Carola Dunn

("Superfluous" is one of those words that serves as a reminder to me to be slightly more tolerant of other peoples' errors in grammar and spelling - I know there's only one "r" in it, but still I say "superflorous" and so irritate myself by trying to spell it that way.)

The time between WWI and WWII is so rich a mine field for authors writing female protagonists; by necessity, women are gaining more power, but also at risk of being left behind if they aren't able to adapt. At the beginning show more of this book Carola Dunn notes that after the First World War, Britain had about 2 million more women than men. Nice odds if you're a man, but dismal if you're a woman raised to do little more than find a husband and have a family.

Superfluous Women opens with Daisy convalescing in a country town just outside London, where an old school acquaintance has just bought and set up a house with two other women, all of whom have been labeled superfluous, or surplus women, by the media. When Daisy's husband Alec picks the lock to their well-sealed wine cellar for them as a favour, they discover a body.

This series and book are most definitely cozy, but the author does a creditable job infusing the changes and challenges of the time into the narration. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being fluffy and naive, Daisy Dalrymple would, I think, rate a 6 - maybe a 7, as there's no angst in these books to speak of.

The murder plotting was great - I should have seen who it was, but I didn't and I had fun watching it all come together.

I hope the author intends to keep Daisy and Alec going; the closer we get to the outbreak of WWII, the more curious I become as to where she's going to take them next. show less

Daisy Dalrymple finds herself in an awkward place at Wentwater Court. There to write an article for Town & Country magazine in her new job adventure, she finds the family at odds, and a corpse in the ice. What's a girl to do?
I was delighted with this story. It made me laugh, and to my surprise, it made me cry, too. Not many cozy mysteries have the power to do that, but Carola Dunn has a way with her characters. She endears them to us, warts and all.

With their housekeeper dead and their father still missing, twins Gabrielle and Gerard decide to escape revolutionary France (where they are distrusted for their lack of Republican sentiment) to England. Gabrielle disguises herself as a boy (and has a difficult time riding astride--a refreshing change from the usual "la, I am so free spirited and ride horses as I please!" heroine bs) and they flee, dodging French soldiers along the way. While hiding in a barn, Gabrielle stumbles across a show more dying English spy, who gives her a message for "the Man in the Green Coat."

In England, Gabrielle passes on the message to the MitGC, who turns out to be handsome, high-handed Mr. Everett. Their attraction deepens over the course of the novel, but French espionage and the mystery of Gabrielle's parentage keep them apart.

The last few chapters are a bit annoying--everyone is related to everyone else! All is revealed in infodump form! Huzzah! That aside, it's a fun, well-written Regency romp. show less

I can always rely on Daisy Dalrymple to be the heroine of an enjoyable book. Dunn writes with such panache as if she peeked into her chosen time and place, England in the 1920s, through some magical lens, and then told the story the way it should be told in the 21st century. The blend of cozy historical mystery, modern writer's skills, a charming protagonist, and faint nostalgia for the England long gone makes a very satisfying read.