Busman's Honeymoon
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''Busman's Honeymoon'' is a 1937 novel by
Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( ; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime novelist, playwright, translator and critic. Born in Oxford, Sayers was brought up in rural East Anglia and educated at Godolphin School in Salisbury and Somerv ...
, her eleventh and last 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 amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...
, and her fourth and last to feature Harriet Vane.


Plot introduction

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 amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...
and Harriet Vane marry and go to spend their honeymoon at Talboys, an old farmhouse in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
which he has bought her as a present. The honeymoon is intended as a break from his usual routine of solving crimes, and hers of writing about them, but it turns into a murder investigation when the seller of the house is found dead at the bottom of the cellar steps with severe head injuries.


Plot

After an engagement of some months following the events at the end of ''
Gaudy Night ''Gaudy Night'' (1935) is a mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the tenth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, and the third including Harriet Vane. The dons of Harriet Vane's ''alma mater'', the all-female Shrewsbury College, Oxford (based on Say ...
'', Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane marry. They plan to spend their honeymoon at Talboys, an old farmhouse in Harriet's native
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
which Wimsey has bought for her, and they abscond from the wedding reception, evading the assembled reporters. Arriving late at night, they are surprised to find the house locked up and not prepared for them. They gain access and spend their wedding night there, but next morning the former owner, Noakes, is found dead in the cellar with head injuries. The quiet honeymoon is ruined as a murder investigation begins and the house fills with policemen, reporters, and brokers' men distraining Noakes' hideous furniture. Noakes was an unpopular man, a miser and (it turns out) a
blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...
er. He was assumed to be well off, but it transpires that he was bankrupt, owed large amounts of money, and was planning to flee his creditors with the cash he had received for Talboys. The house had been locked and bolted when the newly-weds arrived, and medical evidence seems to rule out an accident, so it seems he was attacked in the house and died later, having somehow locked up after his attacker. The suspects include Noakes' niece Aggie; Mrs Ruddle, his neighbour and cleaning lady; Frank Crutchley, a local garage mechanic who also tended Noakes' garden; and the local police constable, who was his blackmail victim. Peter's and Harriet's relationship is resolved during the process of catching the murderer and bringing him to justice. In a final scene, in which almost the entire cast of characters is gathered in the front room of Talboys, the killer turns out to be Crutchley. He had planned to marry Noakes' somewhat elderly niece and get his hands on the money he had left her in his will. He had set a booby trap with a weighted plant pot on a chain, which was triggered by the victim opening the radio cabinet after locking up for the night. Wimsey's reaction to the case – his arrangement for the defendant to be represented by top defence counsel; his guilt at condemning a man to be hanged; the return of his shell-shock – dominates the final chapters of the book. It is mentioned that Wimsey had previously also suffered similar pangs of conscience when other murderers had been sent to the gallows. His deep remorse and guilt at having caused Crutchley to be executed leave doubt as to whether he would undertake further murder investigations.


Later writings

Sayers completed no further Wimsey novels after ''Busman's Honeymoon'', though she did begin work on a story titled ''Thrones, Dominations'', which would be completed years after her death by
Jill Paton Walsh Gillian Honorine Mary Herbert, Baroness Hemingford, (née Bliss; 29 April 1937 – 18 October 2020), known professionally as Jill Paton Walsh, was an English novelist and children's writer. She may be known best for her Booker Prize-nominated ...
. The 1942 short story ''Talboys'', the very last Wimsey fiction published by Sayers, is both a sequel to the present book, in having the same location and some of the same village characters, and an antithesis in being lighthearted and having no crime worse than the theft of some peaches from a neighbour's garden.


Principal 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 amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...
– protagonist, an aristocratic amateur detective * Harriet Vane, Lady Peter Wimsey – protagonist, a mystery writer, wife of Lord Peter *
Mervyn Bunter Mervyn Bunter is a fictional character in Dorothy L. Sayers's novels and short stories. He serves as Lord Peter Wimsey's valet, having been Wimsey's batman during the First World War. Bunter was partially based on the fictional valet Jeeves, ...
– Lord Peter's manservant *Honoria Lucasta, Dowager Duchess of Denver – Lord Peter's mother *William Noakes – previous owner of Talboys and the murder victim *Miss Agnes Twitterton – spinster niece of the murdered man *Frank Crutchley – motor mechanic and gardener *Mrs Martha Ruddle – neighbour of Noakes and his cleaning lady *Bert Ruddle – her son, farm labourer *Chief Superintendent Kirk – Hertfordshire CID *Joseph Sellon – local police constable *The Reverend Simon Goodacre – Vicar of Paggleham


Title

A " busman's holiday" is a holiday spent by a bus driver travelling on a bus: it is no break from the usual routine. By analogy, anyone who spends a holiday doing their normal job is taking a "busman's holiday".


