| Click on Title or Image for details and user reviews. Follow such "New(7) Used(2) from £9.99" links right below the shopping cart to see a list of offers from various sellers (example). |
|
|
Have His Carcase: BBC Radio 4 Full-cast Dramatisation. Starring Ian Carmichael & Maria Aitken (BBC Radio Collection) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Dorothy L. Sayers, Alistair Beaton
Creators: Ian Carmichael, Maria Aitken, Nigel Stock
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £10.99
Buy New: £3.21
You Save: £7.78 (71%)
New (2) Used (7) from £1.68
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 482795
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 4.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0563558563
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780563558569
ASIN: 0563558563
Publication Date: May 8, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
Densely plotted and quite, quite brilliant January 27, 2008
Have His Carcase begins with a bang when Harriet Vane finding the body of a man with his throat cut on a beach near the seaside resort of Wilvercombe. Unable to drag the body to a safer location and aware that the tide is coming in, she settles for taking photographs of the body before heading off to find a telephone so she can alert the authorities. Unfortunately, by the time she's able to do so, the tide has come in and the body disappeared. Without a body, there can be no inquest but this doesn't unnecessarily worry the local police who believe that the victim, Paul Alexis (a dancer come gigolo) committed suicide. However Harriet is not so sure and when Lord Peter Wimsey comes to offer support, he too finds it difficult to buy into the theory. And then the body finally shows up ...
This is an intricately and densely plotted mystery novel as Sayers deftly takes the reader through Wimsey and Vane's investigations, with the ever-loyal Bunter doing the required footwork. Much of the plot turns on the timing of the discovery of the murder (which I'm not going to spoil but which ties in with the alibi for the main suspect) and the reader is really kept on their toes as Sayers goes through all the possible permutations and what they would mean.
Against this, we're also given more on Wimsey and Vane's relationship as Wimsey persists in asking Harriet to marry him and she persists in refusing. What makes this so interesting is that Sayers successfully sets it up as a kind of running joke whilst at the same time creating a genuinely emotional scene between the two that explores the undercurrents of why each behaves as they do and which I found to be moving (not least because you end up rooting for and understanding the position taken by both characters).
There are some laugh-out-loud moments in the book, my favourite being where Wimsey's visit to a theatrical agent results in him auditioning for a part in a show (complete with a mincing walk), but Harriet's attempts to 'vamp up' for a suspect runs a very close second.
My only criticism of the book is that I thought the ending was far too abrupt. Sayers does tie the loose ends together of how and why the murder was done (incorporating references to the Russian revolution along the way) but we don't know what happens next and I found this open-endedness to be a little frustrating.
Still, I absolutely loved the book and whilst I think readers would benefit from having read Strong Poison first (as it explains some of Harriet's odd behaviour at the start), it's most definitely worth a read.
 Classic murder October 10, 2007
Dorothy L Sayers' novels are the best of the Golden Age of detective fiction. I reread them often, even though I know the details of the plot, because they convey the flavour of the 20s and 30s. Have His Carcase is a fascinating look at the seaside towns of the period. Rich old ladies with time on their hands, professional dancers looking for a secure future with the said rich old ladies, journalists after a scoop and theatrical landladies with refined accents. The plot is as convoluted as any Sayers ever wrote. The discovery of Paul Alexis' body, lying on the Flatiron rock on a lonely beach, is one of the great openings of a detective novel. Harriet Vane is a prickly heroine, resenting her gratitude to Lord Peter Wimsey (whose detecting saved her life when she was on trial for murder in Strong Poison), yet reluctantly admiring his intelligence and his calves in one memorable scene. Wimsey is a fantasy figure, but no less interesting for that. If you love the Golden Age, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Guaranteed to keep you up late reading it! August 20, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
A very good story with a wealth of interesting detail along the way to keep the brain engaged. Humour, a love interest and a huge variety of characters are offered in this novel. The painstaking gathering of information by Lord Peter,Harriet, Bunter and the Police - until the pieces of the puzzle fit together - is a joy to read. It is one of those books that will keep you up reading late into the night. Well recommended!
 Not quite successful August 17, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The BBC production was originally broadcast in 1981 in 6 episodes, dramatized by Alistair Beaton. (It has been previously released on audio cassette in 2000 -- this release is from 2003). Here it appears on 2 rather full CDs, with a total running time of about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The three main characters are Lord Peter Wimsey (played by Ian Carmichael), Harriet Vane (Maria Aitken), and Inspector Umplety (Nigel Stock). The rest of the cast is also fairly recognizable: Warren Clarke, Isabel Dean, and Betty Marsden among others.
The CD carries a notice that it is recommended by the Dorothy L. Sayers Society. I can't make out why -- I suspect it may be a blanket approval of the whole set.
Personal impressions
The broadcasted episodes have been somewhat cut to make it fit on 2 CDs. The original episode structure with opening and closing announcements and cast presentation has been removed entirely, except for some short signature music at the beginning and end of each CD. I presume that no dramatic material has been cut.
This makes it rather difficult to listen to the story episode by episode, the way it was originally designed and produced, and the way I prefer to listen to radio theatre. Instead I found myself getting a bit antsy after about 40 minutes, wondering if it hadn't gone on for too long, and I decided to break where no break was originally planned.
As the track structure on the CDs turned out to consists of 'mini-acts' (20 on one CD, 21 on the other), it was a bit of a bother to find my way back to where I left off the previous evening. The track titles printed in the included leaflet do not give very useful hints to the listener (Track 12: "And that, Inspector, is why ...", or Track 13: "and I think you're treating ..." are good examples).
