Murder Must Advertise Essay, Research Paper

When advertising executive Victor Dean dies from a fall down the stairs at Pym’s Publicity, Lord Peter Wimsey is asked to investigate. It seems that, before he died, Dean had begun a letter to Mr. Pym suggesting some very unethical dealings at the posh London ad agency. Wimsey goes undercover and discovers that Dean was part of the fast crowd at Pym’s, a group taken to partying and doing drugs. Wimsey and his brother-in-law, Chief-Inspector Parker, rush to discover who is running London’s cocaine trade and how Pym’s fits into the picture–all before Wimsey’s cover is blown.

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Eine Leserin oder ein Leser aus New York City, USA , 1. Dezember 1999

Bravo! Knock-out Mystery!

I must preface this review by confessing a bias – I’m a huge fan of Dorothy Sayers and consider it a tragedy that she did not write more detective fiction. This is definitely one of the strongest entries in the Lord Peter Wimsey series, both for mystery and entertainment value. An interesting tactic used by Sayers is to point in the direction of the culprit about three-fourths of the way through the book and then lead the reader through the detection process that actually leads to his/her unmasking. We saw this used in "Unnatural Death", also in "Whose Body?" Surprisingly, the resulting lack of suspense at the end does not deter from the mystery at all as it is fascinating to see the patient unraveling of clues and pulling together of threads that lead to evidence against a killer. It is also a better reflection of what usually happens in reality, as opposed to a lot of detective fiction where the most unlikely person did it! While we all find whodunits interesting, the reality is that the police and private eyes are usually smart enough to figure out the most likely candidate fairly early and thus narrow their investigations. In this book, the fun is added to by the setting in an ad agency. Sayers had worked in an ad agency at some point in her career and you can see that she really knows her stuff. The interplay between the various characters is very funny and surprisingly not dated in feel, considering the book was written 70 odd years ago! I found the cricket match scene to be the most fascinating part as well the sense the reader gets that with every page, the hangman’s noose is slowly closing around the killer. Richly detailed and very descriptive, this is a book you’ll want to go back and re-read many times – there will always be something fresh to see!

[email protected] aus Vancouver, Canada , 4. Juli 1999

Vintage Sayers, a great intro to the Peter Wimsey books

This is the best Wimsey book not featuring sometime-fellow-sleuth Harriet Vane which Sayers ever wrote. Not terribly serious, but great entertainment. I’ve read this book 6 times because it’s just so much fun. Written in 1933, IMHO Sayers’ prime, Wimsey is far more human and less of a caricature than in the early books, but much less goopy than in her latest books. The dialogue is a treat, even minor characters are exquisitely drawn, and the in-jokes at the advertising biz (Sayers worked as a copywriter herself for a while) are utterly hilarious. Plus, there’s a puzzling, neatly-solved mystery. And even though I don’t play cricket and don’t understand the game, I adored the pivotal cricket game scene: Sayers at her best. My only complaint is the total absence of the delightful Bunter. THis is definitely the book to read first if you’r e interested in Sayers. Then read the Strong Poison-Have His Carcase-Gaudy Night trilogy. These are, IMHO, her four best books, and of the four, Murder Must Advertise is definitely the most charming and light-hearted.

Eine Leserin oder ein Leser aus New Zealand , 29. Juni 1999

Sayers at her best

This has to be my favorite Dorothy L. Sayers mystery. It is Sayers at her most witty and amusing. She has cleverly weaved several threads of storyline into one perfect book, building up the suspense into a neat ending. She manages to make Lord Peter Wimsey still human and realistic, despite being amazingly good at everything he turns his hand to. There are lots of great twists on words and phrases, which make the book fun to read more than once, less for the murder mystery than for the savouring of all the little details and dialogues. Enjoy!

[email protected] aus Seattle, WA , 21. November 1997

Dorothy Sayers’ Most Entertaining Mystery

Murder Must Advertise is Dorothy Sayers at her best. This storet in a London advertising agency, is a hoot to read – especially if you’ve ever had the misfortune to churn out ad copy for a living. Some people would tell you to start at the beginning of the Peter Whimsey series, but I say start here. This is vintage Sayers.