Murder Must Advertise

When Lord Peter Death Breden Wimsey, privately investigating the "accidental" death of an employee of an advertising firm, takes a copywriting job there, in this 1933 novel, he raises curiosity among the female employees. Known on the job only as "Breden," he is regarded as "a cross between Ray Flynn and Bertie Wooster, " complete with silk socks and expensive shoes, and obviously not from the same background as the rest of the staff. Assigned to advertise Dairyfield's Margarine and "domestic" tea, he occupies the dead man's office, churning out slogans while poking into relationships and possible motivations for murder. He soon discovers that the dead man, with limited resources, actively participated in the drug culture of upperclass parties, though how he became involved is an open question. Lord Peter, as aristocratic as his title would imply, is adventurous and imaginative, a man of action and intelligence who does not hesitate to get down and dirty if necessary (though he'd prefer not "too" dirty). With a "tongue that runs on ballbearings," he can talk his way into and out of almost any situation, and as an ad agency employee, he provides the reader with some terrific one-liners and quips as he tries to sell products. Author Dorothy Sayers, who worked in an advertising agency herself for seven years, brings the agency to life with all its petty infighting and cynicism, creating a vibrant environment in which Wimsey's familiar wordplay and cleverness can be highlighted during his investigation of the murder--and the gruesome murders which follow in its wake. The author's total control is obvious as she carefully introduces quirky and memorable characters, provides Wimsey/Breden with a sounding board for his discoveries (his brother-in-law, a police superindendent), integrates him successfully into all levels of society, and creates a realistic picture of life in the 1930s--while keeping the reader completely engaged with the mystery and with Wimsey's shrewdness. The wordplay and dry humor throughout the novel are sheer delight, and the conclusion, in which Wimsey/Breden finds a unique way of bringing the investigation to a satisfying resolution comes as a surprise. Sometimes described as the best of the Lord Peter Wimsey series, this novel is a classic--as entertaining now as it was when it was written in 1933. n Mary Whipple Lord Peter : The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries) Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery) A Presumption of Death: A New Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mystery (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mysteries) Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul

I enjoyed Murder Must Advertise the most out of all the Dorothy Sayers/Lord Peter Wimsey books, but that is not to say that it is her best. Ms. Sayers herself considered Murder Must Advertise as a lightweight book, written on the side while taking a break from some of her more complex novels. Three quarters of a century later, it seems that what she considered her most brilliant work and what actually stood the test of time are two different things. I have never been able to get through "Nine Tailors", I found it excrutiatingly boring, and although I finished "The Five Red Herrings", I am sad to say that quite a bit of the intricate plot went over my head. I am not complimenting myself by saying so, since both these books were, I am sure, brilliant. Perhaps I can blame it on the generation gap? (I wish). But "Murder Must Advertise" is still as funny and as relevant today as it was when it was first published. Ms. Sayers drew on her own experience working in an ad agency, and it shows. (Writing copy was what she did for a living, writing novels was simply not as lucrative in those times as it is today). The characters that populate the ad agency are so real, you can almost feel that they will get up out of the book and walk around. I also loved the character developement of Lord Peter, because to develope from his previous books he sure did do. In "Murder Must Advertise", he shows us a different side to himself than is apparent in the first few books, and I think Dorothy Sayers saw him differently as well. What's interesting in the Lord Peter Whimsey books is that Lord Peter comes across differently in each novel, there is real and true character development. Unlike almost any other series novelists I can think of, where if you pick up the first book and you pick up the last book you will find the same person; if you will pick up "Who's Body" and "Busman's Honeymoon" you will actually meet two different people. (Lord Peter becomes even more developed in "Gaudy Night" and "Busman's Honeymoon"). "Murder Must Advertise" is well-crafted and funny, with a blend of humor and melodrama that complement each other extremely well, in my opinion. Even the ending, which many reviewers have stated was too dark, I found it be just right - this is a murder mystery after all, and murderers must get punished. Although the story is light-hearted and funny, every now and then we see a grim side to Lord Peter as he keeps reminding himself, and the reader, why he is really there - and its not for fun. There is an undercurrent of seriousness throughout the book, which finally breaks through in the "dark" ending. But make no mistake, the ending does not come out of nowhere, if you read the book carefully, you will see that it was there all along. Was this Dorothy Sayers best? She herself said not, and its hard to argue with an author, especially a dead one. Did I enjoy this book the most? Yes I did, with "Busman's Honeymoon coming in a very close

This is a great book. Though it isn't Sayers best, it certainly is very fun to read, and since Dorothy Sayers worked in an advertising firm for while you can see her knowoledge of office life and also almost nostalgia for that comarederie. Would certainly recommend it, Lord Peter at this best.

Tightly written and featuring Sayers' gentlemanly sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey at his self-mocking best, Murder Must Advertise is generally regarded as Sayers' finest work in the genre. Several of Sayers murder mysteries--most notably Gaudy Night--achieve much of their effect via unusual settings and atmosphere, and Murder Must Advertise presents us with a mystery set in a 1930s advertising agency, a circumstance that not only gives the reader insight into a world that the author knew first-hand, but allows Sayers to satirize the business of advertising itself. Charming, witty, peopled with interesting characters doing interesting things, and thoroughly fun to read.

I must preface this review by confessing a bias - I'm a huge fan of Dorothy Sayers and consider it a tragedy that she did not write more detective fiction. This is definitely one of the strongest entries in the Lord Peter Wimsey series, both for mystery and entertainment value. An interesting tactic used by Sayers is to point in the direction of the culprit about three-fourths of the way through the book and then lead the reader through the detection process that actually leads to his/her unmasking. We saw this used in "Unnatural Death", also in "Whose Body?" Surprisingly, the resulting lack of suspense at the end does not deter from the mystery at all as it is fascinating to see the patient unraveling of clues and pulling together of threads that lead to evidence against a killer. It is also a better reflection of what usually happens in reality, as opposed to a lot of detective fiction where the most unlikely person did it! While we all find whodunits interesting, the reality is that the police and private eyes are usually smart enough to figure out the most likely candidate fairly early and thus narrow their investigations. In this book, the fun is added to by the setting in an ad agency. Sayers had worked in an ad agency at some point in her career and you can see that she really knows her stuff. The interplay between the various characters is very funny and surprisingly not dated in feel, considering the book was written 70 odd years ago! I found the cricket match scene to be the most fascinating part as well the sense the reader gets that with every page, the hangman's noose is slowly closing around the killer. Richly detailed and very descriptive, this is a book you'll want to go back and re-read many times - there will always be something fresh to see!