George V. Reilly

Review: Thrones, Dominations

Thrones, Dominations
Title: Thrones, Dom­i­na­tions
Author: Dorothy L. Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Copyright: 1998
Pages: 322
Keywords: mystery
Reading period: 4–7 February, 2016

Recently married, Lord Peter Wimsey and the former Harriet Vane take up residence at their townhouse. When the beautiful wife of an ac­quain­tance is murdered, Peter becomes involved in the in­ves­ti­ga­tion. Meanwhile, Harriet is coming to terms with having "married up", after fending off Peter’s wooing for several years. Should she continue her career as a mystery novelist, now that she no longer needs the income, or do what is expected by some: have babies and give up writing. All of this is against the backdrop of the nation mourning the death of George V and of the brief reign of Edward VIII, who is soon to abdicate.

Sayers wrote the first few chapters of Thrones, Dom­i­na­tions in 1936, but never completed it. Sixty years later, Paton Walsh was asked by Sayers’ estate to complete it. She does a fine job of channeling Sayers’ much-loved characters. The plot is un­ex­cep­tion­al. The subplot of the new king’s dalliance with a divorcée and with Nazi sym­pa­thiz­ers would not have been written by Sayers in 1936.

Precedes A Pre­sump­tion of Death, which I enjoyed a little more.

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