The Five Red Herrings (published in the US as Suspicious Characters) was published by Victor Gollancz in 1931. Sandy Campbell, a painter, is found dead at the foot of a cliff in Kirkcudbright, a Scottish artists’ colony. Six painters — all of whom quarreled with Campbell — are suspects. Five are innocent (“red herrings”); one is the murderer. Wimsey must determine which one, primarily through the meticulous reconstruction of railway timetables and the timing of events.
The novel is Sayers’s most purely technical puzzle: the solution depends on proving that only one of the six suspects could have committed the murder and returned to his alibi location within the available time. Sayers researched the Scottish railway system exhaustively, and the timetable evidence is precise to the minute. The reader who enjoys railway puzzles will find the book irresistible; readers who prefer character and atmosphere may find it arid.
The Kirkcudbright setting (Sayers knew it well — she spent time there) provides local color: the artists’ colony, the Scottish landscape, the eccentric painters, and the tensions between artistic temperaments. Wimsey’s presence among the painters allows Sayers to explore the art world with characteristic intelligence, and the six suspects are individually characterized despite the book’s emphasis on mechanics over psychology.
Collecting The Five Red Herrings
First edition (Victor Gollancz, London, 1931): Black cloth, yellow Gollancz dust jacket.
Market values:
- UK first edition, fine/fine: $1,000–$3,000
- Very good: $300–$1,000
- US first (Brewer, Warren & Putnam, as Suspicious Characters): $300–$700
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The Artists’ Colony
The Five Red Herrings (1931) is set in the artists’ colony of Kirkcudbright in southwest Scotland (where Sayers spent holidays), and involves the murder of a painter whose body is found at the foot of a cliff. Six suspects — all painters — each have motive, opportunity, and a gap in their alibi. The novel is Sayers’s most rigorous puzzle, with elaborate train timetables that readers must follow to identify the killer. It is the most divisive Wimsey novel: purists admire its fair-play construction, while other readers find the railway schedules tedious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the US title different? The American publisher changed the title to Suspicious Characters, presumably finding the original too whimsical. Collectors should note that the US first has a different title on the spine and dust jacket.