A Presumption of Death - Hardcover

Jill Paton Walsh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0340820659 ISBN 13: 9780340820650

Publisher: Hodder Library Hb, 2002

Synopsis

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.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Jill Paton Walsh scores a winner in her second novel based on the characters invented by the late Dorothy L. Sayers."
-Houston Chronicle

There's good news for fans of Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries. Jill Paton Walsh has repeated the success of her bestseller, Thrones, Dominations, with a new novel featuring the beloved sleuths. Using "The Wimsey Papers," in which Sayers described life in Britain during World War II, Walsh devises an irresistible story set in 1940 at the start of the Blitz.

A Presumption Of Death

While Lord Peter is abroad on a secret mission, Harriet Vane, now Lady Peter Wimsey, takes their children to safety in the country. But there's no escape from war: rumors of spies abound, glamorous RAF pilots and flirtatious land-girls scandalize the villagers, and the blackout makes rural lanes as sinister as London's alleys. And when a practice air-raid ends with a young woman's death, it's almost a shock to hear that the cause is not enemy action, but murder. Or is it? With Peter away, Harriet sets out to find out whodunit...and the chilling reason why.

"Should Walsh have no further original Sayers material to draw on, she seems perfectly suited to continue the series entirely on her own."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Jill Paton Walsh, born in 1937, is the author of six novels for adults: the fourth of these, KNOWLEDGE OF ANGELS, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Before writing for adults she made a career as a writer of children's books and has won many literary prizes. In addition she is the author of two crime novels, both featuring Imogen Quy: THE WYNDHAM CASE and A PIECE OF JUSTICE, which was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award.

Edition details

• Publisher: Hodder Library Hb
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0340820659
• ISBN 13: 9780340820650
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384