Daisy Dalrymple is heading to Wentwater Court. She will stay there while writing about the estate for Town and Country magazine. She doesn’t expect to walk into a death. At first glance, it appears to be an accident, but several things don’t seem right. This leads to an investigation. Upon further investigation, it turns out to be much more serious.

The murder mystery failed to gain traction as it relied on confession, not investigation, to reveal the solution. It was also disappointing that the author let everyone off so easily in the end. Or maybe I just prefer murder mysteries that are darker.

It would have been nice if some characters were less clichéd cutouts and added more to the story.

While the author's use of aristocratic slang can be ridiculous, it shows she did her research. Although I enjoyed this book, I'm unsure if I'll read the rest of the series..

Conclusion: This may suit cosy mystery readers, but I find it lacking in inspiration. ( )

Death at Wentwater Court
3.5 Stars

The Honorable Miss Daisy Dalrymple is invited to Wentwater Court to interview the Earl of Wentwater and photograph the estate for Town and Country magazine. But when another guest is found dead, Daisy finds herself working with DCI Alec Fletcher from Scotland Yard to uncover the identity of a killer.

Daisy is an engaging heroine, and her sleuthing skills are actually better than the heroines of similar cozy-historical mysteries, such as Lady Georgie (Her Royal Spyness) and Bess Crawford. She is intelligent and resourceful without being arrogant or patronizing, and her interactions with Fletcher are believable despite the fact that she is not a police officer.

The mystery itself is quite straightforward and progresses at a smooth pace with numerous suspects and motives to sort out. That said, the revelation is sudden Daisy stumbles across it almost accidentally, and Daisy's actions in helping the culprit escape justice are morally ambiguous at best. The entire situation at the end reeks of elitism.

All in all, a good beginning to the series and I look forward to seeing how Daisy and Fletcher's relationship develops. ( )

Aristocratic magazine writer Daisy Dalrymple shows up at a country house to do research for an article. But she gets sidetracked when the most unliked guest at the house turns up mysteriously dead one morning.

Daisy and Alec Fletcher, the Chief Inspector sent down from Scotland Yard, work together to take statements of all the suspects and figure out whodunnit. Clear setup for those two to continue to work together in future books.

Enjoyed about two-thirds of this book; the resolution was spread out a lot longer than necessary and didn't quite follow logical lines... ( )

cosy-mystery, england, 1920s, family-dynamics, friendship, death-investigation, law-enforcement, due-diligence, theft*****

The best thing is that I get to see the characters as they improve in clarity and presence as well as listen to Bernadette Dunne narrator settle into the roles of the characters as the series progresses.
This is first in series and we get to meet all the main characters for the first time. I had started with the one after this, and while it did well enough as a stand alone, I wanted to begin at the beginning. The plot is well drawn and the conclusion is startling but it's the characters that really drive the story! Especially when it appears that another case might be involved. Loved it! ( )

When journalist Daisy Dalrymple goes to Wentwater Court to write a magazine article about the estate, she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. One of the guests is found face down in the nearby pond and Chief Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard has come to investigate. He relies on Daisy’s help to get the information he needs. Strange and intense secrets come to light between family members and guests at the estate.
Death at Wentwater Court is the first installment in the Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries by Carola Dunn. I listened to an audio edition published by Blackstone Audio Inc. Agatha Christie meets Downton Abbey in this story set in Britiain 1923. We follow Daisy Dalrymple who comes from a wealthy family, but wants to work as a journalist. She discovers intrigue both past and present among the family and guests. Lord Stephen Astwick is found face down in the nearby pond. Many of the inhabitants had it in for him as he was a swindler, extortionist and a cad. Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard comes to investigate the case. Daisy is a skilled stenographer and takes very helpful forensic photographs for the police and helps with valuable insight into the family.

Main character Daisy Dalrymple, 25, is the daughter of a baron. Family and guests trust her and she clearly knows her way around the rich and titled, but I felt she took over and behaved a bit like the hostess instead of the guest at times.

Supporting character Annabel, Countess of Wentwater seems desperately unhappy. I was pleased to see Annabel trusted Daisy because she seemed to be in need of a friend. She was my favorite character in this story.

Different from Agatha Christie’s plots is that the sleuth arrives before the murder happens. The setting is an isolated opulent place. Guests and people who live at the manor all become suspects. While investigation is ongoing, police order everyone to stay put. All this is similar to Agatha Christie’s plots. Not similar is the questioning of servants as a vital source of information about the family.
Following some exciting twists and turns, the ending was a thoroughly shocking surprise I could never have anticipated.

The dialogue and language in this story were very entertaining. It felt like seeing a movie. Skating as the winter activity for the wealthy was an enjoyable and different element I haven’t read about before. I loved the unique and amusing, posh language which drew me into the story. My favorite part of the story was descriptions of Alec’s thought process and deliberations during the investigation and when Alec and Daisy discussed the findings of the investigations.
My least favorite part was descriptions of the intrigue and dysfunctional family relationships within this family.

Conclusion: Death at Wentwater Court is the Agatha Christie meets Downton Abby like story which included some exiting twists along the way and a surprise ending in more ways than one.

Fans of Carola Dunn will love this book. As will readers who enjoy the cozy mysteries genre. Similar authors to explore might be Rhys Bowen or Victoria Thompson.

Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: interesting plot, great language and dialogue, very surprising ending ( )