Whose Body? is a crime novel of switched identities. A body is found in a man’s bath wearing nothing but a pair of gold pince-nez. Nobody knows how the body got into the bath, or who he is. A police detective assumes it’s the body of a missing financier, but is soon proved wrong. Lord Peter Wimsey and Mr. Parker work together to solve the mystery of the body in the bath and the mystery of the missing financier. It turns out the mysteries are linked.
Whose Body? is the first novel to feature Lord Peter Wimsey. It’s a good story, but not great. Lord Peter’s character is not well-developed and sometimes he seems a bit of a fool. Parker is there as his police friend and will be a regular character in later stories. His rank isn’t given in this book, but it must be Inspector because of his behaviour to the other police detective. The footnotes about antique books and a criminal case are unnecessary distractions, but there are only a few.
This is not the best Lord Peter Wimsey story, in my opinion. Sometimes, though, it’s good to start with the first novel in a series and see how the characters develop over time. If you enjoy Agatha Christie, try these novels as an alternative.
