The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club

Lord Peter is at his best in this mystery novel which gives us 21st century dwellers a view of English post WWI culture, specifically the Men's club. In the process of untangling this convoluted mystery, Lord Peter touches on some of his own issues regarding his military service and some resulting psychological scars. Despite all this, Lord Peter chases the criminal with class, wit and ridiculous humor. He never takes himself too seriously, and is always charming--even when the stessed out subjects of investigation lash out at him. Lord Peter has two perennial sidekicks--Bunter, his perfect butler, and Parker, the police detective. Both of these men are excellent at their trade and balance Peter's ridiculously good humor with sedate and serious good sense. Peter is a brilliant intuitive which contrasts with his piercing deductive mind. Bunter has good insight into human character and Parker has dogged determination and the abilty to integrate diverse evidence. Despite the sometimes dated language, Sayers has the knack of writing an engaging and suspenseful mystery as well as taking us back in time to simpler more gracious times.

Lord Peter Wimsey has planned on spending a quiet Armistice Day, just stop by the Bellona Club, reminisce with some old friends and then a quiet memorial dinner. But since this is Lord Peter Wimsey, the aristoctratic amateur sleuth, (and this is a mystery novel) a death soon occurs. The deceased is old General Fentiman and since he is ninety his passing is rather sad but not surprising. Not at all the sort of thing to arouse Lord Peter's notice until the exact time of the old General's death becomes a matter of vital importance to his heirs, one of whom is a friend of Lord Peter. As Wimsey looks deeper into the matter he becomes involved in the art world, a jilted lover, domestic tension and even receives a proposal. Of course he unravels the mysteries in the end, bringing the guilty to justice and protecting the innocent. As always with this series the glimpses into Lord Peter's world are as entertaining as the mystery itself. We are treated to visits with Inspector Parker, Bunter, and Marjorie Phelps and if those names mean nothing to you, you would probably do better to start this series with one of the earlier books. For fans of the series this is a definite must read.

When Lord Peter Wimsey comes down to the Bellona club to dine with an old friend he little expected to find the 90 year old General Fentiman sitting quietly by the fire in full rigor mortis. Nor, did he expect to be confronted with a case about which one of the General or his sister, Lady Dormer, predeceased the other. But, seeing that it was a matter of some half million pounds he was delighted to oblige old Mr. Murbles, the family solicitor.It turns out that establishing Fentiman's time of death is going to be a major feat. No one, including his heirs, the staff of the Bellona Club and most of London seems to recall what the General was doing that morning, or when he showed up, opened his newspaper and promptly expired. Worse, what few facts that Wimsey can put together convince him that something was very, very wrong with Fentiman's timely ticking off. Suddenly this is no longer a case of friendly detection but a serious investigation into a murder.'The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club' was one of Dorothy Sayers' early smash hits. It shows off Wimsey's charming urbanity against the gemlike setting of his friends and cohorts, only striking serious chords when grim necessity rears its monocled head. Wimsey doesn't act quite as foolish as he was prone to in past novels, which makes him likeable as well as witty. The other regular characters have also acquired some extra depth that makes everyone a bit more believable. Everyone but the bit players, of course. Each of those is, as usual, a quick, delightful pastiche, one of Sayers greatest talents.This is one of Sayers' most memorable books, and, despite a plot that is a little too transparent, is one of her most re-readable. The odd thing about a Sayers mystery story is how unimportant it is whether you know or can guess the murderer. 'Who' is less important than 'how' in these tales, and neither is as important as the balletic interaction of the players, most of whom you would like to find in your sitting room - it you had a sitting room large enough, that is.This is also the first book that displays Wimsey's softer nature with the ladies. While Marjorie Phelps is not destined to become Lord Peter's great love, we see glints of the Peter to come. He shows a fair and attentive style without a hint of macho that will serve him well in his trials to come. I am tempted to say that, if you don't enjoy this book, there is no hope for you as a Sayers fan. That's not completely true, but ' The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club' is a completely representative Sayers effort and one of my perennial favorites.

Among the more successful mysteries is Dorothy Sayers' "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club." A very wealthy woman dies, leaving a fortune to her brother if he is still alive, otherwise to a young female companion. When the brother is found dead in his chair at the Club, the novel becomes, not a whodunit, but a "whenwasitdun," a question much on the mind of not only the heirs of the two deceased persons but of Lord Peter Wimsey, who is asked by the brother's lawyer to help establish the time of the brother's death (that of the sister being certain). The question of When is answered halfway through the novel. But even before that, the other questions of how he died and by whose hand become paramount; and Wimsey winds up offending almost everybody concerned in his inexorable quest for the solution. There is a certain tongue-in-cheek element in Sayers' writing that calls out for a good reading--and that is exactly what we get in the Audio Partner's set of 6 audio cassettes with none other than Lord Peter himself, which is to say Ian Carmichael, doing the honors. Having read the book twice in the past and watched the Acorn Media video release many times, I enjoyed listening to this tape even more, picturing in my mind the scenes from the television version, which seems to be remarkably faithful to the novel. This set is highly recommended for those who love a good mystery, well-told and (here) well read.

Another fantastic entry in (to my mind) one of the best mystery series ever written. Lord Peter Wimsey surely deserves to be counted as one of fiction's greatest detectives, along with Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Inspector Maigret. This mystery showcases Lord Peter at his finest, along with the usual cast of Bunter, Parker and Mr. Murbles (with the lamentable exception of Miss Climpson!). Lord Peter has to untangle an unusually knotty mystery where a half-million pound inheritance hangs upon an uncertain time of death. His own feelings in the case are at issue since he has been friends with the brothers who stand to gain. I also liked the deveopment of Ann Dorland's character and the very real sympathy and desire to help that Lord Peter comes to feel for her is echoed in the reader's mind. The mystery itself is intricately plotted and as usual, Ms Sayers does a fine job of pulling together all the threads for the reader. A most satisfying and absorbing read!