On the Case with Lord Peter Wimsey: Three Complete Novels/Strong Poison/Have His Carcase/Unnatural Death

Customer Reviews:

A cross-section of Wimsey's career, but could've been better organized.......2006-07-17

For anyone new to Lord Peter, this book would not be an ideal introduction; the introductory material contains spoilers for the main text, and in any case the selection and order of the individual stories herein isn't ideal for a stem-to-stern readthrough. That said, I myself first made his lordship's acquaintance through STRONG POISON, the first story in this omnibus, and have yet to suffer by it. :) So while the book *could* be closer to perfect, the fact that it contains a triple dose of Lord Peter is sufficient to justify its existence, particularly since it will resist being worn to shreds longer than the individual paperbacks do.

Rather than discussing the individual novels in detail - each is still in print in its own right, and I recommend consulting their individual reviews - I'll discuss this omnibus edition in particular. Discussing them individually is a problem in any case, as the personal complications of STRONG POISON (the first entry) bear directly on HAVE HIS CARCASE (the second).

Often called ON THE CASE WITH LORD PETER WIMSEY, this omnibus edition of STRONG POISON (1930), HAVE HIS CARCASE (1932), and UNNATURAL DEATH (1927) contains not only the full text of each book - including individual tables of contents, author's notes, chapter headings, and the Dawson family tree for UNNATURAL DEATH - but is prefaced by the text of Lord Peter's entry in Who's Who / Burke's Peerage, complete with a partial drawing of the Wimsey coat of arms (the Saracen supporters are missing, but the motto and crest are there). The text of the entry contains a major spoiler for the later Wimsey novels, unfortunately, since it was taken from a post-1936 edition.

The book also contains a separate "Biographical Note, communicated by Paul Austin Delagardie", which dates from 1935, the same year as GAUDY NIGHT. Mr. Delagardie, brother of the Dowager Duchess of Denver, explains how he took charge of his nephew's social education as a youngster only to watch him suffer a disastrous engagement and cruel breakup at the time of the Great War. The fallout was far worse than the "I took up sleuthing as a cure for wounded feelings" patter that Lord Peter himself usually serves up on this topic. However, I warn new readers that as Uncle Paul was writing five years after the events of STRONG POISON, his information can better be appreciated after reading the first two novels in this omnibus.

ON THE CASE WITH LORD PETER WIMSEY has no overlap with its sibling omnibus THREE COMPLETE LORD PETER WIMSEY NOVELS (WHOSE BODY?, MURDER MUST ADVERTISE, and GAUDY NIGHT). Taken together, the grouping of the stories in these two volumes annoyed me very much when they first came out, since GAUDY NIGHT logically should be in the volume before you as the third story, completing the trilogy of Wimsey/Vane courtship novels. As an alternative, swapping the positions of UNNATURAL DEATH and MURDER MUST ADVERTISE would've made sense, as it is the novel following HAVE HIS CARCASE. Even putting UNNATURAL DEATH first rather than last in this book would help, since an associate of Lord Peter's who is introduced in UNNATURAL DEATH has a significant role in STRONG POISON.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the two omnibi naturally go together, and can be a godsend to those seeking to replace disintegrating paperback copies of the individual books. However, anyone wishing to follow Lord Peter's career from the beginning will need to skip back and forth between the two omnibi, with forays into other Wimsey books not included in either collection.

A very good collection, thanks to the excellence of the ingredients, qualified by minor perfectionist grumbling as stated above. Well worth getting and keeping.

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

Average customer rating:

Nothing Unnatural About It; It's Sacred
This verse unlocks the heart.
If you have been affected by cancer it is worth reading!!!
Suprising turn of events
Disappointed

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Terry Tempest Williams
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Grief & Bereavement | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0679740244
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Amazon.com

The only constants in nature are change and death. Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer from northern Utah, has seen her share of both. The pages of Refuge resound with the deaths of her mother and grandmother and other women from cancer, the result of the American government's ongoing nuclear-weapons tests in the nearby Nevada desert. You won't find the episode in the standard history textbooks; the Feds wouldn't admit to conducting the tests until women and men in Utah, Nevada, and northwestern Arizona took the matter to court in the mid-1980s, and by then thousands of Americans had fallen victim to official technology. Parallel to her account of this devastation, Williams describes changes in bird life at the sanctuaries dotting the shores of the Great Salt Lake as water levels rose during the unusually wet early 1980s and threatened the nesting grounds of dozens of species. In this world of shattered eggs and drowned shorebirds, Williams reckons with the meaning of life, alternating despair and joy.

