That being said, Sayers certainly does know how to put together a story. Murder Must Advertize is a wonderful depiction of life in 1930's England, from the social and financial lives of the average working class to the antics of the idle, non-working rich. Wimsey belongs to the latter, but his intelligence, wit, and ability to see beyond the trappings of money (or lack thereof) endow him with universal appeal. Yes, he goes about his business with a sort of daredevil attitude and his connection with the aristocracy is apparent in his attitudes and appearance, but his ability to blend in is uncanny.
After a worker at Pym's advertising agency is killed in a freak fall down a spiral staircase, Mr. Pym hires Lord Peter Winsey, posing as Death Bredon (who is surprisingly inexperienced in the field), to pose as a copywriter and investigate the incident. Mr. Bredon is inquistive and a quick learner, soon insinuating himself into the lives of people who work for a living. He manages to convince people that the monocled dandy they they spotted one evening is his look-alike cousin, Wimsey, and that they despise each other. At Pym's Wimsey quickly begins to suspect that there was more to Victor Dean's death than meets the eye and he is soon embroiled in the world of cocaine smuggling and possible blackmail. When suspects begin dying under mysterious circumstances, solving the puzzle and connecting the evidence becomes more urgent.
Sayers's depictions of Wimsey as the harlequin are priceless and, to the modern reader, the underground cocaine trade and dissolute behavior of the rich of 1930's (remember, the USA was in the great depression at this time) are a fascinating contrast to how we see the drug world today. This is a great, complicated mystery with an intricate plot and a fascinating sleuth. Don't expect it to be a quick read, though, or a novel that you can absorb without focus. It takes some work, but it's worth it.
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