To Davy Jones Below (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 9) [Hardcover]

Carola Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2001

In late 1923 the newly married Daisy Dalrymple and Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard take an ocean voyage to America for their honeymoon. Accompanied by Daisy's childhood friend Phillip Petrie, his wife, Gloria, and Gloria's father, American millionaire industrialist Caleb P. Arbuckle, Daisy and Alec are looking forward to a pleasant, uneventful trip. But at the last minute they are joined by Arbuckle's new friend, Yorkshire millionaire Jethro Gotobed, and his new wife, Wanda, a showgirl whom all but Gotobed are convinced is a gold digger of the worst sort.

Then, having barely lifted anchor, the ocean liner is beset by a series of suspicious accidents and deaths. With harsh weather and rough seas putting many-including Alec-out of commission due to seasickness, it soon falls to Daisy to figure out what connection there might be between the seemingly unrelated incidents. Convinced that there's a murderer aboard ship, Daisy must unmask the culprit or culprits before anyone else-especially herself-falls victim.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the eighth in a charming series of mysteries set in 1920s England, newlyweds Daisy Dalrymple and Scotland Yard detective Alec Fletcher, headed for America aboard the Talavera, find their honeymoon disrupted by mysterious accidents and murder. Besides a nice period feel, Dunn (Rattle His Bones) provides the usual likable cast, which here includes American millionaire Caleb P. Arbuckle, his daughter Gloria and son-in-law Phillip, as well as Arbuckle's friend, wealthy Yorkshire businessman Jethro Gotobed and his flashy new wife, Wanda Fairchild, a former chorus girl. The ship has not been long underway when a man falls overboard, and a distraught young woman claims he was thrown. Though the man is rescued, the captain wants to know what happened, so Alec finds himself dragooned into service, despite his seasickness. When Gotobed witnesses a second man falling overboard, the Yorkshireman claims the victim was shot, and this time there is no rescue. Daisy and Alec have to wonder who among their acquaintances on the Talavera is a murderer and what is his or her true motive, but they're not even certain who the intended victim was. While the plot tends to be predictable, Dunn manages some good twists to keep her detecting duo proving their mettle. Fans of light historical whodunits should be well pleased.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Honeymooners Daisy Dalrymple and Scotland Yard inspector Alex Fletcher are sailing to the U.S. aboard the SS Talavera. The trip quickly becomes a busman's honeymoon when one man is pushed overboard and another is shot. Many of the passengers make good suspects, including the wealthy Jethro Gotobed and the rude young gambler Chester Riddman. As Alec battles seasickness, Daisy investigates the case, writes about the voyage for a magazine article, and guiltily tries to avoid the obnoxious Wanda Gotobed. The 1920s setting gives Dunn lots of opportunity to pepper the story with details of the times, and if she is a bit heavy-handed in the way she incorporates historical fact into her narrative, the period ambience is, on the whole, more entertaining than distracting. This is a routinely enjoyable entry in a lightweight but pleasant-enough historical series. If only Dunn could avoid giving her characters such silly names (Gotobed?). Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (July 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312266693
• ISBN-13: 978-0312266691
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,530,532 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a wonderfully engaging and cozy read, April 1, 2001

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Davy Jones Below (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 9) (Hardcover)

"To Davy Jones Below" is the eighth book in the highly enjoyable Daisy Dalrymple mystery series, and it is as entertaining and as engaging as the previous novels in the series. This time around, Daisy's latest adventure takes place abroad the luxury ship, the S.S. Talavera, during her honeymoon.

Daisy and her policeman fiance, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, have barely tied the knot, when Alec is informed that he will be sailing to America as soon as their brief honeymmon is over, in order to advise the Americans on how to organise and clean up their Invesgation Bureau of the Justice Department. Of course Alec will have to take Daisy with him -- it is the very prospect of six weeks without Daisy getting herself involved with any police investigations, that sells the Assisstant Commissionor on the idea of doing without him for a while! It has even been arranged for Daisy to do a series of articles on her trip to America. It all seems a little too good to be true -- a trip to America abroad the S.S. Talavera, accompanied by their good friends Philip and Gloria Petrie, and Gloria's millionaire father, Caleb P. Arbuckle! And that's what it proves to be. The first sign that things will not be smooth sailing is the news that Arbuckle's friend, Jethro Gotobed (another millionaire), has married his chorus-girl girlfriend. Arbuckle had hoped to wean Gotobed of the glorious Wanda's charms by inviting him to America. However Gotobed confounds Arbuckle's good intentions by rushing Wanda off her feet and marrying her. Everyone is appalled with this marriage, and even Daisy's rather proletariat leanings are challenged by Wanda's vulgarity.

Daisy and Alec however are firmly resolved to enjoy their extended honeymoon, but their plans suffer a setback as well when a passenger falls overboard, and another passenger, the giddy Lady Brenda, swears that she saw someone push the unfortunate Mr. Denton, into the sea. Upon learning that Alec is a police officer, the harassed ship captain, inveigles him to look into the matter. However Alec is by now suffering from a bout of sea sickness. This leaves Daisy to act as his deputy, and to discreetly interrogate the witnesses. The investigation seems to be going nowhere when another passenger (Mr. Pertwee) falls overboard. This time however Mr. Gotobed cries foul by claiming that Pertwee was shot before he fell overboard. Is there a maniac aboard, bent on throwing unsuspecting passengers into the sea? Or are the two 'accidents' connected? And if so how? Daisy and Alec are determined to get to the bottom of things before another passenger falls into the sea.

This entire series makes for highly enjoyable and entertaining light reading. The violence is minimal in the sense that Dunn does not go in for graphic and horrific detail, and her prose style is crisp and witty, ably capturing the spirit of the 1920s. Indeed there was quite a P. G. Woodehouse air about this particular mystery! And Carola Dunn has created a wonderfully engaging and charming investigative heroine in Daisy: it is Daisy's zest and keeness to help others, a tendency that frequently lands her in the middle of Alec's cases, that is the central force of this series and what makes it so compelling and engaging. "To Davy Jones Below" is a wonderfully cozy read, and great fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, September 17, 2007

By 

Sharilyn - See all my reviews

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This review is from: To Davy Jones Below (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 9) (Paperback)

Daisy and her new husband DCI Alec Fletcher set sail for America. But what should be a romantic cruise quickly turns into the voyage of discomfort and death as the rough seas leave stomachs queasy and passengers begin to tumble overboard.

Dunn has chosen a wonderful setting for her tale (a 1923 trans-Atlantic crossing) and she makes the most of it. The story is nicely paced and populated with colorful characters.

To say that this book (and the entire series for that matter) is delightful may sound trite, but it is an apt description for such wonderful escapist reading. Spending a few hours with Daisy and Alec is pure pleasure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comfy cozy!, May 9, 2007

By 

Liz at reviewedbyliz.com "Because life is too... (Cedar Springs, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Davy Jones Below (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 9) (Paperback)

Davey Jones Below is a Daisy Dalrymple mystery set in 1923. Daisy and her new husband, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher, have had their honeymoon Shanghaied. An American millionaire has arranged to use the consulting services of Fletcher in Washington D.C. for several weeks and the newlyweds are now honeymooning on the transatlantic cruise, along with the American's family and friends.

But the crossing is marred by seasickness and mishaps - people keep falling off the ship. Or, as one witness described it, being pushed. With DCI Fletcher below decks in agony, Daisy takes over the investigation requested by the captain. Daisy needs to discover which of their sailing companions has a hidden agenda without causing a panic amongst the passengers.

This the eighth book in the Daisy Dalrymple series, but it is the first book that I have read by Dunn and I enjoyed the book. The characters are appealing, the shipboard setting alternates between being romantic and frightening, and the historical details add interest to the story. And if I seem to be damming this book with faint praise, that isn't my intention. This book is of the type that is the staple of the cozy reader's diet. It is interesting without being heavy, a fast read, and a welcome respite from some of the more ponderous books I have been reading lately.

Favorite character? Fletcher, who doesn't patronize his detecting wife too much. Did I guess it? Yes. Will I read another? Yes. How nice to find a new author that I enjoy with a long series - I now have lots of Daisy Dalrymple's adventures to look forward to.