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    Ärger im Bellona-Club
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    Ärger im Bellona-Club
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    Ärger im Bellona-Club
    Audiobook (abridged)8 hours

    Ärger im Bellona-Club

    Written by Dorothy L. Sayers

    Narrated by Christian Brückner

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Es bedeutet "Ärger im Bellona Club", wenn der alte General Arthur Fentiman fast zeitgleich mit seiner Schwester stirbt und dabei ein Erbe von mehreren Hunderttausend Pfund im Spiel ist. Das kann kein Zufall sein, findet zumindest Lord Peter Wimsey, Aristokrat und Amateurdetektiv, und wirft einen Blick in die Abgründe der adeligen Familie Fentiman ... Mit viel psychologischem Scharfsinn und schwarzem Humor zeichnet Dorothy L. Sayers ein Bild der englischen Aristokratie der 1920er Jahre. Als Zeitzeugin des Ersten Weltkriegs porträtiert sie dabei auch die junge Generation, die ihre traumatischen Kriegserfahrungen nicht hinter sich lassen kann... Ein spannender Krimi und kluges Gesellschaftsbild - gelesen von Cristian Brückner.
    LanguageDeutsch
    PublisherAUDIOBUCH
    Release dateApr 1, 2014
    ISBN9783899648492
    Unavailable
    Ärger im Bellona-Club
    Author

    Dorothy L. Sayers

    Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Men Who United the States, The Map That Changed the World, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best and notable lists. In 2006, Winchester was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen. He resides in western Massachusetts.

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    Reviews for Ärger im Bellona-Club

    4/5

    741 ratings43 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Re-reading the Wimsey stories from beginning to end.
    • 4/5
      The book starts off as a departure from the usual books: there is no crime. The stakes are nonetheless high and Wimsey is on the case. What starts off as a charming and unique tales ends up as rather sordid with a gruesome ending. I'm not used to my cozy murder mysteries turning out nasty. Luckily Sayers's humour and Wimsey's charm save the day.
    • 3/5
      While at his club Wimsey stumbles upon a body of an elderly man who died while reading the paper...or did he? The author does a good job of educating the reader with information better known by physicians, coroners, and devoted mystery readers, and without being boring. Good read.
    • 4/5
      Sort of a high 3, rounded up. I prefer #3 (in Goodread's list, #4 is linked short stories, #3 was the last novel) to #5 as the characters were more engaging, especially the delightful Miss Climpson. This one's good, just not quite as good. Worth reading! (Or in my case, re-reading).

