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Have His Carcase
In Have His Carcase, Dorothy L. Sayers reunites mystery writer Harriet Vane and aristocratic amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey in a sophisticated, puzzle-filled murder mystery. While vacationing alone along the English coast, Harriet discovers the body of a young man, Paul Alexis, lying on a deserted beach with his throat cut. The tide soon washes away most of the evidence, and local police dismiss it as suicide. However, Harriet’s instincts—and Wimsey’s—suggest foul play. Together, they embark on a meticulous investigation involving coded messages, mathematical alibis, and a complex conspiracy linked to gambling, deception, and class ambition. As they work side by side, Harriet resists Wimsey’s romantic advances, valuing her independence, while their intellectual partnership deepens. Combining wit, realism, and technical brilliance, Have His Carcase is both a compelling detective story and an exploration of love, logic, and gender equality within the conventions of Golden Age crime fiction.