Damsel in Distress (Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, No. 5)

When the daughter of an American millionaire is kidnapped, the girl's suitor appeals to Daisy Dalrymple for help. Determined to solve the case without any assistance from Detective Inspector Fletcher, Daisy drafts her chums into scouring the countryside for the kidnappers' hideout. I enjoy Carola Dunn's light mysteries sent in 1920s England and this book is definitely one of the best in the series. The story sort of reminds me of Agatha Christies "The Secret Adversary"--more old-fashioned thriller with a touch of romance that a traditional who-dun-it. Daisy comes across as very much a Christie kind of heroine--a pretty plucky young thing with a bit of style and a habit of getting mixed up in murder and mayhem. The book breezes along at a brisk pace and even though you can spot the villain early on, it doesn't detract in the slightest from the story's overall entertainment value. While Ms. Dunn probably won't win any major awards for her work, this book gets my vote for "Fast and Fun Read of the Week".

This was a good book in the "Daisy Dalrymple" series. I would like a little more intimate details of her relationship with her policeman "friend" though.

Daisy agrees to help introduce Philip Petrie's new love to his family. She is rich and American and he doesn't know how they will react. Daisy decides to kill two birds with one stone and invites Alec Fletcher to meet her mother. The week before the eventful weekend, Gloria is kidnapped. The villians will kill her if her father calls the police, so Petrie asks Daisy to help him find her.This was an incredibly quick read (under three hours). I just couldn't put it down. It was nice to see all of the usual characters in a different setting. The author lets us get to know them a little better. Lucy is in every book, but very little time is given to her for example. I am looking forward to the next one.

In 1923 just outside London, Phillip Petrie, the son of an English Lord, stops his car on the side of the road to see what is causing a terrible knocking sound. Gloria Arbuckle, the daughter of an American industrial giant, stops to offer her assistance. The pair begins to see each other and Phillip quickly falls in love with Gloria. Phillip courts Gloria and her poppa as he plans to win them both over and marry her. One day, while Phillip and Gloria were driving together, the car breaks down. Phillip tries to fix it, but they are set upon by some thugs. He is tied up and she is abducted. The kidnappers instruct poppa to raise a ransom without involving the police if he wants his beloved daughter back alive. Phillip turns to his childhood chum, Daisy Dalyrmple, to save the life of his beloved. DAMSEL IN DISTRESS is a fun to read, who-done-it that ironically laughs at itself as well as high society. Daisy and the support cast (both the recurring and new characters) are all wonderful in a zany way, making this a series worth reading. Harriet Klausner