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Daisy Dalrymple #9
To Davy Jones Below
In late 1926, the newly married Daisy Dalrymple and Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard take an ocean voyage to America for their honeymoon. Daisy and Alec are accompanied by Daisys childhood friend Phillip Petrie, his wife, Gloria, and Glorias father, American millionaire industrialist Caleb P. Arbuckle, and all are looking forward to a pleasant, uneventful trip. But at the last minute they are joined by Arbuckles new friend, Yorkshire millionaire Jethro Gotobed, and his new wife, Wanda, a showgirl whom all but Gotobed are convinced is a gold digger of the worst sort.Then, having barely lifted anchor, the ocean liner is beset by a series of suspicious accidents and deaths. With harsh weather and rough seas putting many out of commission due to seasickness-including Alec-it soon falls to Daisy to figure out what connection there might be between the seemingly unrelated incidents. Convinced that theres a murderer aboard ship, Daisy must unmask the culprit or culprits before she or anyone else falls victim.
9 pages, Audiobook
First published July 3, 2001
48 people are currently reading
824 people want to read
About the author
Carola Dunn
92 books891 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 241 reviews
October 12, 2014
So I said halfway through this book that it might become one of my favourite Lady Daisy mysteries and now that I finished it I can defenitely say: Yes it is one of Dunn's best books, I've read, so far. The side-characters were really well written this time, especially in the first books they often tended to be a bit black and white or rather either very very likeable or totaly unlikeable. In this book you also get characters inbetween. Thankfully it also seems that Dunn has finally stopped introducing basically all characters at once. I see that with these relatively short books you can't wait too long with the introductions but it got kind of riddiculous when Daisy always just sat somewhere and then people dropped in one after the other and told her their life-stories. It already got much better in the last few books and now it seems to be gone completely.
So all in all a very compelling mystery and Daisy and Alec continue to stay charming ;) Just two things bothered me a bit: I really didn't get why she felt the need to include the other ship in distress at the end. Wasn't a homicidal maniac on board enough excitement for the voyage? Did the ship they were traveling on really need to assist another ship? It just felt like it was just included to add a few more pages.
The other thing was just a bit weird: Daisy meets a woman on the ship who knows much about herbs and herbal remedies and also calls herself a witch. That itself is not bad, as she's not in anyway portrayed bad or stereotypical. But almost always she's referred to in the book, she is not called by her name but 'the witch'. It's full of sentences like "When going upstairs Daisy met the witch." or "The witch was already sitting at the table." I just didn't get why. No matter as what you see a witch, as a job, a religion or as a hobby, you wouldn't always call another character 'The mechanic' or write 'The stamp-collector was already waiting for her.' I just didn't quite get why.
So all in all a very compelling mystery and Daisy and Alec continue to stay charming ;) Just two things bothered me a bit: I really didn't get why she felt the need to include the other ship in distress at the end. Wasn't a homicidal maniac on board enough excitement for the voyage? Did the ship they were traveling on really need to assist another ship? It just felt like it was just included to add a few more pages.
The other thing was just a bit weird: Daisy meets a woman on the ship who knows much about herbs and herbal remedies and also calls herself a witch. That itself is not bad, as she's not in anyway portrayed bad or stereotypical. But almost always she's referred to in the book, she is not called by her name but 'the witch'. It's full of sentences like "When going upstairs Daisy met the witch." or "The witch was already sitting at the table." I just didn't get why. No matter as what you see a witch, as a job, a religion or as a hobby, you wouldn't always call another character 'The mechanic' or write 'The stamp-collector was already waiting for her.' I just didn't quite get why.
April 24, 2018
This is my favourite Daisy book so far. I think because her and Alec are FINALLY married, but also I love cruise ships and having a mystery set on a cruise ship in the 1920s has so much old fashioned romantacism about it.
