| Plot Summary of The Daffodil Affair |
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"Daffodil, a quiet cabhorse, is stolen from his stable in Yorkshire, in preference to a much more valuable animal in the next stall. Curious, but hardly a matter for Scotland Yard, especially in wartime. But when an influential widow pulls some strings, Inspector John Appleby is assigned to the case. He discovers that Daffodil has a remarkable affinity for numbers, even seeming to know when people are thinking about them.
Meanwhile Appleby's colleague Hudspith, a specialist in the abduction of young women, is investigating the disappearance of Lucy Rideout, a London waitress. He realizes she is suffering from undiagnosed dissociation, having three distinct personalities. Appleby discovers the two cases are linked with the bizarre theft of a haunted house, which was dismantled and removed piecemeal from a London square under the cover of the nightly bombings.
The trail leads to South America. Appleby and Hudspith take passage on a cargo ship, posing as Australian wool merchants. Among their fellow passengers are some psychic individuals, apparently being collected by Mr Wine who is obsessed with unusual phenomena of all kinds. Appleby induces Hudspith to pretend to see visions, to pique Wine's interest, but the imposture is later exposed. Wine then affects to believe that the two policemen are actually representatives of a rival psychic investigator, and invites them to his scientific research station.
The station is on an archipelago in the Amazon, more than two thousand miles downstream. On the river voyage, Appleby befriends Lucy in each personality - Young Lucy, Sick Lucy and Real Lucy. He hopes that she will be a valuable ally in dealing with Wine, whose aims seem increasingly sinister."
Maureen Evans, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Daffodil Affair |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- horse crime
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- stolen goods organization
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- scientist
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- South
Ice Caps/Sea?
Yes
Where?
- Ocean
Jungles?
Yes
Jungles
- alligators/crocs
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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