Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (1926)

About the book: Rustic old Riddlesdale Lodge was a Wimsey family retreat filled with country pleasures and the thrill of the hunt -- until the game turned up human and quite dead. He lay among the chrysanthemums, wore slippers and a dinner jacket and was Lord Peter's brother-in-law-to-be. His accused murderer was Wimsey's own brother, and if murder set all in the family wasn't enough to boggle the unflappable Lord Wimsey, perhaps a few twists of fate would be -- a mysterious vanishing midnight letter from Egypt...a grieving fiancee with suitcase in hand...and a bullet destined for one very special Wimsey.

First line: Lord Peter Wimsey stretched himself luxoriously between the sheets provided by the  Hotel Meurice.

My thoughts: This is my second Dorothy L. Sayers book and as it turns out the second in her Lord Peter Wimsey series. I read this one spicifically for the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge. My favorite character in this had to be the Dowager Duchess even though her part is small. Her sharp comments and observations were amuesing. One interesting point is that Lord Peter suffers from "shell shock" or what we call PTSD now since his service in WWI. His character as well as others are rounding out here. The mystery was a good one with plenty of clues to muddy the waters including one false admission of guilt. I did find it a bit tedious in places due to the rehashing of incidents but over all a satisfying read for this challenge.