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Daisy Dalrymple #15
Gunpowder Plot
In the winter of 1924, Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher travels to a school friend's house to witness the estate's famous Guy Fawkes celebration. But she gets more than a quiet weekend at the quaint family manse that she was originally hoping for. The home is the site of some severe family tension - the Viscount and head of family is a strict and unyielding sort, insisting that everyone - especially his children - meet his own unreasonable expectations. On the evening of the Guy Fawkes celebration, the Viscount is found dead on the floor of his study, killed by his own hand. What's more, he apparently first killed a guest - a married woman visiting England from Australia - before turning the gun on himself. Now it's up to Alec Fletcher, Daisy's husband and a DCI of Scotland Yard, to unravel the mystery and the long held family secrets that led to this state of affairs before anyone else can fall prey to the tragic cycle of events. A solution that will require, perhaps, more than a little help from Daisy herself.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
32 people are currently reading
808 people want to read
About the author
Carola Dunn
91 books889 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 192 reviews
June 10, 2019
This is one of the best of the series. Again at a manor house, but the plot is twisty & the suspects are impossible to chose between. It all makes perfect sense in the end, a great one. Alec actually relies on Daisy quite a bit during this one, too. About time. As usual, the characters were excellent as was the narration.
Again I really appreciated the historical bits. Not just the old stuff about they Guy Fawkes festival, but the glimpses into every day life such as babies suddenly appearing as far as the kids are concerned. The cars, chat about airplanes, the use of the telephone, & other bits just fascinated me. This is set not quite a century ago in 1924, yet we've come so far.
I definitely recommend the series & read it in order if you can. The recurring characters make that a real bonus.
Again I really appreciated the historical bits. Not just the old stuff about they Guy Fawkes festival, but the glimpses into every day life such as babies suddenly appearing as far as the kids are concerned. The cars, chat about airplanes, the use of the telephone, & other bits just fascinated me. This is set not quite a century ago in 1924, yet we've come so far.
I definitely recommend the series & read it in order if you can. The recurring characters make that a real bonus.
June 14, 2020
These books seem to be somehow improving, or perhaps it is just my mood and the need for a 1920s cozy mystery!
Daisy is back taking more of the stage in this than she did in the last book, and the mystery was an intriguig one. It took me until almost the very end to guess the murderer, and the motive.
Great fun
Daisy is back taking more of the stage in this than she did in the last book, and the mystery was an intriguig one. It took me until almost the very end to guess the murderer, and the motive.
Great fun
February 25, 2021
I am a little bit confused as to why the book's description (written on the cover of the book) describes one of the victims as a viscount when it says multiple times in the book that he is a baronet, but as that does not particularly change the story I guess not much harm is done. I feel very clever on this one as I picked out the motive and the culprit very early on although Dunn did almost make me doubt myself on the later, so the mystery is well done. The ending is slightly disappointing as it feels like there is a lot skipped over in the summing up but otherwise this was a pleasure to read with a nice mix of likeable and unlikeable characters.
April 28, 2012
This is one of the best novels in the series: lighthearted and fast moving. Daisy and her husband, Detective Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard Alec Fletcher, investigate the double deaths of a tyrannical father and his female guest. Nobody is sorry about the father, who terrorized his family for years, but the guest was a nice, friendly woman. Why was she killed?
Quirky family relationships and a host of colorful secondary characters complicate the investigation, as usual. And as usual, I found a word in the author’s expansive vocabulary I’ve never read before. Antediluvian – do you know what it means? I didn’t, but a dictionary came to my rescue. I won’t tell though.
This book was pure joy to read. Using Daisy’s favorite word: spiffing.
The only problem I have is with the cover blurb. In the blurb, the murder victim is called a viscount, while in the book he is a baronet. I wonder if whoever wrote the blurb even read the book. If not, it’s their loss.
