Book #4: Whose Body?

 

Title: Whose Body?

Author: Dorothy L. Sayers

Have I read this book before? No.

How Obtained: Borrowed from my local library.

Why This Book? I was looking at the World Magazine blog, last week and I was reading the transcript of their June 7th podcast of The World and Everything In It when I saw that they have a segment called Classic Book of the Month.  As I'm always looking for book ideas, I read on.  Whose Body? was the selection of June.  being a big fan of Peter Wimsey mysteries, and realizing I had never read this inaugural one, I went straight to my library and picked up their copy.

Fun Fact: Just as I read this book as a suggestion from a magazine. I originally became a fan of Peter Wimsey due to an "audio magazine" called at the time The Mars Hill Tapes and now called Mars Hill Audio. The "issue" I was listening to did a segment on an unwritten but plotted  Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane project called Thrones, Domination which was finished by Jill Paton Walsh in 1998. This introduced me to Lord Peter Wimsey.  

Quote from the book: "I love trifling circumstances," said Lord Peter with childish delight; so many men have been hanged by trifling circumstances, ..." (p.31 of the 1987 edition)

Here's what someone else thought of this book:  I refer back to the World Magazine segment transcript. Emily Whitten is the reviewer.

What did I think? I loved this book.  This book takes place in much the same time and culture of Downton Abbey and I have not read a Wimsey novel since before my Downton experience.  I think Wimsey is a good companion to Downton.  This book has made me want to take a deep dive not only to the Wimsey novels I have not yet encountered, but also to reread the others first I am going to obtain some of Sayer's poetry as I seem to be on a poetry kick (both reading and writing) of late.

I finished this book on June 12th, the 15th day of my summer reading program.  It was the second book I finished today, which is the first time this summer that I have finished more than 1 book in a day. I am now on track to finish 26 and 2/3rds books by Labor Day.