Reviews

The Bloody Tower by Carola Dunn

bookstoloveandhate's review against another edition

4.0

Book 16 in the Daisy Dalrymple series kept me thoroughly entertained, possibly because there were multiple threads and solving one didn't mean solving the others. Good use of setting without being travelougey and small clues abounded. That this is a closed community, with gates locked after dark, means there is tension among the residents from the moment the body is found. Who did it? Who would want to do it? And what about the fact some folks seem to be being pressed for money by an unknown party. Everyone has a secret, and it's up to Daisy and Alex to unravel them.

These are pleasant, enjoyable listens, the type of thing to keep you company on a drive, or when you need a comfort read.

fruitkate's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

softstarrynights's review

3.0

The Bloody Tower is the sixteenth book in the Daisy Dalrymple series, of cosy murder mysteries set in 1920s England. These books generally are pretty short, rarely even surpassing 300 pages, and so I tend to finish them relatively quickly. Unfortunately, this one was much harder to follow and so took me a lot longer. Of course, there's nothing wrong with taking your time with a book, but I read these because they are short and so this was a somewhat frustrating experience. Daisy visits the Tower of London in order to write an article for her American publisher when she discovers the body of one of the Yeoman Warders. There were so many Yeoman Warders, as one might expect from the Tower of London, that I had no idea what was going on half of the time. I'm happy to admit that this may just have been my lack of concentration because Dunn does spend time explaining the conventions of the tower. I don't think that this particular mystery was for me, but I'm sure than most people would enjoy it. I also don't think that it will stop me from carrying on with the series. Sure, this was not my favourite by a long shot, but you can't win them all.

drizcoll's review against another edition

informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

growintogardens's review against another edition

2.0

I think this is my last of this series. They're easy reads, but I have a couple problems with them overall, not counting the easily solved mysteries. Alec and Daisy's relationship is not my favorite. The stories are becoming more and more focused on him. Daisy doesn't do a lot of sleuthing. There are so many moments when he treats her like a child and fails to listen to her. To me, their marriage is not enough of a partnership for me to want to continue.

staceylynn42's review against another edition

4.0

Daisy is writing about the Tower of London this time. Some former neighbors of hers now live there & invited her to stay overnight & watch the Ceremony of the Keys on a very foggy night. Early in the morning Daisy heads home & comes across the body of a Yeoman Warder at the foot of some stairs, with his neck broken & a halberd in his back. Alec is called in to investigate. Was the victim the intended victim or was another Warder the actual target & the fog led to a case of mistaken identity? There is a blackmailer among the Warders & some question of just who could and who could not be in the area where the murder took place. Suspects abound between the other Warders and the Hotspur Guards currently stationed there.
The pressure is on to solve the case quickly & get the Tower reopened before questions are asked in Parliament.
Good mystery.

catepolacek's review against another edition

3.0

I thought the setting for this was very clever, and Ms. Dunn clearly did a lot of research on the Tower and its layout and history to make the setting convincing.

fern17's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

stacey42's review against another edition

4.0

Daisy is writing about the Tower of London this time. Some former neighbors of hers now live there & invited her to stay overnight & watch the Ceremony of the Keys on a very foggy night. Early in the morning Daisy heads home & comes across the body of a Yeoman Warder at the foot of some stairs, with his neck broken & a halberd in his back. Alec is called in to investigate. Was the victim the intended victim or was another Warder the actual target & the fog led to a case of mistaken identity? There is a blackmailer among the Warders & some question of just who could and who could not be in the area where the murder took place. Suspects abound between the other Warders and the Hotspur Guards currently stationed there.
The pressure is on to solve the case quickly & get the Tower reopened before questions are asked in Parliament.
Good mystery.

jenpurlteach's review against another edition

3.0

I had never read one of these in this series, and at first I felt I was at a disadvantage. I wasn't keeping up with the characters very well, and I was sometimes lost in the Tower! I continued on, though, and I loved having the map in the front of the book. When I got go the middle of the book, I had to stick with it and see who the murderer was. As I read, I was curious about Daisy's former adventures---how she met her husband, what she did during the war, how she met her Indian friend. I may go back and find out!