Hangman's Holiday

First edition

Hangman's Holiday[1] is a collection of short stories, mostly murder mysteries, by Dorothy L. Sayers. This collection, the ninth in the Lord Peter Wimsey series, was first published by Gollancz in 1933,[2] and has been reprinted a number of times since, for example the 1995 paperback: ISBN 978-0-06-104362-8).

Contents

  • Lord Peter Wimsey stories:
    • "The Image in the Mirror" – Wimsey must help a man with situs inversus, who believes he is going mad after being haunted by a doppelganger.
    • "The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey" – A man studying Basque culture enlists Wimsey's help in saving an expatriate American woman whom the villagers believe is bewitched.
    • "The Queen's Square" – Wimsey attends a fancy dress ball during the Christmas season, where several people dressed as chess pieces become suspected of killing a female blackmailer.
    • "The Necklace of Pearls" – Wimsey tries to avoid scandal when a fun-filled Christmas Eve at Sir Septimus Shale's house turns into an uncomfortable affair after a priceless pearl necklace goes missing.
  • Montague Egg stories:
    • "The Poisoned Dow '08" – Mr. Egg arrives at a client's house to find him dead, and the police in need of evidence about a shipment of bottles Mr. Egg delivered earlier.
    • "Sleuths on the Scent" – Mr. Egg uses his knowledge of various professions to flush out a murderer hiding in a pub.
    • "Murder in the Morning" – Mr. Egg finds himself one of those suspected in the murder of a client, and gives evidence at inquest.
    • "One Too Many" – Mr. Egg's knowledge of the train ticket system helps the police find an absconding banker and his secretary.
    • "Murder at Pentecost" – While trying to win a bet against an Oxford University student, Mr. Egg discovers the motive and opportunity of a very clever murderer.
    • "Maher-Shalal-Hashbaz" – Mr. Egg helps an impoverished child sell her pet, a fierce orange cat with a Biblical name.[3] The cat subsequently runs away from its new home, and in tracing it back Mr. Egg discovers the brutal murder of more than fifty cats and an elderly man.
  • Other stories:
    • "The Man Who Knew How" – A man becomes obsessed with finding and stopping what he believes is a serial killer.
    • "The Fountain Plays" – A man being blackmailed tries to figure out how to rid himself of his tormentor, but finds himself at the mercy of a second blackmailer.

References

  1. ^ "Hangman's Holiday". www.fadedpage.com. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  2. ^ Hangman's holiday. | WorldCat.org. OCLC 7706561.
  3. ^ Sayers, Dorothy L. (1971). Hangman's Holiday (2nd ed.). London: Victor Gollancz Ltd. p. 234.

Further reading


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