Reviews

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers

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

lise_haag's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jodannna's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

jenniferavignon's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

chris_of_mercia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

3.5

Murderer was kind of obvious, so I discounted them as the real culprit.  She got me again.  I find it fascinating that Peter is so in love with Harriet, but she can disappear from books entirely. 

thegreenorchid's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bioniclib's review

3.0

This was my first Lord Peter Wimsey novel. Ms. Sayers was writing in the early 20th century and makes it clear that fellow mystery giants such as Doyle and Christie were writers she respected. Even if Wimsey isn't as strong a character as Holmes or Poirot, he's still quite entertaining.

This tale has Wimsey infiltrating an ad agency in search of a the man (or woman) who murdered a worker there. The murder leads to a dope ring, which I was surprised to hear about given that the book was written in 1933. At times the slang made it tough to read because I struggled to figure out what the hell, or wot the 'ell, they were saying.

All-in-all a good if not great read. I'd go back for another one of the Wimsey novels.