Daisy Gumm Majesty Books In Order

Publication Order of Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery Books

Daisy Gumm Majesty is the main character in a series of historical mystery series written by Alice Duncan. The series is set during the 1920’s in Pasadena and features Daisy the main character a fake spiritualist and Detective Sam Rotondo. Daisy Gumm made her debut in Strong Spirits the first novel in Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery series published in 2003.

Strong Spirits

It is in 1920’s, and Daisy Gumm Majesty is doing her best to support her family by interpreting tarot cards and holding séances for the wealthy and famous. Then a rich woman Mrs. Kincaid visits Daisy to assist her in solving the mystery behind the disappearance of her husband, but Detective Sam Rotondo isn’t far behind. But then Sam is a brave detective and isn’t easily fooled by Daisy’s choice of vocation, and in response, he blackmails her into keeping a watchful eye on the Kincaid’s.

The first novel in the series is a brilliant one; it is set in the aftermath of the Flu Pandemic, the Great War and before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. During a period when the United States was in turmoil and upheaval which resulted to many people to turn into spiritualist and other divine mediums for comfort.

We meet Daisy, the wife of a war veteran crippled by a warfare chemical gas known as the mustard gas. She supports her beloved family through her fake talent for contacting the spirits of the dead and also reading tarot cards. Daisy’s fake talent all started when she was ten years of age after she pretended that she could talk to the spirits of the dead people and everyone around her ended believing her. She knows that she is a fraud but that does not bother her as long as the rich people are willing to pay her for her fake talks with the spirits and this enables her to take care of her family.

Daisy ends up getting mixed up with the Kincaids, a wealthy and famous banking family based in Pasadena in California. With her husband severely injured by mustard gas during World War I, her family, (both mother and father), and aunt depending on her life proves not to be an easy ride for Daisy. She gets herself entangled in a bank fraud and the worst of all after she gets involved in a murder case.

Meet Detective Sam Rotondo, the man who is in charge of the case of the crime and whom his instincts tell him that Daisy knows more than she is telling everyone.

The first book in Daisy Gumm Majesty series is a great series debut novel. Alice Duncan has done an excellent job in creating an intriguing story set in the aftermath of the First World War. The characterization is brilliant; the main character is Daisy Gumm, a 21-year old wife of a war veteran. She is a determined young woman, courageous and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that she provides for her family. Her narrative is liberally spiked with the 1920’s slang which is charming and quite intriguing.

The actual mystery in this story is more of a police investigation that the main character, Daisy keeps on poking her nose into. The relationship that exists between the spiritualist and the police detective Rotondo is quite fascinating. Even though Daisy is still married to a man who is confined to a wheelchair, you will still see some chemistry spark between her and the detective back and forth. At some point, things get a little more intimate between them, but only emotionally intimate and not physically.

Unsettled Spirits

In Unsettled Spirits, people are winding up dead after the church services at Daisy’s church; the detective Rotondo has finally confessed his love for her and Daisy notices swaying trees in her crystal ball.

However when the crystal ball images lead her to her clients missing butler and subsequently to some bunch of bootleggers, Daisy without her knowing bumps into the path of the man responsible for the death of the parishioners. At first, she does not recognize him, but then the man recognizes her and places Daisy at the top of his to be murdered list.

Unsettled Spirits is the 9th novel in Daisy Gumm Majesty series by Alice Duncan. It is quite engaging and focuses on the life in the 1920’s for the wealthy and the middle class in the society. It also covers in bits for the black, the poor and the Chinese. The charming Daisy Majesty is still unsettled, and after she sees the images in her crystal ball, she uses the images which lead her to the discovery of a lost man and also the breaking up of an illegal distillery. The experience shakes her but not enough to quench her thirst for detective leanings. She also sets out to investigate and solve the mystery surrounding the death of people dying at communion at her church and even the disapproval of Detective Sam Rotondo is not enough to stop her from her mission.

The mystery in this book is quite engaging, the suspects are plentiful, and the murders are quite despicable. The story is more than just a murder mystery; there are also other minor themes such as social ethics, and the aftermath of war.

Genteel Spirits

Once more Daisy makes a comeback, and in this installment, she is up to her ears again. She not only does have to deal with her puppy’s obedience training and her husband’s declining health, but she is also hired by Lola, to be her spiritual advisor. As if this wasn’t enough, a friend also requests Daisy to find out the person who has been sending him poison-pen letters. Daisy’s problems multiply when Detective Sam Rotondo, Daisy’s worst nightmare, and her husband’s best friend is stationed in the same picture as she. Will Daisy survive her worst nightmare?

Once more Alice Duncan has done a brilliant job in this fifth series installment. It is clear that the author possesses an excellent knowledge of the 1920’s and how it liked to be a resident of Pasadena, California during that era and her details of the setting are amazing. If you fancy historical mysteries, then Daisy Gumm Majesty series by Alice Duncan is the series you should read.