Happy holidays to all of my readers! Christmas is probably my favorite holiday (after my birthday), and I am so excited to participate in the #20BooksOfChristmas reading challenge That Happy Reader created.
If you’re interested in doing it, too, check out their post here. If you want to add a few Christmas-themed books, please peruse my initial 20 Books of Christmas post, where I discuss the 20 books I’ll be reading over the 2024 holiday season.
The Story
The journalist and photographer Daisy Dalrymple, who has a connection to the Wentwater Court, heads there to feature the opulent manor house and the storied family in the magazine Town & Country. Despite her past association with the aristocrats, she had fallen from the upper echelons of society due to family money troubles. She is grateful that they welcome her with seemingly open arms back into the downy bosom of genteel wealth- even if it means making way for her plucky attitude and having their insular world photographed.
Having photographed and interviewed her subjects, Dalrymple becomes acutely aware of the palpable tension that simmers beneath the surface of the aristocratic family. She is privy to the tawdry love and financial affairs that fester in these relationships. Even an old beau, who offers to rescue her from the squalor of earning a living, cannot distract her from the intriguing dynamics at play. Despite no longer being one of them, Dalrymple is drawn to the company of her old friends and the secrets they hold.
When Lord Stephen Astwick is found dead after an early morning skating accident, Dalrymple volunteers to photograph the scene, to her friend’s horror, and joins Inspector Alec Fletcher on his investigation. What initially appears to be a terrible accident is soon turned upside down by Daisy’s insistence that Lord Astwick was murdered and she has the photographic proof. This sets the stage for a gripping mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Review
Death at Wentwater Court is the first book I’ve read by Carola Dunn, and I was immediately struck by the quality of her writing. Dunn’s cozy style of storytelling is well-crafted, bringing to life a determined and curious woman, Daisy Dalrymple, who never falls into the trap of being too strident, a Mary Sue, or a character of some paragon of womanhood. She feels real in a way that many of these modern Golden Age-style heroines don’t.
Her appeal comes from her natural curiosity and gentle, honest, and forthright nature. She is likable and genuinely enjoys trying to solve the various mysteries at Wentwater Court. She’s modern but in an attainable way. With her semi-fashionable clothes, her modern attitude, and her desire to rise above her cossetted upbringing, she feels like a friend we have or a friend we might be.
I have seen and heard that Daisy Dalrymple is a sort of “diet” Phryne Fisher, but I think that assessment is a little unfair. Phryne Fisher is aspirational with her unlimited lovers, voracious love affairs, sumptuous clothes, and larger plot plot-lines which often include taking down syndicates, heists, and thrilling government revolutions that hang on the wit and whim of one, Phryne Fisher. At least in her first adventure, Dalrymple feels like a more wary and streetwise Nancy Drew, for whom the shine of privilege has been tarnished.
The mysteries are relatively standard fare- secret affairs, unrequited love, money troubles, but they are served up well made, and there are a few surprises, such as unexpected twists and turns, that keep this book from feeling formulaic- although it is- however, Dunn is a talented enough author to not remind the reader of the formula. Dalrymple retains a bit of Miss Marple’s sleuthing method: walking amongst her peers, subtitling, interviewing them, and attaining knowledge through the most powerful weapon: their own words.
Dalrymple even has her policeman, the handsome and astute Alec Fletcher, with whom a romance blossoms throughout the story. They work well together, and any friction is due to their natures rather than to trite contrivance to add drama to the plot.
Death at Wentwater Court has all the trappings of a 1920s mystery, with a good use of period-accurate language that truly draws the reader into the era. There’s a charming veneer of gentility and some rather astute criticisms of the gilded cage the aristocracy enjoys. Dunn’s artful storytelling guides the reader through the story, deploying some deft investigative techniques that lull the reader into thinking they have the story all figured out. A final twist might catch you off guard, adding to the immersive experience.
Death at Wentwater Court is a well-written and appealing mystery with many cozy trimmings and a few well-placed subversions of the genre, such as unexpected character developments and plot twists, making it an excellent read.
#20BooksOfChristmas Reviews
Golden Age of Detective Fiction 
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