The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey, #09)

While ringing in the New Year, Lord Peter Wimsey discovers some old crimes: “A rattling good mystery” (Kirkus Reviews). Lord Peter Wimsey and his manservant Bunter are halfway across the wild flatlands of East Anglia when they make a wrong turn, straight into a ditch. They scramble over the rough country to the nearest church, where they find hospitality, dinner, and an invitation to go bell-ringing. This ancient art is steeped in mathematical complexities, and tonight the rector and his friends plan to embark on a 9-hour marathon session to welcome the New Year. Lord Peter joins them, taking a step into a society whose cheerful exterior hides a dark, deadly past. During their stay in this unfamiliar countryside, Lord Peter and Bunter encounter murder, a mutilated corpse, and a decades-old jewel theft for which locals continue to die. In this land where bells toll for the dead, the ancient chimes never seem to stop. The Nine Tailors is the 11th book in the Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, but you may enjoy the series by reading the books in any order.