Rattle His Bones

Daisy does it again....keeps me entertained and provides some fun to ease away the stress of the day.

I really like this mystery series and this book is no exception. This one actually keep me guessing who is the bad guy until the end.

Daisy Dalrymple, a freelance writer with a penchant for stumbling over corpses, is working on a magazine article about London's Natural History Museum. When the geology curator is murdered, Daisy's fiancé, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher is called in to investigate. It is soon discovered that many of the museum's gemstones have been replaced with fakes. Now Fletcher must unmask the killer and recover the missing jewels while trying to keep Daisy from meddling in his case. Set in England during the 1920s, the Daisy Dalrymple books are lovely light reading--sort of a cross between Agatha Christie and P. G. Wodehouse. "Rattle His Bones" is one of the best in the series. The writing is effervescent and the main characters are absolutely charming. It's not all froth--the characters are confronted with the barriers of class distinctions and the horrible physical toll of World War I--but the overall tone is very lighthearted. As someone who enjoys prowling the dimly lit halls of Chicago's Field Museum, I particularly enjoyed the book's setting. As a previous reviewer mentioned, if you've ever seen a dinosaur exhibit, you'll have no trouble picturing the locations in your mind's eye.

This has been my favorite in the series so far (I've read all but three, I think). It takes place in the Museum of Natural History and I found it very interesting as I've been to two or three natural history museums. I read this a while ago, but I believe exhibits are mentioned, including extinct animals (maybe like the giant ground sloth). If you've ever been to a natural history museum, you might find yourself saying that you've seen an exhibit like the one being described. I would recommend this to people who like cozy and historical mysteries and, of course, those who like natural history museums!

In 1924 England, the separation between the social classes was so wide, most citizens believed that one should marry within one's class. Deputy Constable Alec Fletcher is not so sure that perspective is incorrect, but he cannot give up his fiancee Daisy Dalyrmple just to satisfy conventional wisdom. The honorable Miss Daisy does not give a fig about social class distinctions as she plans to marry into the middle class.Unlike most blokes of the period, Alec appreciates Daisy's independence and fully supports her need for a career writing magazine articles. However, at the same time he wishes she would stay outside of his homicide cases. Daisy wants to comply, but fate seems to keep pushing murdered bodies along her path. She currently works in the London Museum when she finds the corpse of the Keeper of Mineralogy impaled on a dinosaur bone. Daisy later learns that a fortune in jewels is also missing. Unable to resist, Daisy starts snooping, which places her in danger from the killer and sends Alec towards a potential stroke from her latest involvement.The eighth installment in the Daisy Dalyrmple series, RATTLE HIS BONES, contains the humor of a sitcom that makes it more enjoyable than the entertaining previous seven. Daisy and Alec are an adorable couple, whose enlightened outlook helps them transcend the loud objections to their relationship. The era and the crime scene provide an ideal locale for Carola Dunn's first class story line while the ending is perfect for those readers who relish a well designed puzzle. The author has done historical mystery fans a big favor with this wonderful tale.Harriet Klausner