Author: W. C. Berwick Sayers

The novel begins with a telephone call to Wimsey from his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, saying that her vicar’s architect has just found a dead body in his bath, wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez. Whose body is it? Whodunnit? It’s up to Lord Peter to find out. (Summary by Kara and Wikipedia)

Whose Body? is the first of Dorothy Sayers’s famous Lord Peter Wimsey novels, introducing that nobleman, as well as his manservant and fellow-sleuth, Mervyn Bunter. Scotland Yard’s Inspector Charles Parker, who figures more or less prominently in later Wimsey novels, plays a central role in Whose Body? as well.<br><br> As the book opens, a bashful Battersea architect has discovered a naked body in his bath, adorned with a gold pince nez. At the same time, we learn of the disappearance – under odd circumstances – of Sir Reuben Levy, a powerful financial magnate in The City. Not accepting the police’s early assumption that the corpse and Sir Reuben are one and the same, Wimsey and Parker follow up the two puzzles alternately and interchangeably, coming together to compare notes. Bunter’s peculiar insights and photographic evidence are also important in illuminating the mystery. Ultimately, Lord Peter and Inspector Parker are forced to conclude that the two mysteries are, in fact, pieces of a single, extremely sinister plot.<br><br> Whose Body? is not as polished as Sayers’s later novels. However, it is a terrific book. The writing is beautiful, filled with vivid description, dry humor, and interesting (though often arcane) allusions. The story moves quickly, and even Sayers aficionados claim they can’t tell “whodunit” and “why” until at least half way through. This book’s elegant but also extremely friendly prose prefigures Sayers’s position as one of the three or four best of Britain’s “Golden Age” mystery novelists.<br><br> (Introduction by Kirsten Wever)

In Dorothy Sayers' first Lord Peter Wimsey novel, our brilliant and eccentric hero must solve the case of the murder of Sir Reuben Levy - that is, if he is actually dead. And WHOSE BODY is in poor Mr. Thipps's bathtub? Witty, engaging, and complex, Lord Peter has been entertaining mystery lovers for generations. This version is presented as a dramatic reading, - Summary by Ciufi Galeazzi <br><br> Cast:<br> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11528">Ciufi Galeazzi</a><br> Lord Peter Wimsey: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6249">Chymocles</a><br> Duchess of Denver and Voice: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13661">Lynette Caulkins</a><br> Parker: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10542">David Purdy</a><br> Bunter and Williams, : <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16205">Jim Hedrick</a><br> Sir Julian Freke: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13706">Scott Caulkins</a><br> Inspector Sugg: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12980">Wayne Cooke</a><br> Mr. Alfred Thipps: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6754">Todd</a><br> Mrs. Thipps: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7879">Deon Gines</a><br> Mr. Milligan, Taxi Driver, and Porter: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17207">NightMare</a><br> Dr. Grimbold, Constable, and Man in Velveteen: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8011">Greg Giordano</a><br> Mrs. Appledore: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13140">Jenn Broda</a><br> Theophilus and Man Who Opens Door: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17752">redrun</a><br> Mrs. Pemming: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/3776">Bethany Baldwin</a><br> Valet: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16709">schumi0221</a><br> Mr. Graves: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17354">Scott Smith</a><br> Freddy Arbuthnot: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17384">Ted Perkins</a><br> Waiter: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16999">Krista Zaleski</a><br> Mr. Wicks: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15552">Anthony Joseph</a><br> Crimplesham: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/14309">cavaet</a><br> Coroner: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17098">Carol Sutton</a><br> Juror: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15580">Joanna Michal Hoyt</a><br> Lady Swaffham: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11084">Devorah Allen</a><br> Mrs. Frayle: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16955">Rochelle Berenyi</a><br> Mrs. Freemantle: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16672">Marissa Siobhan</a><br> Duke of Denver: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17155">Yoganandh</a><br> Soames: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11528">Ciufi Galeazzi</a><br> Mr. Piggot: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17250">Robert Bycoors</a><br> Young Woman: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16957">Dawn Sutton</a><br> Mr. Levett: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17483">Laurie Banza</a><br> Lady Levy: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15373">WendyKatzHiller</a><br> Workhouse Master: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15239">Zach Hoyt</a><br>

