What do you think?
Rate this book
Lord Peter Wimsey #10
Murder Must Advertise
When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of Pym's Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, it looks like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in, and he soon discovers there's more to copywriting than meets the eye. A bit of cocaine, a hint of blackmail, and some wanton women can be read between the lines. And then there is the brutal succession of murders -- 5 of them -- each one a fixed fee for advertising a deadly secret.
356 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
About the author
Dorothy L. Sayers
647 books2,670 followersDetective stories of known British writer Dorothy Leigh Sayers usually feature the amateur investigator Peter Wimsey, lord; she also well translated
Divine Comedy
of Dante Alighieri.
This renowned author, and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. Sayers, however, considered her work. People also know her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
This renowned author, and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. Sayers, however, considered her work. People also know her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,271 reviews
May 26, 2018
Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover in an advertising agency in this, the 10th book of Dorothy L. Sayers’ series about this multi-talented, quirky aristocrat with a penchant for detecting. Lord Peter uses two of his middle names for his alter-ego in advertising, Death Bredon. The name “Death” is usually pronounced DEETH, but Lord Peter fancies its more traditional pronunciation because it suits his whimsy.
Death Bredon is hired to replace a copy-writer who met an untimely end on an interior metal spiral staircase. The Director of Pym’s Publicity who hired him is Mr. Pym himself, due to his concern upon receiving a partial letter that was addressed to him by the deceased. Something could be going on that jeopardizes the whole business and Mr. Pym hired Death Bredon as a private investigator with a cover that worked well with the circumstances.
In this amazingly crafted story, there were a few words and phrases I had never heard, and some I had not heard in a very long time. For example, is a Picadilly Merry-Go-Round what we (in Alberta, at any rate) call a “traffic circle”? Or in this specific case, the “Picadilly Traffic Circle”? One example of a phrase I hadn’t heard since I was a kid was physical jerks - in reference to physical exercises, not the people who perform them. And then there is a word I hadn’t heard for years: ”buttinskis” literally meaning people who butt in to situations where they are not wanted or needed.
Some phrases gave me a giggle. For example, ”the lobster’s” dress shirt” = “the bee’s knees” = sliced bread; as in, “the greatest thing since . . .” Then there is the term ”aluminum blondes” which in our day has been valued up to platinum blondes. I also had a chuckle over the name of one of the upper-crust dinner guests at Lord Peter’s brother and sister-in-law’s home: Mme Framboise-Douillet, which translates to “Raspberry-Cozy”, or even “cozy raspberry” if the order is switched up, which it frequently is in French.
This mystery is extraordinarily well written, and in trademark Dorothy L. Sayers fashion, many intriguing and even fascinating incidents are woven into the story, simultaneously advancing plot, character, suspense, and overall ambience. I loved this book, and recommend it to all mystery lovers in particular, although loving mysteries is definitely not a requirement. Cricket, anyone? (Yes, that’s another hint.)
Death Bredon is hired to replace a copy-writer who met an untimely end on an interior metal spiral staircase. The Director of Pym’s Publicity who hired him is Mr. Pym himself, due to his concern upon receiving a partial letter that was addressed to him by the deceased. Something could be going on that jeopardizes the whole business and Mr. Pym hired Death Bredon as a private investigator with a cover that worked well with the circumstances.
In this amazingly crafted story, there were a few words and phrases I had never heard, and some I had not heard in a very long time. For example, is a Picadilly Merry-Go-Round what we (in Alberta, at any rate) call a “traffic circle”? Or in this specific case, the “Picadilly Traffic Circle”? One example of a phrase I hadn’t heard since I was a kid was physical jerks - in reference to physical exercises, not the people who perform them. And then there is a word I hadn’t heard for years: ”buttinskis” literally meaning people who butt in to situations where they are not wanted or needed.
Some phrases gave me a giggle. For example, ”the lobster’s” dress shirt” = “the bee’s knees” = sliced bread; as in, “the greatest thing since . . .” Then there is the term ”aluminum blondes” which in our day has been valued up to platinum blondes. I also had a chuckle over the name of one of the upper-crust dinner guests at Lord Peter’s brother and sister-in-law’s home: Mme Framboise-Douillet, which translates to “Raspberry-Cozy”, or even “cozy raspberry” if the order is switched up, which it frequently is in French.
This mystery is extraordinarily well written, and in trademark Dorothy L. Sayers fashion, many intriguing and even fascinating incidents are woven into the story, simultaneously advancing plot, character, suspense, and overall ambience. I loved this book, and recommend it to all mystery lovers in particular, although loving mysteries is definitely not a requirement. Cricket, anyone? (Yes, that’s another hint.)
April 11, 2023
An excellent mystery and social commentary in one, Murder Must Advertise is witty and fun. The casual and ubiquitous racism is not fun, but seems to be an integral part of all the Sayers and Christie books. This one has much less of that, thank goodness, than some of their books.
What Sayers does take on, with intelligence and savvy, is the advertising business. Lord Peter Wimsey is asked to do a touch of undercover work to uncover a murderer at Pym's. The advertising gambit fits Wimsey like a glove and he actually begins to enjoy coming up with catchy slogans and ad campaigns. Sayer's as Wimsey does contemplate what it all is in aid of. It seems that it targets the poor who have so little to spare and makes them want to buy something that will make them feel rich, if not be so in reality, for a fleeting moment.
What Sayers does take on, with intelligence and savvy, is the advertising business. Lord Peter Wimsey is asked to do a touch of undercover work to uncover a murderer at Pym's. The advertising gambit fits Wimsey like a glove and he actually begins to enjoy coming up with catchy slogans and ad campaigns. Sayer's as Wimsey does contemplate what it all is in aid of. It seems that it targets the poor who have so little to spare and makes them want to buy something that will make them feel rich, if not be so in reality, for a fleeting moment.
June 16, 2018
I have been hanging out for a 5★ read that wasn't a reread or a cookbook & I had high hopes for this particular title. Sayers is my new favourite Golden Age writer (sorry Agatha!) & she had been a copywriter herself.
Unfortunately this long anticipated read wasn't it.
The start of this book is full of wonderfully witty quotable quotes about the advertising world;
& I thought the way Lord Peter was introduced into the story was very clever.
Surprisingly, the cricket scenes were very entertaining. (I'm a life-long cricket hater)
Background information about the 30's was very good - Sayers makes the times breathe.
It's just that the murder mystery itself isn't very good & further in, bits of the story drag. A pity but a Sayers book is never a waste of time for me.
Unfortunately this long anticipated read wasn't it.
The start of this book is full of wonderfully witty quotable quotes about the advertising world;
Bredon shuddered.
"I think this is an awfully immoral job of ours, I do, really. Think how we spoil the digestions of the public."
