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A review by genteelblackhole
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
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.