Murder at the Races

A Dodo Dorchester Mystery #3

by Ann Sutton

It is royal race day at Ascot, 1923. Lady Dorothea Dorchester, Dodo, has been invited by her childhood friend, Charlie, to an exclusive party in a private box with the added incentive of meeting the King and Queen.
Charlie appears to be interested in something more than friendship when a murder interferes with his plans. The victim is one of the guests from the box and Dodo cannot resist poking around. When Chief Inspector Blood of Scotland Yard is assigned to the case, sparks fly between them again. The chief inspector and Dodo have worked together on a case before and he welcomes her assistance with the prickly upper-class suspects. But where does this leave poor Charlie?
Dodo eagerly works on solving the murder which may have its roots in the distant past. Can she find the killer before they strike again?

Genres: Mystery, Historical, British Literature, Crime, Historical Mystery

186 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Joanne M. Farrell]

Please find new proofreaders

The current proofreaders you have I'm sure mean well, but they don't possess the necessary skills. Please hire professionals to help you

[Tony Hisgett]

I read these books because I hope Lady Dorchester is going to be a strong independent women who stands on her own two feet. The problem is the author seems to believe she isn’t complete without a man and she has to be actively looking for romance.
During the first chapter Dodo meets up with her friend Charlie and the first thought that comes into her head is;
”Am I ready for another relationship? Perhaps.”
Unfortunately what follows isn’t so much a murder investigation, but a series of observations about how different men were reacting to her and whether they were ’hot’ or not.
Even though I thought Dodo was interesting in the previous two books, it has become clear I am not the target audience for this book and yet another historical mystery series bites the dust.

[Carol A Briske]

Enjoyed

I look forward to the next chapter of Dodo's adventures. And hope she has the courage to accept her love for the Inspector.

[Mike Watson]

I like cozies. I read, on the average, one a day. They're easy to read---until I hit a mis-spelled word, a missing word, usually 'the', or an obvious typo. It's a common fault with much of the indie writers out there. We're concerned with costs, cover, advertising, and editing.

It's easy to go cheap on editing. Professional editing is expensive. I understand that, I'm an indie writer, too. But, having your sister's boyfriend be your editor or proofreader does work. Don't hire Aunt Emmy and claim she's a professional. I might give you some slack if Aunt Emmy taught English and grammar for forty years. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't.

There are 'tricks', item to look for, in a ms. Professional editors know them. They're not taught in your college creative writing class. They're learned from experience.

I use editing software (PWA) and a two-pass copy editor, and a proofreader. And, I still find errors---but fewer than I would have had.

So, I'm giving this story 4-stars, solely on the plot and characterization. It could have been 5-stars if the author had used a better editor.

[Julie Carlson]

Dodo can aggravate me, because she is a bit full of herself, but the books are short cozies set in the fabulous 1920s. Dodo and friend, Charlie (who wants to be more than friends), have been invited to a day at the races at Ascot. Other invitees include a member of the prime minister's cabinet and his wife; a newly elevated earl and his wife; the host and hostess; and two couples in their 20s. When one of the guests is found stabbed to death, Dodo and Charlie help out Scotland Yard, specifically Inspector Blood from book 1. Sutton created an interesting twist for the motive, but a twist that was telegraphed about 3/4 through the book. If you are looking for harmless fun in which you can read a chapter and then turn out the light, give the Dodo Dorchester series a go.

[Linda]

Lady Dorthea "Dodo" Dorchester is off to the races in 1923. Her childhood friend Charlie Chadwick has invited her to attend a Royal Race Day party and then to a private meeting of the King and Queen of England. Their hosts in the private box are Violet and Arthur Guthrie. Shockingly one of the Guthrie's party guests, Lord Barchester, is found knifed to death! Chief Inspector Blood once again has his hands full and this time both Dodo and Charlie come to his aid. I enjoyed "watching" Dodo's mind work as she contributed a lot to help solve the murder. Her honest interactions with Charlie were fun too.

[Carolyn Miller]

I found the series disappointing. It had a promising beginning in the first two books. I was able to overlook problems of Americanisms and historically inaccurate word choices, because I thought the relationship between Lady Dorothea and Inspector Blood (a ridiculous name, in my opinion) had a lot of potential depth and added interesting possibilities to the plot. Robbed of that romantic and class tension, the rest of the books became nothing but run-of-the-mill cozy mysteries without anything particularly significant to add to the genre.

[Brangela]

They're Off To The Races

Royal race day, a ceremonial meeting with the King and Queen, an invitation to sit in a VIP box, a handsome escort, what's not to like? A fabulous day at the races turns deadly. Dodo and her beau Charles are witnesses to the crime. Inspector Blood of Scotland Yard investigates. Dodo assists him and old feelings surface. But what about nice guy Charlie? I really like Charlie! What's a girl to do? Oh and the mystery is also very interesting.

[Amanda Jane]

Better

Thankfully Sutton has not included any further characters from other authors creations in this.

It did take them rather a long time to come up with the answer when it was rather staring them in the face but nonetheless it stands on its own two feet. Not great literature but a readable tale with a solution that didn't require assistance from a Belgian gentleman or an elderly spinster from St Mary Mead..

[Deirdre E Siegel]

Book #3 is the decider for any of series to stop or continue is a question
As such… this story sees the lead reassessing her supporting cast (I am cheering) which changes the series perspective, so we are spoiler, I found this spoiler, then he spoiler, I was absolutely delighted, there is nothing more irksome when spoiler.
On to book #4, thank you for your words Ann Sutton, very much appreciated. :-)

[Julie Walls]

Perfect for leisure reading

Having retired recently I've found so much time to read and I read will kinda of books. I find that Ann Sutton books are perfect for relaxing and reading what was once called a dipping good yarn. I love the 20s, a good murder mystery and a forbidden love interest. What more could you ask for?

[Rachel Woodrow]

For someone who claims to be from the UK they have clearly forgotten that their is more than just England in the Uk as usual Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are forgotten by both parliament and aristocracy. But must remember it’s Americanised

[Mate Beth]

back to solid, surprising basics

Book one was quite good. Book 2 was…amateurish? Less than well -crafted. This third book is exceptional, giving real life and breadth to the key characters. And the plot du quite cleverly crafted. I look forward to book number 4 in the series.

[Marie Shirley Griffin]

So-so

I have been reading the series, I keep trying to "like" the characters, but I just can't. They don't grow as people.

The mysteries are rather interesting and while not "earth shattering", they are worth reading.

[Becky Brodersen]

Hair raising End!!

Love everything about Dodo, especially her observations about people, and her tender heart towards them. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Keep writing Ann!

[Cheryl Johnston]

A Great Plot Twist

Dodo, the inspector and Charlie make a great crime fighting team. It took me almost to the end to figure out who the bad guy was and then I wasn’t quite right. I really enjoyed it.

[Jill]

Fascinating Story

I really enjoyed this book. Dodo is a fun and clever sleuth. This 3rd book in the series is my favorite by far. I loved how Sutton out the clues together.

[Fran]

Loved this character and the mysteries are well thought out. Difficult to figure out but way out there. Can't wait for the next book.

[Danielle]

The best one yet.

Dodo really was a deeper character and showed herself to be more thoughtful and mindful while solving a rather clever mystery. More please.

[Elainebowden]

Another cracking good read

I love the characters in this book, they are really enjoyable th read,I love the way they develop ,can't wait for the next one.

[Christine Margaret Costello]

Another great murder mystery from Ann Sutton. I live the romance in the background with the inspector, will they won't they.

[Traci]

Wonderful

Another superb mystery. Once you start you don't want to put it down. Amazing story, various twists and turns with the characters. Maybe a romance, beginning.

[Claire Green]

Can't wait to move to book 4

[Susan Waters]

Well done cozy mystery...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and believable. I hope there other books by Ann Sutton to explore.

[Watergirl]

Skipped a lot. The main character is way too desperate for a relationship. The murderer is also a rapist. Not sure this qualifies as a cozy mystery.

[Jill Stirling]

Good fun. Enjoyable

[Gail Krisman]

Dodo does it again

Dodo, main character solves another murder. In addition has another romance. Setting colorful with a visit with the King and Queen.