A Presumption of Death

In 1998, Jill Paton Walsh completed Dorothy L. Sayers' last, unfinished Lord Peter Wimsey novel, Thrones, Dominations to widespread praise. Here, using "The Wimsey Papers"— in which Sayers described life in Britain during World War II — Walsh devises an irresistible story set in 1940 at the start of the Blitz. While Lord Peter is abroad on a secret mission, Harriet Vane, now Lady Peter Wimsey, takes their children to safety in the country. But there's no escape from war: rumors of spies abound, glamorous RAF pilots and flirtatious land-girls scandalize the villagers, and the blackout makes rural lanes as sinister as London's alleys. And when a practice air-raid ends with a young woman's death, it's almost a shock to hear that the cause is not enemy action, but murder. Or is it? With Peter away, Harriet sets out to find out whodunit...and the chilling reason why.