Quirky family relationships and a host of colorful secondary characters complicate the investigation, as usual. And as usual, I found a word in the author’s expansive vocabulary I’ve never read before. Antediluvian – do you know what it means? I didn’t, but a dictionary came to my rescue. I won’t tell though.
This book was pure joy to read. Using Daisy’s favorite word: spiffing.
The only problem I have is with the cover blurb. In the blurb, the murder victim is called a viscount, while in the book he is a baronet. I wonder if whoever wrote the blurb even read the book. If not, it’s their loss.
September 27, 2017
What a horrific ending, but it felt fitting all the same.
August 7, 2012
Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, largely pregnant, is visiting Edge Manor, at her friend Gwen's invitation, to write an article about the Guy Fawkes' Day celebration there, which has been celebrated for four hundred years. She finds Gwen's father, Sir Harold Tyndall, upset because his only son Jack wants to become an aeronautical engineer and Jack's mentor, a man of clearly the wrong class, is interested in Gwen. But when the celebration ends with two dead bodies in Sir Harold's study, Daisy's husband, Scotland Yard ace Alec and his men are called on to clear up the deaths.
October 12, 2014
I am very conflicted. The mystery-plot was simply great and had quite a few unexpected twists but towards the end it once again felt like Dunn was running out of pages and just wanted to finish quickly. It seemed that Daisy just got quite lucky with catching the killer and not that it was the result of a proper investigation.
July 2, 2024
Set in the 1920s in England, main character Daisy Dalrymple is a journalist covering the Guy Fawkes’ Day celebrations at the country manor of an old friend for an American magazine. During the festivities, what first appears to be a murder-suicide takes place. Daisy is now married to Scotland Yard Detective Alec Fletcher, and he is one of those called in to investigate. The storyline follows the investigation, Daisy’s unofficial assistance, and the numerous suspects.
The time-period, setting, and social circumstances are well-drawn. Times are changing, and Daisy is among the new independent working women, though still somewhat constrained by social mores. Her mother is among those who want to keep the old traditions. There is a good amount of classism, and marrying outside one’s station is still not widely accepted. There is a missing generation of men due to World War I. All this seems convincing.
However, we then have the weak plot, which is convoluted. There is an attempt to fool the reader into misidentifying the culprit, with lots of unconvincing red herrings. It requires a huge suspension of disbelief to buy into the ending. I liked the first third (before the murder), but once it turned into a standard detective story, it lost me. It is one of those books that wasn’t bad but wasn’t that good either.
The time-period, setting, and social circumstances are well-drawn. Times are changing, and Daisy is among the new independent working women, though still somewhat constrained by social mores. Her mother is among those who want to keep the old traditions. There is a good amount of classism, and marrying outside one’s station is still not widely accepted. There is a missing generation of men due to World War I. All this seems convincing.
However, we then have the weak plot, which is convoluted. There is an attempt to fool the reader into misidentifying the culprit, with lots of unconvincing red herrings. It requires a huge suspension of disbelief to buy into the ending. I liked the first third (before the murder), but once it turned into a standard detective story, it lost me. It is one of those books that wasn’t bad but wasn’t that good either.
July 12, 2020
Daisy is staying with her friend Gwen at the family Manor House in the Cotswolds, and attends their annual fireworks party. She notices tension between the family members, and the presence of two unexpected guests, Mr and Mrs Gooch, appears to make things worse. Then tragedy strikes and two people are found dead in the study.
The Daisy Dalrymple books are good fun, with some witty dialogue and interesting characters. There isn't much substance to the plot, and most suspects are ruled out too quickly to make it genuinely mysterious, but it is a readable and pleasant book.
The Daisy Dalrymple books are good fun, with some witty dialogue and interesting characters. There isn't much substance to the plot, and most suspects are ruled out too quickly to make it genuinely mysterious, but it is a readable and pleasant book.
April 10, 2018
This was an absorbing mystery & had, as is proper, a surprising ending. One mother & her 2 boys, however, were so obnoxious & odious that I had trouble enjoying the parts that included their presence. There was the requisite happily resolved romance, & Daisy was entertaining in the cumbersome stage of her pregnancy.
