A Presumption of Death
On sale
26th May 2003
Price: £9.99
Genre
‘Miraculously right: catching precisely the tone of the relationship . . . thrilling’ – The Times
‘A must for all Wimsey lovers . . . an entertaining read’ – Northern Echo
It’s 1940, and while the Second World War rages on, Harriet Vane – now Lady Peter Wimsey – has taken her children to safety in the country.
But the war has followed them: glamorous RAF pilots and even more glamorous land-girls scandalise the villagers, and the blackout makes the night-time lanes as sinister as the back alleys of London.
Then the village’s first air raid practice ends with a very real body on the ground – and it’s not a war casualty, but a case of plain, old-fashioned murder. And it’s not long before a second body is found . . .
‘A must for all Wimsey lovers . . . an entertaining read’ – Northern Echo
It’s 1940, and while the Second World War rages on, Harriet Vane – now Lady Peter Wimsey – has taken her children to safety in the country.
But the war has followed them: glamorous RAF pilots and even more glamorous land-girls scandalise the villagers, and the blackout makes the night-time lanes as sinister as the back alleys of London.
Then the village’s first air raid practice ends with a very real body on the ground – and it’s not a war casualty, but a case of plain, old-fashioned murder. And it’s not long before a second body is found . . .
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Reviews
She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.
Miraculously right: catching precisely the tone of the relationship . . . It comes out splendidly . . . a thrilling denouement
A must for all Wimsey lovers . . . an entertaining read which offers some longed for insight into the lives of the Wimseys after their marriage
Jill Paton Walsh does a fine job . . . she also answers an unasked question about Lord Peter and Harriet: Yes, dear readers, they have a lot of sex and they like it.
Vintage Wimsey . . . Wimsey lives on in delicious familiarity in this triumph not just of one writer's art, but of two
Satisfying and impeccably researched
Jill Paton Walsh scores a winner
I admire her novels . . . she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail
She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller.
Aficionados of Sayers will enjoy renewing acquaintance with her heroes . . . Walsh devised a literary period piece of considerable charm.
A good crime story, with a wonderful cast of characters, full of acutely observed small incidents, to be reread with pleasure after the first eager race through.