It's a charming collection of all Peter Wimsey stories. Whereas many are easy to guess and quick to read, it is great fun to read Wimsey's charm, wit and finesse. The stories are likeable as much for their style as for their content.
The last stories included are rather silly, but it does show the evolution of Wimsey as a character moving through life's unexpected turns. ( )

I'd read many but not all of these previously so some lovely new treats spanning Wimsey's career. The crossword one would be even more fun for the kind of person who'd enjoy stopping to work out all the clues, and I especially enjoyed the one in which Wimsey is impersonated. I loved seeing him with his nephew; I'm more ambivalent about the one with his son only because, while they're clearly both of a time and class where an insult to one's honour must be answered, I didn't much approve the manner of that answer. ( )

Page 32. Even if you're not a mystery aficionado, Lord Peter is a delight. So mannered. So astute. And not, I would think, an acquired taste. You're either sucked into another world, or you're not. And you've run into these characters nevertheless. ( )

A collection of all the Peter Wimsey short stories, plus an introduction, an analytical essay, and a parody by E. C. Bentley.

I'm familiar with the Lord Peter Wimsey from Sayers' detective novels, in which he juggles his passion for murder with his enthusiasm for rare books and wine. He wears a monocle. He can make a Biblical pun, invoke Shakespeare, and provide meta-commentary on detective fiction -- all in the same breath. It is not just literary critics who cringe at his portrayal of aristocratic English foppery; most of the people around him consider him a first-class twit, and even his circle of friends is frequently exasperated by his high-strung verbosity. He is a protagonist of Puck-like proportions.

In contrast, the stories collected in "Lord Peter" portray a steely figure who can assume a dozen different identities at the drop of a hat in his varied roles as an undercover mole in a criminal syndicate, a magician rescuing an imprisoned lady, and a top-secret foreign agent of the British government. In short, it's Lord Peter as James Bond, minus the misogyny. Only a few of the stories seem to approach the same flavor as the novels: "The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention" (in which Peter is driven to petulance by high-handed heirs), "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head" (told from the perspective of Peter's admiring nephew), and "The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face" (which ends with Peter in the weary, nihilistic mood that seems to conclude all of his novels). ( )

How I enjoy Dorothy Sayers' creation, Lord Peter. Aside from a few gruesome tales, these are some of the most enjoyable mysteries I have ever read, because they are so literate. The puzzles are often quite ingenious, but what's better is the characterization. ( )