The Nine Tailors

It is difficult to write a review of this book without ruining the mystery for you, and I really do not want to reveal the ending. This book was a definite page turner for me as the author keep me guessing throughout the story. There are several elements of the story that are significant for the reader and I will touch on just a few of those thoughts here, but this book could lead to several other conversations.

I think that the most intriguing part of the book is the character development. The time that the author spends on describing the main characters brings depth to the reading itself. For Lord Wimsey all of these characters are new acquaintances as well, so he is discovering these people as well. As he encounters each new character, Sayers takes a great deal of time describing who the person is and their mannerism that define them as people. I find this to be very interesting and unique. It is the little details and descriptions that make a story interesting and clever.

I also enjoyed the use of Logic throughout the novel. In any good murder mystery there is application of deductive logic in which the detective eliminates possible alternatives through logical investigation. After having taught logic for a year it certainly becomes more visible to me when I read any book as to the authors logical patterns. In the modern murder mystery the detective is more or less lead by a hunch, or a feeling. Not so in this story as Lord Wimsey let's rationality be his guide in determining the outcome.

I was also intrigued by the church in the social setting. The church and particularly the church bells, were the center of the community. Everyone came to the church and the priest for help with any situation, not just spiritual. It seems that we have lost this structure in our world today. The church is now a private sector of someone's life and is more of a consumer choice, much like going to Wal-mart and picking out a new shirt. But the church was the focal point in this cultural setting and everyone's life was somehow intertwined with the work of the church. It would seem they had a better connection with the church life than we do today in our cultural settings.