Sayers’ most renowned amateur detective, the engaging and amusing Lord Peter Wimsey, sets out to unravel a puzzling case involving the disappearance of a wealthy financier and the discovery of a nude corpse, wearing gold pince-nez, in a bathtub. He does succeed in solving things to everyone’s ultimate satisfaction, but only after a series of bloodcurdling and hair-raising episodes that will hold the listener spellbound with anticipation.
Long considered one of the top mystery authors, Dorothy L. Sayers has excelled herself in this delightfully macabre tale, a truly rare find for anyone interested in top-flight crime fiction.
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"I've read the main Sayers "Wimsey-Vane" books before, but I'd never read Whose Body?. It is apparently the first Wimsey novel. I enjoyed it a great deal -- Sayers describes her main character as a cross between Fred Astaire and Bertie Wooster, which is pretty much perfect. I think I originally read these when I was younger and did not get all of the airy persiflage, aka 'piffle' that Peter Wimsey talks. Much is made of the antisemitism in this book, though Sayers defended herself saying she felt that the Jewish characters came off the best of anyone. Perhaps. It is definitely a document of its upper class British times. But the mystery is good, though I'd figured it out fairly early on. An enjoyable introduction to Wimsey, let's say."
— Abra (4 out of 5 stars)
“The Wimsey books are literate and delightful mysteries.”
— Chicago Tribune“The tale is better written and has a good deal more characterization than one finds in the average detective story.”
— New York Times" I adore Lord Peter Wimsey. He is such a gentleman. I liked this first book b/c it spent more time introducing the characters than on the mystery. "
— Hannah, 2/16/2014" "Come, Parker, you must have something to add to the jackpot. Perhaps you have a body. Oh, do have a body. Every body welcome." "
— Alyssa, 2/15/2014" Glad I finally have started to read the Lord Peter Wimsey series - interested to read more. "
— Maria, 2/14/2014" A good introduction to the Lord Peter Wimsey series. The solid and amusing characters are what got me through a semi-predictable plot. "
— Natasha, 2/11/2014" My first foray into the Lord Peter Wimsey stories, and although this took a little getting into, proved to be an enjoyable story, worth the plough through the introductions to get to. "
— Mark, 2/11/2014" borrowed a bunch of this series from a dear friend... I am enjoy the Peter Wimsey series... "
— RF, 2/10/2014" A fun introduction to the series with lots of pieces present -- Bunter, Parker, the Dowager Duchess, Peter's shell-shock -- that whets your appetite for the later books. "
— Sophia, 2/4/2014" Another murder mystery that I so loved! "
— Lisa, 2/4/2014" This was fun! It took me a while to get into it, but I was definitely warming to Lord Peter by the end. I shall read more of him. "
— Asil, 1/30/2014" My very first sleuthing with Lord Peter Wimsey, Bunter and Detective Parker. I like these three, as well as other characters especially the Dowager Duchess. The mystery was good although the murderer was rather obvious. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the read. "
— mabesie, 1/29/2014" I really enjoyed her writing style, and I'm looking forward to reading more of these. At first Lord Peter seemed like a crime-solving Bertie Wooster, but he turned out to be a very intelligent and complex character. The mystery was pretty good, although the confession at the end was a little tedious. This book did make me finally look up how to pronounce "pince-nez". "
— Jamie, 1/25/2014" Lord Peter Whimsy--Breezy sense of humor. Sayers (tongue in cheek) makes fun of her own character's snobbery, while appreciating his brilliancy. Wonder if she saw herself similarly? "
— Lynette, 1/17/2014" Lord Peter Wimsey is one of the most dellightfully entertaining of all fictional detectives. Published in 1923. "
— Dfordoom, 1/17/2014" Very British! I don't know if it's because it's from the 30's or because it's British, but I had a hard time following the language. "
— Aimee, 1/6/2014" Second Lord Peter Wimsey book written. I really liked it. Sayers doesn't pull any punches with the poor victims! "
— February, 1/2/2014" This is my first go at Dorothy Sayers, outside of some of her scholarly work. I like Lord Peter Wimsey very much, but to be honest, I liked his man Bunter even better. I'm looking forward to seeing these characters develop as I read more of her mysteries. I've also been reading many of Agatha Christie's novels, some for the first time, and Wimsey appeals to me much more than Poirot and his egotism. Must find out what the next title is and get my hands on it. "
— Jen, 12/24/2013" Good fun as always with Dorothy Sayers. I like her. "
— Celeste, 11/28/2013" This was an enjoyable mystery story. If Agatha Christie wrote a Jeeves and Wooster story it might have turned out something like this. I am going to read another book or two from this series and see how I like it as it develops. "
— Betsy, 11/15/2013" This is my co-favorite Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. I love it for the intricate and ingenious plot but also for the characters and the period details, which are mentioned throughout. A first rate mystery and a well-written bit of fiction. "
— Margaret, 11/10/2013" WHY did I wait so long to start reading Dorothy Sayers? Lord Peter is basically the awesome, awesome love child of Bertie Wooster and Sherlock Holmes. MORE PLEASE. "
— Terra, 11/10/2013" I listened to this book. The narration added to the sly writing and sarcasm of the dialog. I appreciate Sayer's writing. This story did not disappoint. Loved it. "