January 2, 2021
4.5 stars. Another great book in this series. I’m loving the character development between Daisy and her husband, and the way he appreciates (ok, some times grudgingly) her through processes in helping him solve the murders.
February 15, 2021
I always enjoy the books in this series, but really, really liked this one! I don't have a compelling reason to give, overall, but the ending got to me. Daisy, her hubby, Gwen and the rest were excellent characters, and the plot moved along at a good pace. The county house setting isn't new, but it's always fun to me. The ancient butler was a bit of a source of humor as well as suspense. If you like historical mysteries set in post WWI England, you might give these a try.
December 18, 2019
Daisy is visiting Edge Manor, at her friend Gwen's invitation, to write an article about the Guy Fawkes' Day celebration there, which has been celebrated for four hundred years. Two people are killed and as per usual Daisy helps to uncover what happened; not by being a super smart sleuth but with listening and offering some kindness here and there. I really like that about Daisy. The characters, settings and atmosphere carry the series for me, the mysteries however are usually very easy to guess and nothing too clever or exciting.
June 30, 2020
3.5 stars
August 27, 2021
Trochę smutne zakończenie, ale książka super😁
January 10, 2022
Audiobook
December 11, 2021
Such Potential - Wasted.
Unlike the previous book (A Mourning Wedding), which also had multiple crimes, this story dragged on. The setting of the scene takes far too long and getting to the point of the story is either helped or hindered by the supporting characters.
In this case, there really isn’t a single character that you can really warm to. (Not even the regulars)! Not because they’re not likeable - even though 2 of them aren’t - but because, despite the lengthy introduction, no time is spent on proper character development! So you have nothing but a superficial idea of who the people really are!
There was so much potential to this book, but opportunities were lost to make it deeper and more interesting, involving.
I listened to the audiobook version of this title. The narration was the best thing about it, in my opinion.
Unlike the previous book (A Mourning Wedding), which also had multiple crimes, this story dragged on. The setting of the scene takes far too long and getting to the point of the story is either helped or hindered by the supporting characters.
In this case, there really isn’t a single character that you can really warm to. (Not even the regulars)! Not because they’re not likeable - even though 2 of them aren’t - but because, despite the lengthy introduction, no time is spent on proper character development! So you have nothing but a superficial idea of who the people really are!
There was so much potential to this book, but opportunities were lost to make it deeper and more interesting, involving.
I listened to the audiobook version of this title. The narration was the best thing about it, in my opinion.
July 17, 2012
If you like Agatha Christie novels you are going to like this one from Carola Dunn. More than anything I liked peeling back Time and peering into History and observing English society of the 1920's. Fascinating!
And of course, after all the characters were laid out on who might be the killer, I missed out completely! (which I liked immensely!)
A very good 'cozy' styled mystery in the classic sense of the word.
And of course, after all the characters were laid out on who might be the killer, I missed out completely! (which I liked immensely!)
A very good 'cozy' styled mystery in the classic sense of the word.
February 5, 2014
A good quick likeable read for when home sick in bed! Nothing to heavy, likeable main characters, easy enough to work out who did it!
June 27, 2015
Another fun read in the series. This one kept me guessing until the big secret was revealed. Then, I guessed the culprit straight off.
August 23, 2015
Another fast, fun read. I was sure I knew who dunnit . . . and I was wrong.
March 20, 2018
Guessed the ending!
I guessed the ending about midway through the book. Nice easy read. Enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one.
I guessed the ending about midway through the book. Nice easy read. Enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one.
January 8, 2022
Listened on audio.
Figured this one out before the end too, ha ha
Figured this one out before the end too, ha ha
December 13, 2016
Brought home from the library by my husband.
Daisy is still writing her "homes of the rich and famous" articles although she's married Alec, giving her either more or less access to his Scotland Yard cases.