"Ah, yes- but think how earnestly we strive to put them right again. We undermine 'em with one hand and build 'em with the other. The vitamins we destroy in the canning, we restore in Revito, the roughage we remove from Peabody's Piper Parritch we make into a package and market as Bunbury's Breakfast Bran; the stomachs we ruin with Pompayne, we reline with Peplets to aid digestion. and by forcing the damn-foll public to pay twice over - once to have its food emasculated and once to have the vitality put back again, we keep the wheels of commerce turning and give employment to thousands - including you and me."
& I thought the way Lord Peter was introduced into the story was very clever.
Surprisingly, the cricket scenes were very entertaining. (I'm a life-long cricket hater)
Background information about the 30's was very good - Sayers makes the times breathe.
It's just that the murder mystery itself isn't very good & further in, bits of the story drag. A pity but a Sayers book is never a waste of time for me.
July 9, 2019
An absolute delight. I am increasingly of the opinion that Dorothy Sayers is the finest mystery serial writer of - well, I can't say "all time," having only read two or three of her peers, but VERY FINE INDEED. Sayers doesn't just write good mysteries, she writes good novels. One might almost mistake Murder Must Advertise for a novel about an ad firm (and brilliantly done at that) that happens to concern a murder, rather than the other way around, and I don't say that at the expense of the mystery itself.
One of Sayers's many likeable qualities is that she never comes off as an innocent, even in books where the plot turns on the interpretation of a will and the characters are frequently known to say, "Oh! Dear me. Rather. I do say. Shocking, what?" (I enjoyed Unnatural Death and adored The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, but one must be honest.) Sayers's astonishing wit, the seeming tameness of some of its objects regardless, always betrays a penetrating understanding of human mischief. And in this novel, with its sex and cocaine, the innuendos are keener and more hilarious than ever. Not that she places undue reliance on innuendos, either.
Of Lord Peter Wimsey, I do occasionally think to myself, "I wish there was something he couldn't do." But those moments pass quickly and are soon forgotten in an onslaught of Sayers's pitch-perfect dialogue.
Naturally, the plot is clever and well-integrated. Nothing hugely astonishing, but one hardly cares; there are enough surprises throughout to keep up the pace. And as yet another sign of Sayers's rare and intelligent style, the climax contains an unusual solemn, sad nod to human dignity.
One of Sayers's many likeable qualities is that she never comes off as an innocent, even in books where the plot turns on the interpretation of a will and the characters are frequently known to say, "Oh! Dear me. Rather. I do say. Shocking, what?" (I enjoyed Unnatural Death and adored The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, but one must be honest.) Sayers's astonishing wit, the seeming tameness of some of its objects regardless, always betrays a penetrating understanding of human mischief. And in this novel, with its sex and cocaine, the innuendos are keener and more hilarious than ever. Not that she places undue reliance on innuendos, either.
Of Lord Peter Wimsey, I do occasionally think to myself, "I wish there was something he couldn't do." But those moments pass quickly and are soon forgotten in an onslaught of Sayers's pitch-perfect dialogue.
Naturally, the plot is clever and well-integrated. Nothing hugely astonishing, but one hardly cares; there are enough surprises throughout to keep up the pace. And as yet another sign of Sayers's rare and intelligent style, the climax contains an unusual solemn, sad nod to human dignity.
June 22, 2021
This is what I expect of Dorothy Sayers! A good twisty mystery combined with a shrewd insight into human behaviour. Plus details about things like cricket (about which I know nothing), dog racing, the use of the catapult (sligshot), the role of cocaine in the early 20th century society, and of course the advertising industry.
Talk about the best use ever of personal experience in a novel! Sayers parlays her nine years experience in the advertising biz into an excellent novel. She writes office politics that you can totally see happening. The personalities, the rivalries, the in-fighting, and the gossip. Ah, the gossip! And of course, the morality (or lack thereof).
And what a look at the supposed “good old days,” when everybody smoked and even a very moral sort like Mr. Pym could advocate encouraging more & more smoking, particularly for women. The women are still just beginning to kick against the restrictions of their gender roles—the women at the agency provide cleaning, food services, and typing. Only one of them seems to contribute to the advertising biz. Vices are more easily available to women than fulfilling employment. Not to mention the class divide which I guess is being replaced today by the wealth divide.
Wimsey gets to indulge himself with a lot of masquerading, as his own illegitimate cousin, as the Harlequin, and (briefly) as a policeman. There is zero presence of Bunter (he is mentioned only once). Harriet Vane is also referred to once indirectly. Despite the absence of these two usually crucial characters, I enjoyed this rumpus very much.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
Talk about the best use ever of personal experience in a novel! Sayers parlays her nine years experience in the advertising biz into an excellent novel. She writes office politics that you can totally see happening. The personalities, the rivalries, the in-fighting, and the gossip. Ah, the gossip! And of course, the morality (or lack thereof).
”Of course, there is some truth in advertising. There's yeast in bread, but you can't make bread with yeast alone. Truth in advertising,” announced Lord Peter sententiously, “is like leaven, which a woman hid in three measures of meal. It provides a suitable quantity of gas, with which to blow out a mass of crude misrepresentation into a form that the public can swallow.”
And what a look at the supposed “good old days,” when everybody smoked and even a very moral sort like Mr. Pym could advocate encouraging more & more smoking, particularly for women. The women are still just beginning to kick against the restrictions of their gender roles—the women at the agency provide cleaning, food services, and typing. Only one of them seems to contribute to the advertising biz. Vices are more easily available to women than fulfilling employment. Not to mention the class divide which I guess is being replaced today by the wealth divide.
Wimsey gets to indulge himself with a lot of masquerading, as his own illegitimate cousin, as the Harlequin, and (briefly) as a policeman. There is zero presence of Bunter (he is mentioned only once). Harriet Vane is also referred to once indirectly. Despite the absence of these two usually crucial characters, I enjoyed this rumpus very much.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
March 13, 2010
This is the best Wimsey book. A marvelously venomous send-up of the advertising world, still sickeningly applicable today, it has lots of biting wit and some compassion as well for those caught up in this silly little world. Wimsey's incarnations here...ad man, himself, evil man-about-town, and outstanding cricketer...are fascinating. One is so intrigued with the book that one doesn't notice that Wimsey can be, and sometimes is, soporifically perfect. Nevertheless, for fans of the literate mystery, this is a delight.
ETA: The occasional but all-too-casual bigotry does jar on the nerves.
ETA: The occasional but all-too-casual bigotry does jar on the nerves.
August 2, 2011
All I really remembered about this book was that it made me laugh; what I didn’t remember was it also has teeth.
A peter Wimsey mystery, wherein Peter goes undercover in an ad agency, and then there are a lot of shenanigans, and also bad puns, and a climactic cricket match that made me snigger to myself for ten minutes straight, much to the consternation of my morning train seatmate.
(This is, incidentally, a pretty good place to start with Peter Wimsey. Not the chronological beginning of the series, but it’s one of the best, and it sets you up nicely to read forward or back without ruining your first Wimsey on, say, the one with all the goddamn train schedules.)
