Black Ship

Daisy Dalrymple #17

by Carola Dunn

In September 1925, Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher and family of new twins move into a house inherited by husband DCI Alec Fletcher on the outskirts of London, near Hamstead Heath. When a dead body appears under the bushes of the communal garden, Alec is assigned by Scotland Yard, and hears rumors of bootleggers and an international liquor smuggling on black ships.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2008

About the author

Carola 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)

Reviews

[Anna Bergmark · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Heavens, darling, you are becoming positively domesticated."

Spot on, Marge! Our dear little Daisy Dalrymple is getting boring!

She used to be a well mannered upperclass rebel, finding her own path, getting a job (oh, dearie, dearie me!), surviving on eggs and sardines and choosing the wrong partner, a man beneath her that is. And good for her! It made her likable and easy to root for. But now..?

Now it's all baby talk and middle class vapidness, all nursery tea, drinks parties and "proper responses". Good heavens! And her husband conveniently inherits both money and a bigger house so that they can live more stylishly (though still in suburbia), adding servant after servant to the household, sighing longingly for a sturdy butler to shoo away the unwanted unwashed from the threshold. And boy, is this "matured" heroin starting to annoy me, the rebellion wearing thin, the blue blood showing its true unbecoming color.

Add an uninteresting murder, a weak plot and a boring group of suspects, and voilà! - what you're left with is two weak stars and a nagging feeling that this might be a hole from which the breezy Daisy D. of olds will not be reemerging - her growing matronly behind preventing it.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting seeing some of the effects of the Volstead Act from the English point of view. I'm not positive that the attitudes & machinations that took place in this novel were representative, but they sure rang true. That made this otherwise typical DD cozy mystery a bit more interesting. They're a fun break from reality.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When American Prohibition is discussed it's always from the American point of view. This story talks about it from the English point of view and drags Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher into the attempts by the American government (not very strenuous attempts) to cut off the flow of liquor into the US. MS Dunn gives background by inserting a parallel narration involving a young man sent from England to establish code procedures between an English supplier and an American customer. We experience the fear felt by the young man when the US Coast Guard boards them and when the smuggling captin says the cabin is built low so as to reduce the risk of being hit by bullets.
You couldn't help but laugh if you'd read Daisy's adventure in New York and flying across the US, in which she met a totally inept FBI agent named Lambert. That young man has been reassigned to Treasury and sent to England to lay hands on some gangster types who are trying to set up smuggling networks. Lambert tried to bring his gun into England so Customs seized it and he couldn't prove who he was because he lost his documents and his money. He tried to explain at Scotland Yard but they wouldn't listen and he finally ends up at Daisy's, where she is trying to get moved into the house DCI Fletcher has inherited from an uncle. It all follows the usual mixed up pattern that Daisy precipitates but is one of the best in this series and really gives a feel for those odd neighbourhoods in London where the centre of a development has a garden for the use of the residents I really enjoyed this one, silly Lambert, huffing Fletcher and all. (The twins are doing nicely.)

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisy gets to move to a new, larger home when her husband, Chief Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher gets left a home in a higher class community by his uncle, leading to her latest adventure in Black Ship by Carola Dunn. While preparing for the move, they get visited by former FBI detective Lambert, whom we met in Daisy’s adventures in America in The Case of the Murdered Muckraker. We saw him throw in his badge in terror while trying to guard Daisy in that book. Now he has joined the Treasury Department and is out to catch bootleggers during America’s Prohibition Era. He has been sent to England to track down British companies who have been smuggling alcohol into the U.S., but, true to Lambert’s style, he has managed to get himself mugged and has lost all his money and documents. Helping Daisy get her new home in order while waiting for those documents, he is excited to learn that her new neighbors are in the wine business. Without any evidence that they are involved in smuggling alcohol into America, he keeps skulking around their area, not very successfully keeping the Jessups under surveillance. Meanwhile, Daisy finds her new neighbors delightful and is thrilled to find one the mother of young children a little older than Daisy’s twins.

Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation

[Judith Rich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love the Daisy Dalrymple series but I found this silly story of bootleggers smuggling rum during Prohibition a real disappointment. And I thought the identity of the murderer was quite obvious too. A let down in what's otherwise been a great series of cosy mysteries.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Another terrific book in this series. And if I haven’t said so before, a most fantastic reader! I love all her distinct voices to each character.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

On rereading, I found the mystery in this one really, really slight. The Fletchers are moving into a new house, an American acquaintance comes to stay, and Daisy finds another body. Actually, the dog finds the body this time. Right in their new neighborhood. And the next door neighbors are the prime suspects.

The solution is painfully obvious, but the American is not quite such a cliche this time around. Still, not really worth the reread.

[Amy Merideth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy the Daisy books, they are light and easy and usually keep my interest. Unfortunately, I am liking Daisy herself less and less. From plucky, poor and bucking tradition, she's now a staid, slightly smug matron. With at least 5 servants, sending her stepdaughter to boarding school and letting the nannies raise the kids, she's free to solve crimes but she's lost her charm. Too bad her friend Sakari doesn't have her own book series.

[D.S.]

Daisy isn't as appealing as an amateur detective as she was in the first few books. In this one, too much time was spent discussing the twins. That didn't further the plot at all. Also, I wish Alec would stop being such a curmudgeon about Daisy getting involved in cases. He repeats and repeats his objections which is becoming tedious. Also, this was another entry where the perpetrator was not hard to guess.

[Victoria Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's right. I'm back on the Daisy Dalrymple train. Maybe it's because I took a break, or maybe this book was especially good, but I had a great time reading. Black Ship is the seventeenth-- that's right the seventeenth-- book in the Daisy Dalrymple series, a cosy mystery series set in 1920s London. In this installment Daisy finds herself embroiled in a murder connected to her new neighbors, who may or may not be importing alcohol to prohibition America. As you would expect the book follows essentially the same formula as its sixteen predecessors. That's fine. That's expected. However, there was something unusual about this one. Thur far the books have been told in the third person following Daisy, and sometimes Alec, the investigating detective. This book gave us interludes that followed a completely different character in between the first few chapters. I'm not sure how I felt about it, or whether it necessarily added to the story, but it was fun to see the author experimenting. I thought that the pacing of the mystery was good, especially as the pressure ramped up towards the end. I loved how well Daisy managed to insert herself into the investigation so that she wasn't constantly playing catch up to the detectives. All in all, this was a very fun addition to the series and I have a great time reading it.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up
This just didn't work well for me. The split stories at the beginning are a drag on the story, there is an over emphasis on the bellicose Crane, the mystery is not well developed and the behavior of the neighbors just doesn't make any sense, and the ending is just plain ridiculous, but I think it was meant to be. I still had fun reading parts of it. Daisy is amusing and clever as ever, and there was some witty dialogue to keep me laughing which is why I am being generous with my rating.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, enjoyable cosy crime.

[Ann aka Iftcan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has Daisy getting involved with America's Prohibition and with those in England who were supplying "the demon rum" to the gangs in the U.S.

An exciting and fun read.

[Karen ⊰✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun installment. I love these books for when I can't decide on anything to read and need something easy :)

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Gerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alec's uncle has left him a considerable amount of property in a neighborhood amidst a square and a house as well; all contingent upon Alec & Daisy living in the house. The uncle's solicitor is hostile towards Daisy & Alec's moving in, his daughter being the wife of the son of the next door neighbors who are purveyor of spirits & "rum runners" supplying illegal liquor to prohibition era America.

When the sons meet in by the square's fountain, each accompanied by an American, a gun is drawn by one of the Americans, who is found bashed in the head & strangled, dead under a bush outside of Alec & Daisy's back door.

An interesting story that held my interest, especially in view of the fact that rum-running liquor to the u.s. was not illegal in Britain, but only in the u.s.

