In the debut mystery in Dorothy L. Sayers’s acclaimed Lord Peter Wimsey series, the case of a dead bather draws Lord Peter into the 1st of many puzzling mysteries Lord Peter Wimsey spends his days tracking down rare books, and his nights hunting killers. Though the Great War has left his nerves frayed with shellshock, Wimsey continues to be London’s greatest sleuth–and he’s about to encounter … about to encounter his oddest case yet.
A strange corpse has appeared in a suburban architect’s bathroom, stark naked save for an incongruous pince-nez. When Wimsey arrives on the scene, he is confronted with a once-in-a-lifetime puzzle. The police suspect that the bathtub’s owner is the murderer, but Wimsey’s investigation quickly reveals that the case is much stranger than anyone could have predicted.
Published in 1923, during detective fiction’s Golden Age, Whose Body? introduced a character and a series that would make Dorothy L. Sayers famous. To this day, Lord Peter remains 1 of the genre’s most beloved and brilliant characters.
Whose Body? is the 1st 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 liked this one a lot. Lord Peter’s sleuthing was a pleasure, the other characters were engaging, and it was just a “feel good” murder mystery, and very British. I’m going to continue this enjoyable series for sure.
I find the Sayers’ mysteries to be full of quirky and likable characters. She injects a good bit of humor, despite the murderous themes. I particularly enjoy seeing how little people have changed from the era in which her books take place to today. An excellent escape!
This was a fun read. Little by little the plot unfolded as a body was found in the bathtub of an individual who said they’d never seen the person before. What a terrific hook! How could that happen? Page by page the possibility of such a thing becomes full circle until the plot’s exposed and the bad guy caught. It was written in the 30’s, so …
I’m a Sayers fan, and periodically reread her books. Everyone is well written, well plotted and add dimensions to the characters. Rereading them Adds so much detail. These are period, classic pieces of literature, as well as mysteries..
My nephew was reading the Dorothy Sayers books 15+ years ago, and I didn’t pick one up. Why?? She is an amazing story teller!.
I read ‘Whose Body?’ this week and it was so good. I enjoyed the characters, especially Lord Peter Wimsey. He is so entertaining and in my mind, so very like Robert Downey Jr’s version of Sherlock Holmes. I figured out …
Doesn’t get much better than Whimsey.
Sayers is a master of character development and world creation. She is witty, poignant, and creates interesting plots.
I loved the dialogue and quick pace of this story. The mysteries had me stumped until Lord Peter figured it out, and then it all made sense. The clues were there, and the villain was an active part of the plot (which I love!!!) While the crimes themselves were grotesque, the selective details given were only as gory as my imagination allowed them …
The author, Dorothy L. Sayers, is one of the greatest mystery writers of the Golden Age. I highly recommend her novels if you have never read them. This series starts with Whose Body? and the main character is Lord Peter Whimsey. You can’t help but love him and all the other quirky characters that she created for her stories. The mysteries are …
I am a major Dorothy L Sayers fan. I loved picking one up and getting lost in her books. Whose Body? is the first – if I remember correctly – Lord Peter Wimsey book. I adore him as a detective.
A body is found in a bathtub wearing pince-nez (a kind of glasses). Then a famous millionaire disappears. Lord Peter solves the case.
His mother – the …
Unique situation. Original solution to a bizarre crime.