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fruitkate's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
fern17's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
fearlessffranzi's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
drizcoll's review
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
jcbmathcat's review against another edition
3.0
Several years ago, I read nine or ten of the Daisy Dalrymple mysteries and enjoyed them all. Then, I wandered away from Daisy and rather forgot about her.
I was excited to win a copy of "Gone West" through the Goodreads first-reads program, and enjoyed running into many familiar characters once again.
As always, I like the fact that Daisy is an independent thinker during a period of time when it was mortifying to find a woman of a certain class holding a job. Since Daisy's father died of illness and her fiancee was killed in the war, she fell into a career as a writer. Due to her breeding and background, she was able to go into some of the finer estates and write articles about the grand homes. Of course, murders always seemed to happen wherever Daisy went. This is also how she met Scotland Yard detective Alec Fletcher.
In this outing, Daisy and Alec have been married for some time, Alec's daughter is 13, and Daisy has given birth to Miranda and Oliver, twins, who are toddlers. An old school friend invites Daisy to come to Derbyshire to discreetly investigate a feeling that something is seriously amiss. The friend is a confidential secretary to a novelist.
Yes, there is a murder, but by the time I finished the book, I felt that the motive was extremely weak and was rather disappointed.
I need to go back and pick up the books I have missed in the series. Hopefully, Carola Dunn's next Daisy Dalrymple murder mystery will have a stronger motive.
I was excited to win a copy of "Gone West" through the Goodreads first-reads program, and enjoyed running into many familiar characters once again.
As always, I like the fact that Daisy is an independent thinker during a period of time when it was mortifying to find a woman of a certain class holding a job. Since Daisy's father died of illness and her fiancee was killed in the war, she fell into a career as a writer. Due to her breeding and background, she was able to go into some of the finer estates and write articles about the grand homes. Of course, murders always seemed to happen wherever Daisy went. This is also how she met Scotland Yard detective Alec Fletcher.
In this outing, Daisy and Alec have been married for some time, Alec's daughter is 13, and Daisy has given birth to Miranda and Oliver, twins, who are toddlers. An old school friend invites Daisy to come to Derbyshire to discreetly investigate a feeling that something is seriously amiss. The friend is a confidential secretary to a novelist.
Yes, there is a murder, but by the time I finished the book, I felt that the motive was extremely weak and was rather disappointed.
I need to go back and pick up the books I have missed in the series. Hopefully, Carola Dunn's next Daisy Dalrymple murder mystery will have a stronger motive.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
Once again, Daisy is on the scene when a murder occurs… and once again, Superintendent Crane of Scotland Yard sends Daisy’s husband, Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher, to catch the killer – and not incidentally, to keep Daisy out of trouble. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to accept the appalling frequency with which Daisy finds herself involved in murder (an inevitable problem for any cozy mystery series, and one which Dunn addresses at least in part though Daisy’s marriage), then you will find Gone West an enjoyable if not inspired addition to this pleasing series.
Dunn populates the story with a nice mix of likable and annoying or unpleasant characters. There are several possible motives for Hubert Birtwhistle’s death, each just unusual enough to be refreshing (if one can refer to murder in such a way.) Alec’s investigation is complicated by the suspicion that Hubert has been being drugged or poisoned over several years. Several people had an interest in keeping Hubert ill, but would they have wanted him dead?
Dunn has crafted her puzzle well. There were few suspects I could definitively rule out, and while I did consider the person eventually identified as the murderer, I wasn’t convinced until shortly before the solution was revealed. The location, a remote remodeled farmhouse, adds to the traditional British cozy feel, as does the 1920s time period.
If you’re new to the Daisy Dalrymple series, I suggest starting at the beginning to get the recurring characters’ back story. The first book isn’t among my favorites, but the early books in the series develop the relationship between Alec and Daisy. You can, of course, begin with this book, but it’s easier to understand why Alec allows Daisy to be involved with his investigation when you know their history. If you’re already a fan, then by all means pick up this volume, curl up with a cup of tea, and enjoy!
FCC disclosure: I borrowed this from the public library.
Read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
Once again, Daisy is on the scene when a murder occurs… and once again, Superintendent Crane of Scotland Yard sends Daisy’s husband, Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher, to catch the killer – and not incidentally, to keep Daisy out of trouble. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to accept the appalling frequency with which Daisy finds herself involved in murder (an inevitable problem for any cozy mystery series, and one which Dunn addresses at least in part though Daisy’s marriage), then you will find Gone West an enjoyable if not inspired addition to this pleasing series.
Dunn populates the story with a nice mix of likable and annoying or unpleasant characters. There are several possible motives for Hubert Birtwhistle’s death, each just unusual enough to be refreshing (if one can refer to murder in such a way.) Alec’s investigation is complicated by the suspicion that Hubert has been being drugged or poisoned over several years. Several people had an interest in keeping Hubert ill, but would they have wanted him dead?
Dunn has crafted her puzzle well. There were few suspects I could definitively rule out, and while I did consider the person eventually identified as the murderer, I wasn’t convinced until shortly before the solution was revealed. The location, a remote remodeled farmhouse, adds to the traditional British cozy feel, as does the 1920s time period.
If you’re new to the Daisy Dalrymple series, I suggest starting at the beginning to get the recurring characters’ back story. The first book isn’t among my favorites, but the early books in the series develop the relationship between Alec and Daisy. You can, of course, begin with this book, but it’s easier to understand why Alec allows Daisy to be involved with his investigation when you know their history. If you’re already a fan, then by all means pick up this volume, curl up with a cup of tea, and enjoy!
FCC disclosure: I borrowed this from the public library.
Read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
For me there's something very appealing about this light - some might even go so far as to call it frothy - series featuring Daisy Dalrymple, wife of DI Alec Fletcher, writer of travel articles and mother of twins as well as stepmother to Alec's daughter, Belinda, the daughter of his deceased first wife. The series takes place in 20's Britain, still in some pain as a result the loss of so many young men in WWI. Happily, Carola Dunn knows how to write otherwise this might have joined the list of books I've discarded before finishing. No, I enjoyed this one thoroughly. It's a lot of fun. Daisy has been approached by a old schoolmate who lost her husband during the war. She has a young daughter and works as a secretary to a writer whose genre is westerns. She asks Daisy to spend a few days "investigating" because she feels as if something is wrong, but she can't put her finger on it. Daisy, of course, can never resist a challenge. It's not long before the writer is murdered. Of course her husband is called in to investigate. This is one of the cozy series that I follow religiously. Now I'll have to wait until next year for a new one.....