Anyway, so it’s thoroughly amusing, and peter capers here and there, declaiming and punning and being horrible and being grand. Also solving a murder, and tripping into a viper’s nest of crime, like he does.
But under that is a tense, frantically unhappy book. About the ad game and the life game – buy this, that’ll solve your problems, now buy that, snort this line of cocaine, try that dangerous stunt, run faster, work harder, more more more – why aren’t you happy yet? What do you mean you came to a bitter end along the way? And if that weren’t enough, also a pointed meditation on a particular stripe of British classism.*
God damn, when she was good, no one could touch Sayers.
*There’s this bit where one character explains to another how there’s a cultural divide in the office between the Oxbridge chaps and the rest of them. How the blokes who went to, like, Manchester, will get all earnest and upset and froth at the mouth about metaphysics, and one of the Oxbridge guys will come along and just make a bad pun at them and ask why they can't take a joke. And I was like, “Ahahaha, Dorothy Sayers! Your Oxbridge chaps are hipsters.”
A peter Wimsey mystery, wherein Peter goes undercover in an ad agency, and then there are a lot of shenanigans, and also bad puns, and a climactic cricket match that made me snigger to myself for ten minutes straight, much to the consternation of my morning train seatmate.
(This is, incidentally, a pretty good place to start with Peter Wimsey. Not the chronological beginning of the series, but it’s one of the best, and it sets you up nicely to read forward or back without ruining your first Wimsey on, say, the one with all the goddamn train schedules.)
Anyway, so it’s thoroughly amusing, and peter capers here and there, declaiming and punning and being horrible and being grand. Also solving a murder, and tripping into a viper’s nest of crime, like he does.
But under that is a tense, frantically unhappy book. About the ad game and the life game – buy this, that’ll solve your problems, now buy that, snort this line of cocaine, try that dangerous stunt, run faster, work harder, more more more – why aren’t you happy yet? What do you mean you came to a bitter end along the way? And if that weren’t enough, also a pointed meditation on a particular stripe of British classism.*
God damn, when she was good, no one could touch Sayers.
*There’s this bit where one character explains to another how there’s a cultural divide in the office between the Oxbridge chaps and the rest of them. How the blokes who went to, like, Manchester, will get all earnest and upset and froth at the mouth about metaphysics, and one of the Oxbridge guys will come along and just make a bad pun at them and ask why they can't take a joke. And I was like, “Ahahaha, Dorothy Sayers! Your Oxbridge chaps are hipsters.”
June 28, 2018
I don't think I appreciate Dorothy Sayers as much as I should. Really, this is probably a 4-star book that I've given only 3, because I felt she got away from the murder solving a bit too much. I should be enjoying her long asides into the advertising world and the game of cricket. I should be impressed by the seriousness in which she handles drugs and death. It's all quite masterful and ahead of her time. I mean to say, her craft and characters are more mature than her contemporaries. Perhaps I've been too inured by the short, punchy detective fiction of many other authors of the genre. Honestly, Murder Must Advertise is truly a good read. I'm not sure I'm a deserving reader though.
February 18, 2015
Murder Must Advertise, rather like Gaudy Night, isn't a mystery novel, but a novel containing a mystery. It's reminiscent of Connie Willis and To Say Nothing of the Dog in that regard, meaning this novel feels much more human than the standard mystery. But while Willis deals with cats and seances and hilarious excursions, Sayers discusses death and lies and hoodwinking the less-well-off masses.
This is a murder mystery, so of course it's darker. Which is not to say it's so dark that I couldn't read it (see: Darkness Take My Hand) but that it's dark enough not only to tell the truth about consumerism, but to highlight how underhand and manufactured that truth is.
There's enough that's discomfiting about human nature in this novel that you understand why Lord Peter can't get past his PTSD. Besides for, you know, the war. There's a quietly horrifying bit right at the end that's almost worse than all the ways the firm earnestly sits down to figure out how to get more women smoking cigarettes, because then they'll have succeeded as advertisers.
(I will say that the way Sayers skewers advertising is so precise, so scathing, it never allowed me to forget that I was reading a story written by someone who worked in advertising.)
It's also funny, though! The way Sayers allows you to guess what her game is from the start - the way she doesn't drag it on too long - the number of times Peter almost gives himself away - the cricket game! This isn't doom-and-gloom but a really well-rounded story. The murder isn't an afterthought, but it's also not the primary focus; it's woven into the story, but it isn't solely the story.
This is so good, I didn't miss Harriet, which is a shocker.
This is a murder mystery, so of course it's darker. Which is not to say it's so dark that I couldn't read it (see: Darkness Take My Hand) but that it's dark enough not only to tell the truth about consumerism, but to highlight how underhand and manufactured that truth is.
There's enough that's discomfiting about human nature in this novel that you understand why Lord Peter can't get past his PTSD. Besides for, you know, the war. There's a quietly horrifying bit right at the end that's almost worse than all the ways the firm earnestly sits down to figure out how to get more women smoking cigarettes, because then they'll have succeeded as advertisers.
(I will say that the way Sayers skewers advertising is so precise, so scathing, it never allowed me to forget that I was reading a story written by someone who worked in advertising.)
It's also funny, though! The way Sayers allows you to guess what her game is from the start - the way she doesn't drag it on too long - the number of times Peter almost gives himself away - the cricket game! This isn't doom-and-gloom but a really well-rounded story. The murder isn't an afterthought, but it's also not the primary focus; it's woven into the story, but it isn't solely the story.
This is so good, I didn't miss Harriet, which is a shocker.
August 28, 2016
Published in 1933, much of this novel is set within a world that author, Dorothy L. Sayers, knew well – that of an advertising agency, in which she herself worked. Lord Peter Wimsey is masquerading as plain Death (pronounced ‘Deeth’) Bredon at Pym’s Publicity; having been called in my Mr Pym after the suspicious death of Mr Victor Dean, who broke his neck after falling down a staircase.
Mr Bredon finds himself occupying Mr Dean’s room and, before long, is heavily involved in all aspects of office gossip. I have to admit that the parts of this novel I enjoyed most are set within Pym’s Publicity, but the story also features a group of Bright Young Things that Mr Dean was attracted by. One of these smart set was the attractive, but rather sinister, Dian de Momerie. These parts of the storyline worked less well for me, but thankfully most of the book is set within the walls of Pym’s; with Lord Peter doing a salaried job for the first time. Of course, he does it very well, as we would expect, as well as solving the mystery.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read. Lord Peter is centre stage throughout – although Parker does feature and he has dinner (although we not privy to this meeting) with Harriet once. I loved the satirical look at advertising and the office setting was very enjoyable. I am looking forward to reading on in this wonderful, Golden Age, series. If you do enjoy Golden Age mysteries, then these are some of the very best in the genre.