      (Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
    • 5/5
      2020 reread via audiobook narrated by Ian Carmichael:Much of this 5th entry in the Lord Peter Wimsey series epitomizes Lord Peter's character and the reader sees once again the dilemma he faces between his desire to find out the truth versus his dislike of being responsible for what occurs as a result.
    • 4/5
      Another thoroughly entertaining and fascinating Wimsey mystery.
    • 4/5
      Lord Peter, but not the best Lord Peter, the first part of the mystery is somewhat overdone and self indulgent, and the last portion vague and self indulgent.
    • 4/5
      I love the DVD's made from Dorothy Sayers' books so was excited to get this one. Like all her stories the plot was clever...the story was unusual not offering an easy solution to the strange puzzle confronting Lord Wimsey. These books fall into the the category of good old fashion murder mysteries. If this is something that appeals to you...give one of this author's books a try or start with a DVD.
    • 3/5
      A writing style that was a bit over-the-top caricature of early 20th-century British society. The mystery was relayed in teasers and I found myself popped out of the story too frequently by such an uneven narrative. Having only read this one story, I don't know whether this is reflective of Sayers' writing as a whole. I'm unlikely to seek out any others, though.
    • 3/5
      Quick read, classic peter whimsey.
    • 5/5
      A cracking read!
    • 4/5
      A lovely old fashioned, frightfully British who-dun-it. Lord Peter Wimsey could be compared in character to Agatha Raisin - idiosyncratic, singular, snobbish, a civilian sleuth and loveable aristocrat. This mystery centers around a gentlemen's club, society parties and a dead body......I enjoyed the unravelling of the truth.
    • 3/5
      One of the earlier Lord Peter Wimsey novels, and the only one which I hadn’t read. (I haven’t read all the short stories, either.)The elderly General Fentiman is discovered dead behind his newspaper at his London club. Some time later Wimsey is asked by the family’s solicitor to see if he can discover more precisely the time when General died, as the General’s sister also died that morning and her Will varies depending upon who survived whom.I enjoyed the novelty of an investigation which doesn’t begin as a whodunit, and enjoyed wondering if (and if so, how) it might turn into a murder investigation. Also interesting is that several of the characters - not just Wimsey - fought in the war, and this has affected them in different ways.Somewhere in the middle I began to find the clue-gathering a bit dry, but then the plot twisted in ways I hadn’t expected. There were more scenes which reminded me of the Sayers who wrote Gaudy Night. While there are women connected to the case, the Bellona Club is a wholly masculine world, and earlier on the women are often pushed to the edges. But when they do take centre stage, it’s in a way gives takes them and their concerns seriously, and highlights the way they have been mistreated or misrepresented by others. I’m not sure if Sayers is completely successful here -- I suppose, when she wrote this wasn’t yet exactly the person, or perhaps more accurately she wasn’t the writer, she was seven years later -- but it makes the novel potentially reread-able (for me).I suspect I am much more interested in Lord Peter as a person than I am in Wimsey as a detective. It is hard to separate the two, and then of course I’m usually most interested in the bits about detectives’ personal lives and opinions and so on... But what I appreciate most about Lord Peter Wimsey has a lot less to do with his his skills of deduction and investigation, and more to do with just how he talks to people -- his faculty for quotation, his intelligence and the way he respects others. (Would I be interested in a crime-free novel in which he goes to parties and talks to people about whatever is going on in their lives? Maybe?) “[...] It’s the books and paintings I want to look at. H’m! Books, you know, Charles, are like lobster-shells. We surround ourselves with ’em and leave ’em behind, as evidences of our earlier stages of development.”
    • 4/5
      I reread this as it seemed like a good read for November the 11th - the novel begins with the death of an aged General in the Bellona Club on Armistice day. Lord Peter Wimsey is called in to acertain the time of death and untangles a net of deception and murder, driven by a squabble over a huge inheritance. Nicely written, with an interesting sideline on bohemian London in the 20s as well as a sympathetic portrayal of a man suffering from what we would now call PTSD. Good solid read.
    • 4/5
      The club is so muted and quiet it’s not hard to believe someone could die there unobserved. But then those nagging doubts creep in—those details Lord Peter Wimsey is so good at noticing. And then there are all those questions, because perhaps something far more unpleasant than old age caused this man’s demise. Evocative of time and place, polite with just the right touch of acid, and well-flavored with red herrings, Bellona Club is a fun book in the series, a nice characterization of the rich and less well-favored, and a cool blend of mystery and old-fashioned English manners. Disclosure: I love the series and am working my way slowly through rereading them all. (Very slowly—I savor the anticipation as well the read.)
    • 5/5
      Where I got the book: my bookshelf. A re-read.I have grown to love this Lord Peter Wimsey mystery because of its somberness, although I remember that when I first read it as a teen I found it uninteresting. Amazing how history (and, therefore, literature) becomes more complex and interesting as you age. The mystery LPW is called on to investigate is the time of death of ancient, doddery General Fentiman, which will make a big financial difference to one or more of three potential heirs. Of course things turn out to be way more complicated than the natural death of a very old soldier...This novel is set against the background of the aftermath of World War I, hence its more realistic, sober tone than the earlier novels. LPW comes very well out of this book, with far fewer fantastic speeches or superhuman feats of everything than some of the Wimsey novels are prone to. I feel, though, that the writing's a little rougher than usual, as if Sayers were on a short deadline. Another thing that struck me this time round (and I may be completely wrong) is that Ann Dorland, one of the heirs and thus a potential suspect, was a prototype of Harriet Vane, who will turn up in the next novel as LPW's love interest. Ann is an unhappy woman because she's been crossed in love, is a murder suspect but underneath it all (as LPW tells her) is a fine person with good taste. Does that sound familiar, Wimsey fans? Can't help thinking that at some point Sayers thought "hey, there's a little spark there. I could develop it for the next novel".A good mystery, of course: Sayers is nothing if not ingenious (although this is two times in quick succession that the victim has been an elderly person who would soon die anyway...) But it's the brooding, foggy feel of the book that really gives it its worth. Even Parker (inside whose head we dwell rather disconcertingly at times) seems to be permanently depressed, and the end of the book sort of drifts off into the mist. One to read by a cheerful log fire with a glass of old brandy...
    • 5/5
      A reread. I love this book as a mystery - all kinds of classic stuff - but by the time you figure out the first mystery, you're thrown into a second. A small problem - When did the dead gent at the club die? - becomes gradually more and more complex, until it all collapses into a solution at the end of the book. It's a lovely piece of music :)
    • 4/5
      Very clever and very sharp.
    • 4/5
      Thought I had this one figured out... but I was following one of the red herrings that the author had cleverly used. Will be looking for the next Wimsey.
    • 3/5
      Another dose of rollicking good fun from the slightly affected but still likeable Lord Peter Wimsey. An old fossil at the Bellona Club is found dead, his newspaper in hand, and it's assumed he's simply gone off from natural causes. A question over his sister's will, however, soon brings out that not everything is as simple as it seems.

