A Presumption of Death - Tapa dura

'Jill Paton Walsh has...given us a Lord Peter story in the true Sayers' style and tradition' -- Norma Major - The Week on Thrones, Dominations 'An engrossing, intelligent and provocative novel in the guise of a conventional mystery.' -- Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review 'Could this be the best book Dorothy L. Sayers never wrote? She has done a splendid job - certain to please the legions of Sayers loyalists as well as readers new to the Wimsey canon ... Lord Peter has been made much more human and interesting by marriage... and the story is full of twists and connivance.' -- Chicago Tribune on THRONES, DOMINATIONS 'A must for all Wimsey lovers...an entertaining read which offers some longed for insight into the lives of the Wimseys after their marriage' -- Northern Echo (Presumption of Death) 20021112 'Vintage whimsey ... Wimsey lives on in delicious familiarity in this triupmh not just of one writer's art, but of two' -- Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Presumption of Death) 20021221 'Jill Paton Walsh excels as Ms Sayers' posthumous voice. As before the two authors blend seamlessly and the intricately woven plot would grace anything from the golden age of detective writing' -- Norfolk Journal (Presumption of Death) 20021201 'Satisfying and impeccably researched' -- Mystery Woman 20030302 'An admirable page-turner with some fascinating detail' -- Publishing News 20030302 'Writing of the time with a nice authentic touch, Paton Walsh offers a leisurely read, especially for Lord Peter Wimsey fans' -- The Irish Times 20030222

In A Presumption of Death, Jill Paton Walsh tells how World War II changed the lives of Peter, Harriet and their growing family. The story opens in 1940. Harriet Vane - now Lady Peter Wimsey - has taken her children to safety in the country. But the war has followed them: glamorous RAF pilots and even more glamorous land-girls scandalise the villagers; the blackout makes the night-time lanes as sinister as the back alleys of London. Then the village's first air raid practise ends with a very real body on the ground - not a war casualty but a case of plain, old-fashioned murder. And even before the second body is found, Lord Peter Wimsey and his brilliant wife are on their way to finding the killer. Once again, Jill Paton Walsh has invented a mystery plot worthy of Sayers herself, while faultlessly capturing the voice of one of the most compelling writers of the twentieth century.