I also feel like now she is married to Alec it will keep future storylines a little more "believable" as to why she keeps finding murder victims ;)
I also feel like now she is married to Alec it will keep future storylines a little more "believable" as to why she keeps finding murder victims ;)
April 30, 2019
Daisy & Alec are on their way to the US, so of course someone gets murdered & Daisy is involved. It's a fun mystery with glimpses of a passenger liner in the early 1920s. Interesting characters & self-contained, as usual. Still, I recommend reading them in order, if at all possible.
I like the narrator's British voices, but her US ones don't do much for me. I have a feeling the next book will be set in the US & I'm not sure I'll be able to listen to them. They're positively cringe-worthy.
I like the narrator's British voices, but her US ones don't do much for me. I have a feeling the next book will be set in the US & I'm not sure I'll be able to listen to them. They're positively cringe-worthy.
November 13, 2013
I had high hopes for this one - a cruise ship mystery! What a great set piece to base a book around. But I figured out what was really going on three quarters of a book earlier than Daisy and Alec apparently did, so spent the rest of the book yelling at them in my head, and generally getting bored. It's a shame, because Carola Dunn's writing is nice and crisp...but it felt as if there was nothing behind the beautifully constructed sentences.
March 4, 2023
To Davy Jones Below
4 Stars
Following their wedding, Alec and Daisy Fletcher are sent by Scotland Yard to America to aid in establishing the fledging FBI. Accompanying them on the cross-Atlantic voyage are Philip Petrie and his wife, Gloria, as well as her father, Caleb P. Arbuckle, and his wealthy friend, Jethro Gotobed, who has recently wed a showgirl whom everyone suspects of being a golddigger. When a series of suspicious accidents result in the deaths of several passengers, Daisy finds herself investigating while Alec is laid low by sea sickness.
Series note: This book includes numerous characters from earlier installments. As such, it is recommended that the series be read in order.
While the mystery is obvious from the start, the cruise ship setting is excellent (as are the details on the various shipping accidents interspersed throughout the narrative), and the interesting characters, including the engaging Mr. Gotobed and the intriguing Miss Oliphant, more than compensate for the lack of originality in the plot.
There is also some good character development for Daisy and Alec, who are getting to know each other even better now that they are married and forced into close quarters onboard the ocean liner. Alec proves to be a terrible patient, and Daisy's forbearance is admirable.
A final note on the audiobook narration - Lucy Raynor has replaced Mia Chiaromonte, which makes all the difference. Her voices, both male and female, are excellent; her accents, English and American, are appropriate, and her pronunciation is accurate (thank goodness!).
Overall, this is a significant improvement from the past couple of books. Hopefully, the series has regained its momentum and will be moving in a positive direction.
4 Stars
Following their wedding, Alec and Daisy Fletcher are sent by Scotland Yard to America to aid in establishing the fledging FBI. Accompanying them on the cross-Atlantic voyage are Philip Petrie and his wife, Gloria, as well as her father, Caleb P. Arbuckle, and his wealthy friend, Jethro Gotobed, who has recently wed a showgirl whom everyone suspects of being a golddigger. When a series of suspicious accidents result in the deaths of several passengers, Daisy finds herself investigating while Alec is laid low by sea sickness.
Series note: This book includes numerous characters from earlier installments. As such, it is recommended that the series be read in order.
While the mystery is obvious from the start, the cruise ship setting is excellent (as are the details on the various shipping accidents interspersed throughout the narrative), and the interesting characters, including the engaging Mr. Gotobed and the intriguing Miss Oliphant, more than compensate for the lack of originality in the plot.
There is also some good character development for Daisy and Alec, who are getting to know each other even better now that they are married and forced into close quarters onboard the ocean liner. Alec proves to be a terrible patient, and Daisy's forbearance is admirable.
A final note on the audiobook narration - Lucy Raynor has replaced Mia Chiaromonte, which makes all the difference. Her voices, both male and female, are excellent; her accents, English and American, are appropriate, and her pronunciation is accurate (thank goodness!).
Overall, this is a significant improvement from the past couple of books. Hopefully, the series has regained its momentum and will be moving in a positive direction.
