A Presumption of Death cover art

A Presumption of Death

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

A Presumption of Death

By: Jill Paton Walsh, Dorothy L. Sayers
Narrated by: Edward Petherbridge
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £17.94

Buy Now for £17.94

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 20th Century Crime Thrillers Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thrillers & Suspense Village Fiction War
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit. (P.D. James)
I admire her novels . . . she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail (Ruth Rendell)
She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller. (Minette Walters)
All stars
Most relevant
very well written and very enjoyable book that is true to the characters created by Sayers

great continuation of Dorothy l Sayers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have always loved the Lord Peter books well read worth being in my collection

brilliant book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A good listen all the same, in fact heard in only two sessions, thank technology for blue tooth on car radios. Or do I mean info centres.

A little slower than some of the others

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very nice, for a non brit, rings very true to Sayer. So nice to meet the whole family. Lovely performance.

Loved it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A well written story about the home front slightly before the Battle of Britain. I feel that it will also appeal to fans of the IT series Foyle’s War. To me it feels like a tribute to Have His Carcase (not to mention Busman’s Honeymoon), just as The Late Scholar is a tribute to Gaudy Night. Peter appears a bit later in the story, but such a lovely pair he and Harriet make. I particularly like the way they deal with children, not limited to their own offsprings.
Edward Petherbridge is wonderful. To me he is Lord Peter.

Enjoyed it immensely

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews