As I was pondering which book I’d like to review, I thought about some of the recently published, very excellent books on my book list (Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout; Actress, by Anne Enright). They were so excellent! And recent! I should review one of them.
Nah.
What I want to do is talk about Carola Dunn, namely her Daisy Dalrymple series. Dunn published the first one, Death at Wentwater Court, when I was twelve, and the last was published in 2018. There are twenty-three books in the series and I have listened to six since I first discovered them. They are available for free with an Audible subscription. (I prefer the narrator Bernadette Dunne).
Sometimes, you just need a historical mystery with a couple of bizarre killings, a romantic subplot and cloche hats, ya know? You need this for walking the dog, or cleaning the bathroom, or learning how to use your Instapot. You don’t want scary death, or your detectives Googling things. You want light-hearted poisonings and waiting for the evening post.
Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries are cozy and safe and, like a flock of flamingos, reassuring in their numbers. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what makes a Daisy Dalrymple really sing (fans of Murder, She Wrote, listen up!). Daisy is always, just coincidentally, hanging around when a murder takes place. And then her boyfriend (and maybe soon husband but DO NOT SPOIL IT FOR ME), who works for Scotland Yard, rushes in and solves the crime with Daisy’s help.
How’s that for charming?