Book Description

In the spring of 1983 Terry Tempest Williams learned that her mother was dying of cancer. That same season, The Great Salt Lake began to rise to record heights, threatening the herons, owls, and snowy egrets that Williams, a poet and naturalist, had come to gauge her life by. One event was nature at its most random, the other a by-product of rogue technology: Terry's mother, and Terry herself, had been exposed to the fallout of atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. As it interweaves these narratives of dying and accommodation, Refuge transforms tragedy into a document of renewal and spiritual grace, resulting in a work that has become a classic.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing Unnatural About It; It's Sacred.......2006-10-28

The first time I went to Utah, I read Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" and loved it. This time, at a bookstore in Moab, I picked up Williams' "Red" for a contemporary view of the ecological issues around this gorgeous desert landscape, which is unlike any place I have been. Although I liked "Red," people told me "Refuge" was even better.

This is a very special book. I'm no birdwatcher, but it made me want to be. I'm no scientist, but I wished I were. I'm no Mormon, but it gave me respect for a religion I have never been able to fathom. Terry Tempest Williams has profound insights into the natural world. Her observations of the Great Salt Lake and the many migratory birds that visit it are as moving as her account of the death by cancer of her mother and grandmothers. Not surprisingly, they taught Williams awe of birds and sunsets and their own bodies. All of them are brave and spiritual women, and we would be wise to learn from them.

I think what I most admire about Williams as a writer is her emotional courage. Time and time again, she strikes out where more conventional writers would hesitate. She finds redeeming passages from the Book of Mormon. She follows her mother through her long and circuitous spiritual journey with cancer. She follows her grandmother as she moves into Eastern thought and modern physics. She dips respectfully into ancient Indian and Mexican culture. She walks in the desert at some peril to her well-being. She speaks of the intimacy of her marriage and about her decision not to bear children.

Yet his is not a book "about" the desert or cancer or birds or Mormonism, but about life and how it can be richly observed, experienced. shared and redeemed. It's one brave woman's answer to "Desert Solitaire."

This verse unlocks the heart........2006-10-16

Terry Tempest Williams is a national treasure. Her unvarnished verse carries one deep into the mystery of the Earth and sends us helplessly into the depths of our own hearts. The landscape of wildness breaths a spectacular wisdom under the watchful eyes of this keen observer of wind, rock, desert, sky, sage, along with the birds who soar and dance and play in a benediction to non-sentient life.

When I need to recapture my own mortality along with my own humility, I always return to the verse of this elder of silence and truth. Williams stands alone in the power to convey both outer and inner wildness. Her verse is poetic and healing. One does not read these words but are instead initiated into the heart beat of wild nature. Savor its beauty as you might a calming sunset or a wind swept sea shore calling you ever deeper into your own soul.

Read everything she writes and find peace deep within.

If you have been affected by cancer it is worth reading!!!.......2006-06-26

I loved and hated this book. It is beatifully written. I found the author frustrating at times. Some parts got a little long winded about the birds. It takes you on a emotional rollercoaster but the pay off of finishing this book is worth it. Any one who has been affected by cancer will find this book very inciteful to the process of going through treatment and also the death process. Terry Tempest gives the most authentic and honest account of what life is like living through cancer I have every read. She put into words thought and feelings I could never express fully.
The research of the history of the Great Salt Lake was very fun to read about. I have lived in Utah all my life, but I have never been to the Lake I now am very curious to see it and the bird refuge. I think I will find the trip much more interesting now than if I had gone before reading this book.