      I read this in a day or so. While Lord Peter is unbearably silly (living up to his name) he's also fairly sharp and frequently kind, so spending time with him is always a pleasure.
    • 4/5
      I really love this book. For an unpretentious 1920s mystery novel, it really has a lot going on. There's the mystery itself, which has enough twists and turns to remain interesting. (I didn't guess the outcome, which is always a plus!). Then there is the social commentary: the plight of World War I veterans, the effects of poverty and unemployment, the changing role of women in society, relationships between men and women. And of course there is Peter Wimsey: intelligent, intuitive, funny and compassionate. Some scenes from this novel will remain with me for a long time: George Fentiman's breakdown, Peter's argument with Charles Parker, the easy camaraderie between Peter and Marjorie Phelps and Peter's conversation with Miss Dorland. Reading this book - and Dorothy L Sayers' other novels - makes me so much wish that I had known the author. What an interesting mind she had.
    • 3/5
      This is a review of the BBC radio dramatization. I suspect the book is superior. The murderer says "Right-o" in a bright sort of voice, even when he's just agreed to commit suicide.
    • 4/5
      Premise of the story: Old so and so (90 year old General Fentiman) has keeled over in the Bellona Club. Because the old codger had a heart condition and was so old people assume he died of natural causes until his estranged sister's will is discovered. If he dies before Lady Dormer a distant relative would get her inheritance. If he dies after Lady Dormer he would get the inheritance. Since they both die on the same day suddenly it matters very much exactly when General Fentiman passed. Down to the minute. Did he die before or after Lady Dormer? When it is discovered that General Fentiman was murdered aristocrat and amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey (don't you just love that name?) is called in to solve the mystery. The best part about this book is that it is really, really funny whether you read it or listen to it.
    • 4/5
      Peter Wimsey solves a classic locked-room mystery, as he tries to determine how the corpse of an elderly man came to be in the Bellona Club on Remembrance Day. The man died sometime after 10am, but the exact time of death is a mystery. It becomes a pressing mystery when it becomes clear that the time of death determines who will inherit a large fortune. The convoluted family argument and complex relationships make Wimsey's efforts more difficult. Halfway through the book the culprit seems to be apprehended, but Wimsey isn't so sure. I liked the model of a solution partway through the book that had to be unraveled. This book had little engagement with Wimsey's life outside of the mystery. It is a book dependent upon Wimsey entering an existing situation. The details are numerous, and we get an interesting look at a London gentlemen's club in the 1920s. Overall, an entertaining classic mystery.
    • 3/5
      The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club is another apparent death of natural causes that unravels into tampering with a corpse and murder. Like Unnatural Death, the motivation revolves around securing an inheritance. In this instance, Lord Peter’s lawyer, Mr. Murbles asks him to ascertain the time of death of General Fentiman, who appeared to pass away in his sleep in front of the fire in Bellona Club on Armistice Day. Both younger Fentimans and Dr. Penberthy, the family doctor, are also members are on scene in the Bellona Club when old General Fentiman is discovered, and all play key roles in ensuing events. The question is whether he predeceased his estranged sister, Felicity Dormer, who died after a prolonged illness around the same time after their deathbed rapprochement. If so, the bulk of her estate will pass to her niece, Miss Ann Dorland, who dabbles in art and science. If not, then the bulk of her estate will pass to his grandsons, bachelor Captain George Fentiman (on active duty) and Robert Fentiman, married and disabled after war injuries, including PTSD, and dependent on his wife’s employment income. Lord Peter warns Mr. Murbles that he might not like the outcome of the investigation, and it might not be in the best interest of the Fentimans, his clients. Mr. Murbles insists on the integrity of his clients and the importance of the truth. The investigation involves a mysterious witness, an exhumation, a detective agency following leads in mainland Europe, a shifty-looking lawyer and legal assistant. Lord Peter uses his connection (Marjorie Phelps, the ceramicist) in the artsy/intelligentsia community to get a handle on Ann Dorland’s character and motivations. The murderer and other principle actors display varying degrees of remorse and regret. Bunter is involved early on by pretending to be a journalist to photograph the club interior, but Charles Parker doesn’t show up until about a third of the way into the story. Colonel Marchbank is a recurring minor character who was one of the guests in Clouds of Witness and is the reason for Lord Peter’s presence in the Bellona Club at the beginning of this story. The tabloid journalists show up again too. The minor recurring characters provide valuable continuity among the various stories. Another perpetrator who feels remorse, or at least that there’s only one way to make the situation better, thanks to Lord Peter’s convincing argumentation.