Literary significance and criticism

In their review of Crime novels (revised edn 1989), the US writers Barzun and Taylor comment that the novel is "Not near the top of her form, but remarkable as a treatment of the newly wedded and bedded pair of eccentrics ... with Bunter in the offing and three local characters, chiefly comic. Peter's mother – Dowager Duchess of Denver – Peter's sister, John Donne, a case of vintage port, and the handling of "corroded sut" provide plenty of garnishing for an indifferent murder, even if we weren't also given an idea of Lord Peter's sexual tastes and powers under trying circumstances."Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. ''A Catalogue of Crime''. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989.
Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...
, in his essay " The Simple Art of Murder," satirized a number of classic detective stories, and he chose this one among Sayers's novels to mock for the complicated murder method: "a murderer who needs that much help from Providence must be in the wrong business"


Adaptations

''Busman's Honeymoon'' first saw the light of day as a stage play by Sayers and Muriel St. Clare Byrne. Subtitled ''A Detective Comedy in Three Acts'', it opened at London's
Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
, in December 1936, with
Dennis Arundell Dennis Drew Arundell OBE (22 July 1898 – 10 December 1988)"Arundell, Denni ...
as Peter and Veronica Turleigh as Harriet Vane. The play was a success, and ran for 413 performances. A 1940 film version, based as much on the play as on the novel, stars Robert Montgomery as Peter and
Constance Cummings Constance Cummings CBE (May 15, 1910 – November 23, 2005) was an American-British actress with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Cummings was born on 15 May 1910 in Seattle, Washington, the only daughter and younger child of Kate ...
as Harriet. The movie was released in the United States as ''Haunted Honeymoon''. It was twice adapted for BBC television broadcast. The 1947 adaptation, 90 minutes in length, was directed by John Glyn-Jones and starred Harold Warrender as Lord Peter, Ruth Lodge as Harriet, and Ronald Adam as Bunter;
Joan Hickson Joan Bogle Hickson (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series '' Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number of ...
, later to be better known for playing
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
's amateur sleuth
Miss Marple Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one ...
, played Miss Twitterton. The 1957 adaptation, again 90 minutes in length, was directed by Brandon Acton-Bond, and starred Peter Gray as Lord Peter, Sarah Lawson as Harriet, and
Charles Lloyd-Pack Charles Lloyd-Pack (10 October 1902 – 22 December 1983) was a British film, television and stage actor. Life and career Lloyd Pack was born in Wapping, East London, to working-class parents. He appeared in several horror films produced by ...
as Bunter. There have been three BBC radio adaptations. The first, in 1949, was adapted for radio by Peggy Wells, and starred
Hugh Latimer Hugh Latimer ( – 16 October 1555) was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and Bishop of Worcester during the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555 under the Catholic Queen Mary I he was burned at the ...
as Lord Peter, Rita Vale as Harriet, and Stanley Groome as Bunter. The second, again adapted for radio by Wells, was broadcast in 1965, and featured Angus MacKay as Lord Peter,
Dorothy Reynolds Dorothy Reynolds (26 January 1913 – 7 April 1977) was a British writer and actress. She is mainly known for writing a number of musicals in collaboration with Julian Slade. The best known were '' Salad Days'' and '' Free as Air''. Filmograph ...
as Harriet, and David Monico as Bunter. The third adaptation, broadcast in 1983 on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
, was in six parts. This starred
Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who Ian Carmichael on stage, screen and radio, worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career that spanned seventy years. Born in Kingston upon ...
as Lord Peter Wimsey, Sarah Badel as Harriet, Peter Jones as Bunter, Rosemary Leach as Miss Twitterton, Pearl Hackney as Mrs Ruddle,
Peter Vaughan Peter Ewart Ohm (4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016), known professionally as Peter Vaughan, was an English actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on stage. Vaughan played Gr ...
as Superintendent Kirk and John Westbrook as the Narrator. A stage production of ''Busman's Honeymoon'' took place at the Lyric theatre, Hammersmith from 12 July - 27 August 1988 and starred Edward Petherbridge as Lord Peter Wimsey and Emily Richard as Harriet (Lady Peter) Wimsey. The two actors are married to each other in real life. (Petherbridge starred as Lord Peter in A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery, a 1987 televised adaptation of all the Harriet Vane novels except ''Busman's'' ''Honeymoon'' for which the BBC could not obtain the rights). Lifeline Theatre (Chicago, Illinois) presented an original adaptation of ''Busman's Honeymoon'' in the spring and summer of 2009. Frances Limoncelli adapted the script from Dorothy Sayers' novel. The show was directed by Paul Holmquist. ''Busman's Honeymoon'' was preceded by adaptations of ''
Whose Body? ''Whose Body?'' is a 1923 mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers first published in the UK by T. Fisher Unwin and in the US by Boni & Liveright. It was her debut novel, and the book in which she introduced the character of Lord Peter Wimsey. ''Clou ...
'', '' Strong Poison'', and ''
Gaudy Night ''Gaudy Night'' (1935) is a mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the tenth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, and the third including Harriet Vane. The dons of Harriet Vane's ''alma mater'', the all-female Shrewsbury College, Oxford (based on Say ...
'' (all adapted by Frances Limoncelli and produced at Lifeline Theatre).


References


External links

* {{Lord Peter Wimsey 1937 British novels Novels by Dorothy L. Sayers Locked-room mysteries Novels set in Hertfordshire Victor Gollancz Ltd books British novels adapted into films British novels adapted into television shows British mystery novels Novels set in the 1930s Lord Peter Wimsey novels