspaper and promptly expired. Worse, what few facts that Wimsey can put together convince him that something was very, very wrong with Fentiman's timely ticking off. Suddenly this is no longer a case of friendly detection but a serious investigation into a murder.

'The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club' was one of Dorothy Sayers' early smash hits. It shows off Wimsey's charming urbanity against the gemlike setting of his friends and cohorts, only striking serious chords when grim necessity rears its monocled head. Wimsey doesn't act quite as foolish as he was prone to in past novels, which makes him likeable as well as witty. The other regular characters have also acquired some extra depth that makes everyone a bit more believable. Everyone but the bit players, of course. Each of those is, as usual, a quick, delightful pastiche, one of Sayers greatest talents.

This is one of Sayers' most memorable books, and, despite a plot that is a little too transparent, is one of her most re-readable. The odd thing about a Sayers mystery story is how unimportant it is whether you know or can guess the murderer. 'Who' is less important than 'how' in these tales, and neither is as important as the balletic interaction of the players, most of whom you would like to find in your sitting room - it you had a sitting room large enough, that is.

This is also the first book that displays Wimsey's softer nature with the ladies. While Marjorie Phelps is not destined to become Lord Peter's great love, we see glints of the Peter to come. He shows a fair and attentive style without a hint of macho that will serve him well in his trials to come. I am tempted to say that, if you don't enjoy this book, there is no hope for you as a Sayers fan. That's not completely true, but ' The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club' is a completely representative Sayers effort and one of my perennial favorites.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific mystery - Lord Peter makes a triumphant return!, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

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!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Carmichael the perfect reader for a Wimsey novel, January 13, 2002

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Audio Cassette)

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.