    • 5/5
      To me, one of the better Wimsey novels, chiefly for its setting in an ultra-British club for military men on Armistice Day (the place and time both being significant clues to one aspect of the mystery) , though the murderer reminds me of the one in Whose Body; also there is some depressingly realistic material about the effects of the war on a young British officer and his long-suffering wife.
    • 4/5
      General Fentiman is discovered dead in his chair at his club and Lord Peter is asked to try to work out exactly when he died, since his rich sister also died that day and the order of their deaths affects who inherits her fortune. Very well plotted with unexpected twists for the most part, although the last third gets a bit less realistic. I found Ann Dorland's acceptance of what happened to her disappointing - Miss Climpson wouldn't have put up with it! Also, the way the murderer was treated at the end was unacceptable (at least to my modern sensibilities). The relationship between George and his wife was well-observed and I'm glad Ann got her happy ending.
    • 4/5
      Peter Wimsey is in great form in this mystery. I love how much he enjoys solving a complicated problem. He becomes giddy with each new wrinkle in the plot. When an elderly woman and her brother, an old general, both die within hours of each other, the issue of who should inherit becomes convoluted. There’s just enough confusion to throw the reader off the track, while still coming full circle by the end. This is one of my favorite in the Wimsey series so far.
    • 4/5
      London, England, ca 1925.Lord Peter Wimsey er i sin klub, Bellonaklubben, den 11 november, dvs våbenstilstandsdagen for første verdenskrig. Han er til stede, da en af dens gamle medlemmer bliver fundet død i sin lænestol. Det er general Fentiman, hvis søster Lady Dormer er død tæt på samme tidspunkt. Rækkefølgen betyder meget, for Lady Dormer var rig og hendes testamente angav at hvis hendes bror var i live, når hun døde, så arvede han 688000 pund og en miss Ann Dorland 12000 pund. Hvis han ikke var, så arver Ann 685000 pund og 15000 pund går til deling mellem major Robert Fentiman og kaptajn George Fentiman. Alt dette var kendt på forhånd og desuden var det kendt at Lady Dormer var på det yderste, så Robert Fentiman havde et perfekt motiv til at få det til at se ud som om generalen døde efter sin søster.Fentimans advokat, Mr Murbles, beder Peter Wimsey om diskret at undersøge sagen og om at finde sandheden uanset om den er til gunst eller ugunst for hans klienter. Peter Wimsey advarer ham endda om at man risikerer at grave ubehageligheder op (for han har allerede bemærket at der var noget pudsigt ved generalens ene ben, da man fandt ham.Der er også en stribe andre indicier på at generalen døde andetsteds og på et tidligere tidspunkt og blev transporteret til klubben, men hvad skete der præcist? Peter Wimsey spiller Murbles ud mod Ann Dorlands advokat, Mr Pritchard. Robert Fentiman stikker af på et tidspunkt og general Fentimans lig bliver gravet op og obduceret.Wimsey havde gættet at der var noget galt og ja, obduktionen viser store mængder digitalis, men hvem har givet generalen det? Robert Fentiman tilstår at han har lavet nummeret med at gemme generalen til dagen efter, men han har ingen motiv til at slå ham ihjel. Mistanken samler sig om Ann Dorland, der står til at arve og lægen Penberthy, der har haft lejligheden og faktisk også et motiv, for han kan godt bruge Ann Dorlands penge til at bygge en ny klinik for. Det er småt med beviser, men Peter Wimsey konfronterer Penberthy med sagen, som han ser den og minder om at Ann Dorland for altid vil have noget hængende på sit ry, hvis det kommer til en retssag. Penberthy aflægger en skriftlig tilståelse til Wimsey og begår selvmord i klubben. Oberst Marchbanks har belejligt vist ham, hvor der ligger en ladt revolver.Robert Fentiman og Ann Dorland ser ud til at komme godt ud af det med hinanden, så det kan være ligemeget hvem der arver. George Fentiman har haft et nervesammenbrud, men kommer ud af det, da presset omkring generalens død letter.Ganske nydeligt turneret krimi, hvor Peter Wimsey bruger Marjorie Phelps som hjælpende veninde, men afslår hendes øvrige tilnærmelser.
    • 3/5
      In this reviewer’s opinion this would have been a better book had it been a mystery without a murder. The question that Wimsey is initially engaged to answer--when did General Fentiman die--provided Wimsey (and his author) a perfectly adequate excuse to investigate the lives of the various Fentimans and the many people for whom the ultimate determination of the time of death would have a large monetary consequence. Sayers once again gives a vivid description of what we would now diagnose as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and she gives a chillingly accurate look at the desperation of a husband and wife caught in a cycle of enabling and psychological strife. Reading the book one can feel the desperation of the class of men (and women) who had been brought up in a world that limited the number of acceptable careers but provided most members of the gentry with adequate incomes and now found themselves in a world where those incomes were no longer adequate and acceptable jobs were hard to find.