UNNATURAL DEATH. By Dorothy L. Sayers. (Berm. 7s. 6d.)—It is
clear from the start that it was Mary Whittaker who, while acting as nurse, stealthily murdered her aunt, Agatha Dawson. Agatha was over seventy and suffering from cancer. But she had splendid vitality, and her sudden death surprises Dr. Carr and leaves him uneasy. Happening Some months later to meet Lord Peter Wimsey, the detective, Carr, unaware of his chance companion's identity, mentions the case to him, and the excitement of the book lies in Peter's masterly handling of the situation. The actual murder of Agatha is never driven home to Mary, but she is betrayed by subsequent crimes obviously committed with a view to diverting suspicion from herself. The plot is ingenious enough to satisfy the most exacting reader ; the literary style is admirable ; and in Peter Wimsey and Alexandra Climpson, the innocent-looking spinster whom the detective employs to such good purpose, Miss Sayers has created two delightfully amusing characters.
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