It’s the early 1920s in England–the country is still recovering from the Great War and undergoing rapid social changes that many are not quite ready to accept. During this heady and tumultuous time, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple, the daughter of a Viscount, makes a decision shocking to her class: rather than be supported by her relations, she will earn her own living as a writer. Landing an … Landing an assignment for Town & Country magazine for a series of articles on country manor houses, she travels to Wentwater Court in early January 1923 to begin research on her first piece. But all is not well there when she arrives. Lord Wentwater’s young wife has become the center of a storm of jealousy, animosity, and, possibly, some not-unwanted amorous attention, which has disrupted the peace of the bucolic country household.
Still, this is as nothing compared to the trouble that ensues when one of the holiday guests drowns in a tragic early-morning skating accident. Especially when Daisy discovers that his death was no accident….
In a series debut that is sure to delight fans of the classic British cosy mystery, Death at Wentwater Court brings readers old and new back to the “golden age” of mystery.
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There are, as I write, 23 titles in Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple mysteries. Set in England in the 1920s, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple is a modern girl. She forgoes the support of her family in favour of providing for herself as a writer of magazine articles. When she comes into contact with murder she also meets a certain police detective and life takes another turn. Entertaining for those of us who like British cozies.
A fun cozy mystery. I enjoyed Daisy and the dishy detective. A great cast of characters. A very enjoyable cozy.
cosy-mystery, england, 1920s, family-dynamics, friendship, death-investigation, law-enforcement, due-diligence, theft*****
The best thing is that I get to see the characters as they improve in clarity and presence as well as listen to Bernadette Dunne narrator settle into the roles of the characters as the series progresses.
This is first in series and we get to meet all the main characters for the first time. I had started with the one after this, and while it did well enough as a stand alone, I wanted to begin at the beginning. The plot is well drawn and the conclusion is startling but it’s the characters that really drive the story! Especially when it appears that another case might be involved. Loved it!
The Honourable Daisy Dalrymple has taken an
assignment for the Town and Country magazine
to photograph and write an article on the
Wentwater Court estate.
Daisy has a wealthy background and her taking a
job is unusual for a woman in 1923 Britain. But
she forges on to do her own photography and
writing.
Little did she know that she would find herself
involved in a murder investigation. Her photographs
show that the man death staged to look like an
accident were deliberate…..meaning murder.
Daisy works along side of the handsome Scotland
Yard Detective as he investigates.
Add a series of robberies to the mix for good read.
Artfully created characters plus detailed description
of the house.
A good historical era mystery.
I began reading this book and didn’t care for it. I needed a score caed to keep track of the characters and felt it was a little too slow. Perhaps it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I put it down and started another one.
I just finished the 23rd book of this series (Death at Wentworth Court is the first) and I loved every book. I was usually unable to solve the mystery before the ending, and I love the romantic relationship between the main characters. The secondary characters are well written and add much to the books. I can’t wait for #24!
This is the first in The Daisy Dalrymple series of mysteries. I have become addicted this series. The books are great fun. Set in 1920’s England, just after the First World War. Dunn nicely conveys a great sense of place and time. She explores the changing society, the loosening of social norms and etiquette in a postwar age.
Hooked on Daisy.
I have read every book in this series and enjoyed all.
Good cozy mystery that evokes the 20’s era with descriptions of clothing, furnishings, automobiles and attitudes. Period slang in the dialog adds amusing color.
Good mystery great characters well presented
I really enjoy period mystery stories with plucky female detectives. There were enough twists to keep the story interesting and I enjoyed the rapport between the two main characters.
Entertaining, old-fashioned mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This was an easy to read entertaining book. The characters were realistic and the ending was not overly easy to predict.
A good mystery
The first book in the Daisy Dalrymple series. Excellent mystery, well-developed characters. Highly recommended.
I generally enjoy novels with historical settings, and Death at Wentwater Court was a lot of fun to read.
Murder of Manners
Daisy Dalrymple is striking out on her own. Using her wealthy background, she gets a job for a magazine photographing and writing about the famous Wentwater Manor. Not too long after she arrives, one of her fellow guests is found dead in a hole in the ice. At first, it’s thought to be an accident, but soon Daisy is convinced it’s murder. Aiding the handsome Scotland Yard detective assigned to the case, she does her best to find the truth while keeping the family out of scandal.
This is a fun mystery set in 1923 England. The writing drew me into Daisy’s world and was quite curious about what was really going on. Having said that, the plotting did seem a bit uneven. There were times when the story seemed to be at a standstill, then it would move forward again. Overall, it moved along nicely and reached a conclusion that was surprising and satisfying at the same time. The characters are almost all English aristocracy, and it was interesting getting a glimpse into their world at a less then ideal time. The dialog was so good that I could hear the accents most of the time.
Now that I’ve read Death at Wentwater Court, I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this fun, historical series.