Even though I'm a huge Peter Wimsey fan, this book was a disappointment. I have two main problems with it; the prolonged period of uncertainty and the lack of Lord Peter actually doing things. Every detective story has a period where the main characters are confused, bewildered, uncertain how to proceed, etc., but in this book, I think over half the book was taken up by sorting through dead ends and following up clues that lead nowhere. I absolutely love the character of Lord Peter, but the majority of investigating and general exciting stuff was done by Miss Climpson and Miss Murchison, two approaching-middle-age women whom Lord Peter employs at typists and secretaries doubling as spies. Most of the action and unravelling of the mystery happened at a fake seance and during a session of pushing secret panels and picking locks in an office, both of which I didn't find particularly interesting. What I love about the Peter Wimsey novel is usually the hilarious contrast between him and the practical, hard-working Inspector Parker, as well as the earnest, faithful butler, Bunter. There wasn't enough of it in this novel, and there just wasn't enough of Lord Peter's usual hilarious banter. I had been looking forward to reading this novel because Harriet Vane (detective writer on trial for murder and the love of Lord Peter's life) appears in it, but I didn't really get a good idea of her character. Lord Peter was adorable in the way he saw her on trial for murder and immediately proposed to her, but I wasn't very impressed with her.
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