Classicly

Whose Body? is the first of Dorothy Sayers’s famous Lord Peter Wimsey novels, introducing that nobleman, as well as his manservant and fellow-sleuth, Mervyn Bunter. Scotland Yard’s Inspector Charles Parker, who figures more or less prominently in later Wimsey novels, plays a central role in Whose Body? as well. As the book opens, a bashful Battersea architect has discovered a naked body in his bath, adorned with a gold pince nez. At the same time, we learn of the disappearance – under odd circumstances – of Sir Reuben Levy, a powerful financial magnate in The City.