I found this paperback in this Little Free Library in Milford NH while dropping off some books of my own, and nabbed it for another release copy.

I adore Sayers' "Lord Peter" novels and stories, and while this is perhaps my least favorite of the novels, "least" is still very good - it's still a book I enjoy very much. [I admit that the insanely-detailed railway-schedule aspect of the plot didn't appeal to me, and my eyes glaze over a wee bit during those passages, but others may appreciate the detail.]

Given the premise here, it seems at first that Lord Peter will be a bit of a fish out of water - he's usually seen in the city, surrounded by his books and with ready access to gourmet restaurants and fabulously-stocked wine cellars. Somehow a small Scottish fishing village doesn't seem like his setting - and yet, as he always does, he manages to make himself at home, enjoying the different surroundings and fitting in with the established residents (nearly all of them painters). He's privy to their quarrels as well as to their art, and when one of them turns up dead, he's on the scene to discover proof that the seeming-accident was actually murder...

As per the title, there are quite a few red herrings here, and the whole thing is almost an homage to classic can-you-solve-this mysteries. Sayers even gets a bit arch about clues; when Lord Peter discovers evidence that the death was not accidental, she inserts this bit: "[Here Lord Peter Wimsey told the Sergeant what he was to look for and why, but as the intelligent reader will readily supply these details for himself, they are omitted from this page.]" For what it's worth, I did not work out what it was, but then I never do figure out decent mysteries ahead of the book's characters, so it didn't bother me too much {wry grin}.

Lots of descriptions of the Scottish countryside, of different techniques of painting, of the primary suspects and their various secrets - and lots and lots of details about trains and schedules. Scenes that appear to be tragic sometimes turn out comic, and vice versa - and in the end, the solution almost seems an afterthought, although I vastly enjoyed the re-enactment of the crime!

[There's a TV Tropes page on the "Lord Peter" books and stories, with some entertaining tidbits. And the 1975 TV mini-series adaptation was quite good.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

Released for:

** 2024 Allergic to A challenge **

** 2024 TV Series challenge. **