Vintage Mystery 2011 Reading Challenge

One final reading challenge for 2011, and I promise that's it!! I'm either going to succeed at all these beyond my wildest expectations or fall flat on my face - either way it's sure to be an interesting year. :)

I ADORE vintage mysteries (Christie, Heyer, Sayers, etc.), so this challenge is perfectly suited to my tastes. It's hosted by My Reader's Block. Here are the challenge details:

Introducing: The 2011 Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge.

A challenge for all you mystery lovers out there who already love mysteries from the years prior to 1960 and also anyone who's ever thought, "I should give Agatha Christie (Dorothy L Sayers...Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...etc) a try."

Here are the rules:

*All books must have been written before 1960 and be from the mystery category.

*Some suggested authors include: Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy L Sayers, Earl Derr Biggers, Georgette Heyer, Edmund Crispin, Cyril Hare, Ellery Queen, Elizabeth Daly, Cyril Hare, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ngaio Marsh, S. S. Van Dine, Philip MacDonald, Rex Stout, Phoebe Atwood Taylor, Josephine Bell, Josephine Tey, Frances & Richard Lockridge, Michael Innes and Stuart Palmer. (Please remember that some of these authors published after 1960 as well--so keep an eye on the original copyright date.)
 
*You are welcome to count these books towards any other challenges as well.

*Challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. Sign up any time between now and November 30, 2011.

*I would love to see reviews of your challenge books, but it is not necessary to participate. If you do not have a blog, post to the comments what your challenge level will be and then post again when you have completed your challenge (include a list of books read).

*No matter what level you choose, please try at least two different vintage authors.

*The best part? A prize for everyone who completes their challenge. Once you declare your challenge level...you are locked in for that number of books. But you may change your list of books at any time. Let me know when you have met your challenge goal and I will send you a list of prizes (books) to choose from. Of course, the earlier you finish, the longer the list of books will be.

Challenge Levels:

• In a Murderous Mood: 4-6 Books
• Get a Clue: 7-9 Books
• Hot on the Trail: 10-12 Books
• Capture the Criminal: 13-15 Books
• Take 'Em to Trial: 16+ Books  

OR

The Golden Age Girls: Read 5-7 books from female authors from the vintage years
Cherchez Le Homme: Read 5-7 books from male authors from the vintage years

***

Sounds like fun, no? I'm committing to this challenge at the "Get a Clue" level, with the goal of reading nine books. Here's my list:

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Mysteries

• Fer-de-Lance
• Some Buried Caesar
• Over My Dead Body

Dorothy L. Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries

• Clouds of Witness
• The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
• Unnatural Death

Agatha Christie

• The Mirror Crack'd
• The Secret of Chimneys
• The Thirteen Problems

Since mysteries of this type are usually pretty fast reads, I'd love to exceed this goal, but we'll just have to see. Any other vintage mystery fans out there - please join in, I'd love the company! :)

Review: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey #1)
By: Dorothy L. Sayers
Publisher: Harper Mystery
ISBN: 0061043575

About the book:

The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder - especially with a pair of golden pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath.

Review:

If you've never read a Wimsey mystery, you're in for a treat. With Whose Body?, Dorothy L. Sayers introduces the delightfully witty and urbane Lord Peter Wimsey, gentleman detective. First published in 1923, Lord Peter's first documented case opens on a particularly curious note - thanks to a tip from his mother, the Dowager Duchess, he's called to investigate the sudden appearance of a dead man wearing nothing but a pair of gold pince-nez in the bathtub of an acquaintance. Wimsey is of course intrigued by the novelty of the case, and things become even more interesting when the pince-nez case intersects with the case of a missing financier being investigated by his friend Parker of Scotland Yard. As the two work together to solve the seemingly disparate crimes, aided by the invaluable assistance of the indefatigable Bunter, Wimsey's valet, it becomes clear that they're on the tail of a fiendishly clever killer whose methods are more gruesome and whose motive is more diabolical than they'd ever imagined.

I really love mystery series that feature strong, quirky, memorable protagonists (i.e., Poirot, Marple, Sherlock Holmes). For me, it's more about how the detective in question solves the case than the case itself - I want a detective that I enjoy spending time with, you know? Lord Peter Wimsey fits these requirements perfectly. He's cultured, witty, devilishly smart, and possesses a sarcastic sense of humor that's absolutely to die for. He rather reminds me of Sir Percy Blakeney (a.k.a. the Scarlet Pimpernel), whose foppish manners masked his intelligence, with a little of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster (Bunter is a close cousin to the long-suffering Jeeves, but Wimsey is light-years ahead of Wooster in the brains department). Wimsey's the reason I love reading Sayers, and as the series progresses so does the strength of the mysteries he encounters.

This isn't an example of Sayers's most polished Wimsey novel. There is more than one occasion where the narrative meanders or loses focus. Tone-wise the novel also veers between witty comedy and the fairly gruesome manner it is discovered that the crimes in question were carried out. That said it's still a highly enjoyable introduction to Lord Peter's quirks and deductive brilliance. I absolutely love Sayers's ability to turn a memorable phrase - she was absolutely brilliant at penning funny and sarcastic dialogue. Everything comes fast and furious with Wimsey, and Sayers, being a master wordsmith, uses her ability to full advantage to establish Wimsey's character through sparkling, funny, incisive dialogue. Lord Peter Wimsey is a fascinating mass of contradictions and brilliance, and I look forward to my next stop through the novels chronicling his investigations!