I don't think you can get any cozier when it comes to cozy mysteries than Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series. Although there is plenty of misbehavior in Daisy's world, which she often seems to stumble upon unwittingly, nothing is too dastardly as to shock and you can be reasonably assured that in the end the criminals will be caught and the world will be set to rights and most likely Daisy will have had a hand in the unraveling of clues and apprehension of the culprit. And through it all she will have kept her cool, though she might have had just a little assistance from her fiancé, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard.
I've mentioned before how much I like Daisy, or I should say the Right Honorable Daisy Dalrymple. Although Daisy's family is upper class, they've no longer the money associated with the title, so Daisy must work to earn her living. Unthinkable in a previous generation, Daisy is a modern woman, or as modern as any 1920s woman might aspire to be. She's a free lance writer for women's magazines, and has the uncanny ability to find herself right in the middle of murder investigations, kidnappings or whatever criminal activity happens to be the plat du jour. You might say she is inordinately curious. And it's through her extracurricular sleuthing that she met Alec, a widower with a young daughter. The Great War has changed the world irrevocably and one result is the blurring of class lines. Although educated, Alec is decidedly working class, and a detective on top of that, but a romance has managed to blossom between the two despite any misgivings of their families.
Daisy has gained a small reputation for having helped solve crimes, so it is to her her brother-in-law turns in a small personal matter. After the war he committed an indiscretion that he hopes will not come to light, but after he receives a series of poison pen letters he fears his wife Violet, Daisy's sister, will be told. Lord John Frobisher asks Daisy to look into the matter and perhaps discover who is behind the letters. Although she knows Alec won't approve, the temptation is too great so she agrees to travel to Kent and ask a few questions--it all seems harmless enough. Besides Violet is her sister, so she can't say no to Lord John and his wish to avoid any sort of scandal.
So off Daisy goes to Oakhurst with Alec's daughter, Belinda, in tow as this is meant to be a short holiday away from the sweltering heat of London. Belinda has become very attached to Daisy and looks forward to the day when Daisy will become her mother, Belinda's own mother having died of influenza when she was only a baby. As she's being raised now by her grandmother whose ideas of children are rather Victorian in outlook, Belinda appreciates Daisy's attention and affection. Daisy expects that any questions she asks about the poison pen letters will be low key. She quickly discovers that Lord John isn't the only recipient of these nasty notes, and when she comes across a body in the churchyard, she knows she's in over her head.
In a way this story is very Miss Marple-ish--a quaint English village filled with gossipy backstabbing residents, intrigue and resentment, and any number of the villagers might have not only motive but opportunity for committing the crimes. It's not just a matter of nasty notes but now someone has been murdered. When Alec finds out that Belinda might be a witness to a crime, he's furious with Daisy for having brought her into harm's way. Daisy finds herself in the middle of quite a muddle.
As with her previous novels, Dunn's mystery is not only entertaining but her characters are charming. I do warn you, however, if you pick this up, don't do so on an empty stomach. Whatever their sins, the village ladies are perfect hostesses. Daisy drinks copious cups of tea and is offered cherry cake and jam tarts and Dundee cake and...you get the idea. Styx and Stones is Dunn's seventh Daisy Dalrymple mystery. She's now written a total of eighteen and has a new one coming out next year. I think I've got most of these on hand and I expect it won't be long until I pick up Daisy's next adventure. Definitely recommended to cozy mystery lovers.