Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (1923)

An architect finds a dead stranger, wearing only a pince-nez, in his bathtub; fear not, Lord Peter Wimsey sees all.

Book Review: Whose Body? is Dorothy Sayers' first novel featuring her dilettante detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. Sayers, a contemporary and countrywoman of Agatha Christie, was one of the first women to get a degree from Oxford and one of the first of the new breed of mystery writers. Although entertaining, I found Whose Body? more interesting as a historical artifact, a curio, Peter Wimsey's origin story. Although the plot is enjoyable enough and this short book is a quick read, the plot also hangs on a rather implausible twist and a lengthy written confession. Wimsey himself takes a little getting used to: he has a bit of Bertie Wooster about him (along with an impeccable man-servant, Bunter), and the book reflects the off-hand, almost oblivious, prejudices of the time and class (the Jews have a poor time of it within). On the more fun side, Sayers is meta and post-modern enough to be quite aware that she's writing a detective novel within the genre of detective novels, with occasional interjections such as: "Of course, if this were a detective story, there'd have been a convenient shower exactly an hour before the crime ... ." Whose Body? is also full of the aristocratic Britishisms of the 1920's (as from old movies): "old man," "quite," "by Jove!" Wimsey's affected monocle is actually a magnifying glass, his silver matchbox contains a torch (flashlight), and he has other proto-James Bond tools. Enjoyable if unlikely, an interesting glimpse into the early days of the cozy mystery.  [3★]