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The Black Ship (2010)

by Carola Dunn(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0750530766 (ISBN13: 9780750530767)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Magna

series

Daisy Dalrymple

review 1: BOTTOM LINE: #17 Daisy Dalrymple/Alec Fletcher, September 1925, London; amateur sleuth/cosy police procedural, historical. Having inherited a rather nice suburban house with garden square (but it’s round...) - albeit in somewhat peculiar circumstances - Alec and Daisy finally get enough room to spread out their growing family. Some of the neighbors are downright disagreeable, and several appear to be hiding lots of secrets, catnip to the curious Daisy, and when a body appears on the Green in front of the house, she can’t resist. Wine lore, rum-running 1920s Brit style, a good pace and many interesting characters, plus a good long look at Daisy and Alec’s home life, make this a very welcome addition to the series for current fans. I wouldn’t advise it as your first ... moreDaisy story, as the pacing is peculiar, with jarring changes in viewpoint at the beginning, and many of the characters are nearly caricature, although Dunn’s writing is, as always, extremely good and so they *almost* become believable. The sense of fun, the farcical nature of the tales that’s usually so “spot-on” regarding classic mysteries, seems to be weaker than usual, but I’m always glad to “visit” with Daisy and Alec for a bit, and look forward to their next adventure. Not the best of this long series, but very enjoyable. The sense of joyous abandon that the earlier books had in such large measure seems to be missing here, with a bit of bythenumbers feeling, and her handling of the historical bits wasn’t as smooth as usual, becoming intrusive at times.
review 2: 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. less

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