CLOUDS OF WITNESS

When Lord Peter Wimsey’s brother, the Duke of Denver, is accused of murder, Lord Peter attempts to prove his innocence. What surprises Wimsey is the stubborn opposition he faces from his brother and other family members who don’t seem to want him to investigate. Perfectly realized performances make this BBC Radio full-cast dramatization of Sayers’s second Lord Peter Wimsey novel (1926) a listening joy. With all the finesse one could wish for, Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter, with Patricia Routledge as the Dowager Duchess and Miriam Margolyes as Mrs. Hardraw. Carmichael makes Wimsey’s whimsy delightfully droll, and Sayers surrounds him with charmingly dotty characters and a clever plot filled with clues, red herrings, and choice suspects. Audio drama doesn’t get much better than this. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]