Rattle His Bones (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 8) [Hardcover]

Carola Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2000

In the summer of 1923, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple makes what should an uneventful research trip to the Museum of Natural History with her nephew Derek and her soon-to-be step-daughter Belinda in tow. But as she interviews the various curators for her article on the museums of London, she soon discovers that the Museum of Natural History is a hothouse of professional rivalry and jealousy, particularly between Dr. Smith Woodward, the Keeper of Geology - responsible for the fossil collection, and Dr. Pettigrew, the Keeper of Minerology - responsible for the Museum's fabulous gem collection. On a later trip, as closing time nears, Daisy hears two voices followed by a tremendous crash and rushes into the next hall to discover Dr. Pettigrew dead - murdered amidst a pile of dinosaur bones.

Daisy's fiance, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, is assigned to investigate and together they must unravel a most baffling case of missing gems, dispossessed European royalty, professional rivalry and murder most foul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Honourable Daisy Dalrymple brings her usual style and flair to this eighth installment, set in 1920s London, in Dunn's engagingly entertaining series (Murder on the Flying Scotsman; Styx and Bones; etc.). Titled but penniless, Daisy has forged a successful career as a freelance journalist. Her latest assignment, on the museums of London, sends her to that city's Natural History Museum, where she stumbles upon murder. The dead man, the extremely unpopular Dr. Pettigrew, Keeper of Mineralogy, had been heard violently arguing shortly before being found among pieces of a smashed dinosaur skeleton, his chest pierced by a shard of fossil bone. To complicate matters, Daisy learns that someone has replaced the entire museum gem collection with fakes. Murder and mayhem being right up her alley, Daisy determines to solve both mysteries as well as to research her article. Her long-suffering fianc?, DCI Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, oversees the case, which is filled with every type of suspect from rival museum curators to Rudolf Maximilian, the dispossessed grand duke of Transcarpathia. The tale takes off a little slowly, but once murder occurs, the pace picks up. The satisfying climax comes, fittingly enough, on a foggy London evening. Dunn's witty prose shines in this lighthearted whodunit.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This tidy historical, set in the 1920s, features the young, aristocratic Daisy Dalrymple (Murder on the Flying Scotsman) as writer/sleuth. This time, she investigates murder at the Museum of Natural History in London. A clever cozy.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (June 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312205724
• ISBN-13: 978-0312205720
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,777,095 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

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical mystery that is fun to read, May 27, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rattle His Bones (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 8) (Hardcover)

In 1924 England, the separation between the social classes was so wide, most citizens believed that one should marry within one's class. Deputy Constable Alec Fletcher is not so sure that perspective is incorrect, but he cannot give up his fiancee Daisy Dalyrmple just to satisfy conventional wisdom. The honorable Miss Daisy does not give a fig about social class distinctions as she plans to marry into the middle class.

Unlike most blokes of the period, Alec appreciates Daisy's independence and fully supports her need for a career writing magazine articles. However, at the same time he wishes she would stay outside of his homicide cases. Daisy wants to comply, but fate seems to keep pushing murdered bodies along her path. She currently works in the London Museum when she finds the corpse of the Keeper of Mineralogy impaled on a dinosaur bone. Daisy later learns that a fortune in jewels is also missing. Unable to resist, Daisy starts snooping, which places her in danger from the killer and sends Alec towards a potential stroke from her latest involvement.

The eighth installment in the Daisy Dalyrmple series, RATTLE HIS BONES, contains the humor of a sitcom that makes it more enjoyable than the entertaining previous seven. Daisy and Alec are an adorable couple, whose enlightened outlook helps them transcend the loud objections to their relationship. The era and the crime scene provide an ideal locale for Carola Dunn's first class story line while the ending is perfect for those readers who relish a well designed puzzle. The author has done historical mystery fans a big favor with this wonderful tale.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun period mystery--especially for those who love museums, June 27, 2007

By 

Sharilyn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rattle His Bones (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 8) (Mass Market Paperback)

Daisy Dalrymple, a freelance writer with a penchant for stumbling over corpses, is working on a magazine article about London's Natural History Museum. When the geology curator is murdered, Daisy's fiancé, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher is called in to investigate. It is soon discovered that many of the museum's gemstones have been replaced with fakes. Now Fletcher must unmask the killer and recover the missing jewels while trying to keep Daisy from meddling in his case.

Set in England during the 1920s, the Daisy Dalrymple books are lovely light reading--sort of a cross between Agatha Christie and P. G. Wodehouse. "Rattle His Bones" is one of the best in the series. The writing is effervescent and the main characters are absolutely charming. It's not all froth--the characters are confronted with the barriers of class distinctions and the horrible physical toll of World War I--but the overall tone is very lighthearted.

As someone who enjoys prowling the dimly lit halls of Chicago's Field Museum, I particularly enjoyed the book's setting. As a previous reviewer mentioned, if you've ever seen a dinosaur exhibit, you'll have no trouble picturing the locations in your mind's eye.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in the Series!, January 23, 2007

By 

Michelle Fidler "Cozy Mystery Lover" (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rattle His Bones (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 8) (Mass Market Paperback)

This has been my favorite in the series so far (I've read all but three, I think). It takes place in the Museum of Natural History and I found it very interesting as I've been to two or three natural history museums. I read this a while ago, but I believe exhibits are mentioned, including extinct animals (maybe like the giant ground sloth). If you've ever been to a natural history museum, you might find yourself saying that you've seen an exhibit like the one being described. I would recommend this to people who like cozy and historical mysteries and, of course, those who like natural history museums!