The Gunpowder Plot (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

If you enjoy mystery novels set in post W.W.I England, and ones that are engaging, polished and well written, you definitely want to read Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mystery series, and the latest installment in particular, "Gunpowder Plot."

Gwen Tyndall's (an old school chum of Daisy's) family has been celebrating Guy Fawkes in a big way since 1606, and realising that this would make an excellent article for her magazine, Daisy has decided to travel to Gwen's home in Didmarsh-under-the-Edge in order to observe these celebrations. Daisy soon senses however, that there may be another story in the making at the Tyndall's ancestral home and one that has nothing to do with the festivities at hand. Gwen's father, Sir Harold Tyndall, an autocratic bully, who wants his children to do exactly as he wishes, and is especially displeased right now because his only son, Jack, seems more keen to join an aeronautical company than to run the family estate and farm. Never mind the fact that his eldest daughter, Barbara, has been successfully running things all this while! Also adding to Sir Harold's displeasure is the fact that Gwen seems to be attracted to the very man who is trying to steal his son away from him. All in all, the atmosphere at the Tyndall home isn't turning out to be quite as festive as Daisy had expected it to be. The last things she expected though was that things would end with murder, and that once again she and Alec (her "Scotland Yard" husband) would be in the middle of another murder investigation...

The Daisy Dalrymple mysteries may not be great brain teasers, but they are diverting and intriguing puzzlers in their own right. Carola Dunn does a fantastic job of getting the feel and charm of the period; and Ms Dunn also does a first rate job of maintaining a light and (almost) cheerful tone throughout, even though these mysteries usually center on murder and all the sobering emotions that go with it. Swiftly paced and carefully plotted, "Gunpowder Plot" was a wonderfully absorbing and entertaining read. I especially liked how the author juxtaposed the investigation that Alec his team conducted, with what Daisy discovered all her own -- it gave one a clearer and more complete picture of what was going on. All in all, I spent a very pleasant afternoon pouring over "Gunpowder Plot" -- it was well written and delightful, and very, very absorbing to boot.

This novel, with a murder committed at a country house during Guy Fawkes Night fireworks, with a couple from Australia as suspects, is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "Peril at End House," but Christie is not so long-winded or disorganized in the plotting.

I discovered Daisy Dalrymple mysteries while at home with a virus...wanted to read a book that was NOT substantive and did NOT require deep thought. Daisy is a delight. The Daisy books take me back to the pleasure I remember reading Nancy Drew books in the 1960s! The GunPower Plot reviews history, takes us to a "stately home" in the Cotswalds...and provides interesting characters via Dolly, her Scotland Yard husband, Alec... and extended family and friends. So enjoyable a mystery that after reading GUNPOWDER PLOT (the newest of the series) I am going through all the Daisy books, one by one. Excellent character development, plots that hold attention...a good dose of history...great for those of us who grew up with Nancy...and great for those of us given to being Anglophiles.