Lord Peter Wimsey

A charmingly suave and sadly fictional character solving impossibly challenging mysteries in Dorothy Sayers novels. Born in 1890, a stately gentleman measuring 5'9'' in height, with a well-styled mop of sandy-blonde hair and a monocle delicately perched upon his nose. As well as being a firstrate detective (and an amateur at that!), Lord Peter is an insatiable bibliophile, delights in all sorts of music and enjoys a cricket match as much as the next Oxford grad. Is often seen dining at the Egotists' Club in London.

Major Peter Death Bredon Wimsey, retired. Second son of the late Duke of Denver. Arms: three mice courant. Motto: As my whimsy takes me.

Correctly referred to as 'Lord Peter Wimsey', as the younger son (and now younger brother) of a Duke¹. Brother-in-law to Inspector Parker. Occasionally goes by the alias Death Bredon, as in Murder Must Advertise and The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste. Wimsey's 'silly ass' demeanour is a blind - he's a disturbed genius, and those who know him well see him very differently to the world at large. Murder Must Advertise draws strongly on Dorothy L. Sayers' own experience as an advertising copy-writer, during which she designed several enduringly successful Guinness adverts. Lord Peter's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Denver is among the other members of his family who appear in, and indeed intrude upon, his escapades.

Selected appearances:

Murder Must Advertise
Lord Peter Views the Body
Clouds of Witness
Strong Poison
Gaudy Night
The Five Red Herrings
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
The Nine Tailors
Busman's Honeymoon
Thrones, Dominations

1: (Lord Archer is a life peer, hence a 'lord' in his own right, and should not, therefore, be referred to as 'Lord Jeffrey Archer', as he has been lately.)