While Lord Peter Wimsey is on holiday in the wilds of Corsica, his brother Gerald, Duke of Denver, is charged with the murder of their sister Mary's fiance. According to newspaper reports, on October 13th the shooting party at the Duke's Lodge had retired for the night when, at 3 a.m. of a bitterly cold and wet morning, his sister found him just outside the conservatory door, leaning over the dead body of her betrothed, Dennis Cathcart.<br><br> Learning of his brother’s indictment for murder, Lord Peter and Bunter - his invaluable man servant qua assistant sleuth - fly to the scene. Scotland Yard is already at work, in the person of Detective Inspector Charles Parker, with whom Lord Peter had recently solved the Battersea Mystery. (See Dorothy Sayers’ first Lord Peter Wimsey novel, “<a href="https://librivox.org/whose-body-version-2-by-dorothy-l-sayers/">Whose Body?</a>”)<br><br> What were the Duke of Denver, Lady Mary and Dennis Cathcart doing there on such a night, at such a time? True, Cathcart had angrily left the house hours earlier. But why, in that weather, had he stayed out? If the Duke, as he claimed, came on the body while returning from a stroll, why such nocturnal wanderings in the fiercest of weather? What led Lady Mary to come down from her bedroom in the middle of the night in order to go to, of all places, the conservatory?<br><br> The mystery's apparently independent but closely intertwined threads are disentangled by the joint efforts of Lord Peter Wimsey, his friend Chief Inspector Parker, and the inestimable Bunter. - Summary by Kirsten Wever

5Unnatural Death

By Dorothy L. Sayers

This is the third book in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series.* <br> As the story opens, a country doctor is telling Lord Peter Wimsey about the Unnatural Death of one of his patients. He’s convinced she was murdered, but powerless to act. To begin with, she would in any case have died within a few months. Moreover, the medical evidence clearly indicated the cause of death as heart failure, which was only to be expected.<br><br> Intrigued, Lord Peter looks into the matter, supported – as usual – by his friend Chief Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard, and his valet, Bunter (both recurring characters in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series).<br><br> New to the author’s cast of detective characters is Miss Alexandra Katharine Climpson, a prim, middle aged spinster who lends both charm and variety to the narrative. To Lord Peter, Miss Climpson represents an important but consistently overlooked national resource: post-war England’s thousands of “superfluous females,” with their uncanny facility for finding things out. His explanation is as follows: We gather intelligence by “employing a man with large flat feet,” who communicates “in a series of inarticulate grunts,” instead of sending out “a lady with a long, woolly jumper … and jingly things round her neck …” who could discover far more, and probably faster, since “everyone expects of course she asks questions.” Certainly Miss Climpson does.<br><br> The latter part of the book is fast-paced, action-packed and suspenseful, as Inspector Parker, Mr. Bunter, Miss Climpson and Lord Peter pursue various lines of inquiry that ultimately join to explain why and how the murders were done. <br><br> *<a href="https://librivox.org/whose-body-version-2-by-dorothy-l-sayers/">Whose Body?</a> and <a href="https://librivox.org/clouds-of-witness-by-dorothy-l-sayers/">Clouds of Witness</a> are the first two Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. -Summary by Kirsten Wever

6Clouds of Witness (Version 2, Dramatic Reading)

