Reviews

A Presumption of Death by Dorothy L. Sayers, Jill Paton Walsh

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katieinca's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm glad it got written and I love Harriet, but like the characters in the book, I missed Lord Peter.

eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition

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4.0

4 stars. I thought this continuation of Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey series was quite well done. The wartime setting added interest and atmosphere. I have to admit, the mystery, which started off to be fairly interesting, ended up taking rather a back seat once Lord Peter entered the tale, and it wasn't terribly difficult to figure out. But the writing was very good, and the amount of material presented regarding the future years of Wimsey & family was welcome. I listened to the audio book read by Edward Petherbridge, and it was a pleasure.

ajitate's review against another edition

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5.0

Very enjoyable and with a few extra touches maybe a little more modern than Sayers, even, rendering this story a little more accessible than the earlier ones. A very worthy Wimsey/Vane sequel.

l1nds's review against another edition

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2.0

If this book was a pint of lager (bear with me!) Jill Paton Walsh would be arrested under the Weights and Measures Act for serving up such watered down rubbish. All of the characters are pale imitations of their former selves, and the whole thing lacks the elusive spark we expect from a Wimsey mystery.

radella_hardwick's review against another edition

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2.5

The murder puzzle was almost entirely absent from this one. It was much more interested in life during WWII.
Worse yet, the first victim is dismissed for large portions of this book and that murder is solved as a afterthought

judyward's review against another edition

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3.0

At Dorothy Sayers death, she left behind an unfinished Lord Peter Wimsey novel and notes on how the characters were coping with life during World War II. Sixty years later, Jill Paton Walsh finished the book and the result is a success. Set in 1940 at the beginning of the Blitz. Harriet Vane, Lord Peter Wimsey's wife, has moved with her two young sons to a small village to escape the dangers of the cities. During the village's first air-raid drill, no bombs were dropped, but a body was found lying in the street at the all-clear. Since Lord Peter is overseas on a secret government mission, the police persuade Harriet to help with the investigation. Fairly slow as a mystery, but excellent at describing how the war changed lives, uprooted people from their comfortable prewar existence, and how the population of England began to cope with the restrictions and rationing imposed during the crisis. Since the relationships between the characters are already established, it would be helpful to read the early Lord Peter Wimsey books before reading this one.