Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Series #8)

by Dorothy L. Sayers

Overview

The great Dorothy L. Sayers's classic tale of murder and scandal at a chic London advertising agency, featuring the dashing and brilliant Lord Peter Wimsey.

When executive Victor Dean dies from a fall down the iron staircase at Pym's Publicity, a posh London ad agency, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover to investigate. Before his tragic demise, the victim had tried to warn Mr. Pym, the firm's owner, about some scandalous behavior involving his employees.

Posing as a new copywriter, Wimsey discovers that Dean was part of an unsavory crowd at Pym's whose recreational habits link them to the criminal underworld. With time running out and the body count rising, Wimsey must rush to find the truth before his identity is discovered and a determined killer strikes again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062341655
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/02/2014
Series:	Lord Peter Wimsey Series , #8
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	128,932
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 5.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)

About the Author

Dorothy L. Sayers was born in 1893. She was one of the first women to be awarded a degree by Oxford University, and later she became a copywriter at an ad agency. In 1923 she published her first novel featuring the aristocratic detective Lord Peter Wimsey, who became one of the world's most popular fictional heroes. She died in 1957.

Date of Birth:

June 13, 1893

Date of Death:

December 17, 1957

Place of Birth:

Oxford, England

Education:

B.A., Oxford University, 1915; M.A., B.C.L., 1920

Editorial Reviews

One of the greatest mystery story writers of the twentieth century.” — Los Angeles Times

“The Wimsey books are literate and delightful mysteries.” — Chicago Tribune

“She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.” — P.D. James

“I admire her novels ... she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail.” — Ruth Rendell

From the Publisher

I admire her novels ... she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail.

Ruth Rendell

One of the greatest mystery story writers of the twentieth century.

|Los Angeles Times

The Wimsey books are literate and delightful mysteries.

Chicago Tribune

She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.

P. D. James

The Wimsey books are literate and delightful mysteries.

Chicago Tribune

One of the greatest mystery story writers of the twentieth century.

Los Angeles Times

In this unlikely adventure, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover to break up a drug ring. Requested by the strait-laced owner of Pym's Advertising Agency to investigate the suspicious accidental death of copywriter Victor Dean, Lord Peter discovers that Victor's death is only a small piece of a much larger and more convoluted puzzle. Someone at Pym's is involved with a network that smuggles and sells cocaine to the "bright young things" of society. Victor may have been killed for attempting to blackmail that person, so Lord Peter takes over Victor's job. Using his own middle names, he becomes Mr. Death Bredon, a black sheep cousin of the Wimsey family. Along the way, Sayers educates her listeners on the workings of the advertising industry, where, as a struggling author, she worked for eight years in the 1930s, and which, interestingly, has not changed at all in the intervening 70 years since this book was written. Deftly narrated by actor Ian Carmichael, who does a great job with accents of all types, this story will disappoint Lord Peter fans: the plot is overly complex and the characters are largely shallow and stereotypical. Recommended for larger public libraries where the works of Sayers are popular.-Barbara L. Rhodes, Northeast Texas Lib. Syst., Garland Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

An excellent detective story and an excellent picture of a British advertising firm.

New York Evening Post

This short but most satisfying Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, though pleasingly old-fashioned, is still appropriate today in our world of clever advertising and recreational drugs. Ian Carmichael recreates Lord Peter perfectly as the aristocratic gentleman and, in this story, jingle-writing advertising man. He makes Lord Peter blend in most believably with the everyday setting. Sound effects and the simpering of a spoiled aristocrat help bring the vintage time frame alive. Three other splendid narrators help enhance memorable lines such as, "It's not every puppy that appears in the kennel book." This is the perfect recommendation for mystery fans, as well as those who simply want to be entertained by the best! S.G.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 08 - AudioFile