By Dorothy L. Sayers

Lord Peter Wimsey is back for the second installment of Dorothy L. Sayers’s mystery series (published 1927), and this time a death threatens the core of his family. Will he be able to save his brother, the Duke of Denver? Exactly what kind of trouble has his sister landed in? And what misadventure will Lord Peter get himself and Bunter into this time? - Summary by Lynette Caulkins <b>Cast:</b> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11528">Ciufi Galeazzi</a> Lord Peter Wimsey: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6249">Thomas Copeland</a> Bunter and Mr. Hardraw: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16205">James Hedrick</a> Inspector Charles Parker: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10542">David Purdy</a> Duke of Denver: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17155">Yoganandh</a> Duchess of Denver: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13140">Jenn Broda</a> Lady Mary: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15644">Michelle Purdy</a> Dowager Duchess and Commentator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13661">Lynette Caulkins</a> Mr. Murbles and Mr. Grimethorpe: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18829">Samuel Pryce</a> Sir Impey Biggs: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17576">Beeswaxcandle</a> Sir Wigmore Wrinching: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13706">Scott Caulkins</a> Coroner: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a> Freddy Arbuthnot: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17752">Redrun</a> Col. Marchbanks, Ostler, Garter King of Arms, Porter, and Photographer: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6754">Todd</a> Mrs. Marchbanks, Author, and Rhead: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18543">Agnes Robert Behr</a> Mr. Pettigrew-Robinson and Inspector Sugg: <a href="(Kalamareader) https://librivox.org/reader/12980">Wayne Cooke</a> Mrs. Pettigrew-Robinson and Ellen: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18731">Tami Johnson</a> Mrs. Hardraw: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16573">Allie</a> Lydia Cathcart: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17207">NightMare</a> Fleming: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18870">Trent Douglas</a> Journalist 1: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13781">Shelley</a> Journalist 2: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19048">Shawn Day</a> Ripley Super, Goyles, and Radio Voice: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/9835">Elijah Fisher</a> Grump: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15456">Jack Ball</a> Mrs. Grimethorpe: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/15373">WendyKatzHiller</a> Parisian Jeweler: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17713">Brian Fullen</a> M. Briquet, Simone Vonderaa, and Denis Cathcart: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/5789">Kirsten Wever</a> Jewelerette, Nurse, and Adèle: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17876">Lauren</a> Sir Mackenzie, Mr. Glibbery, and WWI Veteran: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19186">DullBoi</a> Miss Tarrant, Inspector Craikes, and Bus Conductor: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17246">Winnifred Assmann</a> Hostess: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17334">Stacey Malcolm</a> Curly-Haired Man: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19296">RedCorsair</a> Verger: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19466">Douglas Wood</a> Wilkes and Jake: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19234">Kazeko</a> Mr. Smith and Lord High Steward: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8011">Greg Giordano</a> Mr. Watchett: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18843">Tim Rowe</a> Bet: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19584">ShrimpPhish</a> Farmhand and Royal Personage: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/1151">Ada Kerman</a> Cook: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19180">Dottedrhythm</a> U.S. Ambassador: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11395">Rich Brown</a> Lord Attenbury: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19151">Michael Faze</a> Prominent Duke: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18975">David VanderWerf</a> Sergeant-at-Arms and Taxi-Man: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/19262">Evan Hedrick</a> Dr. Thorpe: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18782">Priamedes</a> Clerk: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13257">Elsie Selwyn</a>

The author’s fourth Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, set shortly after the Great War, begins with the discovery of old general Fentiman’s body seated in his usual armchair, in the smoking room of the Bellona Club, at 7 pm on November 11th - Armistice Day. The general has bequeathed his modest savings to his two grandsons, Major Robert and Captain George Fentiman.<br><br> However, the general's wealthy sister, Lady Dormer, died at 10:37 that very morning, leaving him the bulk of her fortune -- assuming he was still alive. If so, his grandsons come into over a half million pounds. If not, the money goes to her young companion, Ann Dorland.<br><br> In this classic Golden Age mystery the suave but eccentric Lord Peter Wimsey, aided by his friend and sidekick, inspector Charles Parker of Scotland Yard, must determine whether old general Fentiman died before or after his sister. With so much money hanging on the question of when the old man died, it is hardly surprising that the investigation quickly raises the possibility of murder.<br><br> The first three Lord Peter mysteries are <a href="https://librivox.org/whose-body-version-2-by-dorothy-l-sayers/">Whose Body?</a>, <a href="https://librivox.org/clouds-of-witness-by-dorothy-l-sayers/">Clouds of Witness</a>, and <a href="https://librivox.org/unnatural-death-by-dorothy-l-sayers/">Unnatural Death</a>. - Summary by Kirsten Wever

later - Summary by Kirsten Wever

9Unnatural Death (Dramatic Reading)

By Dorothy L. Sayers

LibriVox friends: Our group of core readers doing the Wimsey books invites you to join us for this installment! These are "cozy mysteries" involving murder and intrigue, and they take about 12-15 months to complete as full-cast projects. This one has a really great roster for women readers! Lord Peter is intrigued by the circumstances surrounding an elderly woman's death to cancer, but Parker is not convinced! This is the third book in Dorothy L. Sayer's Peter Wimsey series. You will also enjoy our dramatic readings for "Whose Body?" and "Clouds of Witness". - Summary by Lynette Caulkins