::READERS REVIEWS::

Charming, but ultimately a snooze. - I did not realize that Whose Body? was the first Peter Wimsey mystery Dorothy L. Sayers had written. I had heard that she was one of the greatest mystery writers of the 20th century, and I just couldn't understand what all of the fuss was about when I finished this book. Now that I learned that this was her first attempt, I feel less disappointed in the book and can look at it as more of what it was; an attempt at a genre she had not previously written in. Whose Body? is well written and charming, with some clever little twists, but ultimately, it's a bit of a snooze. I didn't really care who the victim was or why anyone would want to kill him. Lord Wimsey was a fun character, but I often felt like I was stepping in on the middle of a conversation between him and Mr. Parker, confused as to what they were talking about. I just bought "Clouds of Witness" and am hoping that it is a bit more interesting. I definitely want to embrace Sayers the way so authors whose writings I admire have.

Whimsey, anyone? - "A Corpse-in-the-Bathtub mystery..to be sure...but also the introduction to the Whimsey of Lord Peter (without the "h"?), a person of Title with a penchant for Detecting. In attendance be his Mum the Stalwart yet dotty Duchess...a typically ineffective copper...a scholarly Police..a truly vicious yet pathetic psychopathic villain...and the intrepid manservant Bunter, who could run the entire show by himself...but it would not be his Place to do so.

Interspersed with the witticism and drollery is Dorothy Sayers' not inconsiderable knowledge of Detection and Forensics...but one must pay attention...clues be buried in the quips and a red herring shows up...or not....i forget.

Sayers & Lord Peter began a distinguished partnership with this title...it's not the best of the lot but serves as an introduction not to be sneezed at...Carry on they did"

A little rough start to a great series - Whose Body? is the first in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series. A dead body turns up in Mr. Thipps's bathtub one morning wearing nothing but a pince-nez; at the same time, a prominent financier goes missing. It's obvious that the two cases are connected, but how? In comes Lord Peter Wimsey, an amateur detective who quickly solves the case. He's an interesting detective obsessed with old books and Sherlock Holmes. He is assisted by the eminently capable Mr. Bunter, as well as Mr. Parker of the Scotland Yard.

This book felt like a rough draft to me. Only 215 pages long, its as though Sayers just began writing without making an outline, or without knowing much about her protagonist before she began. The murderer is kind of obvious, only because there's no one else who could conceivably have done it. But the premise is intriguing, and the way in which Wimsey solves the case is unique.

disapointed wimsey - I think Dorothy Sayers got better as she went along. Her first try at Peter Wimsey was a disappointment to me.

Great early Lord Peter Wimsey entry - In his first case, Lord Peter Wimsey rushes to help out a London innocent ("Poor Little Thipps"), when a dead body shows up in the unfortunate fellow's bathtub.

The plot thickens and no clear suspect jumps out to the reader in this one as the victim is nearly impossible to identify. Inspector Sugg, assigned to the case, becomes an additional burden for Wimsey as the former wants no part of amateur detectives.

A sub-plot, Inspector Parker (Wimsey's pal) is simultaneously investigating the disappearance of a prominent financier, which turns out not to be the body in the bathtub -- but Wimsey cannot let go of the idea that the crimes are connected. The inquest proceedings are a regular hoot as Inspector Sugg, a man who takes the "shotgun approach" to arresting people, begins to look like an idiot.

There's plenty of great atmosphere and good old aristocratic snobbery in this one. One of Sayers' best entries.

WHOSE BODY? (HARPER & ROW PUBLISHERS, INC./1923) - REVIEW: Extremely clever debut of Lord Peter Wimsey who dabbles in crime solving with the aid of his mother, his valet Bunter, his detective friend Parker, and a few higher-ups in Scotland Yard. Here he is called in (much to the ire of the Inspector on the case, Sugg) to investigate the sudden appearance of a corpse in the bathtub of a suitably nondescript little man known as Thipps. Whereas Inspector Sugg is convinced that either Mr. Thipps or his maid are guilty: Lord Peter begins to see a possible connection between this mysterious apparition and the odd disappearance of a local financier. But does the corpse really belong to the missing man? And why had the body been recently shaved and a pair of pince-nez placed upon his nose? These are just some of the puzzling questions Wimsey must resolve before he can spoil a diabolical killer's faultless murder plot. Sayers' easy-going prose, delightful dialogue, and sure-fire hand at characterization makes for several unforgettable moments: including a hilarious courtroom scene where Thipps' near-deaf mother makes for a very difficult witness, a very touching episode where Wimsey has a wartime flashback and Bunter helps to keep him calm and get him safely to bed, and an eerie finale where Wimsey confronts the killer in a quietly effective showdown that could very well have ended his career before it had even begun. Like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers deserves the highest praise for ushering in the "golden age" of detective ficiton; and "WHOSE BODY?" is a perfect example of her deviously delightful craft. Smashingly good stuff! HARSH LANGUAGE: about 18 mild words and 8 uses of God's name as a by-word. VIOLENCE: about 8 scenes (some fairly graphic). SEXUAL REFERENCES: a couple of references to prostitution including a wild party attended by one of the suspects. DRUG REFERENCES: about 14 references to alcohol drinking and 8 references to pipe and cigar smoking.

Excellent mystery - "Whose Body?" is the first in the series of Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. It's a great read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a mystery lover.

As a longtime fan of Sayers's novels, though, I enjoyed "Whose Body?" on a completely different, almost anthropological level. Lord Peter hasn't quite coalesced here into the character he'd become in the later novels: he's more a collection of all the habits and mannerisms Sayers hoped would give him the personality she intended. Likewise, Bunter and Parker aren't quite there yet either. Sayers also experiments by creating a foil for Wimsey, an antagonistic police inspector named Sugg. It's an intriguing look into what might have been, and I'd recommend that any Sayers fan give "Whose Body?" another look.