Mr Bredon finds himself occupying Mr Dean’s room and, before long, is heavily involved in all aspects of office gossip. I have to admit that the parts of this novel I enjoyed most are set within Pym’s Publicity, but the story also features a group of Bright Young Things that Mr Dean was attracted by. One of these smart set was the attractive, but rather sinister, Dian de Momerie. These parts of the storyline worked less well for me, but thankfully most of the book is set within the walls of Pym’s; with Lord Peter doing a salaried job for the first time. Of course, he does it very well, as we would expect, as well as solving the mystery.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read. Lord Peter is centre stage throughout – although Parker does feature and he has dinner (although we not privy to this meeting) with Harriet once. I loved the satirical look at advertising and the office setting was very enjoyable. I am looking forward to reading on in this wonderful, Golden Age, series. If you do enjoy Golden Age mysteries, then these are some of the very best in the genre.
August 7, 2021
Along with "Clouds of Witness", this is my favorite Lord Peter Wimsey book. Lord Peter insinuates himself, incognito, into an advertising agency as a result of the suspicious death of one of the employees.. As he searches out the killer, he discovers a little more than he expected and is soon involved with some pretty nasty characters with drugs on their minds. Good triumphs over evil and another case is solved by the effete sleuth. Very satisfying entry in the series.
August 25, 2016
I've been enjoying rereading the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, but feel this is one of the weaker entries in the series. It's a very uneven read and my personal rating is really between 2 and 3 stars, although some of the best bits are wonderful.
The most enjoyable sections are those set within an advertising agency, Pym's Publicity, where Lord Peter Wimsey takes up a job, posing as his lookalike cousin, Death Bredon (his own middle names - apparently Death can be pronounced Deeth.) He has been called in to investigate following the mysterious death of a previous employee who fell down the stairs and cracked his skull. However, the agency bosses prefer him to be incognito.
Sayers herself worked in an agency for years and it's plain she knows exactly what she is portraying. Anybody who has worked in a vaguely similar environment, as I have in local newspapers and marketing, will recognise a lot of the characters and situations. However, at times all the detail does slow the story down a lot and the humour gets a bit repetitive. There are a few advertising in-jokes which I recognised after recently reading a Sayers biography, such as references to her "Guinness is good for you" slogan and the Colmans Mustard Club.
Unfortunately, however, large chunks of the book are set amid disreputable "bright young things", and I found these sequences far less convincing. I'll say more about this aspect in spoiler tags. It's also hard to believe that so many people can be fooled by Wimsey's dual identity, which sounds about as convincing as Superman being Clark Kent.
The most enjoyable sections are those set within an advertising agency, Pym's Publicity, where Lord Peter Wimsey takes up a job, posing as his lookalike cousin, Death Bredon (his own middle names - apparently Death can be pronounced Deeth.) He has been called in to investigate following the mysterious death of a previous employee who fell down the stairs and cracked his skull. However, the agency bosses prefer him to be incognito.
Sayers herself worked in an agency for years and it's plain she knows exactly what she is portraying. Anybody who has worked in a vaguely similar environment, as I have in local newspapers and marketing, will recognise a lot of the characters and situations. However, at times all the detail does slow the story down a lot and the humour gets a bit repetitive. There are a few advertising in-jokes which I recognised after recently reading a Sayers biography, such as references to her "Guinness is good for you" slogan and the Colmans Mustard Club.
Unfortunately, however, large chunks of the book are set amid disreputable "bright young things", and I found these sequences far less convincing. I'll say more about this aspect in spoiler tags. It's also hard to believe that so many people can be fooled by Wimsey's dual identity, which sounds about as convincing as Superman being Clark Kent.
April 9, 2023
Lord Peter Group Read 2022/23
A really enjoyable read, in fact I might go so far as to say my favourite one so far. Lord Ptere is asked as a favour to investigate potential "goings-on" at an advertising agency. Going undercover as his alter ego "Death Bredon" he proves surprisingly adept at providing slogans for the goods and companies his advertising company work for.
His investigations have to go slowly so he doesn't blow his cover within the company , but he soon finds the man who fell down the stairs was maybe involved with some ne'er do wells.
Helped by one of the very young lads at the advertising company he starts to work out who had alibis during the time the main fell down the stairs and if he had any enemies within the company.
Following up the lead regarding the undesirables "Death" comes across a gang of good time party people who attend regular gatherings where drugs are involved. Again he has to work slowly to not scare them , but he also enlists the help of is brother in law the renowned Detective Chief Inspector Parker .
As each small piece of evidence accumulates Lord Peter and DI Parker build their case against the drug runners and the evil deeds at the advertising company start to come to light.
This book has some real highlights:- the inside scoop on the home life of DI Parker and his wife Lady Mary , the absolute genius of Lord Peter as he battles the intricacies of the case and the strength of the story.
Would thoroughly recommend !
A really enjoyable read, in fact I might go so far as to say my favourite one so far. Lord Ptere is asked as a favour to investigate potential "goings-on" at an advertising agency. Going undercover as his alter ego "Death Bredon" he proves surprisingly adept at providing slogans for the goods and companies his advertising company work for.
His investigations have to go slowly so he doesn't blow his cover within the company , but he soon finds the man who fell down the stairs was maybe involved with some ne'er do wells.
Helped by one of the very young lads at the advertising company he starts to work out who had alibis during the time the main fell down the stairs and if he had any enemies within the company.
Following up the lead regarding the undesirables "Death" comes across a gang of good time party people who attend regular gatherings where drugs are involved. Again he has to work slowly to not scare them , but he also enlists the help of is brother in law the renowned Detective Chief Inspector Parker .
As each small piece of evidence accumulates Lord Peter and DI Parker build their case against the drug runners and the evil deeds at the advertising company start to come to light.
This book has some real highlights:- the inside scoop on the home life of DI Parker and his wife Lady Mary , the absolute genius of Lord Peter as he battles the intricacies of the case and the strength of the story.
Would thoroughly recommend !
June 7, 2019
Death Brendon shows up a few weeks after the untimely fall of advertising copywriter Victor Dean down the deadly iron staircase in the offices of Pym's Publicity and immediately puts his unusually long nose into everyone's business. Who is this suave, overdressed idiot? And why is he courting the dead man's sister and also the dope-queen of the ...place in London?
GUESS I DARE YOU.
1. You guys I have a Peter Whimsey problem: "Disguised as a policeman? Oh, Charles, do let me be a policeman. I should adore it." and his goddamned glee at getting to put on a farcical show for the world (ALL YOU RUDDY COPPERS ARE TOO FAT) and his particular Wimesyian approach to engaging with his sister's children ("Good. Stick to it.") and then the bits where Peter is a force to be reckoned with (!!!): [...] and Lord Peter Wimsey, opening up wrathful shoulders, strode out of his crease like the spirit of vengeance and whacked it to the wide.
I MEAN: WHERE HAVE ALL THE WRATHFUL SHOULDERS GONE?
2. (I absolutely followed NOTHING of the cricket talk and part of me is OK with that because I did manage to catch the WRATHFUL SHOULDERS of a MAN SCORNED and so everything is GREAT.)
