The Daisy Dalrymple Mysteries, Books 1-3

More than twenty years ago, Carola Dunn introduced to the world the charming, vivacious and perspicacious Daisy Dalrymple and the tumultuous decade of the 1920s, in an England barely starting to recover from World War I and now undergoing rapid social changes. Death at Wentwater Court: In early 1923, the young Honourable Daisy Dalrymple has made a decision that shocks her social class—she's decided to make her own living as a writer. Landing an assignment to write a series of articles on country manor houses, Daisy travels to Wentwater Court to research her first piece. There she finds a household in turmoil, filled with holiday guests and recriminations. But that's nothing compared to the uproar when one of those guests turns up dead in an "accident." The Winter Garden Mystery: Continuing her assignment on country manor houses, Daisy travels to gloomy Occles Hall, which is under the charge of the autocratic Lady Valeria. While touring the gardens, Daisy discovers the body of a parlor maid that had gone missing two months prior. Distressed by the ineptitude of the local police force, Daisy plunges in to help find the killer before he strikes again. Requiem for a Mezzo: Back in London, Daisy attends a performance of Verdi's "Requiem." During the show, the lead soprano keels over dead of an apparent poisoning. Joining Daisy in figuring out what happened is Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher. The two embark on finding who wanted the singer dead, and why.