In this story Daisy is writing a Guy Fox Celebration article for an American magazine and is visiting Edge Manor where Sir Harold Tyndall is reputed to have a spectacular 5th of Nov. bonfire and fireworks display. She has an in there since she went to school with Gwen, one of Sir Harold's three daughters. Also in the household are Barbara, Gwen's sister, and Jack, her brother and Sir Harold's heir. Nearby are their sister Adelaide, widowed by the War, and her mother-in-law. Also Addie's two preteen sons, whom Alec describes as criminals in training, are home for midterm break.
There is a great deal of tension in the house because Jack wants to be an aeronautical engineer and has brought Miller, an engineer from a local aviation firm , to help convince his father. Since his father calls Miller a bounder there doesn't seem to be much hope there.
Things remain below boiling point until the festivities begin. The criminals in training have removed some of the rockets from the display and Jack chases after them. All the county families are there for the event so it is unfortunate that Jack catches Addie in the middle of the dining room where all the guests are filling their plates and lights into her about her sons' behaviour. Their mother points out their lack of manners but it is only a few minutes before manners are the least of the family's worries. Sir Harold is discovered dead at his study desk near a visiting Australian woman who is staying at the local inn with her husband and whom Jack invited up to the house for the bonfire.
Alec is called in and it all becomes very messy, since the estate covers parts of two counties and the Lord Lieutenant of one and the Chief Constable of the other were among the guests. I have a question: how are lord lieutenants and chief constables appointed? I'm assuming the positions are in the monarch's gift but do they tend to be inherited? Alec says the chief constable is only a courtesy policeman, so is the position there to make sure that there is some supervision of police work by someone of "good" family? The lord lieutenant is described as having only a ceremonial function so what does he do?
The characters are all believable, even Mr. Gooch, the Australian's husband. The antedeluvian butler is rather a nice touch, since if they had pensioned him off where would they have found another? There is perhaps a little too much slipping outside for a walk so characters can have a quiet chat but I sympathise with Alec who really does need a little privacy to question witnesses.
It does have a satisfying ending, even regarding those boys who are definitely in for a sharp shock when they arrive at boarding school.
Daisy is still writing her "homes of the rich and famous" articles although she's married Alec, giving her either more or less access to his Scotland Yard cases.
In this story Daisy is writing a Guy Fox Celebration article for an American magazine and is visiting Edge Manor where Sir Harold Tyndall is reputed to have a spectacular 5th of Nov. bonfire and fireworks display. She has an in there since she went to school with Gwen, one of Sir Harold's three daughters. Also in the household are Barbara, Gwen's sister, and Jack, her brother and Sir Harold's heir. Nearby are their sister Adelaide, widowed by the War, and her mother-in-law. Also Addie's two preteen sons, whom Alec describes as criminals in training, are home for midterm break.
There is a great deal of tension in the house because Jack wants to be an aeronautical engineer and has brought Miller, an engineer from a local aviation firm , to help convince his father. Since his father calls Miller a bounder there doesn't seem to be much hope there.
Things remain below boiling point until the festivities begin. The criminals in training have removed some of the rockets from the display and Jack chases after them. All the county families are there for the event so it is unfortunate that Jack catches Addie in the middle of the dining room where all the guests are filling their plates and lights into her about her sons' behaviour. Their mother points out their lack of manners but it is only a few minutes before manners are the least of the family's worries. Sir Harold is discovered dead at his study desk near a visiting Australian woman who is staying at the local inn with her husband and whom Jack invited up to the house for the bonfire.
Alec is called in and it all becomes very messy, since the estate covers parts of two counties and the Lord Lieutenant of one and the Chief Constable of the other were among the guests. I have a question: how are lord lieutenants and chief constables appointed? I'm assuming the positions are in the monarch's gift but do they tend to be inherited? Alec says the chief constable is only a courtesy policeman, so is the position there to make sure that there is some supervision of police work by someone of "good" family? The lord lieutenant is described as having only a ceremonial function so what does he do?
The characters are all believable, even Mr. Gooch, the Australian's husband. The antedeluvian butler is rather a nice touch, since if they had pensioned him off where would they have found another? There is perhaps a little too much slipping outside for a walk so characters can have a quiet chat but I sympathise with Alec who really does need a little privacy to question witnesses.
It does have a satisfying ending, even regarding those boys who are definitely in for a sharp shock when they arrive at boarding school.
March 8, 2023
One of the better entries in a fine series. In this story, which takes place a few months after A Mourning Wedding, Daisy (still pregnant!) is visiting a friend's house to write a report on Bonfire Night for her American editor. Mayhem ensues. Indeed, the book starts with mayhem from two small boys, and Daisy soon finds her friend's family is unhappy, with many unspoken tensions. The paterfamilias disapproves of his young son's ambition to be an engineer. He disapproves of his daughter's friend, an engineer from the midlands and therefore (in Sir Harold's eyes, and also his wife's) quite unsuitable as a suitor. He disapproves of his oldest daughter, who is a passionate and knowledgeable farmer--but the land must go to the son, not to the daughter. So there are many people with motives when Sir Harold is found dead. But who had a motive to kill Mrs. Gooch, an utter stranger visiting the manor with her husband on Bonfire Night?
I must confess I guessed the murderer about 3/4 of the way through, but the mystery plots aren't the only reason to read this series. There's also the characters--Daisy is a charmer!--and the examination of time and place and culture. I also appreciated that this murder was truly sad; I felt for the innocent victims.
I liked this even better than <1> A Mourning Wedding. Very nearly five stars from me. And hurray for Daisy, bringing mercy and understanding to a tragedy.
I must confess I guessed the murderer about 3/4 of the way through, but the mystery plots aren't the only reason to read this series. There's also the characters--Daisy is a charmer!--and the examination of time and place and culture. I also appreciated that this murder was truly sad; I felt for the innocent victims.
I liked this even better than <1> A Mourning Wedding. Very nearly five stars from me. And hurray for Daisy, bringing mercy and understanding to a tragedy.
November 16, 2023
I solved this on page 43 (who did it, why they did it, and how it would be discovered (not *caught*)) and am absolutely bewildered by reviews praising the mystery aspect. The last 50 pages, after the huge secret was discovered by the characters (and which I had deduced on page 43), were extremely tedious, as it read like the author was desperately trying to think of ways to keep the sleuths stupid, so that the situation where the murderer would be discovered, but not caught, could be set up properly. Neither Daisy nor her husband solve this one. They're just presented with an answer. Ugh. And then the author seemed ashamed of the ending and it buzzed by in a few scant pages.
Other than that, the characters are delightful as always, especially since at this point in the series, Dunn isn't writing the characters like they're implants from Jeeves and Wooster (I love Jeeves and Wooster, but Dunn is no Wodehouse, and she's not writing those kind of books).
Other than that, the characters are delightful as always, especially since at this point in the series, Dunn isn't writing the characters like they're implants from Jeeves and Wooster (I love Jeeves and Wooster, but Dunn is no Wodehouse, and she's not writing those kind of books).
October 9, 2020
Gunpowder Plot is the fifteenth in the Daisy Dalrymple series, a cosy murder mystery series set in 1920s England. This one follows Daisy as she is writing an article on a traditional Bonfire Evening festivities when a murder spoils the fun. When you read lengthy series like this one, particularly in a genre that is traditionally prescriptive you can get to feel a bit fatigued by the series. Some stories draw you in more than others and I am pleased to say that Gunpowder Plot did it for me. There was a much more limited pool of suspects than in some of the recent mysteries in the series, which gives you more time to get to know them. These are on the shorter side, rarely surpassing 300 pages (this one, in particular, was around 230 pages) which mean that unless you get a good grasp on those suspects quickly you can get easily confused. I'm glad to say that I was enamored with this particular group making this book on of my favorites. I will say that the ending was not quite as satisfying as I would have liked as it was a tad rushed but on the whole and enjoyable addition to the series.
