Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers.
I've read it several times before and liked it. It's a really well-constructed whodunnit, and it introduces a lot of important, likeable characters in the series.
But I've become sensitized to the really offensive stereotypes, attitudes, and slurs that permeate the book. Period fiction is nearly always problematic in one way or another, and you have to just chalk it up to the "bad old days" and be thankful how much has changed.
But this was a *lot.* There are 2 victims, both Jewish. And it's England in the 1920's. It gets bad. Even the characters who are trying to be progressive say some really gross stuff.
Some critics believe Sayers was trying to do social commentary, and some of her letters indicate that she may have had that in mind, to a certain extent.
It didn't stop me finishing it, but the more I thought about it, the ickier it was. It's so disappointing when you look back at something that was really skillfully done, that you once enjoyed, and realize it's actually appalling.
Yeah, I was raised Jewish and that book really made me uncomfortable. I don't reread it, though I love the other books.
I mean, by today's standards, even "Gentleman's Agreement" is pretty awful. It's valuable as a historical document, because it addressed the real situation at the time. And it did help change people's thinking. But it doesn't work as entertainment anymore.
Whose Body, otoh, didn't help make anything better.
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