A good read and a good listen

I am always a bit nervous of reading a follow-on to a classic series written by another author. There certainly were odd moments when the story jarred, but mostly it was good. The performance wasn't perfect - the characterisation and accents were a bit uneven - but that is perhaps the most difficult aspect of recording an audio-book and I wouldn't want to make an issue of it. (Years ago I recorded several books for my mother, who was blind, and I didn't even try to adopt accents - I knew my limitations.)
So, read the novel, listen to the audio version, and I think you'll enjoy it.

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Pitch perfect.

You always fear that an author 'after' the style of a such a strong stylist as Sayers will grate at least a few times but really this didn't happen for me at all. A great plot, characters that have matured but not altered, themes that are so familiar it's like wearing an old but faithful winter coat.

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Not as good as the two earlier stories in the series

This is the book that I really could not get into. I recognized the characters but it just didn't ring true. For someone who has read and listened to all Of Dorothy L Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey's books, it was still difficult to follow the character's development or to relate to the plot. It's a pity because I enjoyed the earlier two books that this author had written. So I guess two out of three is not bad for Ms Patten.

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Well worth the wait.

Any additional comments?

Any fans of Dorothy L Sayers detective Lord Peter Wimsey will not be disappointed with this book. The characterisation of the more mature Peter and Harriet is extremely well done.

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5 people found this helpful

Good

I've enjoyed listening to all Paton-Walsh's Wimsey books, she's followed the originals well and provided some excellent additional storylines. The only disappointment for me was the narrator this time, not a patch on Edward Petherbridge or the incomparable Ian Carmichael

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3 people found this helpful

Enjoyable, but not the best

I've enjoyed Jill Paton Walsh's previous recreations of the Wimsey detective stories and although this is a welcome addition, I must admit I don't think it's her best. SPOILER: The device of having a murderer using methods of murder inspired by Harriet's books (who, rather unbelievably, has apparently started to take her own inspiration from LPW's 'real-life' cases, as created by DL Sayers' books) must have seemed a fun idea in theory, but in practice it didn't work for me. It merely kept calling my attention to the fact I was reading fiction about other works of fiction. And sadly Gordon Griffin's narration did nothing to dispel the ghost of Ian Carmichael's wonderful readings of the other books. No light, quick witted tones here, but ponderous and slightly pompous speeches, which do tend to irritate. I know Peter Wimsey is meant to have aged since our last meeting with him, but in this reading he sounds like an elderly judge, while Bunter sounds so aged that I wondered if he was intended to expire before the end of the book. I'm sure Gordon Griffiths would be a great narrator for some books, but not this one.
I hope this review doesn't sound too negative. It's still an entertaining novel, and it's always good to catch up with Wimsey and Harriet. Although it's not the best, I have no regrets about buying it.

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2 people found this helpful

Unexpected

Not being a fan of this character I had no great expectations of this audible book. However, once I became used to the characters I really enjoyed the story and the background love story that meanders along in the background. Very enjoyable.

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1 person found this helpful

Better in print

I enjoyed reading this much more than listening to it. I found it strangely difficult to follow even though I had read it previously.

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1 person found this helpful

Another almost endless story

I like Peter Whimsey and his life as written by Dorothy L. Sayers which is why I listened to this story, based on an imagining of his later life. And we are told about him and his bride Harriet Vane ..but the rest of the tale goes on and on and eventually disappears up itself! Hey ho

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Good enough but not Dorothy L Sayers

I enjoyed revisiting Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane later on in life but the mystery plot was over-complicated and ultimately unsatisfying. The concept of using DLS's plots as Harriet's and then basing murders on them got tiring rather quickly. There was no sense of urgency in the detection which, with academics dropping like flies, there really should have been. What I did enjoy was the small details of Peter and Harriet's lives like the education of their children and the ageing of the Dowager Duchess.

The reading was better with some voices than others. The rendition of Peter and Harriet was OK but it was lucky there wasn't too much of Charles Parker as that sounded completely wrong to me.

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3 people found this helpful