On reading just one

I recently read, with great pleasure, Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers. I knew when I picked it up that it was part of a series – and I was pretty sure I had read at least one other Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, though now I just think that I have seen them discussed and meant to read at least one often enough that I fooled myself. The point is, I knew it wasn’t the first in the series, but that was fine, as mysteries tend to be reasonably episodic, even when they have continuing characters. This one was highly recommended by a bookseller I trust at a favorite local indie, and one I had seen mentioned often as Sayers’ best.

As I said, I read it with great pleasure. It had many things I love – gorgeous prose, written by an author who expects her readers to be as well read as she is. Sharply accurate nuts and bolts feelings about writing and publishing, as Sayers’ detective Harriet Vane is a mystery writer. Sharply accurate feelings and gossip about academia and academic life. A mystery that matters, but didn’t overwhelm, with interesting twists, and I was fairly certain I knew who the culprit was early on, and it was pleasing to be proven correct. Also, a lovely longing romance, that was as intellectual as it was emotional, and a new favorite literary marriage proposal.

I’m pretty sure I’m not going to read any of the other books in the series.

It’s a strange reaction, I know. I’m often a completist, often someone who finds a new series or writer and then wants to read everything. And an episodic mystery series is great because I can read other things in between them – there’s no sense that a binge read might be the better choice in order to be able to properly remember and connect plot points and character beats.

And yet, because I enjoyed the experience of this one so much, because the ambient details were so personally pleasing, because I feel I came in at the emotional high point of the relationship, I also suspect that I will not like any of the others as much. So instead of reading them and being slightly disappointed that they were not Gaudy Night again, even if they are good – and I suspect they are – I am just going to stop here, and have this one deeply pleasing book in my thoughts.

(And yes, I know that the way to guarantee I am going to crave another Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey mystery in approximately three books’ time is to send out this newsletter, but you know, that’s fine. Gaudy Night is also a book about seeing what you really want and changing your mind to get it.)

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