Murder Must Advertise: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery

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Overview

When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of Pym's Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, it looks like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in, and he soon discovers there's more to copywriting than meets the eye. A bit of cocaine, a hint of blackmail, and some wanton women can be read between the lines. And then there is the brutal succession of murders — 5 of them — each one a fixed fee for advertising a deadly secret.

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Overview

When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of Pym's Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, it looks like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in, and he soon discovers there's more to copywriting than meets the eye. A bit of cocaine, a hint of blackmail, and some wanton women can be read between the lines. And then there is the brutal succession of murders — 5 of them — each one a fixed fee for advertising a deadly secret.

Author Biography: Dorothy L. Sayers is the author of novels, short stories, poetry collections, essays, reviews and translations. Although she was a noted Christian scholar, she is most known for her detective fiction. Born in 1893, she was one of the first women to be awarded a degree from Oxford University. Her first book featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, Whose Body?, was published in 1923 and over the next 20 years more novels and short stories about the aristocratic amateur sleuth appeared. Dorothy L. Sayers is recognized as one of the greatest mystery writers of the 20th century.

Letter from the Editor:

Dorothy L. Sayers is recognized as one of the greatest mystery writers of the 20th century. In 1923, Whose Body?, her first book, featuring the aristocratic amateur sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, was published, and over the next 20 years more novels and short stories appeared. All 15 of Sayers' mysteries are available from HarperPaperbacks.

Now there is a new Dorothy L. Sayers novel. A long-lost partial manuscript titled Thrones, Dominions was discovered last year, and acclaimed mystery writer Jill Paton Walsh has completed it. St. Martin's Press will publish this bookin February. This is a signal publishing event, and HarperCollins congratulates St. Martin's Press.

We are sure that Thrones, Dominions will delight Sayers' fans and find new ones for her, and in the process whet appetites for Sayers' other mysteries. A list of these books is attached. In the words of Dorothy L. Sayers herself, "Murder must advertise." So, in addition to an announcement about Thrones, Dominions in a recent issue of Publisher's Weekly, the next edition of the HarperCollins mystery newsletter, Deadline, will include a piece on the Sayers books, as will St. Martin's Press' newsletter, Murder at the Flatiron Building. HarperCollins will also feature information about the Sayers' backlist on its web page.

Dorothy L. Sayers died in 1957, but her books continue to enthrall readers today. Please help us celebrate the doyenne of the Golden Age of the Mystery, Dorothy L. Sayers.

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Editorial Reviews

Library Journal
In this unlikely adventure, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover to break up a drug ring. Requested by the strait-laced owner of Pym's Advertising Agency to investigate the suspicious accidental death of copywriter Victor Dean, Lord Peter discovers that Victor's death is only a small piece of a much larger and more convoluted puzzle. Someone at Pym's is involved with a network that smuggles and sells cocaine to the "bright young things" of society. Victor may have been killed for attempting to blackmail that person, so Lord Peter takes over Victor's job. Using his own middle names, he becomes Mr. Death Bredon, a black sheep cousin of the Wimsey family. Along the way, Sayers educates her listeners on the workings of the advertising industry, where, as a struggling author, she worked for eight years in the 1930s, and which, interestingly, has not changed at all in the intervening 70 years since this book was written. Deftly narrated by actor Ian Carmichael, who does a great job with accents of all types, this story will disappoint Lord Peter fans: the plot is overly complex and the characters are largely shallow and stereotypical. Recommended for larger public libraries where the works of Sayers are popular.-Barbara L. Rhodes, Northeast Texas Lib. Syst., Garland Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
New York Evening Post
An excellent detective story and an excellent picture of a British advertising firm.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780451061706
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 8/20/1974
  • Series: Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery Series
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback
  • Product dimensions: 7.00 (w) x 5.00 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Dorothy L. Sayers

Dorothy L. Sayers was born in 1893. She was one of the first women to be awarded a degree by Oxford University, and later she became a copywriter at an ad agency. In 1923 she published her first novel featuring the aristocratic detective Lord Peter Wimsey, who became one of the world's most popular fictional heroes. She died in 1957.

Biography

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.

Author biography courtesy of St. Martin's Press.

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    1. Also Known As:
      Dorothy Leigh Sayers (full name)
    1. Date of Birth:
      June 13, 1893
    2. Place of Birth:
      Oxford, England
    1. Date of Death:
      December 17, 1957

Table of Contents

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