Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy L. SayersMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am indebted to the Lord Peter Wimsey Facebook page for alerting me to these books and how very good they are. I understand that this was left unfinished by Dorothy L Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh has done an admirable job of completing the novel. It is not without its issues, at first I found the quoting of poetry and other snippets rather overbearing, a bit too much 'look at me, aren't I intellectual?', I don't know whether that was original prose, which Ms Sayers may have culled or came from Ms Patton Walsh.
Anyway, set in 1936, Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane have just returned from their honeymoon and are settling into their new house in London. Harriet in particular is trying to find her way, learning how to live with servants, having money, not needing to work, coping with the family expectations that she and Peter will immediately produce a son as the 'spare' to the Duke of Denver's son and heir, and of course coping with her domineering sister-in-law Helen.
Peter and Harriet are part of London society, dinner parties, theatre performances etc and are introduced to another young couple Rosamund and Laurence Harwell. Although apparently very much in love, the Harwell's marriage seems dysfunctional and Rosamund very dissatisfied with Laurence. Add in a brilliant but egotistical portrait artist, an up-and-coming young actress, and an infatuated playwright and the scene is set for ... murder (sorry, had a flashback to the tv series Hart to Hart there).
Once this hit its stride it was so evocative of what I love about the original Lord Peter Wimsey novels and short stories, the view into a world long gone, the way in which Peter and Harriet tentatively map out their new relationship, Bunter and the Denver family.
Just a joy to read a new Lord Peter Wimsey book.
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