Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ~Hebrews 12:1Clouds of Witness (1926) by Dorothy L Sayers (read by Ian Carmichael) is an old favorite. The Lord Peter Wimsey stories are comfort reads for me. I have read them many times since I first discovered them in my late teens. When I found this audio version at the library, I could not resist. I own several of the audio novels read by Ian Carmichael, but this is not one of them and I wanted to hear him read this early story in the Wimsey mysteries. He does a fantastic job giving each character their own voice and it's quite lovely to hear him as Lord Peter again.
On this particular round of Clouds of Witness, I was quite taken with the trial scene at the House of Lords--all the pomp and circumstance and Sir Impy Biggs for the defense. It is all quite theatrical and impressive. And it made me wish I had kept the "trial/courtroom scene" square on the Just the Facts Detective Notebook. It's not everyday that one reads about the trial of a peer of the realm. Another delightful part of the story is the friendship of Lord Peter and Parker. Their interactions while detecting in the grounds of Riddlesdale Lodge are great fun and Carmichael does justice to the humor and good feeling between the two. Overall, another wonderful visit to the world of Lord Peter Wimsey. ★★★★
For more on the story itself, please see my previous REVIEW from 2011 when I reread the Wimsey stories in their entirety.
**************
All Challenges Fulfilled: Just the Facts, Virtual Mount TBR, Calendar of Crime, Cloak & Dagger, Alphabet Soup Authors, Alphabet Soup, PopSugar Challenge, Cruisin' Thru the Cozies, Craving for Cozies, Century of Books, European Reading Challenge, Outdo Yourself, How Many Books, Mystery Reporter, Medical Examiner; Brit Crime Classics
I absolutely adored this and it's one of my favourite LPWs. That scene where they got lost on the moor when the fog came down is one of the scariest things I've read.
ReplyDeleteYes, that fog scene is scary--especially upon first reading. I also like the way the Dowager Duchess immediately knows that Mary has been playing up and takes the men to task for not realizing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm only halfway through the Wimsey books for the first time. :) So far, Clouds of Witness is my favorite. Although, I never understand why the title isn't Cloud of Witnesses, like in the bible verse.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on posting the first review in the 2019 European Reading Challenge!
This is on my list of books to re-read. Hopefully it might get around to it this month.
ReplyDeleteCountdownjohn: I inadvertently removed your comment--Sorry!! But--to answer your question--No, the audio did not include the letter in French in its entirety. I suppose somebody might point that out to Chivers...they can't actually claim that it's "Complete and Unabridged."
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bev.
ReplyDelete