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mborer23's review
5.0
A thrilling tale of murder, drug-fueled mayhem, and...advertising copywriting. When Lord Peter Wimsey is called to investigate a suspicious death at an advertising agency, he goes undercover—and discovers a surprising talent for the ad game. (Interestingly, advertising seems to have changed very little in the intervening decades, and this one will hit a little close to home for those of us who work in the field.) This book will keep you guessing. Highly recommended.
lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
3.5
I enjoy this Wimsey mystery because of the setting and the snarky commentary about advertising.
genteelblackhole's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading the Lord Peter Wimsey books in publication order a couple of years ago. But I was so bored to tears by Have His Carcase that I almost gave up on Dorothy L. Sayers. However I had enjoyed most of the previous novels well enough, especially the brilliant Strong Poison, so after more than a year’s break, I finally decided to try another Wimsey case.
And a very good one it is. Lord Peter goes undercover at an advertising firm to investigate the seemingly accidental death of an employee by falling down the stairs. This affords Sayers, who once worked in advertising herself, to reveal the inner workings of the agency and make all kinds of deeply cynical observations about the nature of advertising which still ring true today. (“Made with” does not mean the same as “made from”, “helps with” does not mean “cures”, etc.)
The investigation uncovers, giving the novel a hardboiled feel despite the whimsy of Wimsey — like Bertie Wooster stumbling into a Dashiell Hammett plot. (Although Wimsey’s buffoonish, Wooster-like qualities have been tempered a bit since the earlier novels, and he’s become more dashing.) I could’ve done without the overly detailed description of a cricket match, since I don’t watch cricket and don’t understand the jargon, but that was really the only longueur for me in an otherwise satisfying read.
Be warned, there is also some casual racism, most jarringly (for a modern reader at least) from Wimsey himself, who drops several racial slurs into conversation. That said, given his wealth and privilege, this would be sadly in character even for today’s upper class twits. (Just think of Boris Johnson’s newspaper articles…) Anyway, if that’s a dealbreaker for you, don’t read this book. But viewing it through a historical lens, I was still able to enjoy the rest of the book, and the commentary on advertising’s manipulative tactics still holds true today.
And a very good one it is. Lord Peter goes undercover at an advertising firm to investigate the seemingly accidental death of an employee by falling down the stairs. This affords Sayers, who once worked in advertising herself, to reveal the inner workings of the agency and make all kinds of deeply cynical observations about the nature of advertising which still ring true today. (“Made with” does not mean the same as “made from”, “helps with” does not mean “cures”, etc.)
The investigation uncovers
Spoiler
a drug ring and leads to a somewhat tragic end for many of its participantsBe warned, there is also some casual racism, most jarringly (for a modern reader at least) from Wimsey himself, who drops several racial slurs into conversation. That said, given his wealth and privilege, this would be sadly in character even for today’s upper class twits. (Just think of Boris Johnson’s newspaper articles…) Anyway, if that’s a dealbreaker for you, don’t read this book. But viewing it through a historical lens, I was still able to enjoy the rest of the book, and the commentary on advertising’s manipulative tactics still holds true today.
blondeinthewoods's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kyrabellemalone's review
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
dqzh1579's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. The final interaction between Tallboy and Wimsey was really beautifully done. The setting was excellent and well executed, the cast of characters well developed and individual. The plot span out slowly but kwpt your interest the whole way through. A real triumph of a mystery.
marmoo's review
4.0
This isn’t Sayers at her absolute best on a character front (though that may be my prejudice against the Harriet Vane-less Whimsey novels), but there’s quite a bit of meaty social commentary on work, class, and money. The advertising firm was particularly lively and rich in detail, informed as it was by Sayers’ own copywriting background. The undercover premise made for some enjoyable outsider’s perspective our lead civilian detective’s fish-out-of-water forays into the working world.
sherwoodreads's review
I had read a great deal about the Bright Young Things by the time I read this, so I recognized them, a buried gem in a treasure of a story. I've always liked work stories where you get the sense the writer actually knows about the complications of minutae that become all-consuming in the workplace, and there comes the opening of the cage. This one satisfies on all levels.
j_lia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
meganh123's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5