SOURCE: McGregor, Robert Kuhn with Ethan Lewis. “Lord Peter Acquires a Soul.” In Conundrums for the Long Week-End, pp. 81-117. Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 2000.

In the following excerpt, McGregor and Lewis deride the stories in Lord Peter Views the Body as inconsistent and argues that they “in no way advance the reader's understanding of the character or of his community.”

Four published novels, a new contract, replete with commission for both a personal collection of short stories and an edited anthology—Dorothy L. Sayers arrived as a popular author in 1928. The success may have brought some sense of inner security and peace, but it afforded no guarantee against the noise and turmoil integral to getting on with life. The years 1928 and 1929 overflowed with tumult, bringing personal tragedy, household upset, domestic anguish, and critical career choices. Sayers weathered the challenges, but the storms affected her outlook...