The Attenbury Emeralds

Edward Petherbridge is renowned for his portrayals of Lord Peter Wimsey. This story opens in 1951 as Lord Peter--now married to mystery writer Harriet Vane--and his manservant/friend, Bunter, recount the case that launched Lord Peter's investigative career. In 1921, he retrieved the "king stone," the pivotal jewel in the collection of the Attenbury emeralds. After the flashback storytelling, the current heir to the Attenbury title appears unexpectedly, wanting Peter's help to determine the true provenance of the "king stone." Over the past 30 years, murder, theft, and personal tragedy have befallen those connected to the emerald. Jill Paton Walsh does a terrific job with Dorothy L. Sayers's posh P.I., and Petherbridge's intimate style, offering charming throwaway comments, is genteel and subtle. Delightful listening. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

February 28, 2011
Walsh's interpretation of the classic characters of Dorothy L. Sayers labors under a somewhat lukewarm performance from narrator Edward Petherbridge. Decades after the fact, legendary sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey—along with his wife, novelist Harriet Vane, and his faithful manservant Bunter—looks back on his first case: retrieving missing emeralds belonging to the Attenbury family while recovering from shell shock after WWI. Petherbridge's narration is steady and clear but tends to plod. While he provides excellent voices for Wimsey (soft-spoken, aristocratic, playful, and genteel) and Bunter (slightly twangy, dignified, and the very soul of deference) and cultivates an enjoyable chemistry between the married Wimsey and Vane, Petherbridge could better distinguish the book's other characters, many of which sound vaguely familiar and blend into each other. A Minotaur hardcover.