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Tuesday 25 March 2014

REVIEW: DAMSEL IN DISTRESS [audiobook] by Carola Dunn

A further entry for our Women's History Month.  Carola Dunn has created a unique series featuring a young woman of 1920's upper class England who rather chooses a career of journalism over her position of privilege.  Her creative bent lends itself well when she falls into curious and criminal situations...
In spring a young man’s fancy will turn to love, and the Honorable Phillip Petrie is no exception. Daisy’s chum is totally smitten with Miss Gloria Arbuckle, daughter of a millionaire Yank. But before the enthusiastic suitor can pop the question, his beloved is abducted. As a distraught Mr. Arbuckle begins assembling the ransom, Phillip enlists Daisy to help him recover his missing sweetheart.
Strictly forbidden to contact Scotland Yard, Daisy must resist the temptation to bring dashing Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher on to the case. But as she closes in on the abductors’ rural hideaway, she begins to suspect that Gloria isn’t the only fair damsel whose life hangs in the balance.
The fifth whodunit in Carola Dunn’s stylish cozy mystery series set in 1923 England once again features British heiress and Town and County writer Daisy Dalrymple.  © 1997, 2010 by Carola Dunn
Narrator: Mia Chiaromonte
Length: 7.6 hours  Unabridged
Published: Jan. 15.14
Publisher: Blackstone Audio Inc.
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My Thoughts?

Perfect release timing for this Daisy Dalrymple mystery set in an English spring setting.
Daisy's former suitor, aristocratic Philip Petrie, has been fully enamored with another, 
much to Daisy's relief.  The American Arbuckle father and daughter, visiting England
in search of investment opportunities, are soon targeted for their wealth
and Philip's new love interest held for ransom.  Ms Dunn provides an excellent expose
of the ever present class distinctions of the era which
play into this kidnapping and give listeners a greater understanding of the times and
changes between wars. Axioms and vernacular of the day add to the authenticity.
Our sleuth, the intrepid likeable Daisy,
must keep her wits about her in a continuous sequence of events,
involving her own safety and that of her own love, Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher.
The blossoming of their relationship is treated as an aside without dominating,
but keeps our interest piqued with every new development.  Including Alec's first
meeting with Daisy's domineering, class conscious mother.

A definite enjoyment listening to this audio story unfold.
Critical thinking skills of our main characters , their ability to out-think the crooks,
unexpected plotting, and vivid action, increase the fun.
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Blackstone audio's quality recording kept the story flowing without technical
interruptions or disruptive voice fluctuations by narrator, Mia Chiaromonte, who provides
good variety in character personalizations, considering the size of cast involved. 
An adept narrator, Ms Chiaromonte, adds to the novel's authenticity via admirable
differentiation of various English and American accents.  

I look forward to Carola Dunn's 6th in the series, Dead in the Water.


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AUTHOR BIO:  Carola Dunn is the author of more than 30 Regency romances, as well as 16 mysteries (the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series is set in England in the 1920s). Ms. Dunn was born and grew up in England, where she got a B.A. in Russian and French from Manchester University. She travelled as far as Fiji before returning to settle in California. After 30 years in the US, she says she still sounds as if she arrived a month ago.Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.

*Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning.Find Carola online : CAROLA DUNN  and at the writing / editing blog Blood Red Pencil

                                                                                  
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Narrator BIO :  Mia Chiaromonte is a Southern California native with a BA in theater from the University of California, San Diego. She has worked extensively as an actor, singer, and audiobook narrator, and her voice has been heard across the country on various radio commercials for clients including BMW and Time Warner Cable. She currently lives in southern Oregon.

*A
ppreciation to Blackstone Audio for providing an audiobook via downpour  for listening and AudioJukebox review without obligation or compensation.

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