The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
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''The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club'' is a 1928 mystery novel by
Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...
, her fourth featuring
Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries fo ...
. Much of the novel is set in the Bellona Club, a fictional
London club The London Club is an informal group of private creditors on the international stage, and is similar to the Paris Club of public lenders. The London Club is not the only informal group of private payables. The first meeting of the London Club took ...
for war veterans (
Bellona Bellona may refer to: Places *Bellona, Campania, a ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta, Italy *Bellona Reef, a reef in New Caledonia *Bellona Island, an island in Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands Ships * HMS ''Bellona'' (1760), a 74 ...
being a
Roman goddess Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...
of war).


Plot

On the afternoon of 10 November, ninety-year-old General Fentiman is called to the deathbed of his estranged sister, Lady Dormer, and learns that under the terms of her will he stands to inherit most of her substantial fortune – money sorely needed by his grandsons Robert and George Fentiman. However, should the General die first, nearly everything will go to Lady Dormer's companion, Ann Dorland. Lady Dormer dies the next morning,
Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I a ...
, and that afternoon the General is found dead in his armchair at the Bellona Club. Dr Penberthy, a club member and the General's personal physician, certifies death by natural causes but is unable to state the exact time of death. As the estate would amply provide for all three claimants, and as it is unknown whether the General or his sister died first, the Fentiman brothers suggest a negotiated settlement with Ann Dorland, but she surprisingly and vehemently refuses. Wimsey is asked to investigate. Unusually, nobody saw the General arrive at the club at his usual time of 10 am. His manservant reports that the General did not return home after visiting his sister the day before. An unknown man by the name of Oliver telephoned to say that the General would be spending the night with him. Robert Fentiman says that he knows of Oliver, and much time is spent chasing the elusive individual through several countries before Robert admits that he does not actually exist. Wimsey discovers that after seeing his sister the General had felt ill and had consulted Dr Penberthy. He then travelled to the club, meeting George Fentiman en route. There he informed Robert of the terms of the will and very shortly afterwards was found dead in the library, apparently of natural causes. Piqued at losing his inheritance, Robert concealed the body overnight, and invented Oliver to cover up the death. The next day, while the club members had stepped outside to observe the usual two minutes' silence at 11 am, Robert moved the body to an armchair to be found later. Wimsey is still unsatisfied as to the cause of death, and has the body exhumed and re-examined. The General had been poisoned with an overdose of the heart medication
digitalis ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in sha ...
. When it becomes known that the body will be exhumed, Ann Dorland, who has an obvious motive, suddenly and suspiciously agrees to the proposed compromise with the Fentimans. Wimsey finds Ann Dorland distressed by the callous and humiliating behaviour of Dr Penberthy, to whom she had been secretly engaged. It was he, with an eye on her expected inheritance, who had insisted she should refuse the compromise and fight for the whole estate. However, as soon as it became known that the General had been poisoned he broke the engagement off, ensuring Ann's embarrassed silence by giving highly insulting reasons. Wimsey works out what had happened. When the General had consulted Dr Penberthy after seeing his sister, he had mentioned the will, and Penberthy realised that if the General did not die at once his fiancée would not inherit. He gave the General a massive dose of digitalis, to be taken later that evening when Penberthy would not be in attendance. He was however present next day when the body was discovered and, in spite of Robert's intervention which confused the time, was able without raising suspicions to certify a natural death. Penberthy writes a confession publicly exonerating Ann Dorland, then shoots himself in the club library. In an epilogue, it is revealed that the three original claimants to the estate have divided it equitably, and that Robert is now dating Ann.


Characters

*
Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries fo ...
– aristocratic amateur detective; Bellona Club member *Detective-Inspector Charles Parker – Wimsey's friend *
Mervyn Bunter Mervyn Bunter is a fictional character in Dorothy L. Sayers' novels and short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. Literary Background Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) wrote a number of novels and short stories concerning the adventures of ...
– Wimsey's manservant *Mr Murbles – solicitor to the Wimsey and Fentiman families *General Fentiman (deceased) – elderly retired soldier; Bellona Club member *Lady Dormer (deceased) – General Fentiman's wealthy widowed sister *Major Robert Fentiman – General Fentiman's older grandson; Bellona Club member *Captain George Fentiman – General Fentiman's younger grandson; Bellona Club member *Sheila Fentiman – wife of George Fentiman *Ann Dorland – distant relative of and companion to Lady Dormer *Dr Penberthy – impecunious physician; Bellona Club member *Marjorie Phelps – artist friend of Wimsey and of Ann Dorland *Salcombe Hardy – journalist writing for the ''Daily Yell'' *Captain Culyer – Bellona Club secretary *Colonel Marchbanks – Bellona Club member *Mr. Wetheridge – Bellona Club member *Dick Challoner – Bellona Club member


Literary significance and criticism

Writing in 1990, Katherine Kenny described the book as the most successful of Sayers' early fiction, coupling a slick detective plot with vivid details of post-war English life. "The book is a tightly constructed little drama based upon the old joke about an Englishman's club so stuffy that its dead members cannot be differentiated from the living – a pertinent comment upon the society so described".


Adaptations

In 1973 the novel was the subject of a BBC TV mini-series starring
Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including ' ...
as Wimsey.


References


External links

*
Annotating Wimsey on "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unpleasantness At The Bellona Club, The 1928 British novels Novels by Dorothy L. Sayers Novels set in London British mystery novels Novels set in the 1920s British novels adapted into television shows Ernest Benn Limited books