The Attenbury Emeralds
By Jill Paton Walsh Center Point Large Print, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-61173-021-0
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by Simone Bonim - January 31, 2012
Lord Peter Wimsey first made a name for himself as a detective when, in 1921, he recovered one of the Attenbury Emeralds that had gone missing. Thirty years have passed since Wimsey began his career as a detective, and once again he is called in on a case involving the Attenbury Emeralds. This time, the Lord Attenbury who seeks his help is the grandson of Arthur Abcock (and previous Earl of Attenbury) , his original client. The new Lord Attenbury has a problem, a question of ownership has arisen in regard to the emeralds, and he wants Wimsey's help in proving that he is the rightful owner of the set.
Mimicking Dorothy L. Sayers style to a tee, Jill Paton Walsh has made an admirable contribution to the Lord Peter Wimsey series in the form of The Attenbury Emeralds. This book captures the flavor and ambience of Sayers books, and Walsh's interpretation of Sayer's characters remains true to the original. Yet, Walsh's characters have not remained stagnant. She has allowed them to mature, and to be affected by the changes in their family life (their children are now grown), and the events going on around them. In this case, she ably shows the changes wrought on the family by World War II, and how they are coping with the post war period. The story is well plotted, the writing is literary and intriguing, and the mystery is one that will keep your interest and make you work to solve the mystery before Wimsey and his wife, Harriet Vane, do it for you.
To reveal anything much about the actual story line of The Attenbury Emeralds is to risk giving something away, so I keep quiet in that regard. What I will say is that this is a masterful work of fiction that realistically shows how social standards and societal norms changed after the war. Walsh also presents Peter and Harriet with some unique personal problems, such as giving Peter the prospect of becoming the Duke of Denver - a position that he defiantly does not want, but he might not have any say in the matter. How the Wimseys' handle this situation, and the numerous other family 'problems' are as interesting and enjoyable to read as the mystery itself.
If you have never read any the Lord Peter Wimsey novels, by either Sayers or Walsh, this is as good a place to start as any. If you are a long time fan of Lord and Lady Wimsey, you will be delighted in this offering, and amazed at how well it resembles Sayers' own books.
Related Reviews:
A Presumption of Death, by Jill Paton Walsh.
A new Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane Mystery that is based upon the works of Dorothy L. Sayers.
The Dead of Winter, by Rennie Airth.
On a freezing London night in 1944, Rosa Novak is brutally murdered. The police might have dropped the case if former police investigator John Madden hadn't been her employer. Madden pushes the investigation forward, uncovering a connection to a murdered Parisian furrier, a member of the Resistance, and a stolen cache of diamonds.
