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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital audiobook performed by Bernadette Dunn
Daisy Dalrymple is the daughter of a Viscount, but she has made the rather shocking decision to make her own way as a writer. She lands an assignment for a series of magazine articles on country manor houses, and finds herself at Wentwater Court in January 1923 to begin research on her first piece. Lord Wentwater’s young wife has recently been the focus of some unwanted amorous attention, and several guests express obvious jealousy and animosity. So the atmosphere is tense and somewhat uncomfortable … and then one of the house guests drowns in an ice skating accident. Or was it murder?
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery debut. Daisy is a delightful central character and amateur sleuth. She smart, resourceful, observant, and compassionate. The plot is sufficiently complicated to keep the reader guessing; I identified the culprit only a few pages ahead of Daisy. I also like the developing new relationships between Daisy and Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher. I’m a little unhappy with how the book ends –but it’s true to the time, place and social class.
Bernadette Dunn does a fine job voicing the audio book. She reads at a good pace, and I was never confused about which character was speaking.
Daisy Dalrymple is the daughter of a Viscount, but she has made the rather shocking decision to make her own way as a writer. She lands an assignment for a series of magazine articles on country manor houses, and finds herself at Wentwater Court in January 1923 to begin research on her first piece. Lord Wentwater’s young wife has recently been the focus of some unwanted amorous attention, and several guests express obvious jealousy and animosity. So the atmosphere is tense and somewhat uncomfortable … and then one of the house guests drowns in an ice skating accident. Or was it murder?
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery debut. Daisy is a delightful central character and amateur sleuth. She smart, resourceful, observant, and compassionate. The plot is sufficiently complicated to keep the reader guessing; I identified the culprit only a few pages ahead of Daisy. I also like the developing new relationships between Daisy and Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher. I’m a little unhappy with how the book ends –but it’s true to the time, place and social class.
Bernadette Dunn does a fine job voicing the audio book. She reads at a good pace, and I was never confused about which character was speaking.
livhamlin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
starthelostgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Very delightful little mystery with an endearing cast of characters. I anticipated one extra twist that never came, but it was still a good mystery. Although Libby did accidentally spoil it for me by jumping to a late chapter pretty early on in the book, so I can’t really evaluate how natural the conclusion seemed. Definitely reading the next book!
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to the audio book. Fun, light. A bit strained to be in period, and a lot of thinking out loud about motivations and what ifs. But good to listen to while stuck in traffic.
kiminindy's review against another edition
3.0
First in a series. Just ok for me. I couldn't really get into the characters. Plot was a tad lame and predictable. Not as good as other English mysteries with female lead characters.
savannah_louise11's review against another edition
5.0
Cute and lighthearted murder mystery set in a scenic english country house.
adelita18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought the plot of this book was interesting, although very slow to unfold and a bit redundant at first. The change in perspective between Daisy Dalrymple and DCI Alec Fletcher was an interesting narrative format. I found I enjoyed being able to bounce between the two. The book lost a lot of steam for me when Daisy makes an executive "justice" decision on her own at the end of the book. It felt like an undermining of her character development and a cop out. The general sense of noble privilege and doing a solid for another member of the aristocracy was very off putting despite the image Ms. Dunn created of Daisy breaking the aristocratic mold. I'm going to try Book #2 in the series in the hope there's some character redemption but mostly because I loved DCI Fletcher's character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Murder
littlevance's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75