Customer Reviews

Clouds of Witness

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Sayers is one of my favorite mystery authors, and Petherbridge's portrayal of Whimsey one of my favorite childhood memories -- it was the series starring him on Mystery that got me reading Sayers in the first place. I snapped up this audio the instant I found it, and only wish that they had allowed him to do it unabridged. Fans of the show will appreciate Petherbridge's ability to mimic his co-stars voices with unobtrusive smoothness. Newbies will enjoy the fact that he is one of the few male narrators who can read a female character without a single grate on the nerves; he somehow feminizes his voice without sounding false or fakey. I recommed any audio he narrates.

The entire Denver clan's good name is at stake when Lord Peter Wimsey's older brother is accused of murdering their sister's fiancee one fine October night. The task is made no easier since Lord Peter is on vacation at the time and since he returns to find the pig-headed Duke providing very little assistance to his own defense. Sayers does a fine job of balancing family tensions, differing testimony, and various attempts at hiding the truth in this entertaining second novel in the Wimsey series. The multi-layered motivations of her characters and the several sharp and plausible twists in the plot keep the pages turning.

Sayers' writing is always textured and witty, and her Riddlesdale Lodge is just the type of country house an Anglophile mystery reader will enjoy spending a few days. After three Wimsey mysteries I am undeniably hooked, but will spread out my reading of the other eight or nine so as to savor them over a long period.

Dorothy L. Sayers writes many non-fiction books however among her best is the Lord Peter Wimsey series. I came to this series sort of though the back door. My first taste was the BBC productions with Petherbridge as Lord Peter that can now be found on DVD ASIN: B000062XDX. So I read all of Dorothy's books containing the relationship of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Now it is time to go through the whole series.

Lord Peter returns from Corsica. To find his older brother the Duke of Denver practically accused of murder. What is worse is his brother is not talking. So it is up to Peter to find out what happened and clear his brother.
In the process he puts his foot in it and practically gets all his relatives and friends accused. As with all Sayers' stories nothing is simple there are overlapping plots and foolish deeds, as if Peter can not figure them out. On the side we learn a little about English society and ballistics.

This particular media is the cassette edition with Ian Carmichael. There is a version with Petherbridge but it is abbreviated and you need to hear every word to make the magic of the mystery work. Ian does speak rather fast and once in a while you get the detective mixed up with Peter. So I suggest you also read the book. However the tape has the advantage of inflection and is also desirable for the morning commute.

Acclaimed for his portrayals of Lord Peter Wimsey on BBC, Ian Carmichael is the ideal voice for this story. As the London Daily Express put it he plays Wimsey so perfectly that "Sayers might have created Wimsey just so Carmichael could portray him."

Dorothy Sayers (1893 - 1957) is surely one of the most popular mystery writers of all time. Today, some years after her death, her stories continue to be widely read. With "Clouds of Witness" her protagonist Lord Peter Wimsey is called upon to investigate the death of his sister's fiancé. At least it may have been a fragrant departure as the recently murdered was found dead among the chrysanthemums, sartorially perfect in dinner jacket and slippers.

Most shocking is the fact that Sir Peter's brother, the Duke of Denver, stands accused. Surely that cannot be so. Sir Peter begins his own investigation in order to save his brother.

As is often the case, Sayers creates a surprising courtroom scene and Carmichael reads it with gusto.

- Gail Cooke

Sayers was truly one of the greatest mystery writers of our century and reading this book will confirm it for the skeptic. Her characters are stunning and fascinating and the story line is just out-of-this world!