Customer Reviews

Damsel in Distress (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 5)

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Set in 1923 England, this series follows the adventures of the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple, a young woman who has defied convention by choosing to make her own living (as a journalist) rather than let her aristocratic family support her.

When Phillip Petries American fiancé is kidnapped and held for ransom, Phillip turns to his good friend Daisy for help. Daisys penchant for crime-solving insures her willingness to help her old friend, but she finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place when Phillip asks her not to involve the police. Daisys romance with Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, a widower with a young daughter, certainly makes this dictate difficult to follow.

This is the fifth of the series (preceded by Murder on the Flying Scotsman and followed by Dead in the Water), and although the characters and setting remain as charming as ever, there is not much mystery solving to be had. The perpetrator of the kidnapping is obvious very early on, but the plot revolves more around rescuing the fiancé than solving a crime. The story is best described as a caper, with lots of following of suspects, traveling around the countryside, and a climactic shoot-out. Readers who like to decipher clues and try to solve the mystery themselves will be disappointed.

Daisy agrees to help introduce Philip Petrie's new love to his family. She is rich and American and he doesn't know how they will react. Daisy decides to kill two birds with one stone and invites Alec Fletcher to meet her mother. The week before the eventful weekend, Gloria is kidnapped. The villians will kill her if her father calls the police, so Petrie asks Daisy to help him find her.

This was an incredibly quick read (under three hours). I just couldn't put it down. It was nice to see all of the usual characters in a different setting. The author lets us get to know them a little better. Lucy is in every book, but very little time is given to her for example. I am looking forward to the next one.

When the daughter of an American millionaire is kidnapped, the girl's suitor appeals to Daisy Dalrymple for help. Determined to solve the case without any assistance from Detective Inspector Fletcher, Daisy drafts her chums into scouring the countryside for the kidnappers' hideout.

I enjoy Carola Dunn's light mysteries sent in 1920s England and this book is definitely one of the best in the series. The story sort of reminds me of Agatha Christies "The Secret Adversary"--more old-fashioned thriller with a touch of romance that a traditional who-dun-it. Daisy comes across as very much a Christie kind of heroine--a pretty plucky young thing with a bit of style and a habit of getting mixed up in murder and mayhem.

The book breezes along at a brisk pace and even though you can spot the villain early on, it doesn't detract in the slightest from the story's overall entertainment value. While Ms. Dunn probably won't win any major awards for her work, this book gets my vote for "Fast and Fun Read of the Week".

In 1923 just outside London, Phillip Petrie, the son of an English Lord, stops his car on the side of the road to see what is causing a terrible knocking sound. Gloria Arbuckle, the daughter of an American industrial giant, stops to offer her assistance. The pair begins to see each other and Phillip quickly falls in love with Gloria. Phillip courts Gloria and her poppa as he plans to win them both over and marry her.

One day, while Phillip and Gloria were driving together, the car breaks down. Phillip tries to fix it, but they are set upon by some thugs. He is tied up and she is abducted. The kidnappers instruct poppa to raise a ransom without involving the police if he wants his beloved daughter back alive. Phillip turns to his childhood chum, Daisy Dalyrmple, to save the life of his beloved.

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS is a fun to read, who-done-it that ironically laughs at itself as well as high society. Daisy and the support cast (both the recurring and new characters) are all wonderful in a zany way, making this a series worth reading.

Harriet Klausner

This was a good book in the "Daisy Dalrymple" series. I would like a little more intimate details of her relationship with her policeman "friend" though.