3. I was wise to things from the start but that was mostly because I really enjoyed The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste but that didn't lessen my enjoyment at all because it was fun to see the nuances of the character I have enjoyed for multiple books now peeping through an assumed persona.
Also enjoyable were the bits later on when Peter derides his horrible cousin and does his damndest to separate himself from the fellow with the 'uncanny' likeness. ("But," he resumed, "I know my cousin Bredon—too well. Few people know him better. And I must confess that he is the last man to whom I should look for a disinterested attachment.") OH PETER YOU SARCASTIC LITTLE SHIT.
4. "You cannot trust these young women. No fixity of purpose. Except, of course, when you particularly want them to be yielding." He grinned with a wry mouth, and went out to keep his date with the one young woman who showed no signs of yielding to him, and what he said or did on that occasion is in no way related to this story. GET IT HARRIET: MAKE HIM DO THE YIELDING.
5. The commentary on advertising and the general atmospheric consumerism is still scarily relevant and truly a cross-section of an industry that sells you the problems with one hand and the solution with the other. Ack.
GUESS I DARE YOU.
1. You guys I have a Peter Whimsey problem: "Disguised as a policeman? Oh, Charles, do let me be a policeman. I should adore it." and his goddamned glee at getting to put on a farcical show for the world (ALL YOU RUDDY COPPERS ARE TOO FAT) and his particular Wimesyian approach to engaging with his sister's children ("Good. Stick to it.") and then the bits where Peter is a force to be reckoned with (!!!): [...] and Lord Peter Wimsey, opening up wrathful shoulders, strode out of his crease like the spirit of vengeance and whacked it to the wide.
I MEAN: WHERE HAVE ALL THE WRATHFUL SHOULDERS GONE?
2. (I absolutely followed NOTHING of the cricket talk and part of me is OK with that because I did manage to catch the WRATHFUL SHOULDERS of a MAN SCORNED and so everything is GREAT.)
3. I was wise to things from the start but that was mostly because I really enjoyed The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste but that didn't lessen my enjoyment at all because it was fun to see the nuances of the character I have enjoyed for multiple books now peeping through an assumed persona.
Also enjoyable were the bits later on when Peter derides his horrible cousin and does his damndest to separate himself from the fellow with the 'uncanny' likeness. ("But," he resumed, "I know my cousin Bredon—too well. Few people know him better. And I must confess that he is the last man to whom I should look for a disinterested attachment.") OH PETER YOU SARCASTIC LITTLE SHIT.
4. "You cannot trust these young women. No fixity of purpose. Except, of course, when you particularly want them to be yielding." He grinned with a wry mouth, and went out to keep his date with the one young woman who showed no signs of yielding to him, and what he said or did on that occasion is in no way related to this story. GET IT HARRIET: MAKE HIM DO THE YIELDING.
5. The commentary on advertising and the general atmospheric consumerism is still scarily relevant and truly a cross-section of an industry that sells you the problems with one hand and the solution with the other. Ack.
July 29, 2019
Re-read. I think I enjoyed this even more this time around knowing DL Sayers worked in an advertising office. The whole Whiffling subplot follows Sayers own advertising experience closely with the famous “mustard” campaign which is also mentioned in this book.
August 8, 2012
Where I got the book: purchased from The Book Depository. I'm absolutely sure I had the 70s NEL edition once upon a time, but you know how it is with really good books. They grow legs and walk away.
Quickie story roundup: Lord Peter Wimsey, for the first time in his life, is pulling in a salary (of £4 a week). Adopting the persona of Mr. Death Bredon, he becomes a copywriter in the advertising firm Pym's Publicity to investigate the mysterious death of one Victor Dean, and discovers that Dean's death is the tip of an iceberg which affects thousands of lives all over London.
Dorothy L. Sayers worked in an advertising firm for seven years, and engineering Lord Peter into a job in the environment she knew so well was a gold-plated stroke of genius. By the time she wrote Murder Must Advertise, her copywriting days were three or four years behind her but clearly still burned into her memory and affections. During those years she had been through heartbreak and the carefully concealed birth of an illegitimate child, and there is an edge to her descriptions of Pym's despite the resolutely jolly tone of many of the scenes, although she is careful to direct her cynicism at the practice of advertising in general. It is my theory that the lanky, clever, university-educated Miss Meteyard--cool and sardonic yet knowing--is a self-portrait, DLS in her earlier days, even as Harriet Vane is the embittered post-heartbreak self.
I have said before that every Wimsey novel has a tone quite unlike the others. What strikes me about this one is that the chorus of London voices almost makes Lord Peter take second place. From society cocktail parties to cricket to Covent Garden, this is a loving portrait of Sayers' real world wrapped around an ingeniously plotted mystery with plenty of twists and reveals. It paves the way for the realism Sayers achieves in Gaudy Night whereas The Nine Tailors, her next novel, is a throwback to an earlier style (but none the worse for that).
I've heard many people say that Murder Must Advertise is their favorite Sayers novel, and I can see why. The drawbacks for me were the cricket match (I never did learn the game, despite having grown up in England) and Lady Mary Parker's dreary domesticity when she'd been such a promising character. And I believe I stumbled across a terrific mistake in chapter 18 (see my updates). But hey, DLS almost certainly spotted it too at some point in her life, and no doubt laughed it off. She was one of the most human of writers, and her fans love her for it.
Quickie story roundup: Lord Peter Wimsey, for the first time in his life, is pulling in a salary (of £4 a week). Adopting the persona of Mr. Death Bredon, he becomes a copywriter in the advertising firm Pym's Publicity to investigate the mysterious death of one Victor Dean, and discovers that Dean's death is the tip of an iceberg which affects thousands of lives all over London.
Dorothy L. Sayers worked in an advertising firm for seven years, and engineering Lord Peter into a job in the environment she knew so well was a gold-plated stroke of genius. By the time she wrote Murder Must Advertise, her copywriting days were three or four years behind her but clearly still burned into her memory and affections. During those years she had been through heartbreak and the carefully concealed birth of an illegitimate child, and there is an edge to her descriptions of Pym's despite the resolutely jolly tone of many of the scenes, although she is careful to direct her cynicism at the practice of advertising in general. It is my theory that the lanky, clever, university-educated Miss Meteyard--cool and sardonic yet knowing--is a self-portrait, DLS in her earlier days, even as Harriet Vane is the embittered post-heartbreak self.
I have said before that every Wimsey novel has a tone quite unlike the others. What strikes me about this one is that the chorus of London voices almost makes Lord Peter take second place. From society cocktail parties to cricket to Covent Garden, this is a loving portrait of Sayers' real world wrapped around an ingeniously plotted mystery with plenty of twists and reveals. It paves the way for the realism Sayers achieves in Gaudy Night whereas The Nine Tailors, her next novel, is a throwback to an earlier style (but none the worse for that).