April 15, 2019
I like Carola Dunn especially when I want a quick fun story with a character I like. Her books seem to fit that bill. I didn't care for her husband in this one though. He was a little too brusque for me. I liked the other characters though.
What I didn't like about this one was the predictability. From the beginning it was easy to figure out what was playing out, who did what, etc. So it was a little anti-climatic. But there were other surprises that kept me going. So 3 stars and it was a fun read.
What I didn't like about this one was the predictability. From the beginning it was easy to figure out what was playing out, who did what, etc. So it was a little anti-climatic. But there were other surprises that kept me going. So 3 stars and it was a fun read.
September 14, 2017
Didn't like this book and felt it was too apparent throughout. Mysteries should lead you astray and this one fairly shouted from the beginning whodunnit. Daisy as a married woman also seems less believable. Alec seems to have some doubts about her sleuthing skills, her dancing ability (this is important?), and her ability to maintain boundaries. His own detective skills seem rather weak in this novel.
September 8, 2018
Too apparent and slightly insulting
The crime was blatantly apparent though Ms. Dunn did try to move suspicions around, but with no sustenance. The insult was the insistence of calling the educated herbalist "a witch" and "the witch." It was an attitude throw back to the Spanish Inquisition.
The crime was blatantly apparent though Ms. Dunn did try to move suspicions around, but with no sustenance. The insult was the insistence of calling the educated herbalist "a witch" and "the witch." It was an attitude throw back to the Spanish Inquisition.
April 24, 2019
Daisy & CDI Alec Fletcher are now married and on their way to their honeymoon, when their plans are most rudely disrupted & rearranged to send them on a trans-Atlantic voyage to the u.s. in order to help quell corruption in the FBI.
Rather than standing up & defending their honeymoon plans, Alec agrees to the trip, telling Daisy that they'll have two extra weeks added to their honeymoon via their voyage.
Unfortunately & unbeknown to the entire group, one of their companions has married a much disliked former showgirl and much to their dismay brings her along on the voyage.
From that point on I figured it all out: Two smarmy young men are seen in the company of the showgirl, whom she claims are merely "stage-door Johnnies".
A young woman sees a man heaved overboard, but no one, especially Alec, believes her, they think he somehow just fell overboard, even though he was too much short to go over on his own. Throughout the book he remains in a coma.
Next one of the "Stage-door Johnnies", who turns out to be a card-shark & cheating one of the passengers, is shot & he falls overboard, his body unrecoverable. Then the second "Stage-door Johnnie" falls overboard and drowns as well....
During all of this the chorus-girl is indisposed, as is Alec w/ sea-sickness one of the passengers, a herbalist (prejudicially called the "witch" by the author), comes to the rescue w/ her natural remedies.
When all seems to calm down the chorus girl is stricken by belladonna poison, which she has been using as eyedrops to brighten her eyes, and dies....
From the beginning, who-done-it was too easy to figure out, even though there were plenty of suspects.... Alec was a total azz, acting out of character by dismissing the first witness's account of what she saw.
Bah!
Rather than standing up & defending their honeymoon plans, Alec agrees to the trip, telling Daisy that they'll have two extra weeks added to their honeymoon via their voyage.
Unfortunately & unbeknown to the entire group, one of their companions has married a much disliked former showgirl and much to their dismay brings her along on the voyage.
From that point on I figured it all out: Two smarmy young men are seen in the company of the showgirl, whom she claims are merely "stage-door Johnnies".
A young woman sees a man heaved overboard, but no one, especially Alec, believes her, they think he somehow just fell overboard, even though he was too much short to go over on his own. Throughout the book he remains in a coma.
Next one of the "Stage-door Johnnies", who turns out to be a card-shark & cheating one of the passengers, is shot & he falls overboard, his body unrecoverable. Then the second "Stage-door Johnnie" falls overboard and drowns as well....
