Gaylord Larsen

A investigation of the body found in the home of Dorothy L. Sayers (Fleming) threatens to expose parts of her past life that she prefers to keep hidden. She is about to produce a play that she has written for the Canterbury Cathedral Festival, and fears that scandal would get her dropped from the program.

Her associates in the Detection Club (a real organization) including E.C. Bentley, A.A. Milne, and Anthony Berkeley drag a somewhat reluctant Agatha Christie into investigating the case as a lark. They soon find that real life isn't the same as their books, and an infuriated Sayers sends them packing. Christie returns, however, and the two women begin looking into the case.

Gaylord Larsen tells us that while this is by no means biographical, he has attempted to stay true to the characters of the two women. Sayers is forceful, highbrow, eager to turn to more serious writing and burdened by an unhappy marriage. Christie is mild, modest and self-effacing, but haunted by the publicity of her famous disappearance. (Either Larsen has used Miss Marple in creating Christie's character, or Miss Marple was somewhat autobiographical.) Larsen notes that they knew each other, collaborated sometimes, and had some interesting parallels in their lives, but there is no evidence that they were friends, and little information about their opinions of one another. [return][return]The two women are not particularly sympathetic to one another at the beginning, but they respect one another more as they work together. There is a competent mystery at the heart of the story, but it takes second place to the vivid development of their personalities. Now I'm anxious to read biographies of both. The Detection Club and its members make for an interesting subplot and minor characters. A great fan of character-driven stories, I thoroughly enjoyed this and wish that Larsen would do more.

The cover on the hardback is wonderful: in a stylized 30s style illustration, Dorothy and Agatha daintly share cups of tea over a corpse on the floor.… (altro)