The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers📖

Summary of The Five Red Herrings

Sandy Cambell, a gifted but alcoholic painter, is found dead in a river in Galloway, south-west Scotland. Beside him lies a half-finished painting, and everything points to an accident. However, Lord Peter Wimsey – an archetypal British gentleman detective, who happens to be on a fishing holiday nearby – recognises the painting as the work of another artist and suspects foul play. His investigation leads him to the artistic community in the picturesque town of Kirkcudbright, where six painters become prime suspects. One will be revealed the murderer — the others, mere ‘red herrings’.

Reasons to read The Five Red Herrings

“The Five Red Herrings” is a cleverly constructed and entertaining murder mystery, set within the artistic colony of Kirkcudbright, Galloway. Dorothy L. Sayers was one of the leading ladies of the British ‘Golden Age’ of detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s (she is knowns as one of the ‘Queens of Crime’, with Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh). Other notable works by Sayers include “Gaudy Night” and “The Nine Tailors”.

Setting: Kirkcudbright (Scotland, UK)

Kirkcudbright, in Galloway, Scotland – also known as ‘The Artists’ Town’ due to its long-standing association with painters and visual artists.

Original title: The Five Red Herrings

Year of publication: 1970

Nr of pages: 384