Lord Peter Wimsey Novels - pick one for me to read please!

YY to Gaudy Night being the best book ever (and a massive reason I went to Oxford )

I actually read Busman's Honeymoon first, because I was 14 or so and looking for something to read in my aunt's house. I still completely love it and was so happy when I realised there were more in the series. Then started at Strong Poison - which was odd because I knew how things would end up and I just couldn't see it at all.

Has anyone mentioned Thrones, Dominations? Not the real deal of course, but better than nothing!

Hello CMOT

You're one of my favourite TP characters.

(don't want to derail thread, but yes )

I think a TP book would be great for a book club - Witches Abroad for the themes of the power of story maybe ?

(oh hello CMOT... wonder if they'll try some Terry Pratchett in due course as a change of pace )

Well, the OP can hardly have a better recommendation!

Ah, good evening Lady Peter

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have all the DLS in front of you, unread ? Bliss indeed.

Ahem.

Probably too late now, but although Gaudy Night is my favourite book EVAH, if I only had to read one I would read The Nine Tailors because the plotting is so strong, the setting so evocative and it shows off everything that is so wonderful about PW.

But then I would read all the Harriet Vane novels in order. What bliss to have them all to read for the first time!

ooh yes - the 'placetne magistra' gives me goosebumps - you can hear the huskiness in those words coming out of the page

Yes - it's remarkable DLS wrote Harriet Vane without having met Harriet Walter. And EP much better than the previous casting of Ian Carmichael - he was too much the silly ass.

I do like Margery Allingham as well, but whilst I am very fond of Albert Campion, I never had a crush on him in the same way as I did on LPW. And Albert and Amanda, whilst sweet, are nowhere near as romantic as Peter and Harriet and "Placetne, Magistra?" which still makes me cry sniffy

Mrs G I loved those adaptations with Edward Petherbridgr and Harriet Walter - I agree that they got the casting exactly right with those two. I've had the DVDs on my wish list for ages!

I learnt all I know about bell ringing too, just haven't had the opportunity to put it into practise yet!

Haven't read Marjory Allingham for years - may need to dig them out next.

Am reading GK Chesterton's Father Brown short stories at the moment and loving the priest detective.

Agree Daughter of Time is brilliant; intend to read some more Tey when I get the chance.

Has anyone read the books by Nicola Upson (?) where the heroine is Josephine Tey and she is doing some detecting? The first one is pretty good, the next two not quite as strong though still readable.

Have we scared the OP off or is she now knee deep in early 20th century detective fiction?!

I read Miss Pym Disposes (Josephine Tey) last summer. Set in a girls' physical training college. A bit like Murder at Malory Towers in some ways... I wasn't sure on first reading, but on second reading there was a definite edge.

I had a teenage crush on LPW. He was tall in my mind. Led to me having a huge crush on a boy at school (tall, blond, v. slightly intellectual) that turned into, years later, a disastrous relationship. Mainly because I'd been in love with him since I was 12 without actually knowing his real personality. If that makes sense!

Anyway Murder must Advertise is great and fascinating for social history - all that females in typing pool, men in own office sort of thing. But they are all great.

I've read lots of the MA ones. Agree Tiger in the smoke quite scary. Also the books made me want to go to Suffolk which I've never been.

Love DLS.And Tey. And Crispin. How wonderful to have them all to read for the first time. As a consequence of reading Wimsey (and Crispin) repeatedly as a teenager, it never really occurred to me that I might go to university somewhere other than Oxford-it really had seeped into my consciousness. And I bet I'm not the only person to be inspired to take up bellringing by reading The Nine Tailors. That was the first one I read and would certainly recommend it as a good starting point. Or Murder Must Advertise.

The daughter of time is one of my favourite books and the Franchise Affair is bloody good too.

I am quite an Allingham fan although she does sometime go way off beam Has anyone read The beckoning lady? Love that. Also Traitors Purse, Death of a ghost, The Tiger in the Smoke - scary!

Not tried Tey, but taking kids to the library on Friday so making my list.

I have "worthy" books sitting on the shelf waiting to be read ...

Ooh yes , Daughter of Time is great. There are quite a lot of other Tey ones, too: less famous, but still lots of fun. I've forgotten details of most of 'em, but have five or six in PB from a reissue about five years ago.

Sorry, further derailment

Daughter of Time I liked very much.

Margery Allingham is brilliant too (The Tiger in the Smoke = utterly fab), though maybe not as consistently as DLS? I haven't read all of MA, maybe eight or so. In my memory, most were excellent, but one or two occasionally seemed to linger a little too long on depicting the charming eccentricity of her characters' extended families. Like she slightly fell in love with her creation (as I know people say of DLS & Wimsey, too).

Love DLS as well, natch (Nine Tailors, Gaudy Night and Murder Must Advertise stand out in my mind).

Josephine Tey, anyone?

You are so right re five red herrings.