Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers

The first book in the Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey series is titled Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. Lord Peter has a unique hobby—he solves murder cases—and is financially independent. He is investigating when a dead body is discovered in Mr. Thipps’ bathtub. He sets out to solve this riddle with the aid of his butler-friend Bunter, a gifted forensic and semi-professional photographer, and his friend Charles Parker, a Scotland Yard employee.

Whose Body? was published in 1928, and like many first books in a series, it introduces the reader to a variety of characters who return in subsequent instalments. Lord Peter, the main character, was born in 1890 and served in World War 1. In the series, he ages in real-time making him 28 years old at the time the first book was released.

Which Body? Lord Peter and Scotland Yard inspector Parker tell a procedural-police meets private-inspector inquiry story in by Dorothy L. Sayers. As a result, readers have a thorough understanding of all ongoing investigations and are better equipped to solve the crime as they go.

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Mr. Thipps, an urban architect, is horrified in the opening chapters of the book when he discovers a dead body in his bathtub. If that weren’t scandalous enough, the naked body is also wearing pince-nez. All things considered, Mr. Thipps’s status is obviously highly undesirable, and as a result, Inspector Sugg views him as the main suspect. Inspector Sugg believes the case to be straightforward, so he quickly places Mr. Thipps under arrest.

The Dowager Duchess of Denver learns about the incident from the vicar’s wife and approaches her son Lord Peter to inquire about the investigation’s progress. Inspector Sugg is a typical fool working on the case who lacks any competence. He does, however, occasionally develop a warm spot for Lord Peter.

For his part, Lord Peter chooses to remain loyal to Inspector Parker, a friend who is looking into a case of a missing person. Lord Peter investigates the crime site with the aid of Parker’s information about Sir Reuben Levy, an elderly banker who vanished over night without a trace. Despite parallels, Lord Peter wonders if the person in the bathtub is Sir Reuben Levy. If not, is Sir Reuben the murderer?

Lord Peter and Bunter pursue the leads they discovered in Mr. Thipps’ flat. They are able to recognise the body and track down the murderer using their talents of observation and deduction. Sayers does provide readers with the psychology of the culprit so they can understand what drove him, even if the murderer is rather obvious.

Sayers also depicts the social divisions that existed at the time of the novel’s publication in Whose Body? Although they work together as equals despite their class distinctions, Bunter still refers to Lord Peter as “my lord” in private and “his lordship” in public. Bunter is not only Lord Peter’s butler; he is also his best friend.

Sayers develops her characters throughout the narrative, revealing their hidden flaws as they are braided with Bunter and Wimsey’s past. The narrative reveals the connection between “Sergeant Bunter” as Major Wimsey’s caregiver and the World War I shell shock that caused his recurrent nightmares.

In keeping with the Golden Age of detective fiction, Lord Peter is a gentleman detective. One of the well-known British crime ladies of that era is Dorothy L. Sayers. She was a well-known author of the Golden Age, although she never attained Agatha Christie’s degree of notoriety.

Sayer’s Wimsey books are known for having a great sense of humour, being extremely British, and being slightly odd. Nevertheless, the reader will encounter social criticism in her writing. This is emphasized through satire and mocking of the British upper class.

About The Book

Dorothy L. Sayer’s first novel, Whose Body?, introduced the world to the aristocratic crime fighter Lord Peter Wimsey, who featured in fourteen subsequent novels and short stories. Athletic, scholarly, stylish and sharp, Lord Peter Wimsey became one of the most popular and beloved heroes of the genre.

In Wimsey’s first case, he undertakes an investigation to discover the identity and the murderer of a man who is found in a bathtub wearing nothing but a pince-nez. An ingenious and intricate plot follows that essentially announced the advent of a new star in the firmament of detective story writing, and one of the first magnitude.

This unique edition includes The Strand Magazine article, The Great Detectives: Lord Peter Wimsey by Chris Willis, and an author biography.