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The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Blurb On The Back:
When his sexton finds a corpse in the wrong grave, the rector of Fenchurch St Paul asks Lord Peter Wimsey to find out who the dead man was and how he came to be there.
The lore of bell-ringing and a brilliantly-evoked village in the remote fens of East Anglia are the unforgettable background to a story of an old unsolved crime and its violent unravelling twenty years later.
A car crash during a New Year’s Eve snow storm brings Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter to the village of Fenchurch St Paul and the hospitality of the local rector, who invites Wimsey to stay and help ring in the New Year with a spectacular bell-ringing display.
Three months later, Wimsey is invited back to the village after a grave is opened to reveal two bodies where there should be only one. Wimsey’s investigations dig back into a robbery 20 years earlier that ruined several lives and whose repercussions continue to be felt.
Bell-ringing features heavily in this book and although each chapter begins with an extract from ‘On Change-Ringing’ by Troyte to set the theme that follows, it’s somewhat bewildering if you’re not familiar with the topic. To this end, it would have been useful for the publishers to include a quick guide to the subject at the end so that readers could get the most from the story.
That said, this is another delightful read with Wimsey and Bunter on top form. Bunter’s never-ending skills extend to photographing fingerprints, although it is a shock to see his impeccable manners slip with a serving girl at the Rector’s house during the investigation.
The village of Fenchurch St Paul is well-realised, with Sayers populating it with vibrant characters. Wimsey’s friendship with budding teen author Hilary makes for some interesting scenes. There is a biblical feel to the denouement and Sayers offers a downbeat resolution to a story that keeps you on your toes.
All in all, it’s a fascinating and delightful way to spend a few hours.
The Verdict:
Sayers has carefully constructed a mystery story around bell-ringing and it would have been useful for a guide to the subject to be included in the book so that those unfamiliar with the subject could get the maximum benefit from the text. That said, the mystery elements are well crafted and the characters of Wimsey and Bunter remain a delight.
When his sexton finds a corpse in the wrong grave, the rector of Fenchurch St Paul asks Lord Peter Wimsey to find out who the dead man was and how he came to be there.
The lore of bell-ringing and a brilliantly-evoked village in the remote fens of East Anglia are the unforgettable background to a story of an old unsolved crime and its violent unravelling twenty years later.
A car crash during a New Year’s Eve snow storm brings Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter to the village of Fenchurch St Paul and the hospitality of the local rector, who invites Wimsey to stay and help ring in the New Year with a spectacular bell-ringing display.
Three months later, Wimsey is invited back to the village after a grave is opened to reveal two bodies where there should be only one. Wimsey’s investigations dig back into a robbery 20 years earlier that ruined several lives and whose repercussions continue to be felt.
Bell-ringing features heavily in this book and although each chapter begins with an extract from ‘On Change-Ringing’ by Troyte to set the theme that follows, it’s somewhat bewildering if you’re not familiar with the topic. To this end, it would have been useful for the publishers to include a quick guide to the subject at the end so that readers could get the most from the story.
That said, this is another delightful read with Wimsey and Bunter on top form. Bunter’s never-ending skills extend to photographing fingerprints, although it is a shock to see his impeccable manners slip with a serving girl at the Rector’s house during the investigation.
The village of Fenchurch St Paul is well-realised, with Sayers populating it with vibrant characters. Wimsey’s friendship with budding teen author Hilary makes for some interesting scenes. There is a biblical feel to the denouement and Sayers offers a downbeat resolution to a story that keeps you on your toes.
All in all, it’s a fascinating and delightful way to spend a few hours.
The Verdict:
Sayers has carefully constructed a mystery story around bell-ringing and it would have been useful for a guide to the subject to be included in the book so that those unfamiliar with the subject could get the maximum benefit from the text. That said, the mystery elements are well crafted and the characters of Wimsey and Bunter remain a delight.