Book review: The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh

The Attenbury Emeralds (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane, #3)

The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries written by Dorothy Sayers. Jill Paton Walsh has continued the series ably although without as much of the quirky spark as the original series. This particular book is fascinating in that it starts with a case that Lord Peter solved many years ago that is connected to a case brought to Lord Peter and Harriet over thirty years later. The original story was an interesting mystery whose clues are worth paying attention to if you want to solve the current mystery.
And while these books do not have quite the same originality or flavor of the originals, they are a more than adequate substitute, and I have enjoyed them very much. One more in the series to go!



View all my reviews

Book review: A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh

A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane, #2)A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers, and I was cautiously optimistic when I discovered that there were additional mysteries written by Jill Paton Walsh based loosely on notes written by Dorothy Sayers. There generally has not been a good track record of sequels of this sort, but the Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane series seems to be an exception.
The mystery set in this book mostly falls to Harriet Vane to solve, but all of your favorite characters are there, from the Dowager Duchess of Denver to Mary and Charles Parker to the current Duke and Duchess of Denver. And, of course, Harriet and Peter.
As for how convincing the book is as a worthy sequel, I think the book holds up pretty well. Think of it as the first carbon copy of the original (I know–I date myself). The book is a strong and clean copy but definitely a derivative of the original. The most notable derivative is the Dowager Duchess. I adore her character and her unique combination of insight and rambling. In this book, she is there but is not quite her original idiosyncratic self, although still quite appealing.
The mystery is a solid Sayers mystery, with interesting secondary characters and the ubiquitous Bunter. All in all, this is a solid addition to the Lord Peter Wimsey canon.

View all my reviews