[share_ebook] Busman's Honeymoon

Description

They plan to have a quiet country honeymoon. Then Lord Peter Wimsey and his bride Harriet Vane find the previous owner’s body in the cellar. Set in a country village seething with secrets and snobbery, this is Dorothy L. Sayers’ last full-length detective novel. Variously described as a love story with detective interruptions and a detective story with romantic interruptions, it lives up to both descriptions with style. Based on a stage play co-written by Sayers, Busman's Holiday is Sayers last significant statement in the mystery genre--and a completely satisfying one at that. Like several other novels that involve both Sayers' sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey and mystery novelist Harriet Vane, the novel is as much a portrait of their relationship as it is a murder mystery, and while these two elements occasionally seem at odds in other works (most notably the unworthy Have His Carcass), Busman's Holiday strikes a perfect balance between the two as we follow the couple through the first few days of their honeymoon as they deal with the shock of marriage, domestic disasters, and an unexpected body in their honeymoon home's basement. As in other novels, Sayers draws a great deal from her setting--in this case rural England on the eve of World War II--and presents us with a memorable cast of supporting characters, and the result is as fine a novel as she ever produced, particularly notable for its wittiness and sly humor. A greatly satisfying finish to a highly enjoyable series. There is, incidently, an extremely well-made 1930s film version of this particular work starring Robert Montgomery and Constance Cummings. Although Montgomery is not quite the image of Lord Peter Wimsey, he plays quite well, and Cummings is Harriet Vane brought to life on the screen. Sayers fans should enjoy the film almost as much as they enjoy the book!