Back at Oxford for her reunion, Harriet Vane, Lord Peter’s beloved, finds herself in mortal danger
Since she graduated from Oxford’s Shrewsbury College, Harriet Vane has found fame by writing novels about ingenious murders. She also won infamy when she was accused of committing a murder herself. It took a timely intervention from the debonair Lord Peter Wimsey to save her from the gallows, and … from the gallows, and since then she has devoted her spare time to resisting his attempts to marry her. Putting aside her lingering shame from the trial, Harriet returns to Oxford for her college reunion with her head held high–only to find that her life is in danger once again.
The first poison-pen letter calls her a “dirty murderess,” and those that follow are no kinder. As the threats become more frightening, she calls on Lord Peter for help. Among the dons of Oxford lurks a killer, but it will take more than a superior education to match Lord Peter and the daring Harriet.
Gaudy Night is the 12th 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.
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I love this book. It was a great mystery without anyone having to be murdered.
A wonderful book. Dorothy Sayers at her best.
Sayers is one of the best. Have read a number of times. Should be read following Strong Poison and Have HIs Carcase. BBC Pe=therage adaptions are worth watching, as well – true to the original in spirit.
Thought provoking book. Gaudy Night is a reunion for alumna, and Harriet Vane decides to attend for the first time since her matriculation ten years previously. The plot concerns what the characters come to call “the poltergeist.” Someone is leaving threatening notes, obscene drawings, graffiti and letters for the college dons as well as the …
This is the benchmark to which other authors are held.
Beautifully written, thought provoking
I like that this is not from Lord Peter Wimsey’s point of view. Well written, of course.
My first British mystery when I was 16 which drew me to all of English literature and a great reading life.
The Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane novels are of universally high quality, but even among that select group, this is one of the best. Good plot, good characters, and a glimpse into the bygone age of Oxford.
A great mystery novel! A period piece that puts you right in the action as the main characters try and find out, what is going on!! Can’t wait to read others by this author!
I enjoyed it…a real period piece…evokes the atmosphere of the time.
Interesting plot and characters, but I found it a real challenge to keep all the characters–especially the college faculty, students and staff–straight. This might reflect how illiterate I am, but the quotations at the beginning of each chapter–especially the poetry–I found to be mostly unfathomable, and, so, not supportive of the story.
Very intellectually challenging…Dorothy Sayers wrote for a “thinking audience”. A master of her craft along with Agatha Christie. Not an easy read but a compelling story…part of the Lord Peter series. The main character (Harriet) is introduced in a previous book. Excellent but it takes some mental work to stick with it!!!!
One of a great writer’s greatest stories.
Possibly my favorite of the Harriet Vane novels.
very wordy with a lot of Oxford University and British cultural references that are dated and obscure
I’ve loved the Peter Wimsey books since I was a kid. This one is a love story with detective interruptions, per the author. This is not the one to start with, though.
I will read anything Dorothy Sayers wrote, anywhere anytime. The only problem I had with this book was adjusting to the fact that Lord Peter was only a minor character.
Excellent writing, but any reader needs to be aware this is 1.) a British novel of 2.) that interval between the world wars, and some references are to the changing conditions in Germany. The setting is Oxford, and as a former academic person, I enjoyed the “literary” elements.
But the plotting is excellent and the characters are true to what …
Typical, expected brilliance from one of the genre’s great authors.