Whose Body?

The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, Book 1

De: Dorothy L. Sayers

Narrado por: David Case

Enter the 1920s Golden Age of Detection with this first novel from Dorothy L. Sayers, featuring the debut of a dashing gentleman detective, one of the great characters of mystery fiction - Lord Peter Wimsey. An unidentified corpse is found in a bathtub, and the police are jumping to conclusions about its identity and that of the murderer. Lord Peter Wimsey steps in and, with the help of his friend, Inspector Parker; and his manservant, Bunter, solves the mystery.

©2009 AudioGO (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks

Just as I remember

I was happy to hear a narrator who was able to convey the nuance of the story. It was just like reading the book!

Good story, bad narrator

I like classic mysteries. I’ve read almost all of the Agatha Christie book so I decided to come on to the Dorothy Sayers books. This was a good book, and I will read the rest of the series. Lord Wimsey is the fun-loving aristocrat who solves mysteries on the side. The characters are fun, and Lord Wimsey has depth to him I didn’t expect.

This mystery is a classic body switch. It’s fairly obvious who did it early on. The writing is a mix between Christie and Doyle.

The downside, for me, was the narrator. I could hear him turning the pages, which was mildly irritating. More so was his habit of pausing after every bit of dialogue. “I don’t know”...said Lord Peter. It really took away from the enjoyment of the book. If the same narrator reads the next one, I’ll skip the audio version and just read it on my own.

Poor narration. High pitched and jarring.

The first of the Wimsey stories that is poorly preformed. Amazing how a good story can be made impossible to listen to by the quality of the vocal performance.

Rollicking good listen!

The narrator is perfect for this read. Great snooty British voice. We found the story twisty and entertaining.

Good stuff

I love Dorothy Sayers mysteries, so it’s especially fun to hear them performed! Good narration makes the individual characters come alive!!

Hard to follow on audio

The dialect made it a little confusing to follow on audio. I’m not disappointed that I listen to it, but I know I would not listen to it again.

More complex and interesting than I expected.

I thought the book might be suitable for background noise when I have a spell of restlessness at night when the goal is to fall back asleep. However, I found the dialogue interesting and the characters much more finely drawn than in some detective stories. I especially liked the vulnerable protagonist, with his antiquarian book passion and his painful “shell shock” episode. A fairly sensitive portrayal of a grieving widow as well. Much humor, too. I had to “promote” Sayers to daytime listening.

MORE PLEASE

What made the experience of listening to Whose Body? the most enjoyable?

The clues I miss

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes

What does David Case bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The real effect of the characters thoughts and feeling

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the surprised ending

Any additional comments?

Would like to hear entire series, bit and pieces are ok with some reader but once I find a series I truly love I new them...the wait is awful.

Excellent!

Excellent opus in the Lord Peter Wimsey canon! Bravo, Dorothy L. Sayers. A marvelous mystery with a provocative title. WHOSE body INDEED!

Curious mystery & hilarious performance

When I was very young, I read the Lord Peter mysteries, and due to the innocence/ignorance of youth,
so much went over my head. Through Audible, I dipped my toe back into the Sayers canon, and I am so pleased.
David Case's performance just brings so much joy: Sayers humor gets the full treatment here, and it is such fun!
What an excellent author! These books tend to be dialog driven, and Case brings out all of the peculiarities of that period, and that particular social system. And.. Sayers is such a scholar! I did so much enjoy all the literary/theological references,
almost like little 'asides' to please the reader. I must continue further into the series, and find the little treasure that is Dorothy Sayers. Well done, Audible!