Customer Reviews

Anthem for Doomed Youth: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1926, three male corpses are found in a shallow grave in Epping Forest. Local police officer Di Grant leads the inquiry until Scotland Yard's Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher and his team arrives at the crime scene. Irate with the outside interference, Grant leaves.

Alec knows they must identify the deceased and find what connects them if they are to solve the homicides. To his chagrin as his boss told him to keep his spouse away from the case, his wife, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, suggest a World War I link. One of the dead was abusive Colonel Pelham, whose wife is euphoric that the bully is dead. The two other victims were much younger than the Colonel so could have served during the war under his command. Meanwhile Daisy and her friends (Melanie and Sakari) attend a sports day at their daughters' school. The three moms meet bully boys game teacher Harriman and other teachers still suffering from their service time. When Melanie's daughter finds Harriman's corpse, Daisy protects the girls from the incompetent investigation conducted by Gant.

This is a fabulous Post WWI murder mystery starring delightful Daisy who goes out of her way to not get involved but that proves Sheer Folly as she ends up the thick of things. The story line is fast-paced yet provides a sense of being in England in 1926 through the Fletcher family and their friends, and especially through the war veterans as many suffered from undiagnosed Battle Fatigue. Fans of the series or anyone who appreciate an entertaining yet insightful early twentieth century British mystery will appreciate Anthem for Doomed Youth.

Harriet Klausner

Carola Dunn seems to be reaching for ideas in her recent books, and it really shows here. If you've read any of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear and then read this book, you know exactly where the ideas here came from.

This book is too far a stretch in terms of plotting and detail for this author, and she doesn't have the right touch for the mood she tries to set here. I hope Carola Dunn soon finds her natural rhythm again, and goes back to the fluffy style she does so well.

The Daisy Dalrymple series is usually a very light-hearted one; however, this particular entry has a darker tone. A trio of murdered bodies involves Daisy's husband, Scotland Yard Inspector Alec Fletcher. Although he does his best to keep his wife from getting caught up in the case, the discovery of a fourth victim inevitably draws her in.
The deaths are all connected with the scarifying events of World War I; as always Daisy helps her husband discover the link.

I generally enjoy these books without reservation; however, in this instance I gave the book only three stars.
I'm never quite comfortable whenever I end up rooting for the murderer!

Reading the sleuthing adventures of Daisy Dalrymple is one of my guilty pleasures. The series is charming and the time period is wonderful -- England, between the Wars. Carola Dunn has really put together a winner.

I'm subtracting one or two stars because of the obvious lack of human proofreading in this book.

On page 128 of the hardcover edition, for example, we read, "The Garden ... was layed out in various sections...".

On page 204 we read 3 sentences, and then read those same 3 sentences again immediately afterwards.

Publishers have to stop assuming that electronic proofreading is enough. It's not.

There is even an error on the outside back cover, where reviews of previous books in the series are quoted. The name of one of the previous Daisy Dalrymple books is misspelled!

St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books has to do a much better job. Their readers shouldn't be their proofreaders.

So many great things about this book for Daisy fans. You get to know her friends Melanie and Sakari, and Sakari in particular is a delicious character, supporting Daisy's sleuthing, outwitting dull policemen and generally ordering the universe to suit her. Two separate mysteries are in play through the book, and only converge near the end with the resolution of both, but of course only with some guidance from Daisy! I read this series in large part because the moment in history being explored - between World War 1 and World War 2 in Britain, is so fascinating, and this book delves deep into the some of the more serious ramifications of sending young men to war and how pointless killing people really is in any circumstance. If you like the series, you will be extremely happy with this one.

My favorite entry in the series so far is Black Ship. Sakari and Melanie are well-drawn characters, and the murders are pleasingly grim. I like Daisy because she's not so damned perfect all the time, and she seems to genuinely love her husband, step-daughter, and twins. However, the ending of this book was frustratingly ambiguous, to the point where I was unclear on who actually committed a murder and if they'd be brought to justice: maybe everything will be illuminated upon a reread, but for the moment, I am unsatisfied.