The Five Red Herrings

The Five Red Herrings
Dorothy L. Sayers’s The Five Red Herrings is a classic Lord Peter Wimsey mystery set in the Scottish artist colony of Kirkcudbright. When the temperamental painter Sandy Campbell is found dead at the bottom of a ravine, his death at first appears accidental. However, Lord Peter Wimsey—vacationing in the area—quickly recognizes it as murder. The victim’s volatile temperament and numerous quarrels with fellow artists leave six suspects, each with motive and opportunity. Using his keen analytical mind, Wimsey untangles a web of false clues—the “red herrings” of the title—by studying alibis, train timetables, and the subtle details of painting technique. The novel is a triumph of logical detection and procedural accuracy, showcasing Sayers’s meticulous plotting and love of intellectual puzzles. Though less emotional than later works, it demonstrates Wimsey’s brilliance as a reasoning detective and Sayers’s mastery of the traditional Golden Age mystery form.