Dorothy L Sayers Books in Order

Peter and Harriet return to Oxford when Peter is appointed 'Visitor' to settle a dispute at a fictional college. When fellows of the college start dying, the couple must unravel a mystery involving ancient manuscripts and academic rivalries.

In 1951, the new Lord Attenbury asks Peter for help proving the ownership of a family heirloom. The investigation prompts Peter to recount his very first case from 1921, weaving a narrative that spans thirty years of Wimsey history.

A supplemental collection of letters providing further insight into Sayers’ personal development, her views on the changing role of women, and her navigation of the literary world in the early 20th century.

An anthology edited by Sayers, collecting what she considered the finest examples of detective fiction. Her introduction is a classic piece of criticism, analyzing the history and mechanics of the genre.

A comprehensive anthology bringing together all of Sayers’ short mystery fiction. It includes every Lord Peter Wimsey story, the Montague Egg puzzles, and her stand-alone tales of crime and the supernatural.

Set during World War II, this sequel finds Harriet Vane living in the country at Talboys. When a young woman is murdered during an air-raid drill, Harriet must work with the local police—and a visiting Peter—to catch a killer in a village full of secrets.

The final volume of correspondence tracks Sayers' life until her death. It focuses heavily on her immersion in Dante scholarship, her friendships, and her reflections on a lifetime of writing.

Covering the post-war years, these letters reveal Sayers' growing focus on Dante and her translation work. They also show her continued engagement with public debates on religion and society.

Begun by Sayers in 1936 and completed by Walsh, this novel sees Peter and Harriet settling into married life in London. Their happiness is tested when they become involved in the murder of a theatrical producer's wife against the backdrop of King Edward VIII's abdication crisis.

This volume of letters covers the period when Sayers moved away from detective fiction toward theater and theology. It documents her life during the early years of World War II and the writing of *The Man Born to Be King*.

The first volume of Sayers’ collected correspondence, covering her childhood, her time at Oxford, and her early career in advertising and writing. It offers a personal look at the development of her sharp intellect and the creation of Lord Peter Wimsey.

A compilation of Sayers’ most significant religious essays and letters. This volume highlights her intellectual approach to Christianity, focusing on the Incarnation and the practical application of faith in daily life.

A collection of eighteen essays on religion and Christianity. Sayers writes with wit and clarity on topics ranging from the seven deadly sins to the importance of dogma, challenging comfortable assumptions about faith.

A volume containing two of Sayers' religious dramas, *The Devil to Pay* and *The Zeal of Thy House*. These plays explore themes of sin, redemption, and the role of the creator, blending theology with theatrical storytelling.

An unfinished biographical and critical study of the Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins. Sayers admired Collins as a master of the sensation novel and detective fiction, and these drafts offer insight into her appreciation of his work.

A collection containing the final three Lord Peter Wimsey stories. It includes a dream-led mystery, a case involving Peter as a new father, and a lighthearted puzzle where the Wimsey children are accused of stealing peaches.

A collection of short stories that blends mystery with the macabre. This volume gathers some of Sayers' more chilling and psychological tales, moving beyond simple detection into the darker corners of human behavior.

A short, illustrated book retelling the Nativity story. Sayers uses simple, reverent language to describe the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, originally written as a greeting card design.

Two trenchant essays on the role of women in society. Sayers argues that women should be treated first and foremost as individual human beings with their own work and character, rather than merely as a collective gender.

A curated selection of Sayers’ best short fiction, featuring mysteries solved by Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg, alongside other tales that highlight her wit and narrative skill.

A collection of scholarly essays focusing on Dante Alighieri. Following her translation of the *Divine Comedy*, Sayers explores Dante’s theological and poetic themes, offering accessible yet profound literary criticism.

A chronicle play detailing the life of Constantine the Great and the Council of Nicaea. Sayers dramatizes the complex theological and political struggles that shaped the early Christian church and the Nicene Creed.

A highly influential essay on education. Sayers advocates for a return to the medieval 'Trivium' (grammar, logic, and rhetoric), arguing that teaching children *how* to think is more important than teaching them *what* to think.

Seven essays arguing that Christian dogma is not a set of boring rules but a dramatic and essential explanation of the universe. Sayers contends that society's confusion stems from a failure to understand these core theological truths.

