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Five Red Herrings

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Five Red Herrings

By: Dorothy L. Sayers
Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
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The elegant, intelligent amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey is one of detective literature’s most popular creations. Ian Carmichael is the personification of Dorothy L. Sayers’ charming investigator in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. When Sandy Campbell's body is found at the foot of a cliff near the small town of Kircdubright, the local constabulary are convinced that the argumentative painter is the victim of a tragic accident. But when Lord Peter Wimsey turns up, the hunt begins for an ingenious killer. Faced with six men, all of whom have a motive for murder, the aristocratic amateur sleuth must deduce which are the five red herrings and which has blood on his hands. Entertainment & Performing Arts Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives
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If you're a fan of Lord Peter, these dramatisations are the must-have series. Over the years I've had them on audio tape, CD and now have them downloaded. They're a pleasure to listen to. The later books read by Edward Petherbridge are extremely well read too - it's not hard to picture him as Lord Peter obviously, as he played him in the TV adaptation in the 80s. However, as far as a full cast option goes, these are brilliant.

The ultimate Wimsey performance

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I enjoyed the dramatization, but in cutting the text so radically there wasn't enough time to get a sense of who the various suspects were and what distinguished them. That made it hard to keep track of their various narratives and to care about which of them eventually committed the murder. Think I'll stick to the unabridged versions, even if the narration is somewhat flat Sayers rich descriptive powers make them more engaging.

Impossible to distinguish the characters

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This is an excellent dramatized radio play of a Lord Peter Whimsy ‘who dun it’ mystery. The cast all give fine performances and the atmosphere and occasional bars of music give a real feeling of the era. Ian Carmichael in particular epitomises a benign and only slightly snooty aristocrat. At first, I was a little incredulous that five people in a local rural area were all avid painters (artists), but then I realised that in a pre-television era this may have been quite likely, other than that it was easy to suspend disbelief and become immersed in the mystery. If you like the rather gentle and less brutal murder mysteries of yesteryear then this is a good choice.

A fine early 20th Century ‘who dun it’

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Perfect production perfect entertainment by all
Superb performances. 100% Ian Carmichael is very much missed but leaves a fabulous legacy.

Brilliant

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I simply adore all of these adaptations and I will admit that it was listening to this and other stories in the series that made me buy the books. A solid adaptation with all the cast acting superbly. The only downside is the cutting of some of the music. Will listen over and over again. A regular on my iPod.

Simply Wonderful

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