I've heard many people say that Murder Must Advertise is their favorite Sayers novel, and I can see why. The drawbacks for me were the cricket match (I never did learn the game, despite having grown up in England) and Lady Mary Parker's dreary domesticity when she'd been such a promising character. And I believe I stumbled across a terrific mistake in chapter 18 (see my updates). But hey, DLS almost certainly spotted it too at some point in her life, and no doubt laughed it off. She was one of the most human of writers, and her fans love her for it.
July 13, 2010
After a brief fling with Miss Marple, I'm back with Lord Peter Wimsey - the most delightful detective who ever delighted whilst detecting. This book is one of two Dorothy Sayers mysteries featured on The List, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as Strong Poison, it was still very good.
The majority of the action takes place at Pym's Publicity, an advertising firm in London. One of their employees recently and mysteriously died after falling down an iron staircase in the office, and it's suspected that he may have known something about another employee that caused him to be murdered. So Lord Peter gets out his Super Awesome Detective Disguise Kit and goes to work at Pym's undercover in order to find out what this guy might have known.
Like Strong Poison, you learn a lot of random but useful information over the course of the mystery. Then, it was lockpicking and Spiritualism. Now, it's the secrets of advertising and the cocaine trade. (and the two are not necessarily unrelated) In fact, you learn a lot about the whole advertising business, resulting in some interesting bits like this:
"Like all rich men, [Lord Peter:] had never before paid any attention to advertisements. He had never realized the enormous commercial importance of the comparatively poor. Not on the wealthy, who buy only what they want when they want it, was the vast superstructure of industry founded and built up, but on those who, aching for a luxury beyond their reach and for a leisure for ever denied them, could be bullied or wheedled into spending their few hardly won shillings on whatever might give them, if only for a moment, a leisured and luxurious illusion."
Wow. I'm also happy to report that Lord Peter is still a darling in this one, and still hilarious. My favorite moment was at a point in the plot when it becomes necessary to sneak Peter out of police headquarters. His brother-in-law, an officer, is explaining that they'll have to sneak him out the back and Peter interrupts happily, "Disguised as a policeman? Oh, Charles, do let me be a policeman! I should adore it."
A few other reviewers have complained about Lord Peter's conduct towards one of the characters, Dian de Momerie. She's in with the cocaine-smuggling crowd, so Lord Peter basically has to seduce her in order to get at the drug kingpins. This involves dressing in disguises, following Dian around, and admittedly treating her rather dismissively. Ungentlemanly? Yes. Proof that Lord Peter isn't as great as I say he is? Shut your whore mouth. Here's the thing: I think Lord Peter acted like a jackass to Dian because that's the kind of guy she'd be most attracted to. She's dating a drug kingpin who treats her like dirt, and she in turn treats her various beaux like dirt. She responds best to dismissive and insulting behavior (what we'll call the Bella Swan Complex), and that's just the fastest way to get on her good side. I maintain that Lord Peter is still wonderful.
Also there's a great offhand line that mentions that Lord Peter "went out to keep his date with the one young woman who showed no signs of yielding to him" and I got really excited there because I knew who Sayers meant. I read that line and was like, "It's Harriet Vane! He's going on a date with Harriet! Hi, Harriet! Hi!" and it was a little embarrassing.
The majority of the action takes place at Pym's Publicity, an advertising firm in London. One of their employees recently and mysteriously died after falling down an iron staircase in the office, and it's suspected that he may have known something about another employee that caused him to be murdered. So Lord Peter gets out his Super Awesome Detective Disguise Kit and goes to work at Pym's undercover in order to find out what this guy might have known.
Like Strong Poison, you learn a lot of random but useful information over the course of the mystery. Then, it was lockpicking and Spiritualism. Now, it's the secrets of advertising and the cocaine trade. (and the two are not necessarily unrelated) In fact, you learn a lot about the whole advertising business, resulting in some interesting bits like this:
"Like all rich men, [Lord Peter:] had never before paid any attention to advertisements. He had never realized the enormous commercial importance of the comparatively poor. Not on the wealthy, who buy only what they want when they want it, was the vast superstructure of industry founded and built up, but on those who, aching for a luxury beyond their reach and for a leisure for ever denied them, could be bullied or wheedled into spending their few hardly won shillings on whatever might give them, if only for a moment, a leisured and luxurious illusion."
Wow. I'm also happy to report that Lord Peter is still a darling in this one, and still hilarious. My favorite moment was at a point in the plot when it becomes necessary to sneak Peter out of police headquarters. His brother-in-law, an officer, is explaining that they'll have to sneak him out the back and Peter interrupts happily, "Disguised as a policeman? Oh, Charles, do let me be a policeman! I should adore it."
A few other reviewers have complained about Lord Peter's conduct towards one of the characters, Dian de Momerie. She's in with the cocaine-smuggling crowd, so Lord Peter basically has to seduce her in order to get at the drug kingpins. This involves dressing in disguises, following Dian around, and admittedly treating her rather dismissively. Ungentlemanly? Yes. Proof that Lord Peter isn't as great as I say he is? Shut your whore mouth. Here's the thing: I think Lord Peter acted like a jackass to Dian because that's the kind of guy she'd be most attracted to. She's dating a drug kingpin who treats her like dirt, and she in turn treats her various beaux like dirt. She responds best to dismissive and insulting behavior (what we'll call the Bella Swan Complex), and that's just the fastest way to get on her good side. I maintain that Lord Peter is still wonderful.
Also there's a great offhand line that mentions that Lord Peter "went out to keep his date with the one young woman who showed no signs of yielding to him" and I got really excited there because I knew who Sayers meant. I read that line and was like, "It's Harriet Vane! He's going on a date with Harriet! Hi, Harriet! Hi!" and it was a little embarrassing.
May 26, 2023
4.25*
Another great instalment!
Sayers, having actually worked in advertising for many years, succeeds in bringing this world to life only too easily. At the same time, she features a seedy underworld, something a little unexpected and even jarring at times in this genre, but which makes total sense. There is a vein of darkness running throughout the series after all, even if it is usually kept at bay. As for our Wimsey, he didn’t disappoint - and ever so entertaining :O)
Another great instalment!
Sayers, having actually worked in advertising for many years, succeeds in bringing this world to life only too easily. At the same time, she features a seedy underworld, something a little unexpected and even jarring at times in this genre, but which makes total sense. There is a vein of darkness running throughout the series after all, even if it is usually kept at bay. As for our Wimsey, he didn’t disappoint - and ever so entertaining :O)
Read
February 13, 2017I had read a great deal about the Bright Young Things by the time I read this, so I recognized them, a buried gem in a treasure of a story. I've always liked work stories where you get the sense the writer actually knows about the complications of minutae that become all-consuming in the workplace, and there comes the opening of the cage. This one satisfies on all levels.
