Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 6/22/2024 + 1195 more book reviews

This is the seventh novel featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and was first published in 1932. It is also the second novel in which Harriet Vane appears and the events in the novel are part of Wimsey's courtship to wed Miss Vane. The novel follows the events of Strong Poison, the first novel to feature Miss Vane who has still refused to marry Wimsey. The novel starts out with Vane taking a walking tour along the Southwest coast of England. After eating her lunch near the sea and taking a nap, she discovers a body of a man lying on an isolated rock who is bleeding out from having his throat cut by a razor lying close to the body. Because the blood is still wet and running, it appears that he was killed just prior to Vane's discovery of the body. Vane sees no one else in sight who could have killed him so did the man commit suicide? Lord Peter finds out about the body and rushes to the scene to start the investigation along with Harriet. So is the death really suicide? Of course, Wimsey feels otherwise but can he and Harriet prove murder?

This one was really a very convoluted murder mystery with a myriad of false clues and alibis. How could the man have been murdered if there was no one there at the time of death immediately before Harriet discovered the body? The story involves some interesting characters including the murdered man who is a Russian immigrant and was working as a dancer at a nearby hotel (the novel states that he is a gigolo because he dances with older women and in fact was engaged to one). The story also involves some mysterious letters that were written in code that may be the clue needed to solve the case. I thought this one was a little long and somewhat contrived but overall still enjoyable. I have been binge reading the Wimsey novels and I look forward to more . . . will Wimsey and Vane eventually get together?

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