It’s the first of a new month and time for a new classic favorite. When I think of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, I enjoy books by Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy Sayers.
My very favorite Dorothy Sayers book is Gaudy Night. Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane have reached a point in their relationship where a decision must be made. Both have past issues they must deal with. Will it be love and marriage or breakup? Read on…
Gaudy Night
Back at Oxford for her reunion, Harriet Vane, Lord Peter’s beloved, finds herself in mortal danger.
Since she graduated from Oxford’s Shrewsbury College, Harriet Vane has found fame by writing novels about ingenious murders. She also won infamy when she was accused of committing a murder herself. It took a timely intervention from the debonair Lord Peter Wimsey to save her from the gallows, and since then she has devoted her spare time to resisting his attempts to marry her. Putting aside her lingering shame from the trial, Harriet returns to Oxford for her college reunion with her head held high—only to find that her life is in danger once again.
The first poison-pen letter calls her a “dirty murderess,” and those that follow are no kinder. As the threats become more frightening, she calls on Lord Peter for help. Among the dons of Oxford lurks a killer, but it will take more than a superior education to match Lord Peter and the daring Harriet.