Suprising turn of events.......2006-03-02

Terry Tempest Williams is a naturalist living in Utah who has the history of cancer in her family. Cancer in this novel is paralleled with the flooding of the neighboring Great Salt Lake. Overall this book goes to show that cancer goes deeper than the person who it is diagnosed to. I would suggest this book on limited circumstances: One-if you can get past the strong feminine presence and domination of this novel. Two-do not read the last 60 or so pages. I approved of this book up until that point. If the book ended at that point, leaving out the harassment of the government it would be ten times better. To anyone who is in the process of reading Refuge, you won't want to read past around page 230. Enough said.
My rating(first 230 or so pages): 7.5/10
My rating(after page 230 or so) 2.5/10

Disappointed.......2006-02-03

Although I found the passages about Ms. Williams relationships with her mother and grandmother and their struggles with cancer to be well-written and moving, I am surprised that she and many other reviewers imply that the cancers were the consequences of nuclear testing. I think of myself as an environmentalist, and I believe that such testing is likely to have been harmful to human health; however, the striking family history of breast and ovarian cancer in this case strongly suggests that there is a genetic disorder (mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene) that was responsible for the cancer in these women. I was living in Salt Lake City during the spring of 1983, and the flooding was indeed dramatic, but I was bored by the rather repetitious descriptions of the refuge and the birds.

Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner

Average customer rating:

AMAZING WHAT DEATH CAN TELL YOU!!
An Insight into the World of Forensics Death and Murder and Suicide!
Bad writing
America should always listen to Baden.
Forensics at its Best

Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner
Michael M. Baden
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Medical | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Forensic Science | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0804105995
Release Date: 1990-03-28

Amazon.com

Forensic pathologist Michael Baden was a medical examiner in New York City for more than 25 years. Now he works for the New York State Police and teaches forensic medicine. This engrossing book covers: (1) several famous cases, including Baden's personal re-examination of the autopsy findings for Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy; (2) unusual cases Baden had as medical examiner for NYC, such as an autopsy on a dining room table at the Plaza Hotel; (3) how medical examiners decide on means of death, with a section on poisons; (4) the history of coroners and medical examiners since 12th century England; (5) disturbing politics involved in the office of the Chief Medical Examiner of NYC; (6) identification of the dead; (7) time of death; (8) multiple-murder cases; (9) an almost perfect murder; (10) close calls, including near deaths during sex; (11) cases of mistaken diagnosis; and (12) autopsy findings that shed light on what happened in the Attica uprising.

Book Description

* JFK's autopsy failed to disclose crucial evidence.
* The deaths of John Belushi and Elvis Presley were far more complex than anyone has let on.
* Decisive medical findings in the von Bulow affair were consistently overlooked.
These are but three of the shocking revelations in Dr. Michael Baden's first-person, no-holds-barred account of his distinguished career in forensic pathology. In determining the causes of tens of thousands of deaths, from those of presidents and rock stars to victims of serial killings, exotic sex rituals, mass disasters, child abuse and drug abuse, Baden has come to the unavoidable conclusion that the search for scientific truth is often sullied by the pressures of expediency. He produces dramatic evidence to demonstrate that political intrigue, influence peddling, and professional incompetence have created a national crisis in forensic medicine.
"A fascinating look into the mechanics of forensics and a disconcerting lesson in the politics of death." -- The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING WHAT DEATH CAN TELL YOU!!.......2007-08-17

What a read!! If you think a dead person has no info to give after their loss of life, you are dead wrong. Amazing what can be learned from a body even after some time AND how this arthur knows how to explain all of these findings in detail. I learned so much about what happens to a body after death, the time period when certain items occur, and what these details can tell a coroner who knows what he is looking for and how. I also learned that all medical examiners are not really qualified to give a complete/accurate autopsy results. Let me say this...if you ever considered a murder, or suspected a murder, or are not sure if someone you know was murdered....READ THIS BOOK...THIS IS A BOOK YOU WILL NOT WANT TO PUT DOWN AND WILL LEAVE YOU HUNGRY FOR MORE OF THIS TYPE INFO!!

An Insight into the World of Forensics Death and Murder and Suicide!.......2007-06-21

Dr. Michael Baden is married to Linda Kenney Baden who is representing Phil Spector in his criminal trial in the murder of Lana Clarkson, a Hollywood actress. Dr. Baden's book is an easy read, very informative, and revealing. He cuts out the nonsense that goes into conspiracy theories like John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, etc. as well as explains the differences between classes even in death as the upper classes do their best to cover up embarrassing situations like the woman choking. Dr. Baden is great at explaining why death occurs and the importance of forensics pathologists and medical examiners needed in our country. There is no doubt that some cases can be suspicious if not investigated further. I do believe that anybody who gets cremated should have an autopsy in order to know that the death was not caused by homicide but by natural causes. Anyway, Dr. Baden's experiences and his dedication to his career as a medical examiner in New York City is most helpful in probably explaining the process of his profession which he loves very much. His wife is an attorney who specializes in the forensics part of the crime. I would have liked to have seen photos of the author and others in their dedicated profession.