October 21, 2023
2.75/5 @ all the mystery writers: pls stop writing mysteries with so many suspects, I have approx. 2 brain cells and a terrible memory and cannot remember this many characters and clues
March 14, 2017
Always an enjoyable read. Love how he assumes an alias and goes undercover to work in an advertising agency (much as Sayers herself had worked in an ad agency). He is there to uncover the death of a Mr. Dean, who apparently fell down the stairs. Even here, he leads a double life by running around with a "bright young thing" as a harlequin with some rather athletic moves.
In addition, one of the entertaining portions to me is the cricket game with another firm. As an American, I have no knowledge of cricket. But he was apparently quite the cricketer while at Oxford. He goes into it with every intention of playing a mediocre game until he gets peeved when someone hits him in the elbow and the cricketer in him comes out. And his style of play is recognized. He tries to bluff his way through.
The mystery here revolves around the murder and a dope gang. I had no memory of the dope gang from my previous readings of this book. But it was quite a while ago.
In addition, one of the entertaining portions to me is the cricket game with another firm. As an American, I have no knowledge of cricket. But he was apparently quite the cricketer while at Oxford. He goes into it with every intention of playing a mediocre game until he gets peeved when someone hits him in the elbow and the cricketer in him comes out. And his style of play is recognized. He tries to bluff his way through.
The mystery here revolves around the murder and a dope gang. I had no memory of the dope gang from my previous readings of this book. But it was quite a while ago.
March 16, 2023
One of my favorite mysteries. I had read MURDER MUST ADVERTISE several times before I even started my reading log, so I don't know my read count. In recent years I've been listening to it read by the talented Ian Carmichael a couple of times a year, and it was a pleasant experience to return to the print version.
My favorite "Contemporary" Mystery Reread of 2017. (It was contemporary when it was written.)
My favorite "Contemporary" Mystery Reread of 2017. (It was contemporary when it was written.)
February 23, 2021
The best cricket match I ever experienced... One of my favourite Lord Peter Wimsey novels.
January 23, 2021
There is something very charming and soothing to me about reading a Dorothy Sayers book. Plus, it's like reading a slapstick Mad Men but in the 30s.
Warning: there is language in this book that is no longer appropriate and is very jarring when you come across it.
Warning: there is language in this book that is no longer appropriate and is very jarring when you come across it.
September 7, 2018
Lord Peter does an undercover twin in this early Pym Advertising Firm's terrible event aftermath.
It features myriad numbers of characters and some very funny early advertisement methods.
No Harriet. And the female lead is a diva of the jaded '20's. Bored, restless and flitting from club to gilded rooms and man to man. She was the ex-girlfriend of the late lamented staircase victim.
There's tons of dialect and "in house" ad speech and sets of new characters introduced throughout.
One of my least favorite subjects to read about is "departmental" politics in the police house or in a company office digs and this has oodles of both. Most readers would give this at least a 4 star.
Other than a lawn party at the Duke of Denver's- I thought this one had slow spots and too many side tracks to maintain the tension as has been done in the other Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey that I have read.
I will be reading the rest, but taking a break now. The chit chat from such nervy hilarity in such a striated world! I'll appreciate it more for being away from it.
It features myriad numbers of characters and some very funny early advertisement methods.
No Harriet. And the female lead is a diva of the jaded '20's. Bored, restless and flitting from club to gilded rooms and man to man. She was the ex-girlfriend of the late lamented staircase victim.
There's tons of dialect and "in house" ad speech and sets of new characters introduced throughout.
One of my least favorite subjects to read about is "departmental" politics in the police house or in a company office digs and this has oodles of both. Most readers would give this at least a 4 star.
Other than a lawn party at the Duke of Denver's- I thought this one had slow spots and too many side tracks to maintain the tension as has been done in the other Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey that I have read.
I will be reading the rest, but taking a break now. The chit chat from such nervy hilarity in such a striated world! I'll appreciate it more for being away from it.
August 7, 2021
Along with "Clouds of Witness", this is my favorite Lord Peter Wimsey book. Lord Peter insinuates himself, incognito, into an advertising agency as a result of the suspicious death of one of the employees.. As he searches out the killer, he discovers a little more than he expected and is soon involved with some pretty nasty characters with drugs on their minds. Good triumphs over evil and another case is solved by the effete sleuth. Very satisfying entry in the series.
February 18, 2009
Beautiful language, gloriously ridiculous plots, and the first to bring the emotional life of her characters into the fore of the mystery. (Even though she did insist on apologizing for it.)
February 14, 2019
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
After rereading the Lord Peter Wimsey books at a fairly leisurely pace for a while, I more or less sat down and devoured the ones I had left, in December. Murder Must Advertise has long been a favourite for the fun of seeing both somewhat of how an advertising agency works, and how Dorothy Sayers herself worked in such an environment. (One feels one’s glimpsed her particularly in the figure of Miss Meteyard, I think — though Sayers herself was writing copy, more in Wimsey’s job than Miss Meteyard’s.) The book features Peter’s one real sustained undercover op: he embeds himself into an advertising agency under the name of Bredon, sniffing out a murder and a dope gang, all at once.
It’s also one of those books with a sincere sense of danger, and a bittersweet ending in which Peter allows a man the dignity of choosing the manner of his own death rather than immediately telling the police what he’s worked out. That tendency is one of the things that irritates me about Peter as a sleuth; his code of honour means he feels he has to allow people an out, even if that out is an honourable suicide. Of course we know that it never does go wrong, for Peter, but it could and it’s a flaw in him for me that he’s always so tempted to put the decision in a murderer’s hands. In this case, he suggests a method of suicide to someone that means their family won’t be overshadowed by the trial — but leaves him no chance of a fair trial. Peter is judge and jury, and the murderer themselves becomes their own executioner. It might not feel like cricket to turn people in to the police, but darn it, the legal system is there for a reason. Peter’s meant to be too decent to back someone against a wall and make them think all is lost, but still. Real people aren’t always right, or always decent.
All the same, for the most part it’s a bit of a romp, with Peter coming up with advertising slogans, and leading a double life to provide himself with alibis (of sorts). Harriet’s not really mentioned, and Bunter and even Parker are often in the background, with the setting and characters of the advertising agency taking centre stage. It makes a nice change.
I was surprised to read that this was something of a filler book, while Sayers was actually working on The Nine Tailors to get all the details right, but it makes sense in a way. It doesn’t advance Peter’s character arc much, or really do anything profound — apart from the last act of bravery on the part of a particular character.
After rereading the Lord Peter Wimsey books at a fairly leisurely pace for a while, I more or less sat down and devoured the ones I had left, in December. Murder Must Advertise has long been a favourite for the fun of seeing both somewhat of how an advertising agency works, and how Dorothy Sayers herself worked in such an environment. (One feels one’s glimpsed her particularly in the figure of Miss Meteyard, I think — though Sayers herself was writing copy, more in Wimsey’s job than Miss Meteyard’s.) The book features Peter’s one real sustained undercover op: he embeds himself into an advertising agency under the name of Bredon, sniffing out a murder and a dope gang, all at once.
