In the first book in this series, set in the 1920s, the Honourable Daisy Dalrymple, junior reporter for Town and Country Magazine, is sent to Wentwater Court, for the first in her series of articles about stately homes. However, her visit turns into a murder investigation when a guest at the Court, Lord Stephen Astwick, is found drowned. Just about every member of the Wentwater family had reason to want Lord Stephen dead, and Daisy finds herself helping Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher, as he tries to work out what happened.
Fans of cozy English mysteries should thoroughly enjoy this book – I found it delightful from beginning to end. Daisy herself is a loveable character; her tendency to stick her nose into matters could become annoying, were she not also extremely endearing. The rest of the characters consist of the Wentwater family and some of their staff, and DCI Fletcher and his two assisting Officers. They were all distinctive and the DCI was especially lovely – a fact not lost on Daisy herself!
I had fun trying to work out who was responsible for Lord Stephen’s death, and there were enough twists to keep me guessing. The aristocratic way of life of the Wentwater family was well depicted, although there were a few turns of speech that struck me as a little contrived. This book was just so damn likeable though, that any little niggles paled into obscurity.
This is not a dark or gritty story (despite the subject matter), and not really a book to be taken seriously, but I definitely enjoyed meeting Daisy, and look forward to reading further books in this series.
(Autor’s website can be found here.)
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