Dear Dorothy L. — you have been one of my comfort reads for years. You're never a speedy read, but I love revisiting your world.

The second Lord Peter Wimsey novel in which Harriet Vane appears, this is the first one in which she has an active hand in the investigation. While on a walking tour along the coast, Harriet discovers a dead body. A fresh dead body. She reports the crime to the local police and ultimately finds herself caught up in the investigation. Naturally, Lord Peter appears once he hears — and the story is as much about their relationship as the mystery.

The mystery of who killed Paul Alexis has always entertained, especially as it grows more and more tangled and more and more ridiculous. That Lord Peter and Harriet keep shaking their heads that what they see unfolding could not possibly be what happened only adds to the fun.

These are wonderfully classic books, and while they are quite a bit more densely written than many contemporary mysteries, they are definitely worth reading — and re-reading — because each time you go through, they are new depths to be discovered.