Unnatural Death (Sayers, 1927)

 Dorothy Sayers. Unnatural Death. (1927) Agatha Dawson, a well-off old lady, dies of old age. But Lord Peter doesn’t believe it was a natural death. He enlists the aid of Miss Katherine Alexandra Climpson, one of the legion of single women who represent a pool of untapped talents. She arrives in the village, ostensibly seeking a place for her retirement. She’s Sayers’s version of Miss Marple, and like Miss Marple, Miss Climpson can gather all kinds of useful data simply by doing what old ladies do – gossip and commiserate and share confidences and so on. 

Then a young woman who worked for Agatha Dawson is found dead. From there, a combination of Climpson’s researches, Parker’s police work, and Lord Peter’s snooping lead to the murderer. Along the way, Sayers offers set-pieces of village life, an attempted seduction and murder of Lord Peter, quirky lawyers, and other bits and pieces. These raise the novel above a mere crime-puzzle story. Sayers I think was a frustrated satirist.

I enjoyed this re-read. I knew the solution, and was happy to observe how Sayers placed the clues and misdirections, and how she played with stereotypes to create a believable world. ***