Some stories focus more on the whimsical and comedic such as The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager’s Will, The Entertaining Episode of the Article in Question and The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach. While both cases have memorable images, neither have particularly interesting investigations. The focus in many of these stories is on the bizarre and often the grotesque with stories like The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers and The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag offering memorable ways to discover a body. That focus on less violent crimes is not uncommon for short stories given the limitations of the page count but few show Lord Peter’s intellect and deductive skills to their fullest extent. While there are a couple of deaths in the stories here, most of tales focus on some sort of treasure hunt and feel more like adventure stories than detective fiction. My first observation is that this collection is misnamed.

Based on that small sample I was hopeful about this collection but I am disappointed to report that I found this made for uninspiring reading. With the exception of one or two stories that have been reprinted in British Library Crime Classics anthologies, one of which comes from this collection, I had not really come across her short stories until now. Sayers, I have had much less experience with her short stories. While I have been well acquainted with the novels of Dorothy L.

To give some examples I have mentioned on this blog before, I think Conan Doyle wrote the short story much better than the novel while Agatha Christie was much more accomplished with long form work. While there are some writers who seem equally capable at both, some clearly are more suited to one form than the other. The short story is a decidedly different beast from the novel and requires a different set of writing skills.

A disappointing collection that focuses on the whimsical at the expense of detection.

Lord peter dorothy l sayers