Bad writing.......2007-03-08

Interesting content, really poor writing. The whole book had no clear path. Just poorly organized.

America should always listen to Baden........2006-03-01

This thoughtful and interesting book showed that this medical examiner stands above the others. More people should have listened to his evidence in the O. J. Simpson case. In case after case, his careful examinations brought justice where others had failed. Baden is a giant in hsi profession.

Forensics at its Best.......2005-09-27

As a loyal CIS fan, Confessions of a Medical Examiner takes the reader into the fascinating and real world of forensic science. What takes 40 minutes to solve on television in reality can take days, weeks, months and sometimes never.
Michael Baden gives terrific insigt into the life and career of a medical examiner, who, unlike a hospital pathologist, autopies for three kinds of unnatural deaths - suicides, homicides and accidents. This is an untaught specialty and according to Dr. Baden, a stepchild of the medical profession. Training comes as apprentices in a medical examiner's office.
Each chapter is riveting in detail and forensic lore - for any crime buff, Confessions of a Medical Examiner should be on the "must read" list.
Marianne Gordon

The Malice of Unnatural Death (Knights Templar series)

Average customer rating:

One of the best
Jecks has the period down
Another great Jecks offering
This Should Have a 6th Star!

The Malice of Unnatural Death (Knights Templar series)
Michael Jecks
Manufacturer: Headline Book Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0755332768

Book Description

1324. The kingdom is in an uproar. Roger Mortimer—once the king's most able commander, now his most hated enemy—has escaped from the Tower and hired an assassin to murder the monarch. Others have the same idea. In Coventry, a special assassin has been hired: a necromancer by the name of John. But just as his plan begins to succeed, the plot is uncovered. John must escape to a smaller city: Exeter. And when the bodies of a local craftsman and the king's messenger are found in Exeter's streets, Sir Baldwin Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock, are asked by the Bishop to find the murderer. The dead messenger was carrying a dangerous secret, and the Bishop is desperate that it not be discovered. Baldwin and Simon are reluctant to get involved, but political pressures are growing, and the two must find the murderer before he strikes again. But when murderers use magic, no one is safe.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best.......2007-08-26

If you like this mystery series, you will definitely enjoy this installment. It is well plotted and compelling.

Jecks has the period down.......2007-08-03

Jecks consistantly delivers a great story. His charters blend in perfectly with the real people of the period. I have enjoyed all of his books and always look forward to the next one. He does not disapoint.

Another great Jecks offering.......2007-05-07

This reader has long wondered how Sir Baldwin was going to continue his disdain for national politics, especially in view of his friendship with Walter Stapleton, a prominent figure in the reign of Edward II. This one goes out a bit on a limb by postiing that curse magic is real and that Bishop Walter, as well as those despicable figures, the elder and younger Despencers, and even the King himself would be the target of a well-financed attempt by a necromancer. There is all the suspense, action, and convoluted plot that we have come to expect of Mr. Jecks, and at least one guessed-at, but never quite thought though surprise. Highly recommended, as are all the series. BTW, it is best to read them in order, I have found. Start with "The Last Templar," if you haven't already.

This Should Have a 6th Star!.......2007-03-20

Jecks continues in his excellent murder mystery series, but has gone up a step adding even more intrigue to the mix. Get this one now is my best recommendation. Jecks knows his history as well as his mystery and weaves a time piece work, Medieval, that is certain to keep you riveted to the pages. There are far to many authors that pretend to write period work that fall short of the mark for both the period and the mystery. I think that a truly good author deserves a proper review and Jecks is one of the few these days.

Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Some of Sayers' best
A First Impression Most Sublime
An endearing and satisfying detective series!
Interesting 20's whodunnit
British Murder Mystery -- enough said

Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries)
Dorothy L. Sayers
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0061043583

Book Description

The wealthy old woman was dead -- a trifle sooner than expected. The intricate trail of horror and senseless murder led from a beautiful hampshire village to a fashionable London flat and a deliberate test of amour -- staged by the debonair sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.

