THE NINE TAILORS

Ian Carmichael reprises his TV portrayal of the deceptively fatuous sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey in this nearly flawless radio play, based on Sayers's 1934 whodunit. The title refers to the nine bells of a provincial church that conceal the solution to a ghastly murder that Lord P. has providentially stumbled upon. The sound is pristine, the performances spot-on, and the pacing clean. The climax in the church tower as the Tailors maddeningly peal is unusually effective, considering that action sequences are not the forte of BBC radio drama. Perhaps more attention should have been paid to suspense and the manipulation of tension, but the overall charm of the production, nicely reflecting that of the novel, more than compensates. Y.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 07/ JAN 08]