Dorothy Sayers, the author of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels, is worth a novel in her own right. An unconventional woman of the 1920’s, she got an Oxford degree when few women did so and went on to support her family by working as a writer. In her lifetime, she was best known for her works on theology and her popular “Guiness is Good for You” beer ad campaign. Posthumously, she’s best known for her mystey novels, the Lord Peter Wimsey series.
The fictional Lord Peter is the second son of a duke, and as such, has little to do all day long except be very rich. To stave off boredom, he turns to sleuthing. Though to all outward appearances, Lord Peter appears a rich nitwit, he never misses a clue and always catches the crook. Think of him as a well-dressed Columbo with an Eton-bred British accent.
Every one of these novels is a delight. While the reader may guess the culprit early in the game, Sayers writes such interesting characters and twisting plots that it’s fun to follow the story all the way to the end. I once heard someone say that her books are not so much whodunits and whydunnits. The real question is not who is guilty, but how they were motivated and, more importantly, how their guilt can be proved in a court of law.
Later in the series, Lord Peter meets the mystery writer Harriet Vane, who becomes his love interest and partner in (solving) crime. While the Lord Peter novels can be read out of order, I would recommend reading at least the Harriet Vane/Lord Peter novels in order.
Novels:
1. Whose Body? (1923) – Dead nude in a tub.
2. Clouds of Witness (1926) – Lord Peter’s whole family is suspect of murder
3. Unnatural Death (1927)
4. Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1928) – No one noticed when the old general died
5. Strong Poison (1931) – Introducing the accused – and love interest – Harriet Vane #1
6. Five Red Herrings (1931) – Murder while on holiday in Scotland
7. Have His Carcase (1932) – Harriet Vane returns - Harriet Vane #2
8. Murder Must Advertise (1933) – well, it must
9. The Nine Tailors (1934) – The bells toll for the dead
10. Gaudy Night (1935) – Harriet Vane visits her Oxford Alma Mater – and encounters a vicious prankster - Harriet Vane #3
11. Busman’s Honeymoon (1937) – Lord Peter and Miss Vane tie the knot – and solve a murder - Harriet Vane #4
12. Thrones, Dominations (1998) - not finished by Sayers -- completed by Jill Paton Walsh
13. A Presumption of Death (2002) - written by Jill Paton Walsh, based loosely on The Wimsey Papers
And if you still can’t get enough, try one of the short story collections:
Lord Peter Views the Body (1928)
Hangman’s Holiday (1928) also contains non-Wimsey stories
In the Teeth of the Evidence (1939) also contains non-Wimsey stories
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