Your essential summer mystery reading list
By Gabrielle Pantera
The Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, Books 1-20 Kindle Edition by Carola Dunn
“1923…Daisy Dalrymple is the daughter of a lord, a viscount who died in the 1918/1919 flu pandemic,” says Daisy Dalrymple author Carola Dunn. “Her brother and fiancé were killed in WWI. Given a choice of living with her difficult mother or the distant cousin who inherited the title, she decides to make her own way in the world. On the strength of her noble credentials, she gets a commission to write articles about the less-known stately homes of England.”
Over twenty years ago, Dunn introduced to the world the charming, vivacious, and perspicacious Daisy Dalrymple. Set in 1920s England, her story is of social change as the country recovers from World War One. This collection is the first time all 20 titles have been brought together. The e-book includes Death at Wentwater Court, The Winter Garden Mystery, Requiem for a Mezzo, Murder on the Flying Scotsman, Damsel in Distress, Dead in the Water, Styx and Stones, Rattle His Bones, To Davy Jones Below, The Case of the Murdered Muckraker, Mistletoe and Murder, Die Laughing, A Mourning Wedding, Fall of a Philanderer, Gunpowder Plot, The Bloody Tower, Black Ship, Sheer Folly, Anthem for Doomed Youth, and Gone West. Great for binge readers!
The Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, Books 1-20 Kindle Edition by Carola Dunn. File Size, 11545 KB, Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 12, 2016), Publication Date: July 12, 2016, Sold by: Macmillan, Language: English, ASIN: B01GNYVOHY
Crowned and Dangerous (A Royal Spyness Mystery) by Rhys Bowen
Lady Georgiana Rannoch is thirty-fifth in line for the British crown. Her life seems complicated. How will she make a living? Can she marry Darcy O’Mara, the man she loves, when he’s a Roman Catholic? Georgie thinks Darcy is taking her on a trip to have some time alone. But, he has other plans. They’re to elope. They plan to break the rules, to marry without the royal dispensation they need. Darcy will inherit an Irish title, but his father sold the castle to a wealthy American, who is now dead and Darcy’s father is accused of murder and thrown in jail. Darcy and Georgie must prove his innocence, postponing their elopement.
Crowned and Dangerous Series: A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen (Book 10). Hardcover: 320 pages, Publisher: Berkley (August 2, 2016), Language: English. ISBN: 9780425283486 $26.00
A Kate Shackleton Mystery: A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody
Set in the post-WWI English countryside, these are classic murder mysteries in the vein of Agatha Christie. We meet banker Everett Runcie who faces ruin. His American heiress wife is done bailing him out and is seeking a divorce. It doesn’t help that he’s a philanderer. When he’s found dead at a hotel, Kate gets on the case. Fourth in a series whch shows no sign of slowing down; the characters are strongly defined and the period details, clothing, food and country house party descriptions will keep you in the 1920s.
A Kate Shackleton Mystery: A Woman Unknown (Book 4) by Frances Brody. Trade Paperback: 384 pages, Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; Reprint edition (January 26, 2016), Language: English ISBN: 9781250087171 $15.99.
A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall (Book 3) by Hannah Dennison
Antique dealer Kat Stanford is poking through the abandoned wing at the Englsh country pile of Honeychurch Hall when she comes across the partially mummified body of a young woman. The former residents are suspect and Kat’s mom Iris knew the victim. The house has its own secrets,, with hidden rooms and possibly hidden treasure. Adding to the turmoil, Bryan Laney shows up to declare he’s in love with Kat’s mom Iris. She does not reciprocate. The characters are eccentric. That Kat’s mom is bestselling romance author Krystalle Storm adds a touch of embarrassment for Kat that is fun to read. Kat is smart, but her taste in men is not.
A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall (Book 3) by Hannah Dennison. Hardcover: 304 pages, Publisher: Minotaur Books (May 3, 2016), Language: English ISBN: 9781250065506 $24.99
Jane and the Waterloo Map (Book 13 in the series) by Stephanie Barron
The setting is England in November 1815 as Jane Austen goes to London to see her banker brother Henry. Since the the battle of Waterloo the economy has crashed and Henry is about to declare bankruptcy, a calamity for the entire Austen family. The chaplain to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent invites Jane to tour the prince’s London home, Carlton House. She discovers Colonel MacFarland dying in the library. MacFarlands is a friend of Wellington’s and his last words are “Waterloo Map”. Jane hunts for his killer…and a treasure.
Jane and the Waterloo Map Series: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 13) by Stephanie Barron. Hardcover: 320 pages, Publisher: Soho Crime (February 2, 2016), Language: English. ISBN: 9781616954253 $25.95
Sent to the Devil by Laura Lebow
In 1788 Vienna poet Lorenzo Da Ponte is working on the libretto for his new opera with Mozart. It debuted in Prague but he wants to make a few changes. The Emperor wants it to be performed in Vienna. There is political unrest in Vienna with Joseph II at war with the Turks.
Lorenzo receives coded notes that make no sense to him. He has no idea who is writing them. Alois, an old friend, is viciously murdered. There are strange symbols carved into his friend’s forehead. He’s not the first to be found dead this way. Who is doing this and why?
The second Lorenzo Da Ponte book in the series, Da Ponte is a Venetian opera librettist, poet and Roman Catholic priest. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas. The descriptions of Vienna are detailed and will inspire you to travel there.
Murder at Fontainebleau (An Elizabethan Mystery book 5) by Amanda Carmack
The latest book in the Elizabethan mystery series by Amanda Carmack. In 1561 Queen Elizabeth sends her most trusted confidants to Mary Queen of Scot’s court at Fontainebleau. Among then is Kate Haywood, who has solved a number of murders.
At Mary’s court there are dazzling balls with excessive amounts of wealth on display. When a member of the visiting party is murdered, Kate must identify the killer before it affects her queen and court. Fontainebleau is a labyrinth. But she must must tread carefully.…
Murder at Fontainebleau (An Elizabethan Mystery book 5) by Amanda Carmack Series: An Elizabethan Mystery. Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages, Publisher: NAL (June 7, 2016), Language: English. ISBN: 9780451475701 $7.99
As Death Draws Near (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber
Book five in the Lady Darby mystery series. The series features Lady Kiera Darby and Sebastian Gage. July 1831, Kiera and Gage’s are on their honeymoon in the English Lake District. Her new father-in-law insists she and Gage go to Rathfarnham Abbey school in Ireland to investigate a deadly incident involving a distant relative of the Duke of Wellington.
After two murders in succession, the Mother Superior wants to send her girls home to safety, but civil unrest in Ireland prevents it. As Kiera and Gage search for answers they start to suspect people are hiding secrets. Can the two find the killer before it’s too late for the next victim?
As Death Draws Near (A Lady Darby Mystery Series book 5) by Anna Lee Huber. Trade Paperback: 352 pages, Publisher: Berkley (July 5, 2016), Language: English, ISBN: 9780425277720 $16.00
