"Oh, damn!" said Lord Peter Wimsey at Picadilly Circus. "Hi, driver!"Whose Body?
The taxi man, irritated at receiving this appeal while negotiating the intricacies of turning into Lower Regent Street across the route of a 19 'bus, a 38-B and a bicycle, bent an unwilling ear.
"I've left the catalogue behind," said Lord Peter deprecatingly, "uncommonly careless of me. D'you mind puttin' back to where we came from?"
by Dorothy L. Sayers
I'm getting an early start on my R.I.P. reading this year and have finally made the acquaintance of Lord Peter Wimsey. After just a few chapters, I have a feeling I'll be reading more of this classic British detective series.
Here is a bit of the goodreads summary:
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 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.What do you think? Would you keep reading?
Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.
I had a little trouble with the style here, but hope that you like it though as it seems like a good choice for RIP X.
ReplyDeleteDiane - It's seems perfect for RIP!
DeleteI have never read these books but I want to.
ReplyDeleteThe idea the protagonist is also a book hound makes it sound even more appealing. I would keep reading this book.
Brian Joseph - That's definitely a plus for me, too!
DeleteThis is a series I've always meant to start, and the protagonist sounds like a delightful character. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCatherine - Lord Peter is pretty funny so far :)
DeleteI have been wanting to read these books for a while! I hope you enjoy them.
ReplyDeletehttp://dualreads.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/tuesday-intros-and-teaser-tuesdays_8.html
Clare Stone - These have been on my 'to read' list for ages... god to finally get started!
DeleteI enjoyed this one though it was a little on the dryer side. Definitely keep reading!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - It's pretty entertaining so far!
DeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying Lord Peter! The books get even better when Harriet Vane comes into the picture, and the modern continuations by Jill Paton Walsh are very good too.
ReplyDeleteAudrey - Readers do seem to love Harriet. Wonder how many books were written before she appears...
DeleteLove the cover. Sounds like a great read for your challenge.
ReplyDeleteNise' - It's definitely a nice way to start RIP.
DeleteI could almost hear his British accent in those opening lines, and now I want to know more about the character and the mystery. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHere's mine: “MY SALINGER YEAR”
Laurel-Rain Snow - I'm definitely hearing the British accent in my mind, too... so much fun!
DeleteI'd keep reading -- again. I've read this series a could of times and love it. And yes, Audrey's right, I especially love it when Harriet appears.
ReplyDeleteBeth F - Can't wait to meet Harriet!
DeleteThere is so much to enjoy in this first book. I love the Dowager Duchess, Buntet, and Charles Parker, nearly as much as Peter himself.
ReplyDeleteLisa - These characters are very entertaining!
DeleteI am a big fan of these books. The books get better and better after Whose Body, which was okay but not as great as the others, I think. I love Peter and everyone else. Beautifully written. Thoughtful, detailed. And if you've never seen the Ian Carmichael videos, you are in for a treat! You can do a search at Netflix for PW and many will come up. I actually bought them all after seeing them years ago on tv. So great!
ReplyDeleteNan - I'm enjoying this first book, so am pretty excited to hear they get even better. Haven't seen any of the videos, so will hear over to Netflix for a quick search next - thanks!
DeleteI've recently gotten interested in Dorothy Sayers' work. I like the sound of this book, so I'd keep reading!
ReplyDeleteMonica - It's taken me a long time to finally get to her books!
DeleteI've heard of this series for a long time but haven't read any of them. They sound delightful. So many books, so little time!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog today.
Sandy @ TEXAS TWANG
Sandra - Delightful is the perfect word to describe it so far.
DeleteI've read several Lord Peter books and seen tv series with two different actors. It was actually the tv series which made me aware of the books.
ReplyDeleteMadamevauquer - I didn't even know it was a tv series before today!!
DeleteI read this one years ago, and enjoyed it. I hope you do too! I love the British mystery classics.
ReplyDeleteLiterary Feline - Glad to know you enjoyed this one. Think it will end up with a thumbs up from me, too.
DeleteThis sounds so cute, JoAnn, and I LOVE the cover!! Thanks so much for sharing it with us; I'm going to have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteRunning N Reading - I love this cover, too. One of the few drawbacks of my kindle is that it doesn't display the covers in color :(
DeleteSounds interesting - I would keep reading! I haven't read any of Sayers novels and I know I need too!
ReplyDeleteLaura - I hope you get a chance to try Sayers soon :)
DeleteThis actually looks like a fun series that I would like. I've never heard of these before, so I'll sure be looking into them. Thanks for that! Oh, and keep reading it!
ReplyDeleteKathy - This is my first foray into classic British mysteries. So far, so good!
DeleteI am going through a British fiction craze right now. Especially the ones that are written in the vernacular. This one looks like one I should try!
ReplyDeleteAthira - There are times when only British fiction will do!
DeleteI haven't read a Dorothy Sayers novel in a long time. I find them a lot of fun. Good choice for the RIP.
ReplyDeleteMargot - I'm usually terrible with series, but have been wanting to try this one for a long time.
DeleteGood one!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - Yup... very good so far!
DeleteI like these funny old mysteries! They are sooo much fun!
ReplyDeletePatty - I'm actually enjoying this a lot more than expected.
DeleteI have some of Dorothy Sayers books on my shelf and that opening has reminded me I must try one before too long. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCleo - I've had this one on my kindle for almost two years! So glad to finally read it.
DeleteGreat suggestion! I should read some Dorothy Sayers. Thanks for the post! And as you can see, I'm trying out another way of leaving my comment, this time as 'rippleeffects'.
ReplyDeleteArti - I've been wanting to read Sayers for a long time, and so many bloggers love this series. Hope the commenting issues are finally solved!
DeleteO, I tried using rippleeffects to reply to your reply, it didn't work again. So I had to use Name/URL. Anyway, I'll just use Name/URL in the future then.
DeleteThanks, Arti. I'm sorry blogger is being so difficult :(
Delete