During all of this the chorus-girl is indisposed, as is Alec w/ sea-sickness one of the passengers, a herbalist (prejudicially called the "witch" by the author), comes to the rescue w/ her natural remedies.
When all seems to calm down the chorus girl is stricken by belladonna poison, which she has been using as eyedrops to brighten her eyes, and dies....
From the beginning, who-done-it was too easy to figure out, even though there were plenty of suspects.... Alec was a total azz, acting out of character by dismissing the first witness's account of what she saw.
Bah!
April 3, 2017
Whilst not my favourite Daisy Dalrymple, it was still a lot of fun to read. I guessed the ending about halfway through though. Bk9 in the series sees Daisy & Alec married finally. Phillip Petries father-in-law, Mr Arbuckle, organises for Alec to do some consulting with the FBI so Daisy & her new husband find themselves on a boat, sailing to New York with Phillip, his wife Gloria, Mr Arbuckle & one of Arbuckles friends, Mr Gotobed (I know!) & his new wife, Wanda. Everyone's having a great time, until one night a man is thrown overboard, and the usual Daisy chaos ensues.
November 18, 2017
Story was okay, BUT the narrator needs to bring it down a few pitches. Her voice is so high, I can’t hardly listen to her! She’s really taking away from the story!!!
December 26, 2023
This took me forever to finish. Almost a month! Absurd, lol This has a lot more to do with my desire to listen to Christmas music and watch Absolute History episodes on YouTube instead of the quality of the book. So I'm giving it three stars for now. I did enjoy it and the shipboard setting was fun!
September 10, 2020
I think this is the first Daisy book I have read where more than one person is murdered. Things get quite crazy on this transatlantic crossing. Alec's seasickness allows Daisy to do a little investigation on her own with his approval even which was a nice change but it was a little unfair that a couple clues were only disclosed to Alec so Daisy was at a disadvantage in figuring out the solution. (or was it the solution?)
April 6, 2020
Newly-weds Daisy and Alec take a steamship to America, partly arranged and facilitated by the American millionaire Arbuckle, whose daughter Daisy helped to rescue in Damsel in Distress. An English millionaire comes along, with his new wife, an actress (just retired). Then men start falling overboard.
August 29, 2017
Liked this one a lot less than other Daisy books - the mystery part felt random and unengaging, though the cruise descriptions were nice.
July 17, 2018
It was so obvious who was behind the murders! I found it maddening to read Daisy and Alex running around with all these other theories when the most obvious one was ignored.
July 1, 2023
Much more preferable to the earlier two books in the series. Still not up to par because the ending was really unsatisfactory. I mean, it's fine to say that this happens all the time in real life and it's fine to leave the mystery up to speculation. But these books aren't meant to be a reflection of reality, they exist solely as mysteries with some romance thrown in. Still like Daisy and Alec but as at least borderline interesting mysteries, they're failing me. I used to think that I don't really care about the story as long as the characters behaved more or less as I expected them to behave, but apparently I do need some semblance of effort.
February 23, 2018
This adventure occurs on board a ship to America with Daisy & her crew getting involved in a crime & the resolution thereof. The British countryside or London make a better setting for my taste but the book's entertainment value is still high.
March 1, 2022
The narration ruined the story for me. Some women pull off a male voice. This one doesn’t. Daisy sounds like a preteen oftentimes, while the majority of voices are just plain annoying.
This is the lowest rated in the Daisy Dalrymple series. I was not fond of the characters. And I hated the ending.
I think this is my fifth in the series and I’ve enjoyed the no-stress comfort in these cozies. I think it’s time for a break, but fear not Mrs. Daisy Dalrymple-Fletcher. I shall return.
This is the lowest rated in the Daisy Dalrymple series. I was not fond of the characters. And I hated the ending.
I think this is my fifth in the series and I’ve enjoyed the no-stress comfort in these cozies. I think it’s time for a break, but fear not Mrs. Daisy Dalrymple-Fletcher. I shall return.