"Here the modern detective story begins to come to its own; and all the historical importance aside, it remains an absorbing and charming story today."

Customer Reviews:

Some of Sayers' best.......2007-10-04

Here we have Lord Peter Wimsey, teamed up with Inspector Parker, sticking his aristocratic nose into yet another heinous murder case. In fact, no one even discovers that this IS a murder until Wimsey ferrets out some key clues, albeit with the aid of a little old lady whom he's hired as one of his investigators. The initial crime: An old woman, on her deathbed, gets bumped off prematurely so that her last will and testament will get probated in a particular way. And before it is over, more murder follows. Within these pages, the mystery fan will find plenty of cool clues, spectacular locations, atmosphere galore, and just enough English cliche to make this one a top read. I recommend it for both newbies to mysteries and to seasoned veterans as well. You'll love the crusty old characters that Wimsey and Parker encounter out in the English countryside locations as they pursue this shrewd and heinous murderer. This is also available in audiobook and is well-read.

A First Impression Most Sublime.......2007-08-14

This is the first Dorothy Sayers book I have read, but it will most certainly not be the last. It's a wonder to me that she had escaped my serious notice until now, but I have feeling we are going to be great friends. I found this book to be second only to the Father Brown series (G.K. Chesterton) in mystery. I look forward to many further readings of this, and Sayers' other books.

An endearing and satisfying detective series!.......2006-06-24

Lord Peter Wimsey, the sleuth in this third novel of Dorothy Sayers' detective series, wants to investigate what he calls the perfect murder--one without evidence or motive. He is intrigued by all the successful crimes, ones that are not discovered by police. In this case Lord Peter has to pursue his investigation for quite a while before his friend and colleague Detective Parker believes there is a case to investigate.

Lord Peter has the assistance of an associate, Miss Climpson, an elderly spinster who has natural sleuthing talent and has the advantage that no-one suspects her of being anything more than a busybody. In the process of investigating they come across a diabolical plot and both Lord Peter and Miss Climpson are in danger.

The Lord Peter mysteries are satisfying and comfy. They give a glimpse into another era, the 1920's. Lord Peter is an appealing character; a man with urbane charm and wit and with a keen analytical mind, particularly when it comes to detective work. He has an achilles heel--he fought in WWI and was buried for a long time in a fox hole after an explosion. When under stress he has nightmares and flashbacks.

Interspersed with his detective work, Lord Peter participates in the social life of a peer. He often dines at the Savoy and pursues his hobby of researching and purchasing antiquarian books. An endearing and satisfying detective series!

Interesting 20's whodunnit.......2006-04-23

A story overheard by chance in a restaurant puts Lord Peter Wimsey on the trail of a woman who may have committed the perfect murder. The investigation leads him and his associates, Inspector Parker and spinster detective Miss Climpson, back and forth between city and country before the suspenseful (if rather contrived) conclusion. The background and details of this novel, first published in 1927, add interest. Several lesbian characters (though never directly identified as such) figure prominently, but unfortunately author Dorothy Sayers adheres to the common theme that homosexuals are particularly prone to all manner of vices. Still, this is an enjoyable mystery.

British Murder Mystery -- enough said.......2004-11-06

Dorothy Sayers, a.k.a. Dorothy Leigh Sayers Fleming, one of the first women to ever be granted a degree from Oxford University, created one of the leading figures in, and indeed in so doing helped to create the genre of, the British mystery novels. Lord Peter Wimsey, an elegant, refined London-based aristocrat with a taste for books and a penchant for the piano, is again here the leading figure, in 'Unnatural Death', also published as 'The Dawson Pedigree'.

Wimsey is an old Etonian, Balliol Oxford (of course), served with distinction in His Majesty's forces during the War (this book having been written in 1927, I shall leave it to your good services to deduce which War), who resides both town and country somewhat fashionably, and takes great pride in the ancient family history (by the time one gets to be the fifteenth Duke of anything, the family can be easily considered ancient). Wimsey has a vocation as criminologist, not out of necessity, surely, and not by training either (for such training did not formally exist, but, as an Oxford Arts man, he was trained for most anything intellectual, or at least, that is what an Oxford Arts man would tell you). An interesting addition to the beginning of the book is a short biographical sketch of the fictional Wimsey by his equally-fictional uncle.

