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mborer23's review against another edition
4.0
When Lord Peter is called home unexpectedly from a trip abroad, it's for a grisly reason: his sister's fiance has been found dead on the grounds, and his brother is the likely suspect. Can Lord Peter untangle the victim's personal affairs and find the real killer, or will the Duke of Denver be disgraced in the dock? And what can his friend Inspector Parker do for him without compromising the investigation? Highly recommended.
maskedturtle's review against another edition
3.0
The exciting start leads to a dull end. I appreciate the title "Clouds of Witness" because there weren't any witnesses. Halfway through the book, I already began to realize that Cathcart committed suicide because all along Wimsey was clearing suspects instead of finding new clues. Moreover, there were not any house guests to be potential suspects nor any family feuds. I regard this as more of a chain of coincidences than a murder story. Denver Wimsey's affairs with Mrs. Grimethorpe also seemed very contrived. The two stories of Denver and Mary are very uninteresting and I read those parts simply because there had to be some unspeakable alibi. Any other shady stories would do just fine. There are also some adventures very loosely incorporated into the storyline which are wholly unnecessary.
cubist_tubist's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
3.75
juliat2006's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gabrielrobartes's review against another edition
4.0
Why read a 1924 novel about a rich English aristocrat and the terrible legal problems of his brother, the Duke in 2023?
Mostly because it’s fun, a great deal of fun. Sayers was one of the first women to be awarded a degree from Oxford, translated Dante for Penguin and could be seen as the inventor of the cosy mystery, excepting the sharpness of her skewering of class norms and eye for the fantastic. One of the few books I adored as a teenager (fat Gollanz hardbacks in those marvellous matt yellow dust jackets) which doesn’t disappoint 40 odd years later.
Mostly because it’s fun, a great deal of fun. Sayers was one of the first women to be awarded a degree from Oxford, translated Dante for Penguin and could be seen as the inventor of the cosy mystery, excepting the sharpness of her skewering of class norms and eye for the fantastic. One of the few books I adored as a teenager (fat Gollanz hardbacks in those marvellous matt yellow dust jackets) which doesn’t disappoint 40 odd years later.
kelleamy11's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
This, the second novel of Lord Peter Wimsey's stories is an absolute corker, marvellous writing style moments which made me laugh smile and always want to get to the end of the book to find out Who dunnit? and it also has one of the best quote from a glorious character The Dowager Duchess of Denver she is such a gem. This is definitely a classic.
lise_haag's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.25
hidingzeus's review against another edition
3.5
I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the first, but I do want to continue with Lord Peter for awhile yet.