[Elizdos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to really like these books when I started them. She was fiercely independent even going as far as getting a job ( God forbid), living her own life by her own rules. Now however she is married and seems to do nothing but play with the babies in the nursery and bring the babies for walks on the heath and talk about nothing but babies,babies, babies. And she seems to have more staff than they'd have in Windsor Castle. I miss the old days and the old Daisy who was actually involved in the cases and contributed to finding the murderer. I don't even think you can honestly call these books the Daisy Dalrymple mysteries anymore. and in this story she had absolutely nothing to do with it least of all finding who the murderer was. I still have a few books in the series to read and I really hope that we get the old Daisy back again.

[Jacqueline K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, #17 in the series, was either written by someone else or edited by someone new. While the story was interesting and the development of new characters was engaging, the book as a whole was convoluted and the addition of bits of poetry was rather unnecessary. The sentence structure was also tedious in many places. Finally, while Dunn has often been overzealous with her use of period colloquialisms, if I never hear or see “Great Scott!” Or “Right-O” again it will be too soon. It’s use in this book was so overdone I rolled my eyes with every use (often multiple times in one page of dialogue). Surely 1920s Brits weren’t that repetitive. In truth, I’m debating whether to continue with the series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one disappointed me a bit with the ending - it seemed to just sort of jump there rather than leading us to it. I found the character of the American who temporarily stayed with them one-dimensional to begin with and finally downright pathetically unbelievable - he was a caricature rather than a living, breathing person I cared about; unusual for the characters, even minor ones, I usually encounter in her stories. I may listen to it again, but it won't be one I will be quick to return to.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy a Daisy Dalrymple mystery. The writing style and characters are charming. These books really fit the bill when I want a light, stress-free, but well-crafted read. I would say that Black Ship is true to form in all but one respect--the end felt rather weak to me.

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alec and Daisy get involved in a murder done right outside their new home, near Hampstead Heath. Daisy doesn't do anything really silly or dangerous, unlike some of the other books in this series.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure my review of this book can be at all fair, so if you like this author or series, just don't read any further.

I picked this book up very randomly, not really knowing that it was book #17 in a series, but i thought I would try a cozy mystery. Wowzers, this book is just not well written. I guess this book is easy to read, so maybe people who like it are just flying through it not paying attention, but oof. So much of the writing felt like filler--entire conversations were presented just as boringly as they might be in real life (i.e. "hello there, how are you?" "just fine thank you, won't you come in" "oh yes please I hope I'm not bothering you" blah blah blah). I'd much rather only the interesting parts be conveyed, or like write better dialogue or something. There was page after page of inane conversations.

On top of that, there was so much filler description of what's happening, like the following:
"...he set off for Bloomsbury. Hunger overtook him en route, and he popped into an Express Dairy milk bar in Oxford street for a quick lunch. When he reached the British Museum, he showed his warrant card and asked for Dr. Popkin.."
Now look, I don't need to know he ate a sandwich (is that like sponsored content by Express Dairy bar or something?), I don't need to know he showed his warrant card, and I also don't need to know that he went down hallways and opened doors and etc etc etc. So boring and unnecessary.

Oh also there's all these rhetorical questions interrupting the story that I guess are supposed to... build suspense? maybe? they were also annoying. things like: "Could it be Mr. Jessup's taste that ruled?" or "Could it have been he himself who hurried past without so much as a wave?"

I haven't even gotten to the plot yet!!! I think the sea interludes in the first few chapters are like...ruining any chance of a mystery there might have been. And the ending is so so boring and uninteresting that I'm like....why did I even read this.

I didn't hate this book, despite all my grips above, but I certainly won't be reading anything by this author again.

[Donna Church]

Alec's uncle has left him an inheritance that includes a larger home for the growing family. However, the attorney for the estate seems less enthusiastic about the family moving in. Could it be related to his daughter who is married to the neighbor's son?

Daisy finds that she really likes the Jessup family next door and befriends them. In the interim, Lambert, arrives from America but has been robbed of his identification, credentials, and money. He has moved to the Treasury Prohibition department. As he helps with preparing the new house, he can also spy on the Jessups who he believes are smuggling alcohol into the US.

A body is found in the shared park space coinciding with the return of Patrick Jessup and the departures of both Aidan Jessup and Audrey Jessup leading to questions about what happened and if they were involved. When the victim turns out to be an American, more suspicion falls on the Jessups. Lambert has also disappeared from him recent boarding home and Alec finds himself in the difficult spot of investigating his neighbors.

When Aidan turns up in a hospital with a concussion, the family's role in exporting libations makes the 2 brothers top suspects, but Alec can't figure out how the pieces fit togther until the busy body neighbors, the Bennetts provide further details leading to insights about American bootlegging and rising criminal activity.

[Karen Hiatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daisy is smart, funny. Likeable.

Daisy is smart and funny. Likeable. The story is true to the period, & I enjoyed it. & read it word for word until about 62% (on Kindle) then started skimming until the last two chapters.

This speaks more to my impatience to know the end than to the writing.

I was a Literature major 50 years ago, & still read a book (or 2) every day. All genres — sometimes two books at a time, changing back & forth.

I’ll probably read the fast-read parts in this book a second time in a few weeks. I LIKE Daisy a lot.

I admire her Pre-feminist strategy & tactics as she works as a writer & a smart, noticing spouse of her Scotland Yard husband.

Not to mention she’s a wife, mother of 3, (& a dog), employs domestic staff, manages a large household, & arranges a social life for herself alone, then as part of a couple, and additional social lives of her children, interactions with her husband’s staff & employer.

Admirable.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with this series with the first books, which were really very light and frothy. Their main appeal back then may have been the wonderful flapper vocabulary with all the period slang. But over 17 books, Dunn has really matured the main character in a believable, pleasing way.

This entry featured an especially complex plot. Daisy and Alec move into a home they inherited from a distant uncle of Alec's, and just as they are getting to know their new neighbors, a dead body shows up in the common garden. Forensics show the victim was deliberately killed. The rest of the book is spent unraveling who did what to whom and solving the murder, all the while establishing good relationships with their new neighbors. It was very late in the book that I began to piece it all together. A great installment in a great series.

[Ruth Fanshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite Daisy book. Explaining why will involve a pretty large SPOILER...
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Okay, so firstly, the murderer was so obvious that I thought it was too obvious and it must have been someone else on the basic principles of detective fiction. And, as with The Bloody Tower, them not figuring it out sooner depended on them forgetting something that there didn't seem to me to be reasonable explanation of them having forgotten.

But even worse than that: Daisy didn't seem to me to be such a nice person in this one. And it was the first one in which I felt that she really was muscling in on Alec's case without a good enough reason, and that she was really being duplicitous with him. I didn't like that at all.

Hopefully the next one will be better! :)

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Alec Fletcher has inherited a house on the outskirts of London from a recently deceased great-uncle. The timing couldn't be better. Their own house was bursting at the seams now that the twins are two-years-old and Belinda had a tiny room to sleep in when she came home from boarding school. Daisy quickly meets her new neighbors - some of whom she likes, some she doesn't. A body is discovered in a garden area that they all share and the cause of death is murder. It is quite likely the killer lives in one of the nearby homes. Alec and Daisy cautiously work together to solve the mystery without offending any of their neighbors which would make it very difficult to live in the new house they have already come to love.

[Hilary Tesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Black Ship title refers to the trade of alcohol to America during their prohibition period, when the government there tried to intercept the illicit cargoes and the market for the booze was run by opposing violent gangs.

The Fletcher family have moved house to Hampstead and begun to get to know their neighbours - the pleasant Jessops and nosy judgemental Bennetts. When a body is found in the communal garden, the strange behaviour of the Jessops implicates them - but it takes most of the book for the police (and Daisy) to discover the culprit - although the reader will work it out early on! The resolution in the last ten pages of the book is a bit abrupt but still, an entertaining light read.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

#17 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 Late September 1925 and Daisy, now the mother of twins, has move into a larger house inherited by husband on the outskirts of London. The uncle has also left Alec a fortune so the family is well off. It is not long before the family dog finds a dead body under the bushes of the communal garden. The investigation involves smuggling (the black ship in the title refers to vessels used by smugglers to get illegal alcohol into the U.S.) and rival American mob gangs.