A Presumption of Death
A Gripping World War II Murder Mystery
Published on 5. June 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-4447-9291-1 (ISBN)
Description
'Miraculously right: catching precisely the tone of the relationship . . . thrilling' - The Times
'A must for all Wimsey lovers . . . an entertaining read' - Northern Echo
It's 1940, and while the Second World War rages on, Harriet Vane - now Lady Peter Wimsey - has taken her children to safety in the country.
But the war has followed them: glamorous RAF pilots and even more glamorous land-girls scandalise the villagers, and the blackout makes the night-time lanes as sinister as the back alleys of London.
Then the village's first air raid practice ends with a very real body on the ground - and it's not a war casualty, but a case of plain, old-fashioned murder. And it's not long before a second body is found . . .
'A must for all Wimsey lovers . . . an entertaining read' - Northern Echo
It's 1940, and while the Second World War rages on, Harriet Vane - now Lady Peter Wimsey - has taken her children to safety in the country.
But the war has followed them: glamorous RAF pilots and even more glamorous land-girls scandalise the villagers, and the blackout makes the night-time lanes as sinister as the back alleys of London.
Then the village's first air raid practice ends with a very real body on the ground - and it's not a war casualty, but a case of plain, old-fashioned murder. And it's not long before a second body is found . . .
Reviews / Votes
She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit. -- P.D. James Miraculously right: catching precisely the tone of the relationship . . . It comes out splendidly . . . a thrilling denouement * The Times * A must for all Wimsey lovers . . . an entertaining read which offers some longed for insight into the lives of the Wimseys after their marriage * Northern Echo * Jill Paton Walsh does a fine job . . . she also answers an unasked question about Lord Peter and Harriet: Yes, dear readers, they have a lot of sex and they like it. * Globe and Mail, Toronto * Vintage Wimsey . . . Wimsey lives on in delicious familiarity in this triumph not just of one writer's art, but of two * Huddersfield Daily Examiner * Satisfying and impeccably researched * Mystery Woman * Jill Paton Walsh scores a winner * Houston Chronicle * 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 Aficionados of Sayers will enjoy renewing acquaintance with her heroes . . . Walsh devised a literary period piece of considerable charm. * The Oxford Times * A good crime story, with a wonderful cast of characters, full of acutely observed small incidents, to be reread with pleasure after the first eager race through. * Sherlock *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
308 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4447-9291-1 (9781444792911)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Jill Paton Walsh | Dorothy L. Sayers | Dorothy L Sayers
A Presumption of Death
A Gripping World War II Murder Mystery
E-Book
05/2003
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
€6.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Jill Paton Walsh | Dorothy L Sayers | Dorothy L. Sayers
A Presumption of Death
Book
05/2003
Hodder Paperback
€31.13
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Born in 1937, Jill Paton Walsh was an award-winning British novelist and children's writer. Her adult novels include Knowledge of Angels, which was shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize, and the Imogen Quy Mysteries. She also completed Dorothy L. Sayers's unfinished Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane series. In 1996, she received the CBE for services to literature. She died in 2020.
Dorothy L. Sayers, the greatest of the golden age detective novelists, was born in Oxford in 1893. She was one of the first women to be awarded a degree by Oxford University and worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency from 1921 to 1932. Her aristocratic detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, became one of the most popular fictional heroes of the twentieth century. Dorothy L. Sayers also became famous for her religious plays, notably The Man Born to Be King, which was broadcast controversially during the war years, but she considered her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy to be her best work. She died in 1957.
Dorothy L. Sayers, the greatest of the golden age detective novelists, was born in Oxford in 1893. She was one of the first women to be awarded a degree by Oxford University and worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency from 1921 to 1932. Her aristocratic detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, became one of the most popular fictional heroes of the twentieth century. Dorothy L. Sayers also became famous for her religious plays, notably The Man Born to Be King, which was broadcast controversially during the war years, but she considered her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy to be her best work. She died in 1957.