Murder Must Advertise

NY: HarperTorch, 1995, c1933

Since I just shared the two volumes of the Lord Peter Wimsey series that I didn't much like, I think it is only fair that I now share one my favourites of them all. 

In Murder Must Advertise, Lord Peter goes undercover at an ad agency, under the nom de plume of Death Bredon. (These are his actual middle names -- considering his notoriety and the ease of looking up his name in Debretts, I think this alias is just a little weak...but it's fun).

One of the employees has fallen down the central stairwell and killed himself; the owners are suspicious and want someone on the inside to check into things and be sure everything is kosher. Of course, it's not. 

I loved this book, a long study of the daily grind of an advertising agency. Now, I don't know how closely this hews to this particular kind of business, but the details of office life and personalities, and the hierarchies and cliques that form and operate in an office, are spot on. Sayers has an eye for the absurd which is used very well here. Even seeing the staid Lord Peter get into character and end up doing cartwheels down the hall at one point doesn't seem unlikely! 

The mystery in this one was also enjoyable; hard to decipher but seeming quite plausible when it was all revealed. The people involved behaved in a believable way, hiding their allegiances and/or guilt quite naturally. And there are many characters here, a building full of eccentrics. I really enjoyed them all. 

The women in the office are also entertaining, and the interactions around cakes and tea and who is going to buy them today were so Barbara Pymish. Actually that may be one reason I liked this one so much, there is a sense of arch, interpersonal wit à la Barbara Pym anticipated in this workplace, which is even called - wait for it -  Pym's Publicity.

The women are also very intelligent; it's one of them who quite quickly cottons on to who Death Bredon is in actuality, despite a very funny scene where three of his new coworkers see Lord Peter in his Lord status outside of work, and he has to perform an elaborate sleight of hand to keep his alibi going. Really over the top and a little ridiculous, but so fun, and it brings in his old friend Detective Charles Parker, who we don't see enough of as the series progresses. Really the only weakness in this one for me is the dearth of Bunter. Since most of the story takes place during working hours, we don't see as much of Bunter here. 

And since Lord Peter hasn't really held down a day job like this one before, it was also amusing to see him falling into the rhythms of it easily. When the police finally call him to tell him vital information about the case, he's actually annoyed because he is in thrall to his first (and as it happens, last) genius marketing campaign. 

There are a few forays into other places, in the subplot that includes drug dens and Bright Young Things, and Lord Peter in yet another disguise. But I liked work hours best!

It's a really solid novel with a mystery tossed in, and there is a dark undercurrent tied into the whole concept of advertising -- the push to consume to be happy, the idea that you always have to strive for things to make you better than you are -- it's all there. And the consequences too. 

As workplace mysteries go, this one is a hit for me. I laughed and was thoroughly entertained, and was a bit chilled by the conclusion too. Lord Peter in a slightly different setting, but still in London, worked better than Lord Peter on vacation.