Generally speaking, I’d consider myself a Golden Age mystery purist. I find it very hard to believe that modern authors can replicate the particular charm of the genre-starters. Modern authors have tried to expand the Holmes and Poirot canons, even officially – but with limited success. Such adaptations frequently stick too closely to the “original” characters, without the new characterization that makes the best stories sing. (This more difficult for detectives written “timelessly”, with few references to aging or character evolution.) It’s also difficult not to hold these modern versions to the highest standards of their series. While rationally, I know that Christie wrote only one The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, emotionally I hope that all new Poirot content can reach those heights. All this to say – I typically avoid modern expansions to my favorite Golden Age mystery series.

Yet as I learned more about Jill Paton Walsh’s approach to Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. The modern update starts with Thrones, Dominations, which comprises materially of writing left behind by Dorothy Sayers. Then there’s A Presumption of Death, also based on excerpts from “The Wimsey Papers”. Patson Walsh extended the series further with The Attenbury Emeralds, which traces Peter’s first case and extends the narrative. And then there’s The Late Scholar, which brings Peter and Harriet back to Oxford.

Reasons to hope…

You will note that the first two novels are directly tied to Sayers’ own writing, either unpublished or underexplored. This is, in my experience, rare in the world of continuation novels, which usually allow an authorized author to expand. (Sophie Hannah, for example, does not reuse any of Poirot’s supporting cast, perhaps to enable her voice to succeed.) My hope was that this use of Sayers’ content would help the sequels live up to the series I loved.

As detective series go, the Wimseys are also notable in how much their characters evolve. Peter and Harriet fall in love, get married, and have children, and Sayers’ writing reflects those changes. The novels start as pure mystery novels, but her writing eventually involves more philosophical ruminations on the nature of crime, as well as genuine slices of domestic life.

Contrast that to the more timeless bachelors, Holmes and Poirot. Both characters remain in approximately the same range over time, with stories that evade the question of chronology. Even when their sidekicks get married, neither sidekick nor detective seems to change his behavior as a result. This can make adaptation extra-difficult, as any deviations from the originals feel unwarranted. But because the Wimseys grow and change, because their world feels real and lived in, Paton Walsh has a story to progress rather than a world to expand, which might make a world of adaptation difference.

From solid ground…

As mentioned earlier, Thrones, Dominations is based significantly on Sayers’ own writing. Paton Walsh had about six chapters’ worth of writing to work with, plus interaction diagrams and an intended murderer. Sayers’ intent – to contrast the Wimseys’ marriage with others – was also well-known. This is not to undervalue the work she put in, but to emphasize that any character evolution has Sayers’ implicit co-sign.

The novel itself follows Peter and Harriet as they return from their honeymoon and establish their married life as Lord and Lady Peter Wimsey. Peter takes backseat here, and the novel focuses on Harriet’s approach to establishing the household and navigating in-law relationships. It’s a tricky but crucial part of establishing happily ever after for the pair. As such, the couple at the center of their investigation serves as a foil for what could happen when marrying “out of class”, demonstrating the risk if she gets it wrong. The story continues the trend of pairing a mystery with character growth, focusing here on Harriet.

Honestly, Thrones, Dominations was fine. The mystery itself was on the simpler end; most of the fun is in watching Harriet deal with domestic puzzles. If you enjoy these, you’ll enjoy the book; if not, it’s honestly probably fine to give it a pass. Sayers has always struck me as Christie plus Austen, and we’re really playing up the Austen-ness here. (That balance feels attributable to Sayers… Her writing drove the story itself, and it parallels the trend in prior novels.)

Going farther afield is the next in the series, A Presumption of Death, which incorporates elements of “The Wimsey Papers”. Sayers wrote “The Wimsey Papers” during the World War II, and she used them to express her own views of various elements of the war effort. Those letters provide much of the broad scaffolding of the story… But they also establish the character attitudes towards the war in a way that feels consistent with their evolution.

This is particularly important given some of the leaps and changes -Peter is a spy? Harriet’s considering stopping her writing? All much better given these are characters that evolve – and in ways established by Sayers, who knows them best. Again, Paton Walsh’s writing task is closer to putting together a puzzle than writing something entirely new. This allows for a balance of creativity and consistency while still feeling like a fresh story. Of the new series of novels, A Presumption of Death felt strongest to me.

…to a shakier footing

Then there’s The Attenbury Emeralds, which tells the story of Peter’s first case and brings it into the present. The case itself is frequently mentioned over the course of the original series, but with very little detail / specifics. This leaves Paton Walsh room to play with the story and paint her own story, but “within the lines”. The modern-day story contains both an update to the mystery and a continuation of Peter’s character arc, as he takes over as the Duke of Denver.

This character development is stronger and more interesting than the mystery itself. The mystery reminds me a bit of the Poirot short story “The Adventure of the Western Star” – but where Christie turns to sensible reasoning, Walsh goes for orientalist. I was a bit disappointed here, but enjoyed the time with some of my favorite characters enough to pick up the last in the series.

The final entry in the series (at least for now) is The Late Scholar, which takes place back at Oxford. There are plenty of sentimental references to the Wimseys’ Gaudy Night days. Plus, the murderer seems to know the Wimseys’ entire back-catalog of solved murders, as they recreate many of them. The Late Scholar is full of these murders (surprising when Gaudy Night had zero – Sayers clearly loved Oxford too much to sully it so). And the entire plot centers around a college debate about whether or not to sell a precious tome for cash – somehow a tone shift from “true” Sayers. In moments, I felt more like I was reading C.P. Snow than a Wimsey mystery.

That’s not to say there’s no good in The Late Scholar – individual moments can be entertaining to read. But between Peter’s overall tone-shift (he’s serious now!) and a bit of a convoluted plot, I find myself not quite as in love with the series as I was at the start. Paton Walsh, it seems, has fallen into the ghostwriter’s trap – both too referential to the originals and too far from them.

The curse of the ghostwriter

You have to feel for Paton Walsh and the challenge she’d been set. It is no small feat to move forward such a beloved – and complex – series of mystery novels. And it is truly impressive how well she has managed to do it overall, producing several stories that feel in line with the originals. Her writing has certainly opened me up to reading more “continuation novels” under the right circumstances. Namely, it seems like the chances of success increase when 1) the characters have evolved over the course of the novel, rather than stayed “timeless”; and 2) the author has left some indication of his/her intent for the stories. If anyone has any suggestions that meet the criteria above – I would love to hear them!

Until next time – stay cozy, and stay curious!

These novels will count for the following books in my 52 Book Club Challenge: written by a ghostwriter, self-insert by an author, told in non-chronological order, and title starting with the letter “L”.