Reviews

Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers

louloureadsbooks's review against another edition

3.25

This was a re-read. Think I was probably reading tired didn't enjoy quite as much as I thought I would although I love the Dowager Duchess' handl ng of her daughter's antics and her wither ng scorn of the doctor treating her daughter

collectedscribbles's review against another edition

funny mysterious slow-paced

3.5

melissa_who_reads's review against another edition

4.0

I found some of the beginning parts tedious, but then it got interesting a third of the way through. This is one where the author avoids racist descriptions/commentary, so it is more pleasant to read in this day and age. The Duke of Denver is arrested for killing a guest of his - his sister's fiance. When Lord Peter comes in to investigate, the case begins to fall apart - and they manage to solve it before being obliged to call the Duke's alibi as a witness (saving face all the way around).

saranies's review against another edition

4.0

Lord Peter Whimsey has to investigate an alleged murderer within the family! The uncovering of many a secret ensues. The Dowager Duchess might be better than Maggie Smith in Downton, although with fewer bon mots.

cmx's review against another edition

lighthearted 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? No

3.5

Audible free, also waited way too long to write this review, but do remember portions and this was a pretty decent book

ladyethyme's review against another edition

2.0

Frankly you’d think a female author…would write women better. Lady Mary is insufferable. The worst dramatic representation of hand-wringing, incompetence, whining, etc that I’ve ever read. I wanted to slap her.
But apparently the affected and fake ‘damsel in distress’ level 1000 is enough to make Parker-the police detective on duty-fall all over himself in a schoolboy crush and simply flat out refuse to believe anything against her. Because she’s hot and pathetic.

jdsutter's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

3.5

izzatiidrus's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

My first Dorothy L. Sayers because I forgot I have the first book in the series (bought separately, different editions). I had been wanting to read her books because I kept on seeing it mentioned that she's something like Agatha Christie in her time.

The premise was interesting - Lord Peter Wimsey who only just began to dabble in amateur sleuthing was on vacation when he heard that his own brother was arrested for murdering his sister's fiancé. Oooh, get your tea steeped and ready because this had to be intriguing because crime within the family means family drama!

I enjoyed the witty banter, especially from Lord Wimsey himself because his character was a cheeky one. However, the story was very descriptive (okay fine, wordy) and perhaps when I was reading it, I really was not in the mood for that. There was also quite a lot of conversations in accents which mostly went over my head since I'm not familiar with British accents. I didn't care for the seemingly random quotes at the start of each chapter either. The case was just okay, I really did expect more to be honest.

rachelmcg2004's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny relaxing tense medium-paced

5.0

karinlib's review against another edition

4.0

Just Love Lord Wimsey, reminds me of Bertie Wooster and Jeeves.