Customer Reviews

High Spirits (Five Star Expressions)

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In February 1921 in Pasadena, California Daisy Gumm Majesty makes a living for her and her disabled WWI veteran husband Billy by pretending to be a spiritualist. Her otherworldly control Rolly, who she invented when she was ten years old, enables her to put bread on the table as Billy is unable to work though he despises how she makes money.

Her best client Mrs. Kincaid begs Daisy to do a reading at a speakeasy; she says no hiding behind Rolly not stepping inside a den of iniquity. However, eventually she reluctantly agrees though not for her client's daughter Stacy who calls herself Flossie Mosser who frequents the joint run by mobster Vicenzo Maggiori. With Mrs. Kincaid's kind son Harold escorting her Daisy enters the speakeasy while Billy's best friend homicide detective Sam Rotondo worries about her especially when the cops raid the joint.

More a satirical historical lampooning the Prohibition stereotypes than a mystery, fans of Alice Duncan's spirited post WWI thriller will relish this fine entry as Daisy gets into one troubling incident after another. Although the plot is thin, the insight into 1920s California is deep and vivid while the cast is strong especially Billy struggling mentally due to his war related physical disabilities. Fans will enjoy Mrs. Majesty's latest reading.

Harriet Klausner

Alice Duncan's HIGH SPIRITS is not the first of her books I've read and she never disappoints me. Daisy Gumm Majesty has enough spirit of her own to deal with the spirits out of which she makes her living. War, her family, and life in general keep you turning pages to see how on earth Daisy is going to manage the things that come up; keep her home and income intact; and herself out of trouble. Alice Duncan is adept at developing interesting characters and plot twists putting Daisy in danger as she walks a tightrope between the physical and mental problems of her beloved family in the twenties when the rest of the country was dealing with prohibition and other national problems. Duncan effectively brings the reader in to experience this era our mothers and mothers-in-law lived through. To her dismay, Daisy's talents as a medium catch the attention of a dangerous mobster. The owner of a Speak-Easy, he demands Daisy come there to channel spirits for him and his friends. Talk about a command performance! A policeman the family knows promptly steps in to make Daisy part of his plan to trap the mobster and set up a raid. Danger; heartbreak over her disabled veteran husband; the characters of her family; and the clients Daisy has for her paranormal career are interwoven to keep you rooting for Daisy and turning pages to the exciting and rewarding end. Alice Duncan's books are delights for her cozy mystery fans.