Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Murder Must Advertise

Murder Must Advertise. Dorothy L. Sayers. 1933. Harper & Row. 323 pages.

"And by the way," said Mr. Hankin, arresting Miss Rossiter as she rose to go, "there is a new copy-writer coming in today."

I love and adore Lord Peter Wimsey. I do. Dorothy Sayers' mysteries had me at hello. In fact, after the first one, I knew I just HAD to read the entire series. So in this Lord Peter adventure, he is going undercover to solve a murder. He has been hired as a copy-writer for an advertising agency. The man he is replacing had a horrid accident on the stairs. Was it really an accident? Or did he have some enemies? Did those enemies come from within the agency? Or was he just hanging out with the wrong crowds after hours?

It took more than a few chapters for Lord Peter to reveal himself to readers. For the first third of the novel, readers just know him as the new employee. Yes, this new employee is asking questions here, there, and everywhere. And, of course, I was a little suspicious and a lot hopeful that he would turn out to be Lord Peter.

Did I like this one? Of course!!! It's Lord Peter! What's not to love? I'm not sure it's my favorite or best. But with the exception of one little chapter, I found it satisfying and just about perfect. Lord Peter can definitely make me giddy!
"Truth in advertising is like leaven, which a woman hid in three measures of meal. It proves a suitable quantity of gas, with which to blow out a mass of crude misrepresentation into a form that the public can swallow." (68) 
Others in the series:

I still need to read:
  • The Nine Tailors (1934)
  • Busman's Honeymoon (1937)
  • Complete Stories of Lord Peter (1972)
  • Thrones, Dominations (Dorothy Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh) (1998)
  • A Presumption of Death (Jill Paton Walsh) (2002)
  • The Attenbury Emeralds (Jill Paton Walsh) (2010)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

3 comments:

Bev Hankins said...

I just reread this one recently. Now I'm curious...which is the chapter that is out of favor?

Anonymous said...

@Bev Hankins - I believe it involves cricket? Am I right, Becky? :) (Personally, I like that chapter - don't know why, as I have no interest in - or knowledge of - cricket.)

L

Becky said...

Yes, it's the cricket chapter :)