Review: Busman’s Honeymoon

Busman’s Honeymoon is the last of Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and it’s an odd book. In fact, it’s three books in one, each with a distinctly different tone.

The first book is an extended epistolary novel concerning Lord Peter’s nuptials with Harriet Vane, in which we get to hear from everyone involved (and many who are not), from Lord Peter’s delightful mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver, to Lord Peter’s egregious sister-in-law, the current Duchess of Denver; it’s all about how Peter and Harriet manage to circumvent both the paparazzi and the current Duchess’ plans to control all of the details of the wedding festivities. It’s remarkably Wodehousian, and extremely funny, and I ended up reading almost that whole section to Jane one evening, just for fun.

The second book is the mystery proper. Peter and Harriet have gone for their honeymoon to Harriet’s birthplace, where Lord Peter has purchased a house that belonged to friends of Harriet’s when she was a girl, and that she has always loved. Continuing the comic theme, nothing goes smoothly; there’s nothing to be found of the previous owner, and the house hasn’t been prepared for their arrival, and of course there’s a murder, and all-in-all there’s quite a bit to be gotten through before Peter and Harriet can settle down and learn what it means to be married. This section is satisfying as well.

And then there’s the third section, which asks the non-musical question: what will Lord Peter do with a marriage now that he’s got it? Harriet came to terms with the idea of marriage at the end of Gaudy Night; but Lord Peter’s in something of the position of a dog that’s been chasing a car and has against all odds caught it. He’s in his forties; he’s had a string of quietly and discreetly maintained mistresses, none of whom touched his mind or heart; he is wholly unused to living with a woman on equal terms. More: we know from the earlier books that Lord Peter came back from the Great War as a complete wreck, which his frivolous manner is intended to hide. The murderer from Part II is to be hanged; and though Lord Peter relishes the chase, the death of the perpetrator invariably sends him into a deep depression. To whom will he turn? Will he be able to allow Harriet inside his defenses, as a comfort and stay? Can he allow himself to rely on her strength?

In short, is this marriage going to work? Does Lord Peter have enough to give; and can he allow Harriet to give to him?

Recommended.

Sayers also wrote quite a few short stories, which I picked up from Amazon at the same time as the e-books of the novels; I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet, but eventually there will be further Wimsey in this space.