All of this, of course, is but preamble to the latest mystery to come calling upon Lord Wimsey. There are the requisite features: a dead woman, Agatha Dawson, wealthy and having left a will that might not be a will, but rather a sham (a delirious woman whose nurse insists that there was no possible way of having made a will during the last month, yet oddly there is a document, complete with a witness who claims that dear old Agatha Dawson wanted nothing to do with the signing -- ah, the plot thickens here).

Of course, to most of the world, Wimsey is, well, following a whimsey of his own. The woman was after all elderly and in poor health; surely his investigations are misplaced. The doctor (not the one who tended Miss Dawson's death, to be sure, but an earlier doctor, suspicious of Dawson's sole heir, her niece) was accused of having blackened the name of Miss Whittaker, the niece, unnecessarily, particularly as no evidence of mischief had been uncovered. Wimsey with the assistance of Inspector Parker are able to rectify the situation vis-a-vis the doctor, but there is still the mystery.

Then, more death. This time the maid. To lose one woman may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two women... (well, you can fill in the rest yourself).

Of course I won't spoil it for you; perhaps my tag-team reviewers will do that for you, but I sincerely hope not. Suffice it to say, Wimsey proves himself a consummate actor in which the truth comes out (in London, and in style!).

One of the glories of Sayers work is the intricacies of her plots. She tends to get a huge number of people involved (the number of people who seemed to have trouped through the ill woman's bedchamber is in itself surprising, given the era) each with subplots and agenda that nonetheless get neatly resolved in the end. Sayers' development of character (even of the already dead ones!) is done with style and subtlety; while Wimsey is developed over several novels, one doesn't feel him a stranger by reading this one alone. The other characters fit their parts admirably (had Sayers not been a writer, she may well have made a good career as a casting director in Hollywood), in physical and personality attributes.

Her descriptions of the milieu, both in town (London) and in the country (the village and surroundings, in this case, of Hampshire, are interesting reading. Sayers is very much the cosmopolitan, and somewhat condescending toward the countryfolk. However, that is not a heavy element, and perhaps can be written off to her attempt to make Wimsey even more the worldly character he turns out to be over the course of her novels.

In all, an excellent read, a great diversion, and well worth musing over while sipping tea on a Regency-style sofa in one's dressing gown.

Unnatural Death: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Unnatural Death: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries)
Dorothy L. Sayers
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners, Mystery Masters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Mystery & Thrillers | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1572708549

Unnatural Murder: Poison at the Court of James I

Average customer rating:

Boring
Tarts and jellies
Page Turner Detective Story in the 17th Century

Unnatural Murder: Poison at the Court of James I
Anne Somerset
Manufacturer: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0297813102

Book Description

Anew interpretation by a direct descendant of a notorious murder based on original documents:a tale of love ,bribery,poison,treachery and retribution in Jacobean england.

Customer Reviews:

Boring.......2007-08-07

This book is exhaustively detailed and reads as interestingly as any legal brief -- a snooze! It's like being in a history class where the professor thoroughly enjoys discussing every remote detail while the class is sound asleep. I am half-way through and will finish the book because I can find nothing more interesting about the court of James I. Too bad though because this could be an interesting story if not for the telling.

Tarts and jellies.......2006-08-31

Much more about her husband rather than the supposed "tart" at the center of the conspiracy, Unnatural Murder leaves you wishing to know more about the Countess of Somerset. For a young woman living at a time when women had even less real power than the present, she made some difficult (and, admittedly, poor) decisions in attempting to wrest control of her life from the men around her. And apparently had the courage to take responsibility for those decisions. Tragic story.

Page Turner Detective Story in the 17th Century.......2002-02-27

Anne Somerset has written a comprehensive non-fiction account of the Overbury scandal that reads as if it were fictional narrative. The sources are exhaustive but not oppressive, so that this murder mystery turns out to be one of the best historical "whodunits" I have read. The plot is of the ages: the Countess of Somerset is young and beautiful; the Earl of Somerset is rich and powerful. In the Fall of 1615 the Countess and the Earl of Somerset were arrested on sucpicion of having murdered Sir Thomas Overbury. Does the passion, lust and greed
that lead up to their arrest turn the plot? This has it all.