It’s also one of those books with a sincere sense of danger, and a bittersweet ending in which Peter allows a man the dignity of choosing the manner of his own death rather than immediately telling the police what he’s worked out. That tendency is one of the things that irritates me about Peter as a sleuth; his code of honour means he feels he has to allow people an out, even if that out is an honourable suicide. Of course we know that it never does go wrong, for Peter, but it could and it’s a flaw in him for me that he’s always so tempted to put the decision in a murderer’s hands. In this case, he suggests a method of suicide to someone that means their family won’t be overshadowed by the trial — but leaves him no chance of a fair trial. Peter is judge and jury, and the murderer themselves becomes their own executioner. It might not feel like cricket to turn people in to the police, but darn it, the legal system is there for a reason. Peter’s meant to be too decent to back someone against a wall and make them think all is lost, but still. Real people aren’t always right, or always decent.
All the same, for the most part it’s a bit of a romp, with Peter coming up with advertising slogans, and leading a double life to provide himself with alibis (of sorts). Harriet’s not really mentioned, and Bunter and even Parker are often in the background, with the setting and characters of the advertising agency taking centre stage. It makes a nice change.
I was surprised to read that this was something of a filler book, while Sayers was actually working on The Nine Tailors to get all the details right, but it makes sense in a way. It doesn’t advance Peter’s character arc much, or really do anything profound — apart from the last act of bravery on the part of a particular character.
September 15, 2016
Hadn’t read this since I was a teenager, when it launched my passion for Golden Age mysteries. I’m still very impressed with it today: Sayers has brought the artfulness of a serious novelist to genre fiction, complete with threads of motif, interlocking themes, and ethical/philosophical heft. Perhaps lacking is depth of characterization, but with such a numerous cast of characters, that’s not surprising. And the dialogue is always so delightful that I don’t much miss what might be behind it.
Our scene opens upon an advertising agency on the day a new employee is starting. His name, somewhat implausibly, is Death Bredon, and alert readers familiar with other Sayers novels will pretty quickly get the idea that Mr. Bredon is taking the place of a copy writer who died, and Bredon soon starts taking an interest in the circumstances surrounding that death. The deceased had been known to run with a wild crowd of young people who are into drugs and bad behavior, and it seems clear that the drugs and the death may be related.
The ad agency scenes are realized in naturalistic detail; this reader really felt as if it were an office she was working in. The scenes involving the wild crowd were sketchier and more stylized, not as realistic, but they worked with the story. The sleuth takes some time to figure things out, with disastrous results for a growing number of characters. But the solution is convincing and the loose ends tie up nicely.
Murder Must Advertise finds Dorothy Sayers in one of her most eloquent moods, and her reflections on the role and effect of advertising on society are as pointed today as they were when the book was written (1933). One of the things I like about her work is that although her sleuth is lighthearted and a bit snarky on the surface, he has deep feelings about the serious nature of the immoral things humans do to one another. This seriousness does her novels a bit of harm toward the end, at the point when the perpetrator is unmasked—he has a tendency to go all honorable and make away with himself, which I find (even for the period) a bit preposterous. But until that moment, Sayers’s mysteries, especially this one, hold me in thrall.
Our scene opens upon an advertising agency on the day a new employee is starting. His name, somewhat implausibly, is Death Bredon, and alert readers familiar with other Sayers novels will pretty quickly get the idea that Mr. Bredon is taking the place of a copy writer who died, and Bredon soon starts taking an interest in the circumstances surrounding that death. The deceased had been known to run with a wild crowd of young people who are into drugs and bad behavior, and it seems clear that the drugs and the death may be related.
The ad agency scenes are realized in naturalistic detail; this reader really felt as if it were an office she was working in. The scenes involving the wild crowd were sketchier and more stylized, not as realistic, but they worked with the story. The sleuth takes some time to figure things out, with disastrous results for a growing number of characters. But the solution is convincing and the loose ends tie up nicely.
Murder Must Advertise finds Dorothy Sayers in one of her most eloquent moods, and her reflections on the role and effect of advertising on society are as pointed today as they were when the book was written (1933). One of the things I like about her work is that although her sleuth is lighthearted and a bit snarky on the surface, he has deep feelings about the serious nature of the immoral things humans do to one another. This seriousness does her novels a bit of harm toward the end, at the point when the perpetrator is unmasked—he has a tendency to go all honorable and make away with himself, which I find (even for the period) a bit preposterous. But until that moment, Sayers’s mysteries, especially this one, hold me in thrall.
August 21, 2016
If this is the first of Dorothy L Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey novels you have read then you could be forgiven for being a little confused at the beginning. If you have read some of the other novels featuring the noble sleuth you will immediately identify Death Bredon as Peter Wimsey. He takes up employment at Pym's advertising agency at the request of the owner of the firm following the death of a member of staff - Victor Dean. Wimsey takes to the work like a duck to water and starts writing advertising copy for the princely sum of four pounds a week. As well as doing the job he starts ferreting around to try and find out whether Victor Dean's death was accident or murder.
The portrait of an advertising agency, from the messenger boys to the directors is excellent. Office politics and rivalries serve to muddy the waters of Wimsey's investigation. He gets involved with the bored and drug taking socialite Diane de Momerie, because the late Victor was a member of her sophisticated set, to try and find out what is going on amongst the glitterati. Masquerading as a masked harlequin and his own dissolute cousin, Wimsey ultimately puts himself in danger to unravel the mystery of Victor Dean's death and the connection of the fast set with Pym's Publicity.
There are some fascinating characters in the book from Ginger the messenger boy who wants to be a detective to the slightly pompous but good hearted Mr Pym himself. I loved the banter between the staff and clash of personalities which occurs in any office. While the mystery might be too complex to unravel before the intriguing denouement it is still a well written story. If you read it a second time you can see the clues are all there but most readers may well miss them. Perhaps it is not in the same class as 'Gaudy Night' or 'The Nine Tailors' but it is still worth reading.
The portrait of an advertising agency, from the messenger boys to the directors is excellent. Office politics and rivalries serve to muddy the waters of Wimsey's investigation. He gets involved with the bored and drug taking socialite Diane de Momerie, because the late Victor was a member of her sophisticated set, to try and find out what is going on amongst the glitterati. Masquerading as a masked harlequin and his own dissolute cousin, Wimsey ultimately puts himself in danger to unravel the mystery of Victor Dean's death and the connection of the fast set with Pym's Publicity.
There are some fascinating characters in the book from Ginger the messenger boy who wants to be a detective to the slightly pompous but good hearted Mr Pym himself. I loved the banter between the staff and clash of personalities which occurs in any office. While the mystery might be too complex to unravel before the intriguing denouement it is still a well written story. If you read it a second time you can see the clues are all there but most readers may well miss them. Perhaps it is not in the same class as 'Gaudy Night' or 'The Nine Tailors' but it is still worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,271 reviews