Sayers, Dorothy L.: (10) Murder Must Advertise

Though Murder Must Advertise was Dorothy Sayers’ next novel after Have His Carcase, Harriet Vane is completely absent; her single mention isn’t even by name. Despite that, I’m very fond of this book, in which Peter goes undercover at an advertising agency. It is an affectionate but precise look at life in an English advertising firm between the World Wars, written from personal knowledge—Sayers was a copywriter for nine years, until just two years before the publication of this novel, in fact. The creation of advertising campaigns, the dealing with clients, the office gossip and rivalries, the annual cricket game, plus Peter working for a living: I find it all highly enjoyable to read about. (There’s also a tedious and improbable drug-running subplot, but nevermind that.)

The book’s theme is hierarchy, as Sarah Monette points out in a post full of SPOILERS, though I think the book does a bit more undercutting of the hierarchy than just the cricket game (which I love, even though I understand hardly a word of it). On several occasions, the characters who went to the big-name schools tell the characters who didn’t that they shouldn’t dwell on it, it doesn’t matter that much, and I think they’re presented as saying this sincerely. Of course, it’s easy to say that the structure of the hierarchy doesn’t matter when you’re higher up on it—but there are other places where concerns over hierarchy are shown to lead to bad results, I’d argue, and the conversations about education are just the most explicit example.

Anyway, this is my second-favorite of the novels without Harriet Vane. I don’t know if the full effect would be appreciated by someone new to the series, but it might be worth trying out as a starting point. (My favorite is The Nine Tailors, and again I wonder about appreciating how thoroughly Peter is out of his usual habitat.)

5 Replies to “Sayers, Dorothy L.: (10) Murder Must Advertise

  1. The first time I read Murder Must Advertise, the “tedious and improbable drug-running subplot” kept me from enjoying it much. Indeed, I suspected it of being a trunk novel. Later re-reading allowed me to skip over the ‘plot’ and just enjoy the characters and setting.
    (I also had a hard time swallowing… Hmm. How to say this without spoilers? I had a hard time taking the role of Death Bredon seriously.)
    An enjoyable skim now and again, but not among my favorites. Certainly up to the standard of The Nine Tailors, which is my favorite Vaneless Peter book too. My other favorite Vaneless is Unnatural Death.

  2. Well, there’s the ridiculous dive into the fountain–what is it about Sayers and water, there was the collarbone in the mire in _Clouds_ and the swim through flood waters in _Nine Tailors_.
    Or do you mean Peter’s incognito at the agency or in the drug running bits?
    ROT13 is your friend. =>
    I’m thinking _Unnatural Death_ is probably my third favorite Vane-less book, and would probably be the best place for people to start the series.

  3. I actually started the series with Murder Must Advertise. If I remember correctly, the friend who recommended them deliberately gave me this one first, as a good and accessible way in.
    When I re-read MMA, I tend to completely skip the extended drug plot scenes.

  4. Mary Aileen: as long as people are warned that the drug plot is dumb and are willing to roll with it, I think it would be good as a starter, but it does lack a little something if you haven’t already seen Peter _in_ his element first.
    Yes, I only skimmed the drug plot here, despite my best intentions.

  5. I should note that I stopped listening to the radio play adaptation of this when I realized that it transformed Miss Meteyard from a copywriter to a typist. Pah.

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