Sunday, October 7, 2012

Gaudy Night: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane-Dorothy L. Sayers

Gaudy Night: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane


Dorothy L. Sayers

Harper, Oct 16 2012, $14.99

ISBN: 9780062196538



Mystery writer Harriet Vane returns to Oxford’s Shrewsbury College for a class reunion knowing her recent trial for murder makes her infamous. Since her acquittal Harriet says no to her persistent hero Lord Peter Wimsey while feeling somewhat abashed that her dirty laundry was revealed in court but as she did even in jail and at the trial she still refuses to bow down to the nasty gossips.



However, someone has a different opinion about Harriet. She receives ugly letters calling her a “dirty murderess;” each one harsher than the previous. Fearing for her life, she asks her champion Lord Peter for help as she knows a stalker walking the hallow walls of Oxford plans to execute her.



The third Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane (see Have His Carcase and Strong Poison) is an engaging historical mystery that focuses on the beginning of the Depression and the bantering relationship between the protagonists more than the super whodunit. The support cast is excellent as they bring circa 1930s academia to life while making a strong case for women’s rights as the female professors have less standing than male freshmen. Fast-paced, fans will enjoy the engaging Gaudy Night.



Harriet Klausner



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