Carola Dunn

Carola Dunn is the author of many mysteries featuring Daisy Dalrymple, as well as numerous historical novels. Born and raised in England, she lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Dunn's latest novel is The Corpse at the Crystal Palace, the 23rd Daisy Dalrymple mystery.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

The Prague Sonata, by Bradford Morrow

Many aspects of The Prague Sonata appealed to me. The theme is classical music. It's a mystery, the genre I write, though a murderless one: Who wrote the brilliant sonata, and where are the two missing movements, if they still exist? Can the young female musicologist outwit the old men who are trying to steal her discovery? The setting, Prague, is a city I've visited all too briefly and would love to revisit. The history, from WWI through the Nazi occupation of Prague and flight of the Jews, the Prague Spring and the resistance to the Soviet reoccupation, all is familiar but from new perspectives. There's even an understated romance, between the musicologist and an American reporter stationed in Prague. Though I rarely pick up books this long, The Prague Sonata is so well written it kept me fascinated from beginning to end. And it's plausible—the Haydn C major cello concerto was rediscovered after a couple of hundred years.

The Trick, by Emanuel Bergmann

A Jewish boy in Europe runs away to join a circus, becomes a brilliant conjurer, escapes the Nazis, and moves on after the war to a great career in Los Angeles. A young boy in present day LA believes the magician has a love spell that could bring his divorcing parents back together, could he but find the now aged and cantankerous man and persuade him to use his powers. The long and twisted road that ends in their meeting is intriguing, thought the outcome seems pretty well assured. Less certain is what the outcome of the meeting will be, and a final twist caps the story.

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, by Vaseem Khan

The day Inspector Chopra retires, forced out unwillingly by a heart attack, his unexpected inheritance arrives—in the form of a very sad baby elephant. Chopra is equally sad—he loved his job and doesn't know what to do with himself, or the elephant. Written by an Englishman of Indian heritage, who spent several years working in India, this mystery is enchanting despite no glossing over the corruption, poverty, cruelty, and filth of modern Mumbai.

Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Suppose one child took seriously a promise to “pay it forward,” and thus changed the world? Utopian, in spite of a tragedy en route, but one must dream....

Visit Carola Dunn's website and blog.

Coffee with a Canine: Carola Dunn and Trillian.

The Page 69 Test: The Corpse at the Crystal Palace.

--Marshal Zeringue