Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn

Anthem for Doomed Youth, unlike previous Daisy Dalrymple books, is not set in a great country house. Instead, it focuses on Alec Fletcher's work solving a triple murder. In the meantime, Daisy has gone to Belinda's school to watch her stepdaughter's sports day, a nice, peaceful occupation that turns nasty when one of Belinda's friends finds a body in the local maze--a body which may or may not be connected to Alec's case.

The book was a page-turner, much more so than prior Daisy books--I've enjoyed all of them, but they have not been quite this intense. I wanted to find out what happened.

On the other hand, and this feels a bit mean, that is precisely the point where I have some complaint. This was much more Alec's book than Daisy's. I like Alec, but it's Daisy who drew me to the series in the first place. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, Alec's  case takes up the majority of the text. He and his growing crew of associates--many of whom I admit to hoping show up again--are the focus. The tone is also much more serious than is usual in the Dalrymple books. Nothing that would  move it into the territory of the hard-boiled mystery, but definitely veering to the very outermost edges of "cozy," and maybe a bit past.

Daisy's part, on the other hand, came a distant second, and it is fortunate Mel and Sakari were introduced in previous books (Mel, in fact, was slightly out of character, I think).  With so much focus on Alec's side of things, the newly introduced characters and potential suspects in Daisy's side of  things were never really around long enough for me to quite care what became of them. The fact that Belinda cares for them is something, but not, in the end, enough to make that section compelling. There was also a coincidence that I find stretched things a bit too far.

This isn't exactly a list of things wrong. I did enjoy the book, quite a bit, give or take the odd coincidence, but it wasn't quite what I was anticipating when I picked it up. Whether that is a fair complaint, or even exactly a complaint at all, is an issue for another day and time.

Book Anticipation: Anthem for a Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn

Hurray! Carola Dunn has written a new Daisy Dalrymple mystery! Anthem for Doomed Youth is due out in March of this year!

1920's England is such fun, and Daisy Dalrymple is wonderfully cheerful company.

Hurray!

Sheer Folly: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery by Carola Dunn

She's back!

One of my concerns was that the combination of Black Ship and Manna from Hades meant that Dunn had gotten tired of Daisy. Sheer Folly ends that concern: Daisy is back with her optimism and curiosity intact. The mystery is back, too, without the contrived secrecy that made Black Ship problematic.

And 1920's England is back, too, just as crazy as ever.

Definitely a book worth curling up with (or reading under a nice shade tree by the bay, which is what I did).

Manna from Hades: A Cornish Mystery by Carola Dunn

Hm. Can't believe I haven't reviewed this already, but apparently I haven't!

Manna From Hades was Dunn's departure from Daisy Dalrymple mysteries. This one features Eleanor Trewynn, an older widow who runs a thrift shop in Cornwall. One day after a round of collecting donations, she finds a suitcase full of valuable jewelry and assumes it is an especially generous donation. As it turns out, it is not, and the people who left it in her car want it back rather badly.

The question of who owns the jewels, how they ended up in Eleanor's car, and who is willing to kill for them forms the main question.

I enjoyed the book, overall. "Aunt Nell" is a lively, enjoyable character, and the people she surrounds herself with are an eclectic bunch. The Cornish setting is well-described and makes the village worth a literary visit.

If I have a complaint, it is that Eleanor currently reminds me a bit too much of Mrs. Pollifax, complete with unexpected martial arts abilities. I like Mrs. Pollifax, but one was enough, and I hope future books will bring Eleanor more fully into focus as her own character.

Black Ship by Carola Dunn

The latest in the Daisy Dalrymple series, Black Ship is a bit of a letdown. It was good meeting the main characters again, and Daisy herself is as much fun as ever. The move to a new neighborhood and the business of meeting new neighbors and settling in are interesting and well handled.

It's the mystery that is a problem: For some reason, Dunn chose to include several chapters from the POV of a character who later becomes one of the main suspects. This means that the readers know who Patrick is and what he was doing well before Daisy does, and it is quite clear who the real murderer is. Daisy and Detective Fletcher only take as long as the do to figure it out because the suspects are silent about a key issue for reasons that are only semi-plausible.

I enjoyed the book, but not as much as I expected to.

Confessions of a Library Addict

We're getting to midterm time in the photography class, so today was a lab day--time to print and mat pictures.

For me, this ended up meaning I got out early, in time to wander around the Shipley Nature Center and to make a visit to the library where I desperately needed to turn in some of the books that have been piled on my floor the last couple of weeks (no room in the library bag).

I was not going to check out any more books; there were plenty left unread in the house.

Except, I might as well pick up a couple more Smithsonians. They aren't books, after all.

Oh, and what was the name of that book I was looking at the other day in the store? Oh, yes, Runemarks. I should check to see if that's in (yes).

And, I can hardly go to the library without stopping to see what new science fiction has come in since I last visited.

Also, I never stop by without looking at the new nonfiction (A history of cleanliness? Sounds interesting. A true history of Disneyland? Maybe.... no, on second thought, I don't really want to know).


Oh, and I really should check to see if Carola Dunn has written anything since I last looked (Yes, but it's out), and is Seeing Redd in? (Not yet). And, oh! Dragonhaven is out already. And...


All things considered, I think I was very restrained.