12 Reasons the Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries Should be on Your 2017 Reading List

Cover to The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Image via Open Road Media, digital publisher of this edition.

4. Bunter

Mervyn Bunter may be the closest thing that Lord Peter Wimsey has to a Dr. John Watson. However, to continue this comparison would be absolutely silly and would take far too much time away from the virtues of this gentleman’s gentleman.

Bunter is Lord Peter’s close companion and his valet, but rather than stick around to comment on how odd his master truly is, Bunter actively assists in investigations. Much like Miss Climpson, he provides access to a class of people who may be intimidated by a nobleman poking his nose into their business. In Bunter’s case, it’s servants. More than once throughout the novels, he goes to talk to other people in service to glean information. However, his general usefulness doesn’t stop there. He’s always ready with a new outfit, a drink, or more, and he also happens to have some skills in photography and fingerprinting.

Perhaps most important of all, though, is the fact that Bunter and Lord Peter have been together since the First World War. A good portion of the way through Whose Body?, Bunter actually has to tend to his master after a nightmare. The exchange seems about as normal as it can be — Lord Peter’s actively having a flashback, after all — but once his lordship is back in bed:

“An affectionate note crept into his voice. ‘Bloody little fool!’ said Sergeant Bunter” (Chapter 8, per the University of Pennsylvania’s digital edition).

Yours truly is here for this strange friendship.