Bookraft

What made this book a delight for me were two things. First, there is the simple fact that I had never read any of Dorothy L. Sayers mystery novels [including her many Lord Peter Wimsey stories]- so I had no prior expectations for styling and characters. It was like reading Sir Arthus Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes for the first time. The second winning persuausion is that this story, set at the outbreak of the Second World War was like a historical novel for me.

I have stopped reading most contemporary mystery writers and instead indulge in historical mystery stories like Medicus [Ruth Downie's tale of Gaius Ruso a Roman Legion doctor in the 2nd century AD Britain and Gaul] or Ellis Porter's One Corpse Too Many: The Second Chronicle of Brother Cadfael [set in the darkest Middle Ages in Wales]. These stories give one a living picture of not only the place but the times: technology, rules of law, social norms, clothes, cookery and even humor. The added pleasures are a close hand account of the historical setting, some inevitably interesting characters and the Soudoku-like reasoning challenge of trying to figure out whodunnit.

Now a Presumption of Death steps back only 70 years in time to the outbreak of the Battle for Britain but that is enough. History is well served as the book starts with a series of Sayersian letters which tell us the children and the elderly are billeted in country homes and villages, rationing is on, there is Ministry of One Shape or Another in charge of every aspect of the Home Defense, and the new airfield in Pagelham is attracting more blackouts, air watchmen, and air raid sirens as the enemy air incursions shift from none to more frequent sorties. This heightens the sense of an imminent invasion of England. The sense of impending battle gloom inevitably hovers over the English as they prepare to meet the onslaught that is rushing over Western Europe and nearby Holland and France. Flash to the present era and the current echoes of the Economic Depression of the late 1930s going into war resound while one gets a louder pitch tone of the era through the current abject dysfunctionality of Washington mimicking the capitals of Europe in 1938-1940.

Enter Lady Peter Wimsey, Harriet Vane, at the Wimsey's Tallham country estate. She is taking care of a much extended family through all the drills and exigencies of a village overrun by preparations for war. Lord Peter is out on a top secret foreign mission and Harriet cannot help but upbraid herself for having not taken advantage of times together as she copes with the duties of Home defense preparations. There is an evening air raid drill which will test the village's compliance mettle and confirm whether the air raid shelters are in good order as well as all the various social orders strewn together in close quarters. But despite the interminable wait for the all clear signal, the villagers finally are able to pour out and return home - only to discover a young lady dead in the middle of the village square.

A careful examination determines that this is not an accident but rather a murder. Superintendent Kirk, a confidant of Lord and Lady Peter asks Lady Peter to take on the gumshoe side of the case as he is short of staff and pressed for time. Harriet agrees but only if she is given appropriate credentials. Thus starts a tour of what are some notable Dorothy Sayers characters as Miss Twitterton, Archie Lugg, Bert Ruddle, John and son, Sam Bateson, Bungo and many others.

The delight of the story is that Harriet carries the load of the mystery for more than half the way until Peter, to Harriet's great relief returns home. This allows current author, Jill Walsh, to explore some home-side issues from a feminine viewpoint and at the same time invigorate the character of Lady Peter in what had been under Dorothy sayers, a Lord Peter lead series of mysteries. Suffice it to say, Jill Walsh has done a wonderful meshing from Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey to the more balanced Lord and Lady peter Wimsey story line. For example, twice Jill Walsh uses the breaking of a code to elevate Harriet to a level worthy of Peter and carry the mystery along in new directions. And of course keen observations - and later reflection on incongruities are Harriet's stock in trade to solving the pieces of the puzzle.

This reader found the plot very crafty in its deliberately strewn misdirections and the unveiling of whodunnit very compelling. If this is to be the new Lord and Lady Wimsey team of sleuths, than lay on Ms Walsh with many more. Finally, I normally designate the reader of these audio books as "read by"; but Edward Petherbridge provides such a grand reading that I have changed "read by" to "performed by".