I have written about the Lord Peter series a few times already. Way back when this blog was young in 2006, I wrote about the 1970s TV series. And, also a long time ago, I wrote an article about Dorothy L. Sayers as one of the Four Golden Age’s Queens of Crime.
Lord Peter Wimsey is the younger brother of the fictitious Duke of Denver. Lord Peter, along with his trusty servant Bunter, engages in crime solving as a very serious hobby. His other main pastime is collecting early editions of books.
Bunter’s role is imporant to the series. He is very astute and his photography skills are put to good use by Lord Peter in his sleuthing activities. As I said when I reviewed the 1970s series, this is one of the few Cozy Mystery series where the sleuth is British upper class and yet the butler is not smarter than the sleuth! I think Bunter comes close to being Lord Peter’s equal in ability, but he does not surpass him.
Also a regular member of the cast of characters of this series are Lord Peter’s mother, the dowager Duchess, and Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard. Inspector Parker is a friend of Lord Peter’s who provides a convenient way for Wimsey easily to gain access to crime scenes and other information that is normally only known to the police. Parker is refreshingly smart for a policeman, but another police inspector, Sugg, plays a role as a dimwitted police foil who always gets things wrong and tries to impede Lord Peter’s private sleuthing activities.
“Whose Body?” is typical of classic era Cozies in that although it contains several very strong and interesting characters, the main attraction is the strength of the mysteries themselves. Sayers, as did Agatha Christie as another example, crafted her books with great care to make the whodunits the center pieces of the stories with Wimsey working diligently throughout to solve the logic puzzles that the mysteries present.
I really enjoyed revisiting this series and highly recommend it. There are only 12 books that were completed by Dorothy L. Sayers, so the series is not too short or too long (in my opinion).
The Lord Peter Wimsey series was written by Sayers during the 1920s through 1930s. Please note, that the series, although populated by what I am sure were very liberal characters for their time, (especially Wimsey, Bunter, Parker and Wimsey’s mother), does contain some views of people that are dated and inappropriate as we view them now.
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Anne-Marie Sutton says
Until I read this post, I hadn’t realized how much the Peter Wimsey books must have influenced my own Newport Mystery series. Parker, the intelligent police officer is akin to my Lt. Nightingale who lets the amateur sleuth Caroline Kent ‘in’ on the crime details, the helpful mother of Lord Peter (in my case: a mother-in-law named Louise), and the elegant settings of sophisticated London. And while my sleuth is a woman, her characteristics suggest those of Sayers’s hero who has a both a hard and a soft side. All I am lacking is a butler!
I have long been a fan of the classic mysteries from Great Britain. American cozies often lack the substance and well-executed plots of these mysteries. While I am always looking for new authors, nothing can approach the anticipation I feel when I pick up an old copy of a favorite British author and begin to re-read a story I know will hold my interest.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Anne-Marie, that’s no huge surprise – the entire mystery genre, and Cozies in particular, is really still defined by these early authors!
Karen Simpson says
Lord Peter and Bunter were always my go-to for relaxing.. I always loved the literary quotes here and there, especially in Busman’s Honeymoon…
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, sometimes it feels like a wider appreciation of literature was more of a requirement back when authors like this wrote – often for the better!
Greenway says
Authors of all sorts of novels, up until the 1970s or so, were addicted–or expected–to use quotes from classic literature as their titles. Then came what I call the punning titles. I know that’s not the right term, exactly, but I don’t know what is, and still can’t get ‘trope’ and ‘meme’ that straight. Wonderful Mary Daheim has recently done, for instance, Gone with the Win and Here Come the Bribes, among other classics of her own like Viagra Falls and Suture Self (all Judith-and-Renie Bed and Breakfast Mysteries). My all-time favorite is from Carol Lea Benjamin’s Rachael Alexander and Dash series. Like the Clement’s Catsitter Mysteries staring Dixie Hemingway, they’re often rough noir cozied by pet-centeredness. One with a dachshund subject was called The Long Good Boy. I love that so much it makes my eyes water! Some people hate such titles the way some of the rest of us hate cutesy skulls and splatter on cozy genre covers, but at least they’re more appropriate than quoting Milton and Pope for thug PI gutshoots psycho hitmen novels!
Hanna says
I, too, recently revisited “Whose Body” and enjoyed the details and the characters. Also “Unnatural Death” and “Murder must Advertise.” Interesting that other authors paid homage to Sayers. One of Victoria Abbott’s books is called “The Sayers Swindle” and several of the books are mentioned. Jordan Kelly especially was attached to the book where Lord Peter met his future wife. I need to find and read it.
Hazel Holt’s Mrs. Malory had affection to Lord Peter, went to Oxford where Lord Peter studied and her late husband, Peter, joked that she married him because of his name.
In one of Carolyn Hart’s book – Little class or Murder – Annie Lawrence teaches about the three “Great Ladies of Mystery” and one of her student emphasizes that one has to keep the “L” as part of Sayers name: Dorothy L. Sayers.
Now I am all excited about getting the next book. Thank you for mentioning Dorothy L. Sayers.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Hanna, as you say, it’s interesting (but not exactly surprising!) when more modern authors make nods towards classic authors like Sayers. There were mysteries before Sayers and others like her, but they really cemented the mystery genre in a lot of ways.
