Too much whimsy in Wimsey’s second outing
A man has been shot and killed at Riddlesdale, a country estate of the Wimsey family. Lord Peter was not present at the time, but his elder brother Gerald, the Duke of Denver, and his sister, Lady Mary Wimsey, were hosting a group of friends for a week of hunting. The victim is Denis Cathcart, Lady Mary’s fiancé. All evidence points to Gerald, who is arrested. Because the accused is a peer of the realm, the legal proceedings become a media event. Lord Peter, having already established a reputation for solving mysteries, comes to solve the case and exonerate his brother. Peter’s secretive siblings make his task more difficult, however, by concealing information, thereby increasing suspicions of their guilt.
Once Lord Peter arrives on the case, he takes the testimony of all the parties present at the Riddlesdale chateau. Among the various perspectives, there is much disagreement as to the timetable of events, which Lord Peter must set straight. He also conducts a thorough examination of footprints on the grounds, the description of which is quite confusing for the reader, who doesn’t have the benefit of eyes on the scene. One must understand every detail perfectly, because this is one of those mysteries where if you blink, you’ll miss a critical clue. Lord Peter is aided in his investigations by his valet Bunter and a police detective named Parker. Neither really rises to the level of a Doctor Watson sidekick, but Parker proves a more active contributor to Wimsey’s investigations than Inspector Lestrade in Holmes’s cases.
There is a good mystery story here, but it is unfortunately bogged down in way too many distractions. The story feels drawn out and padded to fit the page count of a novel. Sayers employs quite a bit of humor in her storytelling, but it’s the kind of humor you’d really have to be a Briton of the 1920s to appreciate. Wimsey and friends speak with many expressions of outdated slang, and Sayers gives the servant class heavy accents that are barely decipherable. This mystery novel really could have used less humor and more suspense. It’s as if Sayers, relying on laughs, neglects to include any thrills. After the morass of minute details the reader is forced to digest, when all is said and done, the ending feels too easy. With all the assistance given by Bunter, Parker, and other policemen and lawyers, it doesn’t even appear that Lord Peter has done the lion’s share of the detective work.
I’m sure Lord Peter Wimsey has some exciting and perplexing mysteries somewhere amongst his case files, but Clouds of Witness isn’t one of them. There’s not enough pure detection here, as Sayers gets sidetracked in social satire and the Wimsey family dynamic. Before Sayers introduced us to Lord Peter’s family, she should have really focused more on impressing us with his detective work.
If you liked this review, please follow the link below to Amazon and leave me a “helpful” vote. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment