The Wintergarden Mystery by Carola Dunn

I'm afraid I've been a bit lax in posting lately. Mostly that's because my brain seems to have assumed that taking a vacation from work also means taking a vacation from just about everything else too. The last ten days have been bliss. I did nothing I didn't feel like doing at the time. I swore to myself I wouldn't pressure myself into doing anything at all, regardless of necessity and I succeeded. Perhaps a little too well. I didn't even know I was capable of sleeping so much. 9-10 hours a day became the norm when I usually can't sleep much more than 6.5 without having trouble sleeping later. It must have something to do with sleeping when you're tired and not when you have to. Anyway, I also got a lot of reading done, including finishing Eldest, which I've been working on for a while. So, now I've got a lot to review. I'm going to start with The Wintergarden Mystery by Carola Dunn, which I actually finished before my vacation , but didn't get around to blogging about.

The Wintergarden Mystery by Carola Dunn

Daisy Dalrymple is a 1920’s aristocratic woman with a twist; she wants to work for her living instead of just being an societal ornament. She turns to journalism in her bid to make her own way in the world and finagles an invitation to a fellow aristocrat’s large country home as a way of finding enough information to put together an article on the house. Unfortunately, the family matriarch is not too thrilled with having to entertain a working woman, let alone an aristocratic working woman and protests her presence vehemently. Daisy is already walking a proverbial tightrope when she stumbles across a body buried in the winter garden. Daisy then becomes bent on finding out whodunit, despite the protestations of police inspector, who is also a friend of hers.

I like mysteries and I adore Agatha Christie, so I figured I could hardly go wrong with this one, especially as I got it during Audible’s $4.95 sale. If you’re looking for a cosy mystery and a simple, quick read, this is a good one. It’s hardly taxing as both the plot and the characters are fairly predictable and it’s a little heavy on the cheery-o pip-pips and that sort of rot (just enough to make the eyes roll but not to irritate). It’s definitely not up to Christie standards, yet it’s light and enjoyable and just the thing is you’re looking to relax with a bit of fluff. 3 out of 5 for this one. Recommended if you’re looking for something that won’t tax you too much.