How do you solve the crime that leaves no trace? Indeed,
how do you confirm that the crime took place at all? This
is the dilemma facing Lord Peter Wimsey as he faces his
most difficult
mystery to date. The Lord Peter Wimsey
mysteries of the 1920s and 30s are a delightful example of
the genre. The dapper, sophisticated Lord Peter,
accompanied by his efficient and intelligent manservant,
Bunter, and his friend, the Scotland Yard Inspector Parker,
solve mysteries in between martinis and introduce the
reader to the intricate affairs of the decadence and
indiscretions of England in the jazz age. “Unnatural
Death,” written in 1927, is one of the early mysteries of
Lord Peter before he becomes introduced to Harriet Vane and
his life takes a different turn altogether.
As Parker and Lord Peter are dining one evening, they
happen to argue over the difficulty
doctors have in
investigating suspicious deaths among their patients. The
two friends argue over the potential damage such
circumstances would cause to a doctor’s practice. A
stranger interrupts them by his eagerness in agreeing with
their understanding of the position of doctors. He himself
lost his job because he made a fuss about the supposedly
natural death of an elderly patient of his. The lady was a
cancer patient and though her mind was going and she was in
considerable pain, her body was fighting the disease and he
predicted she would live several months more. His shock at
her dying suddenly and simply made him look into the case
with suspicion. He required an autopsy and, though nothing
was found, still thought their was something unnatural in
the death. The town, when they found out about his
suspicions, all became adamant in the defense of the
deceased
niece and soon the doctor found his practice
failing and was forced to leave the district.
Lord Peter, intrigued by the circumstances of the death,
decided to investigate it. Unfortunately, his
investigations caused the murderer to strike again, yet
with such skill that it was impossible to convict her and
as he continued towards finding out how and why the niece
may have murdered her ailing aunt, she became more and more
desperate for his not finding her out.
The mystery is clever, intriguing, and the ruthlessness of
the murderess makes Lord Peter’s quest more desperate as
the mystery gets underway. All in all, it, as the other
Lord Peter mysteries are, leaves the reader both surprised
and engaged throughout the novel.
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