— Deb, 11/4/2013" A jolly good read in these otherwise beastly times, what? "
— Joseph, 10/23/2013" Just not that much of a fan of the Golden Age of mysteries. "
— Debra, 8/17/2013" I liked the character and the solving of the mystery. Lord Wimsey's speech patterns and so on were hard to follow. I'm guessing that reading more of the series will make it easier to get into all that. "
— Chris, 7/13/2013" Very interesting period mystery. Instead of Agatha Christie's ordinary sleuths, this is through the aristocrats amateur sleuthing. Good read, but this particular printing had smaller text and some errors in the printing throughout. "
— Jim, 6/27/2013" Opening sally in the Wimsey books. Something of a closed door mystery, with a missing financier and a doctor. "
— Gail, 4/20/2013" Here's another book I couldn't appreciate the first time around. After reading "Gaudy Night," I was able to persevere through Lord Peter's talk about book auctions and get to the mystery, which turned out to be very clever. "
— Becca, 1/13/2013" I look forward to learning more about Lord Peter Wimsey et al. "
— Kaye, 12/24/2012" I read this because I found it free on Project Gutenburg. I really loved it. A good mystery and great characters. I love Bunter. "
— kenpen, 12/4/2012" I liked the character and the solving of the mystery. Lord Wimsey's speech patterns and so on were hard to follow. I'm guessing that reading more of the series will make it easier to get into all that. "
— Chris, 10/1/2012" A fun, smart read. If you like detective novels, this one is worth your time! "
— Haley, 9/9/2012" I am glad I didn't read this first Lord Peter Wimsey book before having read some of the later ones as I might not have continued with them. I much prefer the later books. That being said, this one was entertaining enough for a light read. "
— Pam, 9/1/2012" I just can't get into mysteries that re about the process, not the characters. "
— Jess, 8/31/2012" I've read several of Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books, but had somehow missed this first one. "
— Christine, 6/23/2012" The mystery was okay and was a quick read. I felt a bit confused at the parts where random poetry/songs were added in. "
— Elf_owl, 1/31/2012" Squarely in the cardboard-cutout category, but good fun, in a Sherlock Holmes story kind of way. It's obvious the author reread Conan Doyle before penning those first few novels in this series. "
— Amberjean, 10/25/2011" I enjoyed this, my introduction to Dorothy L. Sayers. I intend to read more of her books. But Agatha Christie is still the queen of the golden age to me. "
— Maureen, 9/6/2011" Not bad--Lord Peter seems like a nut at first. "
— Kerri, 9/2/2011" As usual, Dorothy L. Sayers produces a brilliant book. Loved it, loved the plot and loved Peter. "
— Eva, 8/23/2011" I think Lord Peter is actually better in the short stories... "
— Janette, 7/28/2011" This is the second time reading the book so I obviosly enjoyed it, although this time I found Lord Peter's manner and speech slightly iritating. I really liked the portrayal of the murderer's hyper-rational attempt to rise above morality. "
— J., 5/12/2011" This is the second time reading the book so I obviosly enjoyed it, although this time I found Lord Peter's manner and speech slightly iritating. I really liked the portrayal of the murderer's hyper-rational attempt to rise above morality. "
— J., 5/12/2011" So much fun and so many great characters! "
— Martha, 4/24/2011" So much fun and so many great characters! "
— Martha, 4/24/2011" Glad I finally have started to read the Lord Peter Wimsey series - interested to read more. "
— Maria, 4/10/2011" Glad I finally have started to read the Lord Peter Wimsey series - interested to read more. "
— Maria, 4/10/2011" The first Lord Peter Wimsey novel. Very well done. It's an excellent example of a classic mystery from the "Golden Age" of mystery novels. It has an intriguing set up with a man finding the corpse of a complete stranger in his bathtub one morning. "
— Brenda, 4/8/2011" The first Lord Peter Wimsey novel. Very well done. It's an excellent example of a classic mystery from the "Golden Age" of mystery novels. It has an intriguing set up with a man finding the corpse of a complete stranger in his bathtub one morning. "
— Brenda, 4/8/2011" Love this series on audiobook. The narrator adds such dimension to the story! "
— Shana, 3/22/2011" Love this series on audiobook. The narrator adds such dimension to the story! "
— Shana, 3/22/2011" Just arrived from Japan. Another brilliant book on Lord Peter Wimsey series. "
— Laura, 3/18/2011" Just arrived from Japan. Another brilliant book on Lord Peter Wimsey series. "
— Laura, 3/18/2011" One of the benefits of growing old and losing memories is that you can re-read favorite authors like Miss Sayers. Wimsey is a lot more complex than Poirot; not at all the fop he seems in this book. Read on! "
— Kathy, 3/17/2011" One of the benefits of growing old and losing memories is that you can re-read favorite authors like Miss Sayers. Wimsey is a lot more complex than Poirot; not at all the fop he seems in this book. Read on! "
— Kathy, 3/17/2011" ( O Mistério de Battersea ) "
— Babete, 3/14/2011" ( O Mistério de Battersea ) "
— Babete, 3/14/2011Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) was an English-born author of novels, short stories, poetry, essays, reviews, and translations. She is best known for her detective fiction, considered among the classics of the genre, and for her amateur detective character, Lord Peter Wimsey.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.