Have His Carcase: Amazon.ca: Dorothy L Sayers: Books

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'She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.' - P. D. James 'I admire her novels ... she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail.' - Ruth Rendell 'She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller.' Minette Walters

Book Description

A young woman falls asleep on a deserted beach and wakes to discover the body of a man whose throat has been slashed from ear to ear...The young woman is the celebrated detective novelist Harriet Vane, once again drawn against her will into a murder investigation in which she herself could be a suspect. Lord Peter Wimsey is only too eager to help her clear her name.

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Second story in the Harriet Vane series, Aug 3 2010

By

bernie "webviator" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Have His Carcase (Paperback)

My first encounter with Dorothy L. Sayers was the Mobile Mystery Theater series showing on PBS. I now have all three DVD's of the series ("Strong Poison", "Gaudy Night" and "Have His Carcase".) They never produced "Busman's Honeymoon" Dorothy sold the rights to Hollywood and BBC could not get them back. The Resulting movie is "Haunted Honeymoon"(1940)
Naturally the TV media cannot fill in all the details that you would pick up from reading the book.

So I read the book. This added more depth to the story, now I appreciate Dorothy L. Sayers more than Agatha Christie. Dorothy not only fleshes her characters out better but her side trips into philosophy and psychology make the story that much more interesting. And just when you say what is the relevance to this conversation it is wrapped up in the final solution.

This is the second of the book series. The story is complete and can be used as a stand-alone story. The notorious Harriet Vane is out for a walk and takes a nap. She wakes up and finds (you guest it) a body. If not for her trusty camera, no one would believe her. As it is the authorities think it was suicide. Wimsey thinks it is murder. Naturally everyone, especially the main suspect has an airtight alibi. The real interest is the interaction between Lord Peter and Harriet.

Strong Poison

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4.0 out of 5 stars I give Petherbridge 5 stars; Audio gets 4 due to abridgement, April 17 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Have His Carcase (Audio Cassette)

The reviews I value most on amazon are those for audio books, because not only does the quality of the writing need to be ascertained, but also the quality of the reader -- a much more nebulus and subjective thing to assess. I have several of my favorite Sayers novels on audio, and the Petherbridge ones are my preference, despite their being abridged. David Case also does an excellent job on his narration of Whose Body. But I must add my support to the previous post which noted that Ian Carmichael can be difficult to follow. Carmichael does a decent Whimsey, but cannot bend his voice enough to create distinct characters beyond Whimsey. All too often I find myself backing up to replay episodes of conversation because I can't keep track of WHO is talking -- and this is despite having read the book! I cannot recommend the Carmichael readings to those unfamilar with the original works. Start with Petherbridge instead.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Overplotted, Nov 28 2001

By

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Have His Carcase (Mass Market Paperback)

The story is extremely convoluted and the solution of the mystery rests upon complex ideas that Sayers fails to present in an attention-holding way; indeed, this is perhaps Sayers' weakest effort in the Wimsey series. Certainly worth the effort for Sayers fans, but other readers would be wise to select Clouds of Witness, Gaudy Night, Murder Must Advertise, or Busman's Honeymoon.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but read Strong Poison first
All of Dorothy Sayers' mysteries are worth reading. She has a command of English and a story-telling ability that makes her, in my opinion, one of the two greatest mystery... Read more

Published on July 28 2001 by Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars A great classic story with Peter Wimsey and Harriet too
This is a long, complex classic story which turns a lot on times and alibis all of which, of course, are completely misleading. Read more