Other editions of book Whose Body?: The First Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery

Whose Body? is a 1923 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, which introduced the character of Lord Peter Wimsey. Lord Peter Wimsey's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, telephones to say that Thipps, an architect hired to do some work on her local church, has just found a dead body wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez in the bath in his London flat. The official investigator, Inspector Sugg, suspects Thipps and his servant; Wimsey starts his own enquiry. Sir Reuben Levy, a famous financier, has disappeared from his own bedroom, and there has been a flurry of trading in some Peruvian oil shares. Inspector Parker, Wimsey's friend, is investigating this. Thipps, an architect, finds a dead body wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez in the bath in his London flat. Inspector Sugg, the official investigator, believes the body to be that of the famous financier Sir Reuben Levy, who has disappeared from his bedroom in mysterious circumstances the night before. Leading the investigation into Sir Rueben's disappearance is a friend of Wimsey's, Inspector Charles Parker. It quickly becomes clear that the body in the bath is not that of Sir Rueben (though there is some superficial resemblance), and it appears that the cases may be unconnected. Wimsey joins Parker in his investigation. Thipps's flat is near a teaching hospital, and Wimsey considers the possibility that the unexpected appearance of a body may may been the result of a joke perpetrated by one of the medical students. But that is excluded by evidence given at the inquest by the respected surgeon and neurologist Sir Julian Freke, who states that there was no subject missing from his dissecting room. A prostitute's chance encounter with Levy on the night of his disappearance, on the road leading to the hospital and to Sir Julian Freke's house next door, provides Lord Peter Wimsey with the clue that allows him to link the two cases. Freke maintains that he was discreetly being consulted by Levy about a medical problem, and that Levy left at about 10pm. Freke's manservant reports that Freke was inexplicably taking a bath at about 3 o'clock the following morning, judging from the noise of the cistern. In their review of crime novels, the US writers Barzun and Taylor call Whose Body? "A stunning first novel that disclosed the advent of a new star in the firmament, and one of the first magnitude. The episode of the bum in the bathtub, the character (and the name) of Sir Julian Freke, the detection, and the possibilities in Peter Wimsey are so many signs of genius about to erupt. Peter alone suffers from fatuousness overdone, a period fault that Sayers soon blotted out." AN Wilson, writing in 1993, noted that "The publisher made [Sayers] tone the story down, but the plot depends on Lord Peter being clever enough to spot that the body, uncircumcised, is not that of a Jew." In the 1923 text, Parker says that the body in the bath could not be Sir Reuben Levy because "...Sir Reuben is a pious Jew of pious parents, and the chap in the bath obviously isn't..." Later versions replaced this with "But as a matter of fact, the man in the bath is no more Sir Reuben Levy than Adolf Beck, poor devil, was John Smith." In her introduction to Hodder & Stoughton's 2016 reprint, Laura Wilson notes that Wimsey, conceived as a caricature of the gifted amateur sleuth, owes something to PG Wodehouse whose Bertie Wooster who had made his first appearance some years earlier. Sayers said of Wimsey that "at the time I was particularly hard up and it gave me pleasure to spend his fortune for him. When I was dissatisfied with my single unfurnished room I took a luxurious flat for him in Piccadilly ... I can heartily recommend this inexpensive way of furnishing to all who are discontented with their incomes". In his 2017 overview of the classic crime genre, Martin Edwards notes that Lord Peter Wimsey began his life as a fantasy figure, created "as a conscious act of escapism by young writer.

The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder -- especially with a pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath.

The stark naked body was lying in the tub.Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder -- especially witha pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath.

The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder-especially with a pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath. First published in 1923, Whose Body? established the disarmingly debonair-and somewhat foppish-Wimsey as one of the most enduring characters in English literature. It remains one of the most significant (and most charming) of the Golden Age mysteries.

Whose Body? is among the best novels by Sayers, the woman master of detective stories rivaled only by Agatha Christie. Dorothy L. Sayers was mostly known for her work as a medieval scholar, notably for her translation of Dante, the novel being actually the first of her lighter writings, but already a mature novel in all respects.The story starts when a dead body is discovered in a bathtub. This is when the prototype of the gentleman detective, Lord Peter Wimsey starts investigating and puts all his intelligence and originality into the service of the endeavor. Parallel with the discovery of the corpse, the reader also learns about the disappearance of a well-known financier and Wimsey sets out to discover whether the two cases are connected in any way.Sayers’ novel is not only written in a style that keeps the attention of the reader engaged up to the last word, but it also features structural elements that add even more excitement. In a way, it is the style and the structure that make the novel so great – the outcome of the story itself can be predicted to a certain extent and the identity of the murderer can be guessed quite early on.However, predictability does not diminish the value of the novel in any way – the characters, including not only the often frivolous detective, but also the villain who is sadistic and evil, are all so well-penned, so complex and eccentric, the events are so well integrated into the plot that the novel engages the reader’s attention to the very end. The story is exhilarating and charming at the same time – Sayers certainly made a powerful debut and, unsurprisingly, she instantly established herself as one of the finest novelists of her times.

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.

A naked body is found lying in the tub, a gold pince-nez perched before the sightless eyes. Telltale signs indicate that the face was shaved after death. Despite evidence to the contrary, the police are certain that the victim was a prominent financier. Lord Peter Wimsey knows better, but can he prove it? First published in 1923, Whose Body? established the disarmingly debonair, and somewhat foppish, Wimsey as one of the most enduring characters in English literature. It remains one of the most significant — and most charming — of the Golden Age mysteries.