Reviews for In the teeth of the evidence

The average rating for In the teeth of the evidence based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-11-13 00:00:00 Michelle Haag This collection of short stories includes two Lord Peter Wimsey Stories ("In the Teeth of the Evidence," and "Absolutely Elsewhere"), five Montague Egg stories ("A Shot at Goal," "Dirt Cheap," "Bitter Almonds," "False Weight," and "The Professor's Manuscript"). There are also several stories which feature neither of Dorothy L. Sayers main characters - "The Milk Bottles," "Dilemma," "An Arrow O'er the House," "Scrawns," "Nebuchadnezzar," "The Inspiration of Mr Budd," "Blood Sacrifice," "Suspicion," "The Leopard Lady," and "The Cyprian Cat." I am not a great fan of short stories, but am reading all of the Wimsey books in order and so, as this contained stories featuring him, it was on my list. I have to say that I am very fond of travelling salesman, Montague Egg, as well and so all of those stories were of interest to me. I also enjoyed the non character stories and my favourites included, "The Milk Bottles," about a young couple who have been seen arguing and, after the husband leaves after a row, the milk bottles remain on the step; causing concern about whether a crime has been committed. I also enjoyed, "The Inspiration of Mr Budd," about a hairdresser spying a wanted man and, "The Leopard Lady," about a sinister, 'removal company.' A good collection of stories, with a good mix of characters.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-04-06 00:00:00 Jonny Martin A good mystery story is like a magic trick. We all try to find out what the secret is, but we are happy if we are defeated, and a trifle disappointed if we win. The only difference is that the mystery writer reveals her trick at the end, while the magician does not. If a full length mystery novel is a grand illusion with all the props, the detective short is a parlour trick. The illusion is cumbersome to set up and execute, but when properly done, very effective and hard to see through: the parlour trick, on the other hand, depends entirely on the speed of the magician's hand, and there is a greater chance of failure and embarrassment as the cards come slipping out of the sleeve. Which is why, I think, that there are very few "great" detective short stories compared to novels by the great authors. Dorothy Sayers is no exception. The present collection, even though enjoyable, fails to present us with any "great stories" (except one - Suspicion - which is excellently spine-chilling). The first two stories, featuring the famous Lord Peter Wimsey, are only average: in fact, the mystery in the first can be solved by any discerning reader immediately. The next five, featuring the travelling salesman Montague Egg, are only interesting with regard to their unusual sleuth - the stories are rather pedestrian. The remaining tales are all stand-alone stories, with two or three humorous ones where a dire secret is promised only to end in a comic whimper. While this is enjoyable once or twice, it does become stale when repeated too often. The last two stories do not belong to the conventional mystery canon. The penultimate one straddles reality and fantasy: the last one is an out-and-out horror story. They are interesting, but nothing to write home about. Overall verdict: a nice book to curl up with at the end of a tiring day.