By Carola Dunn
Minotaur Books, $24.99, 304 pages
Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher can’t resist a mystery and has landed herself, once again, in the middle of one. Daisy’s school friend, Sybil, has asked her to visit Derbyshire. Sybil has concerns that her employer, a novelist, is being kept ill in order to keep her as a ghost writer – something that has led to greater sales. Daisy obliges but doesn’t find anything untoward until the man ends up poisoned to death. With that turn of events, Daisy finds herself helping her husband (a Scotland Yard detective) work through solving the case, despite his exasperation that his wife is again involved in a police case.
Daisy is the perfect example of a plucky heroine – charming, observant and more than willing to put her nose where it doesn’t belong, despite her husband’s protests. The supporting characters are well written, as is the larger picture of middle-class English society at the time. The mystery is well written and unfolds nicely as clues and new information are discovered. This is the 20th novel in the series, but it is not necessary to read the other books prior to this one. Gone West is a delightfully charming novel that will please fans of Christie and Sayers.
Reviewed by Barbara Cothern
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