{{short description|1933 short story collection by Dorothy Sayers}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{italic title}} [[Image:hangmans_holiday.JPG|thumb|First edition]]

'''''Hangman's Holiday'''''<ref>{{cite web |title=Hangman's Holiday |url=https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20200631 |website=www.fadedpage.com |access-date=30 September 2024}}</ref> is a collection of short stories, mostly murder mysteries, by [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]. This collection, the ninth in the [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] series, was first published by [[Victor Gollancz Ltd|Gollancz]] in [[1933 in literature|1933]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Hangman's holiday. {{!}} WorldCat.org |oclc=7706561 |language=en }}</ref> and has been reprinted a number of times since, for example the 1995 paperback: {{ISBN|978-0-06-104362-8}}).

==Contents== *[[Lord Peter Wimsey]] stories: **''"[[The Image in the Mirror]]"'' – Wimsey must help a man with ''[[situs inversus]]'', who believes he is going mad after being haunted by a [[doppelganger]]. **''"The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey"'' – A man studying [[Basques|Basque culture]] enlists Wimsey's help in saving an [[expatriate]] American woman whom the villagers believe is bewitched. **''"The Queen's Square"'' – Wimsey attends a [[fancy dress]] ball during the Christmas season, where several people dressed as chess pieces become suspected of killing a female blackmailer. **''"The Necklace of Pearls"'' – Wimsey tries to avoid scandal when a fun-filled Christmas Eve at Sir Septimus Shale's house turns into an uncomfortable affair after a priceless pearl necklace goes missing. *[[Montague Egg]] stories: **''"The Poisoned Dow '08"'' – Mr. Egg arrives at a client's house to find him dead, and the police in need of evidence about a shipment of bottles Mr. Egg delivered earlier. **''"Sleuths on the Scent"'' – Mr. Egg uses his knowledge of various professions to flush out a murderer hiding in a pub. **''"Murder in the Morning"'' – Mr. Egg finds himself one of those suspected in the murder of a client, and gives evidence at inquest. **''"One Too Many"'' – Mr. Egg's knowledge of the train ticket system helps the police find an absconding banker and his secretary. **''"Murder at Pentecost"'' – While trying to win a bet against an [[Oxford University]] student, Mr. Egg discovers the motive and opportunity of a very clever murderer. **''"Maher-Shalal-Hashbaz"'' – Mr. Egg helps an impoverished child sell her pet, a fierce orange cat with [[Maher-shalal-hash-baz|a Biblical name]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Hangman's Holiday |last=Sayers |first=Dorothy L. |publisher=Victor Gollancz Ltd. |year=1971 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=234}}</ref> The cat subsequently runs away from its new home, and in tracing it back Mr. Egg discovers the brutal murder of more than fifty cats and an elderly man. *Other stories: **''"The Man Who Knew How"'' – A man becomes obsessed with finding and stopping what he believes is a serial killer. **''"The Fountain Plays"'' – A man being blackmailed tries to figure out how to rid himself of his tormentor, but finds himself at the mercy of a second blackmailer.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite web |title=Hangman's Holiday – Dorothy L Sayers |url=https://bookramblings.blog/2021/11/09/hangmans-holiday-dorothy-l-sayers/ |website=Ramblings on my bookshelves |access-date=30 September 2024 |language=en |date=9 November 2021}} * {{cite web |title=Reviews - Hangmans Holiday {{!}} The StoryGraph |url=https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/8a42a2b3-c2c1-4208-a450-8145f7854a7d?written_explanations_only=true |website=app.thestorygraph.com |access-date=30 September 2024}}

==External links== * {{FadedPage|id=20200631|name=Hangman's Holiday}}

{{Lord Peter Wimsey}}

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[[Category:1933 short story collections]] [[Category:Victor Gollancz Ltd books]] [[Category:Lord Peter Wimsey short story collections]] [[Category:English-language short story collections]] {{1930s-mystery-story-collection-stub}}