A collection of essays addressing theological, political, and critical topics. It includes Sayers' famous insights on feminism, the role of work, and her sharp, clear-headed analysis of Christian doctrine in the modern world.

A cycle of twelve radio plays depicting the life of Jesus. Originally broadcast on the BBC, these plays were revolutionary for their use of contemporary, naturalistic language to make the Gospel story immediate and accessible to modern audiences.

A theological work examining the creative process. Sayers draws an analogy between the human creator (the artist) and the Divine Creator (the Trinity), exploring how Idea, Energy, and Power function in both writing and theology.

A series of fictional letters and articles originally published in *The Spectator* during WWII. Written in the voices of the Wimsey family members, they offer a witty and poignant commentary on life on the British home front.

A collection of seventeen stories, including two Wimsey adventures and several featuring Montague Egg. The title story involves a dentist, a car fire, and a question of identity that only dental records—and Peter Wimsey—can resolve.

Peter and Harriet's quiet honeymoon at a country farmhouse is interrupted when the previous owner is found dead in the cellar. Balancing new marriage dynamics with a murder investigation, the couple must work together to solve the crime without letting it destroy their happiness.

An anthology of true crime essays written by members of the Detection Club, including Sayers. The authors analyze real-life murder cases, applying their knowledge of criminal methods and psychology to historical crimes.

Harriet Vane returns to her Oxford college for a reunion, only to find the academic peace shattered by a poison-pen campaign and vandalism. As the threats escalate, Harriet must confront her own past and ask Lord Peter Wimsey for help in a case that threatens the college's reputation.

Stranded in the fenland village of Fenchurch St. Paul on New Year's Eve, Peter helps ring a nine-hour peal of church bells. When a body is later found in a grave, he must unravel a mystery rooted in a twenty-year-old theft and the deadly power of the bells themselves.

When a copywriter dies in a suspicious accident, Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover at Pym’s Publicity agency as "Death Bredon." Between writing ad copy for Whifflets cigarettes, he uncovers a drug-smuggling ring hidden behind the glossy facade of the advertising world.

A collection of short mystery stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and the wine salesman sleuth Montague Egg. The tales range from a poisoning in a pantry to a clever cipher, showcasing Sayers' mastery of the short puzzle format.

On a walking holiday, Harriet Vane discovers a body on a lonely rock on the beach. By the time she brings help, the tide has washed the corpse away. She teams up with Lord Peter Wimsey to solve the mystery using the few clues she managed to photograph.

In a Scottish artists' colony, a quarrelsome painter is found dead. It looks like an accident, but Wimsey suspects murder. With six suspects who all hated the victim, Peter must untangle complex train timetables and artistic forgeries to identify the one guilty party.

A stand-alone epistolary novel where a man dies after eating mushrooms. While the verdict is accidental death, the victim's son suspects his stepmother. The mystery hinges on the scientific difference between natural and synthetic poisons.

Mystery writer Harriet Vane is on trial for the murder of her former lover, who died of arsenic poisoning. Convinced of her innocence, Lord Peter Wimsey races against time to find the real killer and save the woman he has instantly fallen in love with.

On Armistice Day, ninety-year-old General Fentiman is found dead in his armchair at the Bellona Club. But when it turns out his wealthy sister died the same morning, the exact time of the General's death becomes a matter of a massive inheritance—and murder.

A collection of twelve short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. From a man with copper fingers to a headless body and a diamond puzzle, these tales showcase Wimsey's ingenuity in solving varied and bizarre crimes.

A wealthy elderly woman dies with no apparent cause, but a young doctor suspects foul play. Lord Peter Wimsey investigates a murder that seems to have left no trace, uncovering a clever and technically brilliant method of killing that defies standard detection.

Peter’s brother, the Duke of Denver, is accused of shooting his sister’s fiancé at a family shooting lodge. With the Duke refusing to defend himself, Peter must navigate a web of family secrets and travel as far as New York to clear his brother's name before the trial in the House of Lords.

A mild-mannered architect finds a naked body in his bathtub, wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez. Meanwhile, a famous financier has vanished. Lord Peter Wimsey takes on his first major case to discover if—and how—these two bizarre puzzles are connected.