Dorothy L. Sayers
AUTHOR

Dorothy L. Sayers

Mysteries & Thrillers | Classics | Fiction

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) was a playwright, scholar, and acclaimed author of mysteries, best known for her books starring the gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey.

Born in Oxford, England, Sayers, whose father was a reverend, grew up in the Bluntisham rectory and won a scholarship to Oxford University where she studied modern languages and worked at the publishing house Blackwell's, which published her first book of poetry in 1916.

Years later, working as an advertising copywriter, Sayers began work on Whose Body?, a mystery novel featuring dapper detective Lord Peter Wimsey. Over the next two decades, Sayers published ten more Wimsey novels and several short stories, crafting a character whose complexity was unusual for the mystery novels of the time.

In 1936, Sayers brought Lord Peter Wimsey to the stage in a production of Busman's Honeymoon, a story which she would publish as a novel the following year. The play was so successful that she gave up mystery writing to focus on the stage, producing a series of religious works culminating in The Man Born to Be King (1941) a radio drama about the life of Jesus.

She also wrote theological essays and criticism during and after World War II, and in 1949 published the first volume of a translation of Dante's Divine Comedy (which she considered to be her best work).

Dorothy Sayers died of a heart attack in 1957.

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Best Sellers

    • Busman's Honeymoon

    • The Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane Mysteries, Book 4
    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
    • Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars 13
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars 12
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars 12

    Lord Peter Wimsey has married at last, having finally succeeded in his ardent pursuit of the lovely mystery novelist Harriet Vane. The two depart for a tranquil honeymoon in a country farmhouse but find the previous owner dead from a broken skull in the cellar instead....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • At Last!

    • By Jerri C on 12-20-18

    Regular price: $24.47

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Lord Peter Wimsey: BBC Radio Drama Collection Volume 1

    • Three classic full-cast dramatisations
    • By: Dorothy L Sayers
    • Narrated by: Ian Carmichael, Peter Jones
    • Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
    • Original Recording
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 264
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars 227
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 227

    Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey in these definitive BBC radio dramatisations of Dorothy L. Sayers' best-selling novels....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • Lord Peter brought to life

    • By Amazon Customer on 11-14-17

    Regular price: $21.31

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Lord Peter Wimsey: BBC Radio Drama Collection Volume 2

    • Four BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
    • By: Dorothy L Sayers
    • Narrated by: full cast, Ian Carmichael
    • Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
    • Original Recording
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 213
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars 185
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 185

    Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey in the radio dramatisations of: Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Strong Poison, Five Red Herrings and Have His Carcase....

    • 4 out of 5 stars

    • Fantastic Story & Voice Actors - Horrifying Music

    • By Gen on 04-13-18

    Regular price: $23.44

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Clouds of Witness

    • The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, Book 2
    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
    • Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 176
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars 159
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 160

    In a shocking scandal, the likes of which has not been seen in the English aristocracy since the 18th century, the Duke of Denver stands accused of the foul murder or his sister's fiancé....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • Ian Carmichael is the quintessential Wimsey.

    • By Gabriela on 04-22-17

    Regular price: $20.97

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Whose Body?

    • The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, Book 1
    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: David Case
    • Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars 302
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars 266
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars 264

    Enter the 1920s Golden Age of Detection with this first novel from Dorothy L. Sayers, featuring the debut of a dashing gentleman detective, Lord Peter Wimsey....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • Thrilled to see Sayers appearing at Audible USA!!!

    • By Meep on 12-18-15

    Regular price: $13.96

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Whose Body?

    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: Mark Meadows
    • Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      0 out of 5 stars 0
    • Performance
      0 out of 5 stars 0
    • Story
      0 out of 5 stars 0

    After a corpse wearing pince-nez glasses is found in a bathtub, Lord Peter Wimsey undertakes the case and investigates the deed privately....

    Regular price: $23.09

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Strong Poison

    • A Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane Mystery
    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
    • Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 376
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 314
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 313

    Dashing detective Lord Peter Wimsey is caught up in the murder trial of mystery writer Harriet Vane. Her fiance has died of poisoning exactly as described in one of Harriet's novels....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • At Last

    • By Jerri C on 08-08-15

    Regular price: $20.97

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • The Floating Admiral

    • By: Agatha Christie, Simon Brett - preface, Dorothy L. Sayers - introduction, and others
    • Narrated by: David Timson
    • Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      3.5 out of 5 stars 103
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars 88
    • Story
      3.5 out of 5 stars 90

    Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton and nine other writers from the Detection Club collaborate in this fiendishly clever novel first published 80 years ago....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • great concept. great puzzle mystery

    • By Mariana on 07-27-17

    Regular price: $16.35

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Striding Folly

    • Three Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries
    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
    • Length: 2 hrs and 5 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 104
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 86
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 87

    Three perplexing puzzles - and three inimitable Wimsey solutions - told with wit, humor, and suspense....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • Lord Peter as a Father

    • By Jerri C on 01-08-18

    Regular price: $13.26

    Free with 30-day Trial

    • Unnatural Death

    • A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery, Book 3
    • By: Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
    • Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
    • Unabridged
    • Overall
      4.5 out of 5 stars 617
    • Performance
      4.5 out of 5 stars 547
    • Story
      4.5 out of 5 stars 543

    The wealthy Agatha Dawson is dead and there are no apparent signs of foul play. Lord Peter Wimsey, however, senses that something is amiss....

    • 5 out of 5 stars

    • At last! Sayers read by Ian Charmichael

    • By Alicia Czechowski on 10-25-12

    Regular price: $20.97

    Free with 30-day Trial

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