Lainie says
Danna ~ You would probably like the new Hercule Poirot books written by Sophie Hannah starting with “The Monogram Murders”. Sophie Hannah has been authorized by the Agatha Christie estate to write them and they don’t disappoint. It has brought me great joy to follow along with Poirot again and observe his “little grey cells” solving these very complex murders. Since you enjoy the Dorothy L. Sayers genre of books, I believe you will like these very much.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lainie, I might give those a try some time! I would love new mysteries in the style of greats like Christie – though I have to admit I’m a bit picky about my Poirot!
Zarayna P. says
So thrilled to be reminded of the 1970s TV series starring the marvellous and much missed Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey.
Even in the 1970s, the series was viewed with nostalgia of a more comprehensible age. If you or your family were wealthy, or you imagined you were, the roaring twenties were probably quite fun and progressive even when dealing with murder!
Thank you so much. Lovely memories and I may well re-read the books.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Zarayna, you’re welcome, and I’m glad to be able to renew your interest in the series! I can say that they’re definitely worth going back to periodically, if only to revisit old literary friends.
Carol Jackson says
There was also a 3-part series of Wimsey mysteries related to Harriet Vane. (It stars Edward Petherbridge; I prefer Ian Carmichael). Harriet Walter (Call the Midwife, Downtown Abbey, Sense & Sensibility, etc.) plays Harriet Vane.
This series does not include Busman’s Honeymoon, which was made into a movie called Haunted Honeymoon in 1940. It starred Robert Montgomery & Constance Cummings.
Karen Scoppa says
I have read the whole series and learned a great deal about crime solving and the after effects of mustard gas years after Lord Peter had served in World War I. If my memory serves me correctly Bunter was one of his fellow soldiers and as such helped him with occasional relapse.
I had no idea how pervasive the mustard gas was. I think I read these mysteries when I was in my early twenties.
I was rather sad to find out how few books Dorothy Sayers wrote. I also watched the PBS Masterpiece series.
Thanks for reminding me of another great series I have read.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, yes, of the Four Queens of Crime, she was unfortunately the least prolific – the others all wrote at least twice as many as Sayers! Which is of course a shame, as her works are so excellent.
Carol Jackson says
To be fair, she was prolific, just not at mysteries. She wrote a number of scholarly works:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Dorothy_L._Sayers
One of the more interesting (& accessible for those of us who are not theologians) is The Mind of the Maker, which touches on the idea of fiction as a gloss on divine creation.
You might like the 3 novels by Jill Patton Walsh that continue the characters. She worked with Sayers during her lifetime & has done a good job on the extending the series, although she does not make it her primary work.
Gram says
I love this series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Gram, it’s definitely a classic for a reason!
Susan* says
Definitely agree. ‘Gaudy Night’, is I think my favourite, but ‘Whose Body’ is definitely one of the better ones. Good, solid read with well-written, believable characters.
Must admit, I would love a Bunter of my own. (Though I doubt I could afford him!) He is invaluable.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan, I suspect everyone could use a Bunter in their life – though as you say, the cost would be a big issue!
Zarayna Pradyer says
Thank you so much for a reminder of a gentle and entertaining 1970s TV classic. I do remember the charming Ian Carmichael starring as Lord Peter Wimsey.
Of course, it was probably a bit snobby but also an excuse for some glamour and an insight into a different and, if one was wealthy, an enviable world.
Your post is nudging me to reread the books – thank you again.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Zarayna, you’re welcome again! (Sorry I didn’t get around to posting your first response earlier, as well! I approve comments manually, which can sometimes take a while if I am otherwise busy!)
Karen Scoppa says
Hello, my second posting in a day. I just finished “Spider’s Web”. It was originally written by Dame Agatha and adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne.
I read it in a day. It was a great story and as usual I didn’t guess the murderer. I think I have only guessed one murder out of the 70+ novels of hers I have read.
I would recommend this book to all cozy mystery fans as well Christieaholics
Have fun.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, it’s definitely hard to go wrong with Christie – pretty much everything she wrote was classic!
PamB says
A couple of years ago I found a set of 4 books … A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane (Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night, Busman’s Honeymoon) which are still in my TBR stack. I’m now thinking I need to start with the first book in the series after reading this review. Thank you, Danna, for helping my TBR stack grow. ?. Much appreciation for all you do for us cozy readers!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Pam, I’d definitely suggest giving them a try! They’re definitely considered among “the classics” of the genre for very good reason.
Kay DiBianca says
Thank you for this post! I began reading the Lord Peter Wimsey series just a few months ago, and I have become a real fan of Dorothy Sayers.
Although I think the plots are somewhat contrived, the characters are fascinating and Ms. Sayers touches on topics that are timely even to us today. I read “Gaudy Night” out of order, but it is my favorite.
I am looking forward to completing the series and jumping into some of her other works. “The Mind of the Maker” sounds intriguing.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kay, it’s definitely a good sign that a series is a classic when it manages to have maintain relevance decades (almost a century now!) after it’s first released.
Jackie says
I really love Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey novels – especially when Harriett Vane turns up! I was actually introduced to them by the wonderful BBC radio plays. They are great to listen to and a lot easier to follow than audiobooks, although naturally they have been adapted. The voice acting is phenomenal – you really feel the characters have come to life. Busman’s Honeymoon is being rebroadcast by the BBC in August 2020 here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jwgl
You can also buy the full radio play cds – the BBC adapted all of them. Hope you find them all and enjoy!