January 18, 2018
A relaxing, fun, nostalgic read. I enjoyed every book of the series. Daisy Dalrymple is as charming as she is lively - and the mysteries will keep you on your toes. :)
September 27, 2020
Hurrah! Daisy and Alec are finally married. <3
November 11, 2020
I’m so glad that this book was back on track, since the last one was such a disappointment. Very enjoyable.
October 16, 2023
Interesting life aboard ship. Although I guessed who done it about halfway through it was still a good story.
October 1, 2021
2 1/2 stars. A shipliner murder during the 1920s. Full of red herrings, bad weather, and lavish 20s details, including a masquerade, the story is a lot of fun.
July 6, 2018
This series is a lot of fun. And this installment is one of the best. This is not high art or deep intellect. But Dunn does a great job of capturing the styles. manners and class rigidity of the time. Her descriptions are vivid and often fun, taking us to a time when things were so easy for some and so dreary for others. The time period is the start of great change for Great Britain and the world and it's fun to have a light hearted but accurate take.
This installment had a particularly fun plot and was very engaging.
This installment had a particularly fun plot and was very engaging.
May 8, 2017
Well, I think I liked this one enough to finally get off the 3.5 rating and move to 4. It was different enough -- a setting aboard ship in the Atlantic -- and there was certainly a fair amount going on what with the body count rising by the day. The only caveat is that I figured out the murder plot almost as soon as the first person was attacked. I just had to wait to see how all the elements played out. Of course, there was a reduced number of suspects -- at least when compared to other Dalrymple mysteries -- so it was pretty obvious early on.
I do like the fact that this series reintroduces characters from one book into another so if you have read earlier novels there is a history for them that doesn't require lengthy back story explanations in each book. Another interesting feature is the choice of vocabulary in Dunn's novels. I remarked in an early review about her use of British slang. I have no idea if it is period-specific to the 1920's in Britain or if it is generally used slang even now. However, I'm ever so grateful for the Oxford English Dictionary built into my Kindle or I'd miss half the British references.
But the vocabulary Dunn uses to write her novels warrants its own comment. When was the last time you read an American novel -- or any novel, for that matter -- that included all of the following words: flummoxed / erstwhile / jovially / autumnal / miscegenation / impinged / emanated / discommoded / tisane / commensurately / bellicose / skulduggery / noncommittal / enumerate / penitently / inveigled / efficacy / reciprocated / illuminated / incapacitated / succumbed / guileless / abeyance / self-aggrandizement / dissimulation / fraternize / matrimony / apparatus /perfunctory / broaching / rapprochement / fulmination / peroration / imbroglio/ draught / encomium / deference / thwarted.
This is not to say that the text requires a college degree or a dictionary to appreciate. It is to say that as an English major and teacher for many years, it was unusual to encounter so many multi-syllabic words that I hadn’t seen since college days. I’ll be curious to see if Dunn continues this complex word choice throughout the entire 20+ year history of this series.
I do like the fact that this series reintroduces characters from one book into another so if you have read earlier novels there is a history for them that doesn't require lengthy back story explanations in each book. Another interesting feature is the choice of vocabulary in Dunn's novels. I remarked in an early review about her use of British slang. I have no idea if it is period-specific to the 1920's in Britain or if it is generally used slang even now. However, I'm ever so grateful for the Oxford English Dictionary built into my Kindle or I'd miss half the British references.
But the vocabulary Dunn uses to write her novels warrants its own comment. When was the last time you read an American novel -- or any novel, for that matter -- that included all of the following words: flummoxed / erstwhile / jovially / autumnal / miscegenation / impinged / emanated / discommoded / tisane / commensurately / bellicose / skulduggery / noncommittal / enumerate / penitently / inveigled / efficacy / reciprocated / illuminated / incapacitated / succumbed / guileless / abeyance / self-aggrandizement / dissimulation / fraternize / matrimony / apparatus /perfunctory / broaching / rapprochement / fulmination / peroration / imbroglio/ draught / encomium / deference / thwarted.
