Unnatural Death
Dorothy L. Sayers
Read by Kirsten Wever
This is the third book in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series.*
As the story opens, a country doctor is telling Lord Peter Wimsey about the Unnatural Death of one of his patients. He’s convinced she was murdered, but powerless to act. To begin with, she would in any case have died within a few months. Moreover, the medical evidence clearly indicated the cause of death as heart failure, which was only to be expected.
Intrigued, Lord Peter looks into the matter, supported – as usual – by his friend Chief Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard, and his valet, Bunter (both recurring characters in the Lord Peter Wimsey mystery series).
New to the author’s cast of detective characters is Miss Alexandra Katharine Climpson, a prim, middle aged spinster who lends both charm and variety to the narrative. To Lord Peter, Miss Climpson represents an important but consistently overlooked national resource: post-war England’s thousands of “superfluous females,” with their uncanny facility for finding things out. His explanation is as follows: We gather intelligence by “employing a man with large flat feet,” who communicates “in a series of inarticulate grunts,” instead of sending out “a lady with a long, woolly jumper … and jingly things round her neck …” who could discover far more, and probably faster, since “everyone expects of course she asks questions.” Certainly Miss Climpson does.
The latter part of the book is fast-paced, action-packed and suspenseful, as Inspector Parker, Mr. Bunter, Miss Climpson and Lord Peter pursue various lines of inquiry that ultimately join to explain why and how the murders were done.
*Whose Body? and Clouds of Witness are the first two Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. -Summary by Kirsten Wever (10 hr 25 min)
Chapters
Chapter 1: Overheard | 21:19 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 2: Miching Mallecho | 15:31 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 3: A Use for Spinsters | 26:45 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 4: A Bit Mental | 21:49 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 5: Gossip | 22:31 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 6: Found Dead | 38:22 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 7: Ham and Brandy | 25:33 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 8: Concerning Crime | 23:36 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 9: The Will | 14:53 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 10: The Will Again | 36:58 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 11: Cross-Roads | 40:03 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 12: A Tale of Two Spinsters | 26:09 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 13: Halleluljah | 19:54 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 14: Sharp Quillets of the Law | 29:24 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 15: Temptation of St. Peter | 22:54 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 16: A Cast-Iron Alibi | 16:23 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 17: The Country Lawyer's Story | 25:58 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 18: The London Lawyer's Story | 28:05 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 19: Gone Away | 39:16 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 20: Murder | 22:55 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 21: By What Means | 31:31 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 22: A Case of Conscience | 39:59 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Chapter 23: And Smote Him, Thus | 36:09 | Read by Kirsten Wever |
Reviews
wonderful
Kerstin
I love Dorothy Sayers' books and I thank MS Wever with all my heart for her reading them for us. In fact I hope that in time more of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries will be available in Librivox! The stories have lost nothing of their wit or brilliancy. If I should have to find a flaw in the reading it would be that I would have preferred a native British reader for these very British stories. But she does a very good job.
Erin RM
Great reader! This is a much more intense and serious story than other Sayers that I’ve read or heard. It was rather nice to find that Wimsey does have a serious and human side to him. It starts off with his usual rather frivolous and offhand behaviour, but this changes as the story unfolds. Quite a riveting story.
Totally Entertaining
Barb Peterson
Kerstin is a great reader, and the story is so well written. Creative, witty, and detailed.
Unnatural Death
Keith Horvath
What a witch! Everytime you turned around, the lunatic woman was killing someone. A really good story with a great plot. The PoPo knew who did it. just had to get actual incriminating evidence.
Worth a Listen
Solid Meh
A mystery with an unexpected weapon! Focus is less on Lord Wimsey and more on other characters and the crimes themselves. Decent reader. Worth a listen.
irum nageen
The reader is good though not excellent but the story is very interesting and captivating
Melanie
I love Dorothy Sayers, and Peter Whimsy, and the awesome reader. Nice twists and turns!
good mystery
Suzie
Kept me glued to my phone all day listening to the story