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

Cover to Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers. Image via Open Road Media, publishers of this digital edition.

9. Clever Mysteries

Dorothy L. Sayers stands out as a member of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, better known as a period spanning between about 1920 and 1939. (Remember, she’s a contemporary of Agatha Christie.) As a result, her stories basically follow the rules of detective fiction. Yeah, there were rules for members of the Detection Club, which both Sayers and Christie counted themselves as members of.

Now, it’s entirely possible that you can figure things out before the end of the story, because that’s certainly part of the fun of reading these books. A great example of this is The Five Red Herrings. The title of that book alone should tip you off as to the huge puzzle contained within the story. Sayers even pointedly mentions that a clever reader should be figuring out the clues and declines to mention one until later in the novel.

At the same time, though, it’s easy to sit back and follow Wimsey as he works his way through the case. If you’d rather curl up and let yourself be swept away, that’s a perfectly valid way to enjoy the series as well. Sometimes, though, it is fun to keep the rules in mind and play along to see if you can keep up with Wimsey and the cast.