This is not to say that the text requires a college degree or a dictionary to appreciate. It is to say that as an English major and teacher for many years, it was unusual to encounter so many multi-syllabic words that I hadn’t seen since college days. I’ll be curious to see if Dunn continues this complex word choice throughout the entire 20+ year history of this series.
December 19, 2019
I was a bit disappointed with this volume. After waiting through 8 previous volumes through the romance of Alec and Daisy, they are now married, but we weren't invited to the wedding. Just a couple of paragraphs about "oh, we're happily married now, a couple of things happened, and now on to the next adventure" -- I don't consider this a spoiler because it's in the first few pages of the book.
In this book, Alec's boss and Mr. Arbuckle conspire to send Alec to America to consult with the FBI, so they set sail, and of course, someone gets killed. The journey is spent trying to figure out who the murderer is. I figured it out right off the bat (sooo obvious!), so most of the book was just waiting to see how long it would take them to solve the case. It was more like a Keystone Kops episode.
In this book, Alec's boss and Mr. Arbuckle conspire to send Alec to America to consult with the FBI, so they set sail, and of course, someone gets killed. The journey is spent trying to figure out who the murderer is. I figured it out right off the bat (sooo obvious!), so most of the book was just waiting to see how long it would take them to solve the case. It was more like a Keystone Kops episode.
February 11, 2020
Daisy Dalrymple and her new husband DCI Alec Fletcher are travelling by ship to New York. They are joined by some friends and acquaintances, including Yorkshire millionaire Jethro Gotobed and his wife Wanda, formerly a showgirl. The crossing is rough and soon many passengers are suffering seasickness, so when a man falls overboard in suspicious circumstances, Daisy gets involved with the investigation.
This was good fun, with an entertaining group of characters. I must admit that I don't usually enjoy an ocean liner setting, but it did work well here as a crime scene where no one can get away. Daisy and Alec work well together and are likeable protagonists. The plot is rather unlikely, but these are pleasant light hearted mysteries that can't be taken too seriously, and as such are enjoyable to dip into now and then.
This was good fun, with an entertaining group of characters. I must admit that I don't usually enjoy an ocean liner setting, but it did work well here as a crime scene where no one can get away. Daisy and Alec work well together and are likeable protagonists. The plot is rather unlikely, but these are pleasant light hearted mysteries that can't be taken too seriously, and as such are enjoyable to dip into now and then.
March 9, 2019
Newly-weds Daisy Dalrymple and Scotland Yard's Alec Fletcher are on their way to the United States, where Alec is supposed to consult with the nascent FBI. They are traveling with another newly-wed pair, a wealthy industrialist and his show-girl bride, and an American millionaire and his daughter and son-in-law, Daisy's childhood friend. When a man falls overboard, one witness says he was pushed. Although he is rescued, he is too ill to give his version of the event. The next man overboard is not so lucky...Daisy is sure that there's murder in the air, but unfortunately Alec has a bad bout of seasickness, so there's no one except his new wife to investigate.
March 21, 2019
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
In this book, Daisy and Alec have got married and they’re off on a cruise to the US. Because Daisy is Daisy, she quickly runs into a murder, and Alec is unwillingly drawn into the case because he’s the only policeman on board, and everyone turns to his experience (not to mention his rank). We get to spend some more time with Gloria and her father, and endure one of those typical “gold digging girl from the stage marries a millionaire with ill-intent” plots.
Mostly meh, in retrospect, though Daisy and Alec’s relationship and interactions remain fun.
In this book, Daisy and Alec have got married and they’re off on a cruise to the US. Because Daisy is Daisy, she quickly runs into a murder, and Alec is unwillingly drawn into the case because he’s the only policeman on board, and everyone turns to his experience (not to mention his rank). We get to spend some more time with Gloria and her father, and endure one of those typical “gold digging girl from the stage marries a millionaire with ill-intent” plots.
Mostly meh, in retrospect, though Daisy and Alec’s relationship and interactions remain fun.
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