Now in paperback...
Sheer Folly is now out in trade paperback format. Here are some reviews:
Dunn and Daisy are at the top of their game in this entertaining, old-school story of drawing-room manners mixed with murder.
Reviewed by Abbey Hamilton, ReviewingTheEvidence.com
Daisy Fletcher has a new project—she is writing a book on follies, those architectural whimsies of the 18th century. There is an especially good one at Appsworth Hall, restored recently to its former glory by prosperous plumber and owner of the hall, Mr Pritchard. Daisy and her friend and photographer Lucy head off there to join a house party, but like all good house parties this one hasn't long started when there is a murder...
...and if you are setting your novel in the classic era for whodunits, a house party makes a great backdrop for it. The scene is excellently set with some great descriptions of the grotto that bring it all to vibrant life, and we get to see how Lucy and her new husband are getting on. As ever there is an involved plot with plenty of red herrings, a good sense of the period and plenty of good humor. Add a cast of colorful characters, the chance to catch up with the long-running relationships of the series protagonists and you have the ingredients of a jolly good whodunit. This is one series that shows no sign of running out of steam for a good while yet.
Rachel Hyde, Bookshelf
New reviews of the early Daisy books: http://www.theromancedish.com/
Out of print in US--New UK editons
Two of my Daisy Dalrymple mysteries that have been practically impossible to find for a long time will be reprinted in the UK this month, release date February 24th.
The 10th Daisy mystery
In The Case of the Murdered Muckraker, Daisy is in New York (following her transatlantic voyage in To Davy Jones Below). After witnessing a murder, she finds herself mixed up in Tammany Hall politics, just before an election. Alec comes to the rescue from DC, where he's been advising J. Edgar Hoover. They end up chasing a suspect across the country in a biplane!
They end up in Eugene, Oregon, chiefly because so many people here asked me when I was going to set a book here. The Eugene characters are almost all real people I found in histories of Eugene.
http://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=case+murdered+muckraker&search=search
Mistletoe and Murder: Daisy and Alec are back in England and off to an ancient fortified manor house in Cornwall for Christmas. Daisy plans to write about it. The family of poor relations living there is decidedly out of the ordinary, and as peculiarities multiply, animosity culminates in murder.
The setting is a real house, Cotehele, and though I've changed its name to Brockdene for the story, since descendants of the then owners are still around, I've described it as is, including a bit of its history since the 15th century. The main departure from reality is a secret tunnel, which I invented for a Regency I set there (Smugglers' Summer) and thought I might as well make use of again!
Cotehele, Cornwall, now a National Trust property
http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781849017060/Mistletoe-and-Murder