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A Presumption of Death cover art

A Presumption of Death

By: Jill Paton Walsh, Dorothy L. Sayers
Narrated by: Edward Petherbridge
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Summary

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 nighttime 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.

©2002 Jill Paton Walsh and the Trustees of Anthony Fleming, deceased (P)2003 Audible

What listeners say about A Presumption of Death

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Better than Sayers on her own!

Great narrator, for me he is Lord Peter. Can't wait to read another read by him.

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8 people found this helpful

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Not quite Sayers, beautifully said.

Almost as good as Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey novels, beautifully read by Edward Petherbridge. A treat over several evenings.

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6 people found this helpful

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Beautiful book, so glad to have found it

As a long time fan of Dorothy L Sayers’ books and then Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter I had long resisted the more recent Wimsey stories for fear that they might somehow taint those earlier works for me. I could not have been more wrong.
I have enjoyed every minute of this book and shall certainly listen to it again and again. I won’t spoil the plot for future readers or listeners but in addition to a fascinating mystery and more about the central characters one can learn a great deal about the impact on daily life caused by the early months of the Second World War. Well worth the investment!

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5 people found this helpful

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Give us more please

This new series of Wimesy books just get better and better thank for resurrecting him

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4 people found this helpful

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Superb wartime yarn on the home front.

Brilliant, funny, emotional and fiendishly clever. Lord Peter and Harriet Vane on top form. Bravo.

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3 people found this helpful

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Wartime for Peter & Harriett

Largely Harriet centric story set during the early War years.Gives a very good impression of wartime village life and the social order change begining to unfold in England.

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2 people found this helpful

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A really lovely book

I loved this book.
I read it a view years ago and very much enjoyed the storyline. There is everything you could wish for as you worry, alongside Harriet, hoping for Peters safe return. Smile at the comments and thoughts of the Duchess 'have you really sent us jelly. However did you wrap it'. And listen as Edward Petherbridge slowly unfolded the plot.

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2 people found this helpful

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Not quite Dorothy L Sayers but not far off

I love Lord Peter Wimsey and Ian Carmichael's narration is peerless in my opinion so I approached this with some trepidation. Whilst the solution is not as complex as many of Dorothy L Sayers stories I think Jill Paton Walsh has managed to capture the spirit of the characters beautifully and Edward Petheridge makes a decent fist of the narration.

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2 people found this helpful

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great continuation of Dorothy l Sayers

very well written and very enjoyable book that is true to the characters created by Sayers

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1 person found this helpful

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A Presumption of Death

A brilliant Lord Peter Wimsey mystery very entertaining, read with great feeling by Edward Petherbridge.

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1 person found this helpful