Synopses & Reviews
When Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the Gaudy, the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obscenities, 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
Review
“Gaudy Night stands out even among Miss Sayerss novels. And Miss Sayers has long stood in a class by herself.” < i=""> Times Literary Supplement <> (London)
Review
“A royal performance.” < i=""> The Spectator <>
Review
“A royal performance.” < i=""> The Spectator <>
Review
“Its light entertainment but almost everything about it is delightful and as a piece of golden age detective fiction it feels very fresh.”
Synopsis
“
Gaudy Night stands out even among Miss Sayerss novels. And Miss Sayers has long stood in a class by herself.”
—
Times Literary SupplementThe great Dorothy L. Sayers is considered by many to be the premier detective novelist of the Golden Age, and her dashing sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, one of mystery fictions most enduring and endearing protagonists. Acclaimed author Ruth Rendell has expressed her admiration for Sayerss work, praising her “great fertility of invention, ingenuity, and wonderful eye for detail.” The third Dorothy L. Sayers classic to feature mystery writer Harriet Vane, Gaudy Night is now back in print with an introduction by Elizabeth George, herself a crime fiction master. Gaudy Night takes Harriet and her paramour, Lord Peter, to Oxford University, Harriets alma mater, for a reunion, only to find themselves the targets of a nightmare of harassment and mysterious, murderous threats.
Synopsis
For Miss Cordell, principal of Persephone College, there are two great evils to be feared: unladylike behaviour among her students, and bad publicity for the college. So her prim and cosy world is turned upside down when a secret society of undergraduates meets by the river on a gloomy January afternoon, only to find the drowned body of the college bursar floating in her canoe.
The police assume that a student prank got out of hand, but the resourceful Persephone girls suspect foul play, and take the investigation into their own hands. Soon they uncover the tangled secrets that led to the bursars death and the clues that point to a fellow student.
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, Dominionswas 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, Dominionswill 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, Dominionsin 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.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. The Bursar Comes Down the River
II. Miss Cordell Faces Publicity
III. The Lie of the Land
IV. The Blood Feud
V. Trespass by Night
VI. Lunch at the Mitre
VII. Author of “Dust”
VIII. “Nippy”
IX. The Man Who Saw Burse
X. The Mystery of the Ferry House
XI. Scotland Yard Confers with The League
XII. Jim Lidgett
XIII. Braydon Visits Sims
XIV. Pamela, Niece of Burse
XV. Unconsidered Trifles
XVI. Gwyneth Calls on Aunt Sophia
XVII. Pamela at the Back End
XVIII. Scotland Yard Goes up the River
XIX. A Man Gets Free
XX. Denis Mort Gives a Verdict