Black Ship (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 17) [Hardcover]

Carola Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

In 1925, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, her husband, Alec Fletcher (a Scotland Yard Detective) and their new twin infant children inherit and move to a new, larger house on the outskirts of London proper, in a stage of slight disrepair (thanks to an aged, now deceased, uncle).  Set in a small circle of houses and a communal garden, it seems a near idyllic setting.  That is until a dead body turns up half-hidden under the bushes of the communal garden, rumors of bootleggers, American gangsters, and an international liquor smuggling operation via black ships turn everything upside down.  And it's up to Daisy - well, Alec with some help from Daisy - to find out who the dead man is, why he was murdered and who did him in!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Dunn's diverting 17th Daisy Dalrymple 1920s mystery (after 2007's The Bloody Tower), Daisy and her Scotland Yard detective husband, Alec Fletcher, have inherited a large house from Alec's great-uncle near London's Hampstead Heath. While the couple are delighted with the extra space for their growing family, they have doubts about their new neighbors. Then the maid discovers a dead body in the garden one morning, and Daisy and Alec become entangled in a case involving bootleggers, American gangsters and black ships (e.g., rum-running vessels). Meanwhile, the nanny can't get used to the idea that Daisy as a modern mother actually wants to play with her babies. Dunn provides an intriguing view of the Prohibition era from the English perspective, besides casting a witty light on the social changes of the day. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

This is the seventeenth entry in Dunn’s charming series featuring the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple and her detective husband, Alec Fletcher. It’s 1925, less than four years after Daisy’s first adventure (Death at Wentwater Court, 1994) took place, so it’s no surprise why she is infamous at Scotland Yard as the detective’s wife who keeps falling over bodies. Technically, Daisy doesn’t stumble over this body, but her dog and parlor maid do in a small communal garden near their new home. As they get to know their new neighbors, they find that they really like the Jessups (who are in the business of selling spirits) and really dislike the Bennetts (who are in the business of gossip). The hapless Mr. Lambert from their American adventure (The Murdered Muckraker, 2002), now employed by the U.S. Treasury Department, returns in this novel, on the track of contraband booze, even though bootlegging is not illegal in England. (Black Ship refers to a rum-running vessel.) As usual, Daisy helps solve the case because people “do like to tell me things, you know.” --Judy Coon

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312363079
• ISBN-13: 978-0312363079
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carola Dunn is the author of the Daisy Dalrymple mysteries. Born and raised in England, the author now lives in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Black ship, November 23, 2008

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E. Otten (St. Louis, Mo) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Ship (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 17) (Hardcover)

Excellent, mysterious story with a new setting. One of the Best of the Hon. Daisy mysterious, good characters, nice suspense. Highly recommended. Full of wit and charm as well. You can't help loving Daisy and her gileless blue eys!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Ship, September 24, 2008

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Kathleen V. Lessard "K. Lessard" (Mason, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Ship (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 17) (Hardcover)

This is the fourth book of Carola Dunn's that I have read and I really enjoy her writing. This book, Black Ship is no exception, the characters are well written and I thought the storyline was good. The Black Ship is part of a series, "A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery" so a large part of the cast, if you have read any of the Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, are familiar names, if not, you will be introduced to them and hopefully want to read other books by Ms Dunn. All of the stories take place in England and Daisy is forever frustrating her poor husband Alec who is a CID detective because she seems to insert herself in whatever murder comes up - it seems to find her! People tell her things that they won't tell the police so she ends up helping the police with solving the crime. The stories are cozy and fun and I recommend them to any one who enjoys reading a good English mystery.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Ship, March 3, 2010

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Dolores G. Wells "Dolores Wells" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Ship (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is one of the best Daisy Dalrymple mysteries I have read. She makes the whole 1920's world of England interesting and exciting. a good read.