Unnatural Death

Our reading theme in May was books that had been turned into films or TV. This was published in 1927, and I felt sure it must have been televised at some point but actually it’s one of the few Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries that hasn’t! Apparently this is because the plot hinges on a visual identification, which would be hard to deal with on film. While the death of an elderly woman didn’t raise any suspicions at the post-mortem, her doctor still thought it unexpectedly sudden and was convinced it was foul play. The woman's friends and neighbours believed he over-reacted when he demanded an autopsy and rumours soon circulated about his competence, to the point that a few months later his practice failed. When Wimsey hears this story he’s intrigued, and idly starts to look at the case. Of course, there’s more to the death than meets the eye and it’s a very neatly plotted whodunnit. I'm slowly reading the Wimsey series, after a friend recommended the books to me. And despite the fact they are so old (Golden Age Classic Crime) none of them have disappointed me. This is a knotty mystery, beautifully written, with surprisingly contemporary themes. Classic crime at its best, in fact!
Review by Cornish Eskimo, Oundle Crime