A young woman falls asleep on a deserted beach and wakes to discover the body of a man whose throat has been slashed from ear to ear…The young woman is the celebrated detective novelist Harriet Vane, once again drawn against her will into a murder investigation in which she herself could be a suspect. Lord Peter Wimsey is only too eager to help her clear her name. Murder brings Lord Peter and Harriet together again: when walking on a Dorset beach, Harriet discovers a corpse, the throat cut from ear to ear. Lord Peter comes to her assistance, and their inquiries lead from a distinctive razor blade to the salons of London's fashionable Jermyn Street, from a Russian émigré and professional dance-partner to a mysterious man with one shoulder higher than the other. As they investigate the trail of coded messages and secret agents, Harriet and Lord Peter's relationship becomes as tangled as the cat's-cradle of hints and clues that they are trying to unravel.
About The Author
Born in Oxford in 1893, Dorothy Leigh Sayers was later to become a classical scholar and honours graduate in modern languages. Between 1921 and 1.932 she was employed as a copywriter in an advertising agency.
But in 1923 she put into print a character who was to become one of the most popular fictional heroes of the century — Lord Peter Wimsy, who features in a dozen novels and numerous short stories. Several of the novels have been adapted for radio and television.
Dorothy Leigh Sayers died in 1957.
Note
In
All the quotations at the chapter heads have, been taken from T. L. Beddoes.
My grateful acknowledgments are due to Mr John Rhode, who gave me generous help with all the hard bits.
— Dorothy L Sayers
Contents
Chapter I. The Evidence Of The Corpse
Chapter II. The Evidence Of The Road
Chapter III. The Evidence Of The Hotel
Chapter IV. The Evidence Of The Razor
Chapter V. The Evidence Of The Betrothed
Chapter VI. The Evidence Of The First Barber
Chapter VII. The Evidence Of The Gigolos
Chapter VIII. The Evidence Of The Second Barber
Chapter IX. The Evidence Of The Flat-Iron
Chapter X. The Evidence Of The Police-Inspector
Chapter XI. The Evidence Of The Fisherman
Chapter XII. The Evidence Of The Bride’s Son
Chapter XIII. Evidence Of Trouble Somewhere
Chapter XIV. The Evidence Of The Third Barber
Chapter XV. The Evidence Of The Ladylove And The Landlady
Chapter XVI. The Evidence Of The Sands
Chapter XVII. The Evidence Of The Money
Chapter XVIII. The Evidence Of The Snake
Chapter XIX. The Evidence Of The Disguised Motorist
Chapter XX. The Evidence Of The Lady In The Car
Chapter XXI. The Evidence At The Inquest
Chapter XXII. The Evidence Of The Mannequin
Chapter XXIII. The Evidence Of The Theatrical Agent
Chapter XXIV. The Evidence Of The L.C.C Teacher
Chapter XXV. The Evidence Of The Dictionary
Chapter XXVI. The Evidence Of The Bay Mare
Chapter XXVII. The Evidence Of The Fisherman’s Grandson
Chapter XXVIII. The Evidence Of The Cipher
Chapter XXIX. The Evidence O F The Letter
Chapter XXX. The Evidence Of The Gentleman’s Gentleman
Chapter XXXI. The Evidence Of The Haberdasher’s Assistant
Chapter XXXII. The Evidence Of The Family Tree
Chapter XXXIII. The Evidence Of What Should Have Happened
Chapter XXXIV. The Evidence Of What Did Happen
Chapter I. The Evidence Of The Corpse
THE best remedy for a bruised heart is not, as so many people seem to think, repose upon a manly bosom. Much more efficacious are honest work, physical activity, and the sudden acquisition of wealth. After being acquitted of murdering her lover, and, indeed, in consequence of that acquittal, Harriet Vane found all three specifics abundantly at her disposal; and although Lord Peter Wimsey, with a touching faith in tradition, persisted day in and day out in presenting the bosom for her approval, she showed no inclination to recline upon it
