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Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery)

by Dorothy L Sayers

Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the "Gaudy," the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obsentities, burnt effigies and poison-pen letters — including one that says, "Ask your boyfriend with the title if he likes arsenic in his soup."Some of the notes threaten murder; all are perfectly ghastly; yet in spite of their scurrilous nature, all are perfectly worded.And Harriet finds herself ensnared in a nightmare of romance and terror, with only the tiniest shreds of clues to challenge her powers of detection, and those of her paramour, Lord Peter Wimsey.

Review:

"A royal performance." The Spectator

Review:

"Very skillful writing. Miss Sayers has done a real tour de force, and done it with eases and grace." Saturday Review

About the Author

Dorothy L. Sayers is the author of novels, short stories, poetry collections, essays, reviews and translations. Although she was a noted Christian scholar, she is most known for her detective fiction. Born in 1893, she was one of the first women to be awarded a degree from Oxford University. Her first book featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, Whose Body?, was published in 1923 and over the next 20 years more novels and short stories about the aristocratic amateur sleuth appeared. Dorothy L. Sayers is recognized as one of the greatest mystery writers of the 20th century.

Letter from the Editor:

Dorothy L. Sayers is recognized as one of the greatest mystery writers of the 20th century. In 1923, Whose Body?, her first book, featuring the aristocratic amateur sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, was published, and over the next 20 years more novels and short stories appeared. All 15 of Sayers' mysteries are available from HarperPaperbacks.

Now there is a new Dorothy L. Sayers novel. A long-lost partial manuscript titled Thrones, Dominions was discovered last year, and acclaimed mystery writer Jill Paton Walsh has completed it. St. Martin's Press will publish this book in February. This is a signal publishing event, and HarperCollins congratulates St. Martin's Press.

We are sure that Thrones, Dominions will delight Sayers' fans and find new ones for her, and in the process whet appetites for Sayers' other mysteries. A list of these books is attached. In the words of Dorothy L. Sayers herself, "Murder must advertise." So, in addition to an announcement about Thrones, Dominions in a recent issue of Publisher's Weekly, the next edition of the HarperCollins mystery newsletter, Deadline, will include a piece on the Sayers books, as will St. Martin's Press' newsletter, Murder at the Flatiron Building. HarperCollins will also feature information about the Sayers' backlist on its web page.

Dorothy L. Sayers died in 1957, but her books continue to enthrall readers today. Please help us celebrate the doyenne of the Golden Age of the Mystery, Dorothy L. Sayers.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
crowyhead, August 29, 2006 (view all comments by crowyhead)
Oh gosh, what a perfect, perfect book! This is one of those books that I finish and sort of clasp to my chest in delight. I'd always heard that this was possibly Sayers' best novel, but I forced myself to read the Lord Peter mysteries that chronologically come before it. I'm kind of glad I did, since I'm not sure if I'd have had the same sense of emotional fulfillment if I hadn't already come to know and love Lord Peter and Harriet Vane. It's a marvelously psychological mystery -- there's no body, just a series of vicious Poison Pen letters and malicious pranks that threaten to undermine the foundations of a women's college at Oxford. Harriet, an alumna, is called in to assist with the investigation, and in the process really begins to get a firm sense of herself and to truly recover from the events in Strong Poison. Lord Peter eventually arrives to assist, which of course makes things even more interesting..
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780061043499
Author:
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Publisher:
HarperTorch
Author:
by Dorothy L. Sayers
Author:
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Location:
New York, N.Y. :
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - General
Subject:
Detective and mystery stories
Subject:
Mystery & detective
Subject:
Women detectives
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Traditional British
Subject:
Private investigators
Subject:
Wimsey, peter, lord (fictitious character)
Subject:
Oxford (England) Fiction.
Subject:
Wimsey, Peter, Lord
Subject:
Oxford
Subject:
Vane, Harriet
Subject:
Mystery fiction
Subject:
Private investigators - England
Edition Description:
1st HarperPaperbacks printing.
Series:
Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries
Publication Date:
April 1995
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
512
Dimensions:
6.78x4.28x1.37 in. .53 lbs.

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