"Clouds of Witness" by Dorothy L. Sayers

Well, I'm tired, I've got a cough, and there's a bunch of snow on the ground! So, it must be time for a book review, right? On these chilly winter days/nights, I spend a lot of time reading. Especially since both of my roommates and many of my friends are all so bus, I have a lot of time to myself to read. I've also been trying to read a lot of books I check out from the library, which is something I'm...not so good at...Usually I check books out from the library and then they sit around my house till they're two weeks overdue and then I really want to read them, but I have to return them to the library and then I regret not reading them and I check them out again. It's a vicious circle. But I've been doing a pretty good job of ACTUALLY reading library books before having to return them, so I'm proud of myself.

Today, I give you another Dorothy L. Sayers book "Clouds of Witness"

Hardback, 1927, The Dial Press Edition

Summary: Lord Peter Wimsey has taken a holiday when he finds his valet, unexpectedly, packing Wimsey's things. Bunter has seen in the paper that Wimsey's brother has been arrested for the murder of his sister's fiance. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Lord Peter tackles the case of this murder with the purpose of absolving his brother, but in the process, he finds he may find a disagreeable truth in his sister or in family friends.

Well, I enjoyed this quite a bit. I actually read a good deal of this novel in one sitting, but then had a busy week and slowly had to finish it. I really love books from this time period--roughly 1900-1950. There's something about that particular period in time for literature that I absolutely go ga-ga over. This is the fifth Peter Wimsey mystery I've read, and I've loved them all. I'm eating them up!

Upsides: I adore Wimsey's character and I have to mention how consistent Sayers is with him throughout the series of books. He has a very flippant nature in the pre-Vane books (he does get a bit more serious in those books, but I think I would be more serious too when trying to convince the woman I love to marry me!), and it makes him so lovable! As I've mentioned in past reviews, I think these books are a great window to the Zeitgeist of the 1920s. In this book, Wimsey has a few run-ins with the communist party. Don't think that the book is all about politics, but it's interesting to see Wimsey attend a dinner party at the communist lodge and try to crash a meeting. I think the pacing in this book is done particularly well and there aren't any real slow points in momentum. Even when Wimsey and his policeman friend Chief Inspector Parker get stumped on the case, there is sill a lot going on that made the book interesting. I think the book has a fantastic, hysterical ending, that I will not spoil for you! And of course, the Sayers' writing style is very defined and captivating.

Downsides: I don't have a lot for this column, I must confess. One thing that always annoys me in older books, such as this one, is the use of foreign languages, such as Latin or French. Of course, the writer has no way of knowing that in our society, we will give up a worldwide teaching of these languages and move to Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, but it's frustrating to me to find a passage in French that it's assumed I'll understand! Then I have to take a moment to go onto Google Translate to figure out what the passage means (which I then write into the book--library or no--for future reading/readers) which breaks up the flow of the book. At least I feel like I'm learning something! Other than that, I was a bit bummed that Sayers seemed to be setting up Chief Inspector Parker up for a crush on Lord Peter's sister Mary, but nothing fully came to fruition. Perhaps in the next book.

Overall rating 5/5 All the different witnesses, accomplices, suspects, and theories really make this book a joy to read! It's not a hugely long book, like "Gaudy Night" is, so if you're looking for a mystery you can make your way through somewhat quickly, this is a great book! There's just the right amount of action packed into this novel, the right amount of psychological drama, the right amount of suspense, and the right amount of total confusion. I loved the pacing and length of this book, as well as the character development in it! I think if you're a fan of the murder mystery this is a must-read for you! 

Read my other Dorothy L. Sayers book reviews! Links are below:
Gaudy Night
Have His Carcase
Unnatural Death 

Just a quick update, I'm reading some non-fiction, some memoirs, and *GASP* some young adult fiction. And for me to read young-adult fiction is a bit of a shock, if you know me! I've never been much of a fan of the genre, even during my time as a young adult, so in a few days, we should have a special review of that coming up as I'm just soaring through the book.

I also wanted to share this image:

The Reduced Shakespeare Company shared this image on their Facebook page and I had to laugh and share it with my fellow book lovers.

Happy Reading!
AJ