Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories

A collection of all the Peter Wimsey short stories, plus an introduction, an analytical essay, and a parody by E. C. Bentley.

I'm familiar with the Lord Peter Wimsey from Sayers' detective novels, in which he juggles his passion for murder with his enthusiasm for rare books and wine. He wears a monocle. He can make a Biblical pun, invoke Shakespeare, and provide meta-commentary on detective fiction -- all in the same breath. It is not just literary critics who cringe at his portrayal of aristocratic English foppery; most of the people around him consider him a first-class twit, and even his circle of friends is frequently exasperated by his high-strung verbosity. He is a protagonist of Puck-like proportions.

In contrast, the stories show more collected in "Lord Peter" portray a steely figure who can assume a dozen different identities at the drop of a hat in his varied roles as an undercover mole in a criminal syndicate, a magician rescuing an imprisoned lady, and a top-secret foreign agent of the British government. In short, it's Lord Peter as James Bond, minus the misogyny. Only a few of the stories seem to approach the same flavor as the novels: "The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention" (in which Peter is driven to petulance by high-handed heirs), "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head" (told from the perspective of Peter's admiring nephew), and "The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face" (which ends with Peter in the weary, nihilistic mood that seems to conclude all of his novels). show less

This very long book with a hideous cover, published in 1972, collects Sayers's Lord Peter mystery stories in one volume. I purchased it at a Friends of the Library sale. The paperback's binding became increasingly brittle as I read and several pages even fell out!

This was a very interesting read, on a technical level, as Peter's mind works in a different way and each story seems to tackle the mystery through a different direction. The most prevalent theme is that Peter looks so unoffensive that strangers start blabbing about an odd thing they have recently seen or endured. There's a medical condition mystery, and also one solved through know-how of the latest dental innovations. Now, it also must be noted that Sayers is an author of show more her time, and as with Christie, there are annoying bits of racism (very negative stereotypical descriptions of Italians and Jews, and one story in particular using the n-word with full derisiveness). show less

It's a charming collection of all Peter Wimsey stories. Whereas many are easy to guess and quick to read, it is great fun to read Wimsey's charm, wit and finesse. The stories are likeable as much for their style as for their content.
The last stories included are rather silly, but it does show the evolution of Wimsey as a character moving through life's unexpected turns.

My current distal discomfort being what it is, I thought a book of short stories would work for me, and I've been in the mood for some Whimsey.

Of this entire collection, I think the only one I'd read previously was The Necklace of Pearls. A few I didn't much care for - The Queen's Square pops immediately to mind, but that could be simply chalked up to my current attention span and the story being a fair-play mystery with maps are at odds. I liked the logic behind how Whimsey solved it, I just found the process tedious.

My favourites are far and away the easiest to identify:

The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Mileage's Will: I loved this story and I think it's a great example of superior writing, in that it was short but still contained all show more the suspense and entertainment many long stories struggle to achieve, and it was a nice departure from a 'murder' mystery.

The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head: Another 'no-murder' mystery; less suspense but still oodles of fun with old books, maps, and a treasure hunt. Peter learning what happens when you poke a dragon in the eye was the cherry on top of this delightfully fun tale.

The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach: Probably my least fave of the 4 I'm listing, but there was a whimsy about it I enjoyed, if the premise itself wasn't totally disgusting.

Talboys: This one was just funny. Sweet too, but mostly just funny. The ending is sublime.

All in all a solid set of short stories, with very few disappointments. show less

How I enjoy Dorothy Sayers' creation, Lord Peter. Aside from a few gruesome tales, these are some of the most enjoyable mysteries I have ever read, because they are so literate. The puzzles are often quite ingenious, but what's better is the characterization.

I didn't finish the book, so maybe the other stories are different. I was left with the feeling that Dorothy Sayers is too clever by half. The stories frequently use sometimes obscure scientific knowledge to create and solve a puzzle, which is far more important than the characters or their relationships. But, hey, these are short stories, without wasted words, and not novels. There's even a British-style crossword puzzle for the reader to do.

I'd read many but not all of these previously so some lovely new treats spanning Wimsey's career. The crossword one would be even more fun for the kind of person who'd enjoy stopping to work out all the clues, and I especially enjoyed the one in which Wimsey is impersonated. I loved seeing him with his nephew; I'm more ambivalent about the one with his son only because, while they're clearly both of a time and class where an insult to one's honour must be answered, I didn't much approve the manner of that answer.