September 3, 2008 at 11:37 am · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense
Fall of a Philanderer by Carola Dunn (Historical mystery)
It had been a while since I read this, so when I bought a hardcover copy, I re-read it. It was just as much fun as I remembered.
Carola Dunn writes a series of charming mysteries set in England during the 1920’s, one of my favourite historical periods. I love the clothes, I love the manners, and I love reading about the effects of World War I on English life. The books in this series are definitely “cozies”, without the gritty realism that I find so alien and depressing. The main character is the Honourable Miss Daisy Dalrymple, the daughter of a viscount who died in the Influenza pandemic. Daisy’s brother, who was to inherit the title and family estate, and who would have provided for Daisy, died in the trenches. Daisy takes advantage of the loosening of social mores to embark on a writing career that would have been unthinkable for a woman of her breeding a decade earlier.
Fall of a Philanderer is one of the later books in the series, so Daisy has already met, fallen in love with, and married a Scotland Yard detective, Alec Fletcher. While on holiday at the seaside, Alec and Daisy discover the dead body of a serial adulterer, who seems to have been pushed off a cliff. Given his behaviour, the only surprise is that no jealous husband, enraged father, or jilted lover had bashed him over the head long since. Alec, forced to cut short his holiday and take over the case, has only too many suspects to choose from.
I’d recommend starting this series at the beginning, but it’s not necessary, and this book is as a good a place as any.
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Carola Dunn, Daisy Dalrymple
January 11, 2008 at 7:24 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense
4. The Bloody Tower by Carola Dunn (Historical Mystery) 259 p.
Another relaxing, undemanding Daisy Dalrymple mystery from Carola Dunn. In this one, Daisy Fletcher has finally given birth to her baby (which has turned out to be twins.) She doesn’t see much of them, though, since the nanny she engaged on the recommendation of a friend proves to be something of a tyrant in the nursery. Nanny Gilpin’s presence does, however, leave Daisy plenty of time to pursue her writing career.
An invitation to lunch with the Resident Governor of the Tower of London seems the perfect opportunity for Daisy’s next article for her American editor. After all, despite its sinister and bloody history, the Tower is a popular tourist attraction for English and Americans alike.
Of course, Daisy can’t go anywhere without tripping over dead bodies, much to her husband’s chagrin. When Daisy discovers the dead body of a yeoman warder, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher is naturally the man Scotland Yard sends to clear up the case.
As usual, Carola Dunn delivers a few hours of light entertainment that I’ll be happy to revisit anytime I need a comfort read. I like Daisy a lot, which is a bit surprising—generally a character who is as universally liked as Daisy is by other characters can’t help but be obnoxious to the reader, but I haven’t found that the case with this series. Most people like Daisy because she likes most people, something I find both believable and soothing.
(And by the way, I love the cover of this book! I’m very fond of all the hardcovers in this series, but especially this one.)
Books read: 4
Pages read: 1,089
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Carola Dunn, Daisy Dalrymple
January 10, 2008 at 11:25 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense
3. Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn (Historical Mystery) 246 p.
15th in the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series. Daisy, six months pregnant with her first child, visits Edge Manor, the home of an old school friend, to write an article about the family’s annual Guy Fawkes Day celebration for an American magazine.
Her stay is rather spoiled by the murder of her host and another guest, a visiting Australian woman invited on the spur of the moment. Naturally, with Daisy on the scene, her husband Alec Fletcher, a Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard, is called in to investigate.
Aside from the Daisy Dalrymple series, Carola Dunn also writes the only Regency romances I’ve ever been able to stomach. No matter what genre she writes in, her stories are always comforting, perfect for a cold, grey day. They always cheer me up.
It doesn’t matter that I guessed the motive for the murderer, and the identity of the murderer, before the crime had even been committed; I don’t read these books to find out the solution to the mystery (although usually I don’t guess it ahead of time), but for the pleasure of reading a light, engaging novel about 1920’s England.
Books read: 3
Pages read: 830
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Carola Dunn, Daisy Dalrymple
