Death at Wentwater Court (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 1) (Hardcover)

by Carola Dunn (Author)
Key Phrases: despatch case, Lord Wentwater, Lord Stephen, Miss Dalrymple (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This lively mystery debut introduces the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple, who has taken a job to ensure her independence--an unusual step for the daughter of a viscount in 1922. Her first assignment for Town and Country takes her to Wentwater Court at Christmastime to write about the Wentwater family. Her visit is disrupted by unwelcome guest and--according to Lady Josephine--"utter cad" Lord Stephen Astwick. When Astwick's body is found floating under the ice in the estate's lake, attractive Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher arrives on the scene. Daisy's photos of the victim, showing ax marks in the ice, suggest the death is murder and prompt Fletcher to enlist her as his stenographer during his investigations. With the entire family, from the earl to his grandchildren, under suspicion, Daisy takes on the role of liaison between landed and working classes. Astwick's indiscretions come to light and disclose more motives for murder at Wentwater Court. Inquisitive and sympathetic, Daisy identifies the murderer, suggests a solution pleasing to most of the family and secures the possibility of romance in her future.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
During the post-war turbulence of 1920s England, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple shocks her family by getting a job writing, a job that leads her to Wentwater Court, a manor house full of jealousy and murder.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1 edition (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312110308
• ISBN-13: 978-0312110307
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,539,635 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Daisy Dalrymple Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A breath of fresh air for mystery fans!, October 1, 2000

By	Sharon Wylie (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Death at Wentwater Court (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)

As an avid mystery fan, I'm amazed I haven't heard of this series before; I stumbled across this book by lucky accident but will be recommending it to everyone I know.

The setting is 1923 England, a tumultuous time--the nation is recovering from the Great War and changing social mores threaten the status quo. The Honourable Daisy Dalrymple (daughter of a Viscount) has decided to pursue a career as a writer and journalist rather than be financially supported by her family (shocking!). Her upper-class connections allow her access to Wentwater Court to write a story on this country manor house for Town & Country magazine. But Daisy soon finds herself investigating the death of a fellow guest whose skating accident might not have been an accident at all...

This book is a breath of fresh air in a genre whose conventions too often lead to predictability. Daisy is a truly likeable heroine. She is modern, but modern for HER time, not modern for our time. Her involvement with the mystery at Wentwater Court is the product of her attraction to the Chief Inspector on the case and her desire to help the Wentwater family, rather than the result of the all-too-typical "unbridled curiosity" that aflicts most amateur sleuths.

The mystery itself is not a show-stopper, but neither are there any holes in the resolution. The real star of the series is the time and place. Although it's probably a bit overdone, it's wonderful fun to read about all these people calling each other "old bean" and "chum" and exclaiming, "How perfectly ghastly for the old prune!"

I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very British cozy, August 31, 2001

By	D. Kaplan "sleuth029" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Death at Wentwater Court (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)

I am an ardent reader of British mysteries. I was first drawn to this genre by reading a series of cozies. Over the years my tastes have changed, though, and I now much prefer a British psychological thriller or police procedural. However, I still read a cozy now and then for a change of pace.

"Death at Wentwater Court" is the first book in a series featuring The Honourable Daisy Dalrymple and Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard. Take a weekend gathering at a country estate in the 1920's, one of the guests who is the unfortunate victim, suspects galore, a promising romantic story line, more red herrings than clues and you have the makings of the ultimate cozy.

Most of the sleuthing is done by Daisy, a member of the British aristocracy who, being rather down on her luck, is supporting herself by working as a journalist. Alec seems to be along for the ride providing her with bits of information that set her off in her pursuit to solve the murder. Oh, he also serves a very important role as a possible suitor for Daisy.

I am giving this book three stars because I found it to be a bit too one-dimensional for my tastes. However, if you like an old fashioned very British mystery, this just might be your cuppa.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Murder of Manners, June 28, 2001

By	Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Death at Wentwater Court (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 1) (Paperback)

Daisy Dalrymple is striking out on her own. Using her wealthy background, she gets a job for a magazine photographing and writing about the famous Wentwater Manor. Not too long after she arrives, one of her fellow guests is found dead in a hole in the ice. At first, it's thought to be an accident, but soon Daisy is convinced it's murder. Aiding the handsome Scotland Yard detective assigned to the case, she does her best to find the truth while keeping the family out of scandal.

This is a fun mystery set in 1923 England. I was drawn into Daisy's world and was quite curious about what was really going on. Having said that, the plotting did seem a bit uneven. Still, it moved along nicely and reached a conclusion that was surprising and satisfying at the same time. The characters are almost all English aristocracy, and it was interesting getting a glimpse into their world at a less then ideal time. The dialog was so good that I could hear the accents most of the time.

I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this fun, historical series.