January 17, 2022
Entertaining look at England in the 1920s. An interesting look back at the class system that rankled me growing up. The "elites" looked down on everyone else, as this book clearly shows. Daisy's pregnancy was pretty amusing. In those days, women put their feet up and rested. They also ate for two. Daisy seemed to be under the impression she needed to eat for at least three or maybe even four. No wonder she had trouble moving around and tired easily, LOL. Plenty of suspects for the murders. I can usually guess who pretty early in most books (I'm a mystery writer, after all, so this is my business, too,) but I wasn't sold on the innocence of anyone except the main suspect. Daisy's husband seemed to be laser-focused on that person to the exclusion of everyone else. There was one red herring (which I won't elaborate on to create a spoiler) that really disappointed me when it had such a convoluted and surprising conclusion that leapt out like an "Aha! Gotcha!" but I really enjoyed the settings and the character reveals.
May 23, 2019
Daisy is staying w/ a long-time friend, intending to write about Guy Fawkes for Town & Country.
While in the 3 Ravens, a local pub, she & her hosts meet up w/ a couple visiting from Australia. The young man of the manor house invites the older couple to take part in the Guy Fawkes activities & as well as dinner at the estate house.
During the dinner, the young man & his spoiled sister have a row over her rotter sons & the young man runs to talk to his father about stolen rockets.... The young man discovers his father's body along with that of the Australian woman's.
Everyone assumes that his father (a miserable, mean, dictatorial old man) murdered the woman then committed suicide...
Daisy's husband DCI Scotland Yard, Alec Fletcher is called to investigate... As it turns out, both people were murdered and there is no end of suspects.
Interesting, compelling read, but once again I figured out "who-done-it", because it was very obvious...
While in the 3 Ravens, a local pub, she & her hosts meet up w/ a couple visiting from Australia. The young man of the manor house invites the older couple to take part in the Guy Fawkes activities & as well as dinner at the estate house.
During the dinner, the young man & his spoiled sister have a row over her rotter sons & the young man runs to talk to his father about stolen rockets.... The young man discovers his father's body along with that of the Australian woman's.
Everyone assumes that his father (a miserable, mean, dictatorial old man) murdered the woman then committed suicide...
Daisy's husband DCI Scotland Yard, Alec Fletcher is called to investigate... As it turns out, both people were murdered and there is no end of suspects.
Interesting, compelling read, but once again I figured out "who-done-it", because it was very obvious...
November 11, 2019
Daisy, now six months pregnant, goes to the home of a former school friend to write about the family's gorgeous estate, especially their traditional all-out celebration of Guy Fawkes' Day with a bonfire and fireworks--and an apparent murder-suicide.
What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend for Alex when he was to arrive a few days after Daisy turns into quite the case, complete with family secrets, mischievous boys underfoot, and much mayhem.
Daisy, as always, finds herself in the middle of Alex's investigation, helping however she can. Those guileless blue eyes of hers just seem to beckon confidences from the family and family friends. Alex almost can't blame her if it wasn't so maddening!
There is just nothing like a Daisy Dalrymple mystery to give one a laugh or two (and not a few quiet chuckles) while figuring out precisely whodunnit! Such a relaxing way to spend an afternoon or two!!
What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend for Alex when he was to arrive a few days after Daisy turns into quite the case, complete with family secrets, mischievous boys underfoot, and much mayhem.
Daisy, as always, finds herself in the middle of Alex's investigation, helping however she can. Those guileless blue eyes of hers just seem to beckon confidences from the family and family friends. Alex almost can't blame her if it wasn't so maddening!
There is just nothing like a Daisy Dalrymple mystery to give one a laugh or two (and not a few quiet chuckles) while figuring out precisely whodunnit! Such a relaxing way to spend an afternoon or two!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews