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Daisy Dalrymple #19
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Alec Fletcher's plans to attend his daughter Belinda's school sports day are thwarted by the discovery of three bodies buried in Epping forest. Sent to investigate, he and his team are hindered from the start by uncooperative Essex policeman, DI Gant, who resents Scotland Yard encroaching on his patch. But a bigger problem, however, is identifying the victims and finding a common link between them to explain their being buried so close together, though at intervals of several months.When Alec tells Daisy about the case, she's hooked, and with her own bit of digging around, uncovers the fact that one of the victims was a colonel. Is there a military connection? And when the police eventually discover that the other victims did serve with the colonel, this becomes a tragic case with its roots firmly buried in events during the Great War.Praise for the Daisy Dalrymple ... appropriate historical detail and witty dialogue are the finishing touches on this engaging 1920s period piece. Publisher's Weekly.As always, Dunn evokes the life and times of 1920s England while providing a plot that is a cut above the average British cosy. This will delight readers who love country-house mysteries. Booklist.For fans of Dorothy L.Sayers novels. Library Journal.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2011
73 people are currently reading
933 people want to read
About the author
Carola Dunn
91 books886 followersCarola Dunn is the author of more than 30 Regency romances, as well as 16 mysteries (the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series is set in England in the 1920s). Ms. Dunn was born and grew up in England, where she got a B.A. in Russian and French from Manchester University. She travelled as far as Fiji before returning to settle in California. After 30 years in the US, she says she still sounds as if she arrived a month ago.
Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.
Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning. (www.belgravehouse.com)
Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.
Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning. (www.belgravehouse.com)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
June 11, 2011
I've enjoyed this series quite a bit, and like the easy-breezy style of the heroine and narrative. This particular book was a little different - more emphasis on the war than previous books. The plot line of the murders is quite sad - I won't give away what that's all about, but the motive and the main part of the resolution are really kind of tragic, and that was the best part of the book. However, there is a second part to the resolution, and this really bothered me. Daisy's decision in this regard seemed somewhat understandable (in terms of her emotional reasons), but at the same time, completely wrong; if Alec had any idea about it, he would be in an impossible position, ethically and professionally. This gave me an "are you kidding me??" moment, and definitely took some of the shine off the book.
January 5, 2018
Carola Dunn returns with a particularly strong entry in her Daisy Dalrymple series in Anthem for Doomed Youth. Eight years after the Armistice that brought to a close the First World War, implications from that arise again in one of Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher's more grisly cases. He gets a report that three bodies have been found in Epping Forest, the stereotypical burying ground of murdered bodies from London. They seem to have been buried at separate rules, the most recent a week ago, the middle one a couple months ago, and the oldest one a year ago. And all have pins on their jackets over they heart, with the most recent body's pin holding a piece of paper spelling out "justice." The only good side to this job is that it is far enough removed from the Fletchers' home that Daisy can't find herself involved. Thus Alec is more willing than usual to discuss details of the case with Daisy. And Daisy's friend Sakari, the Indian wife of a highly important official at the India office, wants to know all the details.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
August 7, 2024
When police find three bodies buried in Epping Forest, Alec Fletcher is called in from Scotland Yard. That means his wife Daisy must go to visit daughter Belinda's school without him. In a way, that's a relief--Daisy has an almost supernatural way of becoming involved in his cases, and his boss doesn't like that at all. As Alec looks into the deaths which, as Daisy's instinct has told him, seem to be linked by the recent World War I, Daisy and her friends are discovering a body, too. This is a sadder story than many of Daisy's adventures, but well worth reading.
April 13, 2021
This was a disturbing tale. Daisy was her usual competent charming self but she made some choices that I am not sure were ethical, and the background story was quite sad.
November 11, 2012
In this novel, one of the latest installments in Carola Dunn’s delightful Daisy Dalrymple murder series, the author once again follows Daisy and her husband, Detective Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard Alec Fletcher, on their murder investigation. Or rather two discrete investigations.
While Alec and his team pursue the murderer of three men, whose bodies have been found in the neighboring woods, Daisy tries not to meddle in the police business. She knows her husband’s boss disapproves of her snooping, so she tries really hard. It’s not her fault that she stumbles upon another dead body, unconnected to her husband’s case. Or so it seems at first glance.
The police searches for links between the three corpses, but the connection that emerges warps the case considerably: the Great War. It appears that all three dead men served in the same regiment at the same time. Whatever happened during their months of service in the horror-infested, muddy trenches of France has an impact on a score of lives in the peaceful England of 1926.
The author utilizes her profound knowledge of the 1920s to great effect. Her beloved old England, with plentiful charming and conflicting details, glimmers on the pages of the novel like a decorative frame for the leading character of the series, Daisy.
Compassionate Daisy. Loving Daisy. Bright Daisy. Insightful Daisy. The woman with a huge heart and a smile to match. The reader can’t help but fall in love with her.
In addition to being a cozy historical mystery, as all the other novels of the series, this one also has a strong philosophical aspect. Through the mind of her favorite heroine, Dunn contemplates the complex questions of cowardice and heroism, justice and revenge, ethics and forgiveness. The line between right and wrong has become blurred, much more so than in other books of the series, and every fact has two faces. It is as if Daisy had finally grown up and found the world full of gray instead her previously unambiguous black and white.
The terrors of war and the burdens and rewards of friendship get interlinked in this tale with the simple joys of Daisy's everyday life, her children and her friends.
To counterbalance the painful themes of war and death, one of Daisy’s friends, Sakari, an Indian woman of the high caste, provides a much needed comic relief. An avid student of the English language, Sakari relishes the numerous English idioms she learns in her classes, the idioms English speakers blurt without noticing but many foreigners find baffling. For example: “fire away” or “stay put,” “pop over” or “pick his brain.”
English vocabulary and its secrets have been a part of this series from the beginning, and this book continues the tradition, although in a rather unexpected direction.
An amusing and absorbing read. Recommended.
While Alec and his team pursue the murderer of three men, whose bodies have been found in the neighboring woods, Daisy tries not to meddle in the police business. She knows her husband’s boss disapproves of her snooping, so she tries really hard. It’s not her fault that she stumbles upon another dead body, unconnected to her husband’s case. Or so it seems at first glance.
The police searches for links between the three corpses, but the connection that emerges warps the case considerably: the Great War. It appears that all three dead men served in the same regiment at the same time. Whatever happened during their months of service in the horror-infested, muddy trenches of France has an impact on a score of lives in the peaceful England of 1926.
The author utilizes her profound knowledge of the 1920s to great effect. Her beloved old England, with plentiful charming and conflicting details, glimmers on the pages of the novel like a decorative frame for the leading character of the series, Daisy.
Compassionate Daisy. Loving Daisy. Bright Daisy. Insightful Daisy. The woman with a huge heart and a smile to match. The reader can’t help but fall in love with her.
In addition to being a cozy historical mystery, as all the other novels of the series, this one also has a strong philosophical aspect. Through the mind of her favorite heroine, Dunn contemplates the complex questions of cowardice and heroism, justice and revenge, ethics and forgiveness. The line between right and wrong has become blurred, much more so than in other books of the series, and every fact has two faces. It is as if Daisy had finally grown up and found the world full of gray instead her previously unambiguous black and white.
The terrors of war and the burdens and rewards of friendship get interlinked in this tale with the simple joys of Daisy's everyday life, her children and her friends.
To counterbalance the painful themes of war and death, one of Daisy’s friends, Sakari, an Indian woman of the high caste, provides a much needed comic relief. An avid student of the English language, Sakari relishes the numerous English idioms she learns in her classes, the idioms English speakers blurt without noticing but many foreigners find baffling. For example: “fire away” or “stay put,” “pop over” or “pick his brain.”
English vocabulary and its secrets have been a part of this series from the beginning, and this book continues the tradition, although in a rather unexpected direction.
An amusing and absorbing read. Recommended.
October 31, 2012
Anthem for Doomed Youth, unlike previous Daisy Dalrymple books, is not set in a great country house. Instead, it focuses on Alec Fletcher's work solving a triple murder. In the meantime, Daisy has gone to Belinda's school to watch her stepdaughter's sports day, a nice, peaceful occupation that turns nasty when one of Belinda's friends finds a body in the local maze--a body which may or may not be connected to Alec's case.
The book was a page-turner, much more so than prior Daisy books--I've enjoyed all of them, but they have not been quite this intense. I wanted to find out what happened.
On the other hand, and this feels a bit mean, that is precisely the point where I have some complaint. This was much more Alec's book than Daisy's. I like Alec, but it's Daisy who drew me to the series in the first place. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, Alec's case takes up the majority of the text. He and his growing crew of associates--many of whom I admit to hoping show up again--are the focus. The tone is also much more serious than is usual in the Dalrymple books. Nothing that would move it into the territory of the hard-boiled mystery, but definitely veering to the very outermost edges of "cozy," and maybe a bit past.
Daisy's part, on the other hand, came a distant second, and it is fortunate Mel and Sakari were introduced in previous books (Mel, in fact, was slightly out of character, I think). With so much focus on Alec's side of things, the newly introduced characters and potential suspects in Daisy's side of things were never really around long enough for me to quite care what became of them. The fact that Belinda cares for them is something, but not, in the end, enough to make that section compelling. There was also a coincidence that I find stretched things a bit too far.
This isn't exactly a list of things wrong. I did enjoy the book, quite a bit, give or take the odd coincidence, but it wasn't quite what I was anticipating when I picked it up. Whether that is a fair complaint, or even exactly a complaint at all, is an issue for another day and time.
Note: This was originally written for my blog Bookwyrme's Lair. Stop by and visit for more reviews, photos, visits to city parks, and other adventures
The book was a page-turner, much more so than prior Daisy books--I've enjoyed all of them, but they have not been quite this intense. I wanted to find out what happened.
On the other hand, and this feels a bit mean, that is precisely the point where I have some complaint. This was much more Alec's book than Daisy's. I like Alec, but it's Daisy who drew me to the series in the first place. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, Alec's case takes up the majority of the text. He and his growing crew of associates--many of whom I admit to hoping show up again--are the focus. The tone is also much more serious than is usual in the Dalrymple books. Nothing that would move it into the territory of the hard-boiled mystery, but definitely veering to the very outermost edges of "cozy," and maybe a bit past.
Daisy's part, on the other hand, came a distant second, and it is fortunate Mel and Sakari were introduced in previous books (Mel, in fact, was slightly out of character, I think). With so much focus on Alec's side of things, the newly introduced characters and potential suspects in Daisy's side of things were never really around long enough for me to quite care what became of them. The fact that Belinda cares for them is something, but not, in the end, enough to make that section compelling. There was also a coincidence that I find stretched things a bit too far.
This isn't exactly a list of things wrong. I did enjoy the book, quite a bit, give or take the odd coincidence, but it wasn't quite what I was anticipating when I picked it up. Whether that is a fair complaint, or even exactly a complaint at all, is an issue for another day and time.
Note: This was originally written for my blog Bookwyrme's Lair. Stop by and visit for more reviews, photos, visits to city parks, and other adventures
April 19, 2011
One of the better ones in this good series finds Daisy taking a seemingly innocent holiday to visit daughter Bel at her boarding school for Sports Day while husband Alex of Scotland Yard deals with a nasty case of three bodies buried in a public park. Daisy being Daisy, she trips over a body soon enought, that of the boys PE teacher at her daughters school. Dunn does a good job filling in nice details about little known aspects of the WWI, including the problems faced by consciousous objectors, and the nasty way that some in the British military dealt with shell shock. The reason behind the killings is one of the most emotionally sticky ones for this cosy series.
April 4, 2020
I liked this one rather a lot. Daisy and her friends Melanie and Sakari make an interesting team.
March 30, 2018
Honestly, if I hadn't already purchased this novel, I never would have picked it up. Although I liked the series to begin with I was not a fan of the last two Daisy Dalrimple books I read. So I had more or less decided to give the rest of the series a miss. As,to my own surprise, I found yet another instalment on my shelves, I soldiered on. And I'm glad I did: I like this one much better. It is a traditional English whodunnit perfect for a insomniac who is always looking for a light gentle read in the middle of the night. This time round the time setting is strong and enjoyable. Although mostly plot driven the historical background is what makes it interesting. It touches on the fact that during World War One at least 300 common soldiers were executed in the field for desertion, without much of a trial. Officers in the same situation were, more often than not, diagnosed with shell shock and committed to a hospital. I like the way this book draws attention to this grave injustice. It also deals with the aftermath of the war in general. There are ex soldiers who struggle with what happened in the trenches, there is a conscious objector who got severely maimed while fighting for his beliefs... So, in general I like it. I still have some problems with it though. The biggest one is the fact that the recurring characters (Daisy, Alec, Daisy's friends, Alex's co-workers) don't seem to develop or grow. They are set in stone. The only ones who do are the twins.😃 a three star read.
July 30, 2019
The amazing thing about Daisy is that, like most English women of her age, she has been surrounded by tragedy during her young life. She has lost her brother, her father and her fiancé. Her bland, serene girlhood unfolds into unimaginable loss. By the time she goes to her step-daughter's school, she has put most of that behind her. This short mystery reminds us that the English of the Twenties were trying to overcome the loss of 750,000 young men, the cream of England. While we all look down our noses at Chamberlain and can't understand his "appeasement," the loss of a huge percentage of young men, dominated his ideas. This very sweet mystery reminds us of how remote we are from loss on this scale.
July 15, 2018
Daisy's adventures never fail to entertain & delight me. This one has a different twist of outcome & includes more of her friend Sacari (spelling?) who is a delight herself. Each book leaves me looking forward to the next.
August 1, 2020
I was really enjoying this, and give it a much higher rating. Until the last couple of chapters. That kind of ending really spoils books like this for me.
January 30, 2021
Once again, another great book. I love the series, the mysteries and mostly the great characters.
August 15, 2018
Anthem for Doomed Youth is the nineteenth in Dunn's light but entertaining Daisy Dalrymple mystery series. Set in post-World-War-I era Britain, the series features the Hon. Daisy, daughter of a noble house, and her commoner beau (later husband), Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard. The series is populated by a number of enjoyable recurring characters, including Alec's assistants, Tom Tring and Ernie Piper, and several of Daisy's friends from both the nobility and the middle class. Daisy has an unfortunate habit of attracting dead bodies (if I were acquainted with her, I'd run, not walk, to the nearest exit), which does not endear her to Alec's superior, Superintendent Crane.
In the latest installment of the series, Alec is investigating a triple murder, literally unearthed in Epping Forest, while Daisy and two of her friends visit their daughters' boarding school for sports day. Inevitably, one of the girls finds a dead body, the boys' games master from the school, and equally inevitably, his murder may be connected to Alec's case—although the reader figures this out long before Alec does.
While I've enjoyed most of the books in the series, I found this one a little disconcerting. To begin with, the girls' school is the Friends' School Saffron Walden, a real Quaker school still in operation today. Most of the (fictional) teachers are Quakers, yet several of them seem perfectly willing to withhold evidence and cover up their own or others' misdeeds, an attitude which is not at all in accordance with Quaker principles. Granted, the fact that they are teaching at a Friends' school doesn't mean they are necessarily Quaker, but in fact, one of them is portrayed as quite committed to Quaker beliefs, so his suppression of the truth is jarring.* Daisy, too, seems uncharacteristically willing to keep her own suspicions and knowledge a secret even from her husband. These factors lead to an ending which is something less than satisfactory.
That said, if you enjoy the English-cozy genre, you might give this series a try. Dunn does a good job of balancing humor with the seriousness of murder, and she has a deft touch with the changing social mores of 1920s England.
* I was raised as a Quaker and attended Quaker schools myself. I find it impossible to imagine any of my Quaker teachers behaving in a like manner.
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
In the latest installment of the series, Alec is investigating a triple murder, literally unearthed in Epping Forest, while Daisy and two of her friends visit their daughters' boarding school for sports day. Inevitably, one of the girls finds a dead body, the boys' games master from the school, and equally inevitably, his murder may be connected to Alec's case—although the reader figures this out long before Alec does.
While I've enjoyed most of the books in the series, I found this one a little disconcerting. To begin with, the girls' school is the Friends' School Saffron Walden, a real Quaker school still in operation today. Most of the (fictional) teachers are Quakers, yet several of them seem perfectly willing to withhold evidence and cover up their own or others' misdeeds, an attitude which is not at all in accordance with Quaker principles. Granted, the fact that they are teaching at a Friends' school doesn't mean they are necessarily Quaker, but in fact, one of them is portrayed as quite committed to Quaker beliefs, so his suppression of the truth is jarring.* Daisy, too, seems uncharacteristically willing to keep her own suspicions and knowledge a secret even from her husband. These factors lead to an ending which is something less than satisfactory.
That said, if you enjoy the English-cozy genre, you might give this series a try. Dunn does a good job of balancing humor with the seriousness of murder, and she has a deft touch with the changing social mores of 1920s England.
* I was raised as a Quaker and attended Quaker schools myself. I find it impossible to imagine any of my Quaker teachers behaving in a like manner.
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
May 11, 2015
Number 19. I am fast running out of Daisy books to read. This is another one I loved. Actually, Daisy was very much involved elsewhere while Alec was off solving one of his cases BUT Daisy still managed to instinctively give him a really good suggestion to follow up. Meanwhile Daisy ended up embrolied in an entirely different matter while attending a weekend at her step-daughter's school. But ... the matters end up entwined in the end. It really was a great book - with a darker tone of the results of WWI threaded through as well. I enjoyed more interaction of Daisy with her friends, too. Daisy books always keep me entertained.
April 23, 2011
This was a little disappointing. Daisy visits daughter at her school and there is a murder. In the meantime her husband is working on 3 murders the resolution is kind of anti-climactic and the story wasn't very engaging.
September 15, 2015
Daisy and Alec operated almost completely apart in this one, but still ended up involved in the same case. The resolution was not what I expected, but that's a good thing. I particularly enjoyed the interplay between Daisy and her women friends.
April 8, 2021
Characters I didn’t care about, with a theme done better in the Maisie Dobbs books. Somewhat confusing, and didn’t hold my interest. Maybe at this point I should give up on the series. I find Daisy irritating.
June 10, 2015
I love this series but some of the books are not great. This one was fast paced and had an interesting denouement.
Read
April 8, 2021GIVE.SAKARI. HER. OWN. SERIES. PLEASE.
August 18, 2022
The Wilfred Owen poem at the beginning gives a pretty strong hint as to what has happened to the three men found buried in Epping Forest but at least it looks as if Daisy is going to be able to keep out of this investigation since she and her two friends Melanie and Sakari are going to Saffron Walden for their daughters' sports day at the Friends School there. Alec does ask Daisy if the paper found pinned to the most recent victim's chest means anything to her. It had the words "revenge" and "justice" formed into a circle and the murderer had shot right through the centre but it doesn't ring any bell with her right off.
Some of the Daisy Dalrymple stories have seemed real fluff but this one deals with very real characters and could be tremendously grim if it weren't for Sakara and Daisy's conversations. As it is, you're drawn right into the action and the characters. The police officers are who you would expect and they are kept whisking around the area looking for connections among the victims. In the acknowledgements MS Dunn thanks Mr. McMullen of the eponymous brewery for allowing his firm's name to be used "as long as the beer isn't the murder weapon" which makes you watch out for it. The firm certainly played a vital role in the book, even if no one was poisoned.
I don't doubt that there were many officers as rigid as Col. Pelham (ret.) but I would imagine that many of the officers in his position were bulldozed by the system and not given any way out. It was horrendous in any event. Another book on the theme is King's "Justice Hall" which features Sherlock Holmes and his wife.
Saffron Waldon actually had saffron crocus growing there long ago and that was all I knew but now I would like to visit Bridge End Garden and its maze and hear the music at the local church.
Some of the Daisy Dalrymple stories have seemed real fluff but this one deals with very real characters and could be tremendously grim if it weren't for Sakara and Daisy's conversations. As it is, you're drawn right into the action and the characters. The police officers are who you would expect and they are kept whisking around the area looking for connections among the victims. In the acknowledgements MS Dunn thanks Mr. McMullen of the eponymous brewery for allowing his firm's name to be used "as long as the beer isn't the murder weapon" which makes you watch out for it. The firm certainly played a vital role in the book, even if no one was poisoned.
I don't doubt that there were many officers as rigid as Col. Pelham (ret.) but I would imagine that many of the officers in his position were bulldozed by the system and not given any way out. It was horrendous in any event. Another book on the theme is King's "Justice Hall" which features Sherlock Holmes and his wife.
Saffron Waldon actually had saffron crocus growing there long ago and that was all I knew but now I would like to visit Bridge End Garden and its maze and hear the music at the local church.
January 19, 2018
#19 in the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple (and her husband Scotland Yard Detective chief Inspector Alec Fletcher), magazine writer and heiress (no inheritance due to British entailed system) mystery series. It is June, 1926 and Daisy is visiting stepdaughter Belinda spending the parents weekend at her school while Alec is working on a triple murder. The story alternates between Alec’s investigation and Daisy’s time at the school at which a suspicious death soon takes place. As usual, Daisy is in the middle, but, for the first time, Alec is unaware of what happened at their daughter’s school, so is uninvolved there leaving Daisy to meddle in the case as she selectively informs the detective, who she doesn’t like, in charge as to what she knows by playing semantics allowing her to provide selected and carefully edited information. Thus, she knowingly allows a major mistaken conclusion to be reached because it shields the responsible individuals she likes from responsibility without involving an innocent person.
Again, a good cast of supporting characters with a greater role for Daisy’s friend Sakari Prasad and snappy dialog as they deal with an inept Detective Inspector Gant who was taken off the case Alec is now working on.
Again, a good cast of supporting characters with a greater role for Daisy’s friend Sakari Prasad and snappy dialog as they deal with an inept Detective Inspector Gant who was taken off the case Alec is now working on.
July 18, 2021
Daisy goes to Saffron Walden to attend her stepdaughter Bel’s sports day, as her husband Alec has had to stay in London where he has been assigned to a murder case - three bodies found in Epping Forest. Daisy can’t resist involving herself in the case and discovers links between the three victims based on their service in WWI. As Alec and his team investigate, Daisy finds herself dragged into another crime at the school…
This was quite good fun, with Daisy and her friend Sakari on good form as they avoid the heavy handed questioning of the buffoonish Inspector Gant. The WWI theme adds a touch of poignancy and overall I found this pretty enjoyable.
However, there a couple of weaknesses in the plot which resulted in me knocking off a star. One is the rather weak and unconvincing way that Alec identifies the culprit, and the other is the resolution of the final crime where a moral dilemma is decided without addressing potential long term consequences. Still, this is a cosy mystery after all, so best not to dwell on that and just accept it as a fun historical mystery.
This was quite good fun, with Daisy and her friend Sakari on good form as they avoid the heavy handed questioning of the buffoonish Inspector Gant. The WWI theme adds a touch of poignancy and overall I found this pretty enjoyable.
However, there a couple of weaknesses in the plot which resulted in me knocking off a star. One is the rather weak and unconvincing way that Alec identifies the culprit, and the other is the resolution of the final crime where a moral dilemma is decided without addressing potential long term consequences. Still, this is a cosy mystery after all, so best not to dwell on that and just accept it as a fun historical mystery.
December 21, 2022
I have enjoyed the 18 entries before this one in this series. I loved this one, too, but I will say it was a bit different than most in that it didn't have the same breezy, light tone as the others. Rather, it dealt with some sad, reality-based issues in the aftermath of WWI.
It was also unusual in that for most of the book Daisy and her husband Aleck are occupied in different places with unrelated circumstances. And unusually, it is Aleck's case that holds center stage -- the plot is complex and troubling, and Aleck's sensitive handling of it is well shown. Of course, they reunite at the end, and the author does her best to leave us on the lighter note to which we are accustomed.
It's a tricky book to discuss without including big plot spoilers, so I will say only this: be sure to read the author's note at the end, as it gives some historical perspective for the events of the book that are sadder and even more troubling, but are valuable for helping explain why this book dealt with such a somber topic
It was also unusual in that for most of the book Daisy and her husband Aleck are occupied in different places with unrelated circumstances. And unusually, it is Aleck's case that holds center stage -- the plot is complex and troubling, and Aleck's sensitive handling of it is well shown. Of course, they reunite at the end, and the author does her best to leave us on the lighter note to which we are accustomed.
It's a tricky book to discuss without including big plot spoilers, so I will say only this: be sure to read the author's note at the end, as it gives some historical perspective for the events of the book that are sadder and even more troubling, but are valuable for helping explain why this book dealt with such a somber topic
April 5, 2023
I generally have a problem with stories that alternate perspectives. This one waffles back and forth between Daisy and Alec, with Alec's storyline, frankly, being more interesting overall. I got tired of Daisy's to-ing and fro-ing between her hotel and the girls' school, her three-way battle of wits with her friend Sakari and the hapless police officer, going over the same dull facts again and again. Due to the seperate strands, there was almost no interaction between Alec and Daisy, another minus. The story was well thought out, but the end left a sour taste in my mouth. Daisy simply hides the fact that she knows what really happened from Alec, and lets him assume that the triple murderer got his fourth victim. Really don't like what this implies about their relationship. Still three stars because of the complexity of the case, the interesting details regarding police work, and the tragic background behind the murders.
January 25, 2024
4.5
I give this a high rating because I felt some real emotions with this plot. Humour, pity, sadness, anger, tears and disgust. As you make your way through this one, you learn some very sad and disgusting truths of events that took place during WWI, which should never have occurred.
Historical Note from the Epilogue.
During WWI 306 British and Commonwealth troops were executed by firing squad for deserting their posts and for cowardice; officers in the same situation were diagnosed with shell shock and sent to hospitals for treatment. Of the 306 troops killed, almost all were non-commissioned soldiers!
The youngest was/were 16 years old!
In 2006 all 306 were granted pardons by the Secretary of Defense.
https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-im...
I give this a high rating because I felt some real emotions with this plot. Humour, pity, sadness, anger, tears and disgust. As you make your way through this one, you learn some very sad and disgusting truths of events that took place during WWI, which should never have occurred.
Historical Note from the Epilogue.
During WWI 306 British and Commonwealth troops were executed by firing squad for deserting their posts and for cowardice; officers in the same situation were diagnosed with shell shock and sent to hospitals for treatment. Of the 306 troops killed, almost all were non-commissioned soldiers!
The youngest was/were 16 years old!
In 2006 all 306 were granted pardons by the Secretary of Defense.
https://www.startpage.com/av/proxy-im...
February 12, 2017
Another installment of the Daisy Dalrymple series but I was not as enthusiastic about this one. It kind of dragged along slowly and was harder to read than most of the series. Three men are found shot in a woods and Alec is charged with finding the murderer. It is discovered that the victims were all in the same army unit during the War (WWI) but that is the only connection that can be found. Daisy, in the meantime, has traveled to visit her stepdaughter Bel at school. They are having a sports weekend and Daisy and her two best friends have all come together to visit their children. Of course, knowing Daisy, a body is found and she is in the middle of a murder. The question is - are the murders Alec is investigating related to the murder Daisy discovered? Hmmmm.
June 17, 2019
Well this certainly was a slog.... It took me 3 days to read this & I normally can read this series in 1 - 1.5 days!
The book mostly features Daisy's husband DCI Alec Fletcher & his group of Scotland Yard men; Mackinnon, Tom Trim, & Piper. Working on the murders of 3 men, all tied to a tree shot & through the heart w/ noted pinned to their chest "Justice! Revenge!".
Daisy is off w/ Sakari, Melanie & the three girls for a sports weekend at the girls school, where one of the girls finds the body of the most disliked teacher from the school in the maze.
The stories eventually tie up, but mainly Daisy & Alec are working on two separate cases and rarely have any interaction.
Boooooooring!
The book mostly features Daisy's husband DCI Alec Fletcher & his group of Scotland Yard men; Mackinnon, Tom Trim, & Piper. Working on the murders of 3 men, all tied to a tree shot & through the heart w/ noted pinned to their chest "Justice! Revenge!".
Daisy is off w/ Sakari, Melanie & the three girls for a sports weekend at the girls school, where one of the girls finds the body of the most disliked teacher from the school in the maze.
The stories eventually tie up, but mainly Daisy & Alec are working on two separate cases and rarely have any interaction.
Boooooooring!
November 22, 2021
I should have reviewed the whole Daisy Dalrymple series on this re-read, and haven't; but this one may quite possibly be the best. Lots of domestic detail and not one but two mysteries to solve, twisting and turning as Scotland Yard's finest methodically work their way along a most satisfying trail.
And while, of course, this is a "cosy" murder mystery with plenty of light moments (I do love Sakari), its underlying thread is both serious and important. The short, matter of fact, historical note at the end reinforces this. It's a murder mystery that gives the reader a lot to think about.
Really, an excellent book. All of the Daisy Dalrymple books are good, but this one is exceptional.
And while, of course, this is a "cosy" murder mystery with plenty of light moments (I do love Sakari), its underlying thread is both serious and important. The short, matter of fact, historical note at the end reinforces this. It's a murder mystery that gives the reader a lot to think about.
Really, an excellent book. All of the Daisy Dalrymple books are good, but this one is exceptional.
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