Kay Scarpetta Series: Postmortem, Body of Evidence, All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual, The Body Farm, From Potter's Field, Cause of Death, Unnatural Exposure, Point of Origin, Black Notice, The Last Precinct, Blow Fly, Trace, Predator (Set of 14)

Average customer rating:

Kay Scarpetta Series: Postmortem, Body of Evidence, All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual, The Body Farm, From Potter's Field, Cause of Death, Unnatural Exposure, Point of Origin, Black Notice, The Last Precinct, Blow Fly, Trace, Predator (Set of 14)
Patricia Cornwell
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000M12V7C

Product Description

Kay Scarpetta Series, Books 1 - 14; Postmortem, Body of Evidence, All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual, The Body Farm, From Potter's Field, Cause of Death, Unnatural Exposure, Point of Origin, Black Notice, The Last Precinct, Blow Fly, Trace, Predator

Average customer rating:

Mystery with style!

Unnatural Death
Dorothy L. Sayers
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Mystery with style!.......2003-05-30

Wimsey is an old Etonian, Balliol Oxford (of course), served with distinction in His Majesty's forces during the War (this book having been written in 1927, I shall leave it to your good services to deduce which War), who resides both town and country somewhat fashionably, and takes great pride in the ancient family history (by the time one gets to be the fifteenth Duke of anything, the family can be easily considered ancient). Wimsey has a vocation as criminologist, not out of necessity, surely, and not by training either (for such training did not formally exist, but, as an Oxford Arts man, he was trained for most anything intellectual, or at least, that is what an Oxford Arts man would tell you). An interesting addition to the beginning of the book is a short biographical sketch of the fictional Wimsey by his equally-fictional uncle.

All of this, of course, is but preamble to the latest mystery to come calling upon Lord Wimsey. There are the requisite features: a dead woman, Agatha Dawson, wealthy and having left a will that might not be a will, but rather a sham (a delirious woman whose nurse insists that there was no possible way of having made a will during the last month, yet oddly there is a document, complete with a witness who claims that dear old Agatha Dawson wanted nothing to do with the signing -- ah, the plot thickens here).

Of course, to most of the world, Wimsey is, well, following a whimsey of his own. The woman was after all elderly and in poor health; surely his investigations are misplaced. The doctor (not the one who tended Miss Dawson's death, to be sure, but an earlier doctor, suspicious of Dawson's sole heir, her niece) was accused of having blackened the name of Miss Whittaker, the niece, unnecessarily, particularly as no evidence of mischief had been uncovered. Wimsey with the assistance of Inspector Parker are able to rectify the situation vis-a-vis the doctor, but there is still the mystery.

Then, more death. This time the maid. To lose one woman may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two women... (well, you can fill in the rest yourself).

Of course I won't spoil it for you; perhaps my tag-team reviewers will do that for you, but I sincerely hope not. Suffice it to say, Wimsey proves himself a consummate actor in which the truth comes out (in London, and in style!).

One of the glories of Sayers work is the intricacies of her plots. She tends to get a huge number of people involved (the number of people who seemed to have trouped through the ill woman's bedchamber is in itself surprising, given the era) each with subplots and agenda that nonetheless get neatly resolved in the end. Sayers' development of character (even of the already dead ones!) is done with style and subtlety; while Wimsey is developed over several novels, one doesn't feel him a stranger by reading this one alone. The other characters fit their parts admirably (had Sayers not been a writer, she may well have made a good career as a casting director in Hollywood), in physical and personality attributes.

Her descriptions of the milieu, both in town (London) and in the country (the village and surroundings, in this case, of Hampshire, are interesting reading. Sayers is very much the cosmopolitan, and somewhat condescending toward the countryfolk. However, that is not a heavy element, and perhaps can be written off to her attempt to make Wimsey even more the worldly character he turns out to be over the course of her novels.

Book Description

It's one hundred years in the future and the now-benevolent organization known as AIM has been fighting a non-violent conflict with the fascist government it wishes to change. But there's a splinter group that's ready to return to its violent roots with Death's Head 3.0. Problem is the killer robot isn't sure what side it wants to be on. Collects Amazing Fantasy #16-20.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books