Trouble at the Bellona Club

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Anger im Bellona Club (also: It happened in the Bellona Club , English: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club ) is a detective novel by Dorothy L. Sayers published in 1928 . It is the fourth case for the gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey .

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On Remembrance Day 1928, the elderly General Fentiman was found dead in the wing chair of the Bellona Club in London by his grandson Captain George Fentiman and Lord Peter Wimsey . His sister, Lady Dormer, also died that morning. The general's personal physician, Dr. Penberthy, also a club member, attests a natural death for the general, but is uncertain about the exact time of death.

The wealthy Lady Dormer has chosen her brother as her main heir. In the event that he dies before her, however, she has bequeathed the main inheritance to her partner, Ann Dorland, and earmarked small sums of money for the general's grandsons, Major Robert Fentiman and Captain George Fentiman.

A few days later, Mr. Murbles, lawyer for both the Fentiman and Wimsey families, visits Lord Peter at his house and asks him to determine the exact time of death of the general and whether he or his sister died first.

Wimsey quickly finds out that despite or because of the hustle and bustle, no one at the Bellona Club saw the general arrive on the morning of Armistice Day. He did not spend the night before at home as usual, but in the house of a stranger named Oliver. In addition, Ann Dorland vehemently refuses to speak to him. She also firmly rejects an out-of-court settlement with the Fentiman brothers.

Wimsey spends some unsuccessful time tracking down Oliver. However, he discovers that after visiting his dying sister, the general was still Dr. Had visited Penberthy and complained of acute malaise. As a result, he can urge the reluctant Robert Fentiman to request an exhumation . It turns out that the general was poisoned with a high dose of digitalis . Scotland Yard's Inspector Parker , a friend of Wimsey’s, is put in charge of the official investigation. After a ruse by Wimsey, Robert Fentiman reluctantly admits that he just made up the person Oliver. He found the already dead general the night before in the empty library in the Bellona Club and hid his body in the club's phone booth until the next morning in order to secure the main inheritance for himself and his brother.

Resolution of the case

Ann Dorland, now the main suspect, who had previously firmly refused any compromise on the inheritance settlement, suddenly gives in and wants to come to an agreement with the Fentimans. Wimsey uses a ruse to get to Ann Dorland; he finds her broken up because her secret fiancé, Dr. Penberthy, who suddenly broke off engagement in humiliating circumstances. Peneberthy had previously urged her to refuse to compromise. Dorland is arrested as the prime suspect; Wimsey can, however, exonerate them. Penberthy had learned all the details of Lady Dormer's last will from his patient, General Fentiman, and had poisoned the general with a high dose of digitalis to secure the main inheritance of his fiancée. As a doctor, he was able to certify a natural death. Confronted with the truth in the Bellona Club, Penberthy writes a confession in the library of the club, thereby exonerating Ann Dorland. Then he shoots himself.

In the epilogue, Wimsey learns that the inheritance has been divided equally between the brothers Fentiman and Ann Dorland, who begins a relationship with Robert.

Characters

  • Lord Peter Wimsey - amateur detective and member of the Bellona Club
  • Inspector Charles Parker - Scotland Yard investigator and friend of Lord Peter
  • Mervyn Bunter - Wimsey's servant
  • Mr. Murbles, the Wimseys and Fentimans family lawyer
  • General Fentiman (deceased) - veteran veteran of the Crimean War and member of the Bellona Club
  • Lady Dormer (deceased) - General Fentiman's sister
  • Major Robert Fentiman - General Fentiman's elder grandson; Member of the Bellona Club
  • Captain George Fentiman - General Fentiman's younger grandson; Member of the Bellona Club
  • Sheila Fentiman - wife of George Fentiman
  • Ann Dorland - distant relative and associate of Lady Dormer
  • Dr Penberthy - Doctor and member of the Bellona Club
  • Sir James Lubbock - chemist and friend of Lord Peter
  • Marjorie Phelps - artist, friend of Lord Peter and Ann Dorland
  • Salcombe Hardy - journalist for the Daily Yell tabloid
  • Captain Culyer - General Manager of the Bellona Club
  • Colonel Marchbanks - member of the Bellona Club
  • Mr. Wetheridge - member of the Bellona Club
  • Dick Challoner - member of the Bellona Club

Adaptations

In 1973 the book was filmed in a miniseries by the BBC . Ian Carmichael played Lord Peter.