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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780061043581
ISBN number: 0061043583
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 288
Printing Date: August 01, 1995
Publishing house: HarperTorch
Release Date: June 21, 1995
Sale Popularity Level: 77000
Studio: HarperTorch
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Product 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.'
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Rated by buyers 
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At any given moment, I generally have at least one Dorothy Sayers book sitting in my to be read pile. Although I've long since read all of her Wimsey books (sadly!), I never really get sick of rereading them. Like many women, I suspect, I'm halfway in love with Lord Peter Wimsey.
This isn't one of the ones that I have read multiple times. I think that this was actually the second time that I read it-- the very first time being in college. (I was introduced to Dorothy Sayers by the back smoker libraries in the Bryn Mawr dorm rooms.) It strikes me now that I was quite naive at that age-- particularly since I obviously missed large sections of the plot the very first time that I read the book.
Lord Peter Wimsey is dining out with a friend and discussing murder, when they are interrupted by a thin-faced young man at the subsequent table. He has overheard them talk about the duty of a doctor to report his suspicions, and wants to tell them his own story on the subject. He himself had lost his job and reputation for calling into question the apparently natural death of one of his ill and elderly patients. Lord Peter is interested in the story, and the investigation begins. Nobody is sure if he has really found a murder-- at least not until other corpses start to appear.
Unnatural Death is a chance for Sayers to work out the idea that the successful murderers are not the ones who are never caught. Instead, the really successful murders are the ones that everyone else thinks of as a natural death.
This book introduces the most excellent Miss Climpson as Lord Peter's employee and spy-- she acts as a more comical Miss Marple and a foil to the ever-so-elegant detective.
It was interesting to me to see Sayers develop the theme of women alone or together in this book. Lord Peter remarks about Miss Climpson: "Thousands of old maids, simply bursting with useful energy, forced by our stupid social system into hydros and hotels and communities and hostels and posts as companions..." Many of the main characters in the book are either quite directly (for the time) portrayed as lesbians (something that I can't believe that I missed the very first time around) or are shown as clinging to the company of other women after rejecting the world of men. These relationships range from the healthy to the unhealthy, and the book directly touches on the problems of inheritance between women and relationships without heirs.
Unnatural Death was published in 1927, and comes bound with a short biographical note about Lord Peter. Certainly a must-read for fans of either Sayers or the series. Even if it isn't one of my favorites in the Wimsey books, still well worth reading.
Rated by buyers 
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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.
Rated by buyers -
This is the very 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.
Rated by buyers -
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!
Rated by buyers -
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, very 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.
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