This is inconsiderate user engineering, and rather detracts from the listening experience unless, of course, the listener can do 1-hour-plus listening sessions.
Little needs to be said about the script, I think: it is impossible to compress the book into six half-hour episodes. Beaton has mainly gone for the mystery, and the very few cases where the growing relationship between Wimsey and Vane is allowed to appear, it feels slightly out of place. Only one single proposal of marriage remains!
As to production and recording, it should be repeated that the production is from 1981, and so feels a little old-fashioned to my ears. In a few places too many it is obvious that the actors are turning script pages, and in one place what should have been an outdoor sea scene is recorded with an in-door ambience, with an almost palpable ceiling above splashing water.
Acting seems reasonable, but I seldom forgot that I was listening to radio drama. Betty Marsden's landlady was a notable exception: she made the story come alive for a few minutes. Maria Aitken does a rather dry and occasionally mechanic Harriet Vane, but as she plays mainly against Ian Carmichael, who turns his Wimsey up a notch or two for radio, and Nigel Stock's west-country Police Inspector, this may be a contrast effect. I suspect it is also because the book portrays Harriet in ways that are difficult to dramatize for radio.
I don't think I will listen to this much again: perhaps on a train or a bus, and then only if I was unable to find the book. It seems mainly useful as an appetite-whetter for the TV series (with Edward Peterbridge as Wimsey), or for the full-length audio-book reading by Ian Carmichael, and ultimately for the book itself.
Second story in the Harriet Vane series April 12, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
My first encounter with Dorothy L. Sayers was the Mobile Mystery Theater series showing on PBS. I now have all three DVD's of the series ("Strong Poison", "Gaudy Night" and "Have His Carcase".) They never produced "Busman's Honeymoon" Dorothy sold the rights to Hollywood and BBC could not get them back. The Resulting movie is "Haunted Honeymoon"(1940)
Naturally the TV media cannot fill in all the details that you would pick up from reading the book.
So I read the book. This added more depth to the story, now I appreciate Dorothy L. Sayers more than Agatha Christie. Dorothy not only fleshes her characters out better but her side trips into philosophy and psychology make the story that much more interesting. And just when you say what is the relevance to this conversation it is wrapped up in the final solution.
This is the second of the book series. The story is complete and can be used as a stand-alone story. The notorious Harriet Vane is out for a walk and takes a nap. She wakes up and finds (you guest it) a body. If not for her trusty camera, no one would believe her. As it is the authorities think it was suicide. Wimsey thinks it is murder. Naturally everyone, especially the main suspect has an airtight alibi. The real interest is the interaction between Lord Peter and Harriet.
|
We display the lowest priced offers from a list of new and used items. It is clearly indicated right before the displayed price on whether the displayed item is new or used, i.e. "Buy Used: £8.00" or "Buy New: £8.00".
For more options to buy new (or used) just follow the link that looks like this "New (7) Used (2) from £9.99" right below the shopping cart. The link will not be displayed if there is no other offer.
Free UK delivery available for offers from Amazon.co.uk (terms & conditions) with indication of "Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping" (example). Offers from other sellers are subjected to delivery charge of £2.75 per book. More about free delivery, click here. |
|
|
| Browse by genre |
|
Audio CDs
Languages: Michel Thomas Language Courses, Rapid Language Courses, Courses For Children,
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Gaelic, Irish & Welsh, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese
Biographies & Memoirs
Business, Finance & Law
Children's Books: Book & CD Gift Packs, Children's Modern, Classics, Education, Harry Potter, Language, Music
Authors: Blyton, Enid, Rowling, JK, Wynne Jones, Diana
Comedy: Comedy Classic, Contemporary Comedy, Bill Bryson, Billy Connolly, Blackadder, Dead Ringers, Fast Show, Hancock, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Monty Python, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Goon Show
Crime, Thrillers & Mystery: Child, Lee, Christie, Agatha, Cornwell, Patricia, Francis, Dick, Grisham, John, Rankin, Ian, Smith, Wilbur
|
Fiction: Literary Classics, Religious, Unabridged, Western
Health, Family & Lifestyle: Personal Growth, Relaxation & Meditation
History: BC-1500, 1501-1700, 1701-Present, This Sceptered Isle
Horror: Herbert, James, King, Stephen, Koontz, Dean
Music
Poetry & Drama
Radio Shows: Dead Ringers, Hancock, The Goon Show
Religion & Spirituality
Romance: Austen, Jane, Binchy, Maeve, Bingham, Charlotte, Collins, Jackie, Cookson, Catherine, Steel, Danielle
Science Fiction & Fantasy: Fantasy, Science Fiction, DiscWorld, Dr Who, Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, Tolkien
Sports, Hobbies & Games
Travel
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2006 © audiohome.co.uk, an audio books store Privacy Notice | Delivery | Customer Service | Buying Guide | Search Audiobooks Quickly | | My favourite authors: |
| In CDs: |
| Adams, Douglas |
| Bennett, Alan |
| Bryson, Bill |
| Christie, Agatha |
| Covey, Stephen R. |
| Cornwell, Patricia |
| Dahl, Roald |
| Dickens, Charles |
| Ludlum, Robert |
| Rowling, JK |
| Stevenson, Robert Louis |
| More authors... |
| |
| In cassettes: |
| Adams, Douglas |
| Bennett, Alan |
| Bryson, Bill |
| Christie, Agatha |
| Cornwell, Patricia |
| Dahl, Roald |
| Dickens, Charles |
| Ludlum, Robert |
| Rice, Anne |
| Stevenson, Robert Louis |
| More authors... |
|
|
|
| Downloads at audible.co.uk |
|
|
|
|
Over 30,000 audio books,