A review by sophiarose1816
Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers

lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 

Returning to the world of Lord Peter Wimsey, this latest case began by a chance conversation at a restaurant when a doctor shares that he thinks a murder was done and the body was even autopsied, but there was absolutely no evidence of foul play.  Was there a murder?  If so, how was it done so cleanly?  Another fun Dorothy Sayers conundrum. 

 

Unnatural Death is a standalone mystery originally written in 1927 and set in that period.  Lord Peter, his friend Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard, his valet, Bunter, and a new member of the detecting team, old Miss Climpson are on the hunt for clues that death was done to old Miss Dawson who left all her money to her niece, Mary Whittaker. 

 

I thought it was an interesting enough premise.  Lord Peter believes young Dr. Carr when he suspects his patient, who was already dying of cancer, was finished off a tad early, but there was no proof.  Peter gets the facts of the case and comes up with ample opportunity, but the means and motive elude him.  Mary Whittaker was already living in the home and drawing from the funds and she was to inherit it all so she had no reason to kill the old lady, but there are oddities in her actions and slowly other people and motives are dug up. 

 

Unnatural Death got rolling slowly and picked up speed to an exciting ending.  It was a slow grind for the detecting group to inch forward bit by bit with the case, but they got there eventually.  I knew who, how, and as soon as a certain fact was brought up, I knew why.  I even saw the twist that baffled them for so long, but I simply enjoyed seeing Peter and the others put it all together. 

 

Just in fair warning, there was a scene late in the story when a character’s race was all a couple individuals and the press needed to know to determine guilt.  I’m not talking about subtle racial profiling, but overt assumption that people of color are born with a bent toward crime.   The main characters were not the ones to show this attitude, in fact, they had met the man of another race, showing both liking and respect for him, thought he was innocent and planned to prove this so I chose to read on.  

 

The narrator continues to be Mark Meadows and I love his way of bringing the Lord Peter characters to life, in particular, a vibrant, charming Lord Peter. 

 

Falling in the historical cozy mystery genre, the Lord Peter Wimsey series are light and entertaining with some good puzzlers to tackle.