Murder Must Advertise

I might as well admit it: I love whodunnits of the cozy variety. Agatha Christie is the tops, but her contemporary, Dorothy Sayers, can write as well. Unfortunately, some of her books are rather slow moving or confusing. Murder Must Advertise is a bit confusing at times, but not at all slow. As a matter of fact, she does not have to resort to second bodies or similar devices to keep readers whizzing through pages.

One large secret is the premise. Lord Peter Whimsy, of previous mysteries, is posing incognito in an advertising agency as copywriter to replace a copywriter who died, apparently, accidentally. The manager is not convinced. An inside look at the advertising world, even if that world is antiquated in the 21st century, is quite interesting.

Second, this has rollickingly funny conversations. Consider this gem as Whimsy tries to write copy for margarine and is tutored by a veteran writer:

“Now we had better start you off,” observed Mr. Ingleby. “Here’s the guard-book.
You’d better have a look through it to see the kind of thing, and then think up
some headlines. Your story is, of course, that Dairyfields’ Green Pastures
Margarine is everything that the best butter ought to be and only costs
ninepence a pound. And they like a cow in the picture.”
[Whimsy] “Why? Is it
made of cow fat?”
“Well, I daresay it is, but you mustn’t say so. People
wouldn’t like the idea. The picture of the cow suggests the taste of butter,
that’s all.”
[……]
Whimsy: “I see. Just something about ‘Better than Butter
and half the price.’ Simple appeal to pocket.”
“Yes, but you mustn’t knock
butter. They sell butter as well.”
“Oh!”
“You can say it is as good as
butter.”
“But in that case,” objected Mr. Bredon, “what does one find to say
in favor of butter? I mean, if the other stuff’s as good and doesn’t cost so
much, what’s the argument for buying butter?”
“You don’t need an argument for
buying butter. It’s a natural, human instinct.”

I must admit this exchange is especially funny to me, who has loved the taste of butter from an early age. I loathe all margarines.
Other books by Sayers that should entertain are Strong Poison and its sequel Have His Carcase. [British spelling intact. I realize we Yanks spell it “carcass.”]