--- product_id: 5551618 title: "A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2012" brand: "jill paton walsh" price: "VT9490" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5551618-a-presumption-of-death-lord-peter-wimsey-and-harriet-vane store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2012 **Brand:** jill paton walsh **Price:** VT9490 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2012 by jill paton walsh - **How much does it cost?** VT9490 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5551618-a-presumption-of-death-lord-peter-wimsey-and-harriet-vane) ## Best For - jill paton walsh enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted jill paton walsh brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2012 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41wnGl+nwEL.jpg) ![A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2012 - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/517PrbjjnFL.jpg) ![A Presumption of Death (Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2012 - Image 3](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31Fjw+7sekL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ Three stars *by K***0 on Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017* When I read the completion of the unfinished novel Thrones, Dominions by Jill Paton Walsh, I was impressed by her ability to copy Sayer's voice so well I couldn't tell where one left off and another took over. I had high hopes that she could continue on her own. Unfortunately this book failed to fulfill that promise. Lord Peter is missing, gone on a secret mission, for most of the book, and Lady Peter is just not as interesting when alone.When he returns, things don't improve much. His ghostly presence reminds us of the old Lord Peter, but he is an anemic shadow of his former self. Jill Paton Walsh just doesn't have the knack of bringing him to life. Sayers was accused of falling in love with her creation, but it made for a robust, lifelike character. Walsh is too detached to bring him to life. ### ⭐⭐⭐ A competent novel, but less Lord Peter-ish than ever... *by K***R on Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2013* I read somewhere that Jill Paton Walsh was such a fan of Harriet Vane's that "Gaudy Night" inspired her to attend Oxford.That's a wonderful little detail, and I love hearing stuff like that. But unfortunately for me as a Lord Peter Wimsey fan, it seems that Walsh's identification with Harriet means that Lord Peter is being winnowed out of her version of Sayers's stories almost completely.So once again, as with "Thrones, Dominations," we have a solid, competently written book that doesn't feel much like part of the "Lord Peter" series except in name only. Most of the book takes place in WWII England, at Talboys (Harriet's childhood home, and the setting of "Busman's Honeymoon"), and Peter is absent for most of the book, off on mysterious wartime missions.I really felt like this Harriet-centric narrative device was a mistake. We're left with Harriet's rather straightforward, plainer personality, and without even a little of the Wimsey sparkle, the book drags for long sections. The only relief is a surprisingly enjoyable portrait of Bunter, whose character is believably expanded and who is one of the book's bright spots. But nobody else really feels like themselves. Harriet is more humorless than ever, Kirk and Twitterton are both rather grim and seem to return just for fan-service (and they're completely unlike their "Busman's Honeymoon" selves). But it's the bright, mercurial characters that suffer most -- the Dowager is, like Peter, a shadow of her usually wonderful, funny self, Jerry (Pickled Gherkins) is unrecognizable and lacking his usual charm, and worst of all, Walsh cannot even seem to write Miss Climpson, who is presented without her ever-present breathless over-emphasis and italics (surely Climpson's distinctive voice could have and should have been better captured). It's as if Walsh is writing these faintly dry, academic, competent fan-fictions that happen to include Sayers characters, but she can't seem to capture the real vividness of the characters themselves.Lord Peter does return eventually, but he's once again rather sparkless. It's not that I think he should be dancing jigs in wartime, but Lord Peter does tend to whistle in the dark, and in addition to that, a sense of humor can be slyly evident as a personality trait even under pressure. With Lord Peter, in fact? Especially under pressure!But not here. As before, the character just doesn't feel much like Lord Peter at all -- once again, Walsh's take on Lord Peter is rather humorless and stuffy, with little wit or wordplay. Worst of all, she has Lord Peter apologizing repeatedly for being so "foolish" in the past -- this comes up repeatedly, and annoyed me a lot. Lord Peter's 'laughing on the outside' tomfoolery isn't actually foolish, and that's what's fun about the character. He's usually clowning around right when the danger is greatest or when his heart is breaking -- so for Walsh to essentially dismiss and criticize the earlier Sayers (real) Lord Peter as some kind of flighty annoyance is upsetting if you're a fan of the series.While this was an interesting story that brought to life WWII Britain, I ultimately felt this one was less successful than "Thrones, Dominations," which I also felt was an okay novel, but a substandard attempt at Lord Peter. However, where "Thrones" offered a mystery that felt like Sayers, the mystery here not only is very oddly presented and explored, it's almost thrown away by the end of the book -- almost incidental, as if it doesn't matter. Both books are well-researched and presented, and Walsh obviously enjoys Sayers's works, but it's like hearing a barely competent musician play Mozart -- there's little real feeling to what feels like an almost academic exercise.I will keep reading Walsh's take -- substandard Lord Peter is better in a weird way than none at all, and I'm interested to see where she takes the characters. But it's been a quiet disappointment, as she has taken so much of the dazzle and dash of one of my favorite characters and made him rather ordinary -- that's the real crime here.I hope I'm explaining myself well. It's a decent book. But not one to introduce Lord Peter to newcomers, certainly, and only a pale reflection of one of the great literary characters. As an example -- one of my favorite moments in the Lord Peter Wimsey series is a moment in the book "Strong Poison," when Lord Peter is rambling humorously at Harriet about the case (while making yet another marriage proposal), and charmed in spite of herself, she tells him that if anyone ever does marry him, it will be for the pleasure of hearing him "talk piffle."That's my problem with Walsh's take on the characters. There's plenty of mystery but no piffle. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderful revisit with Lord Peter and Harriet *by J***M on Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2016* Ms. Walsh does a wonderful job revisiting the tumultuous WWII period and how it affects the Wimsey family. The Duchess is as starchy as ever, the Dowager as delightful, the Duke as bluffly bewildered - Lord Peter and Bunter are mostly off-stage, but as I enjoy Harriet I found this delightful to see her finding her own footing as a wife, mother, and sometimes detective. I didn't mind "Thrones, Domination" although it's not my favorite of "their" adventures, but "A Presumption of Death" does very well at continuing the delicate balancing act of Peter and Harriet's relationship.Is it Identical to what Sayers might have written? Probably not. Is it enjoyable on its own, by an author who clearly loves all of Sayers' incomparable characters? Oh, absolutely yes! I've collected all four of Walsh's books and am looking forward to more from her in the near future. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5551618-a-presumption-of-death-lord-peter-wimsey-and-harriet-vane](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/5551618-a-presumption-of-death-lord-peter-wimsey-and-harriet-vane) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-07*