Review of Five Red Herrings

I'm not really certain where the idea that Wimsey is stupid and Bunter a detecting genius comes from, as per the previous review. The novels certainly never suggest such a thing, in any way. Dorothy L Sayers' ideas, in social terms, were certainly what some might call progressive (I just found them utterly reasonable), but Lord Peter's intellect and sensitivity were never belittled by her. She was more interested in presenting a vision of equality than anything skewed in either direction. Bunter and Lord Peter are equally matched in intelligence (as is Harriet Vane, when she appears in the later novels) although Wimsey has the advantage of being able to make those occasional fantastic leaps of imagination which a great detective needs. I've always found Wimsey an attractive, intelligent and sensitive character and that, to my mind, is exactly how he should be portrayed.