The Dolly Mysteries featuring Johnson Johnson by Dorothy Dunnett- series review.

Genre : crime thrillers

Books in series

Tropical Issue ( review here)

Rum Affair  ( review here)

Ibiza Surprise  ( review here)

Operation Nassau  ( review here)

Roman Nights   ( review here)

Split Code   ( review here)

Morrocan Traffic ( review here)

Thank you at Farrago books for my copies and Randon Things Tours for introducing me to these books.

I fell in love with Dorothy Dunnett’s writing after reading The Lymond Chronicles ( review here)- her books are a delight to read a story beneath a story, exotic locales, crazy action and hidden motives. The Dolly Mysteries although not historical fiction has all of the Dunnett trademark writing.

The Dolly Mysteries featuring Johnson Johnson, portrait painter and spy have been rereleased under different names and in chronological order rather than its original publication date. Interestingly the books are told from the point of view of several strong women characters and our view of Johnston is formed through their eyes.

Johnson, the portrait painter spy, is the hero-like character that pops up in all the books, but we never get to see the story from his point of view. Each book is narrated in the first person by a strong female leads who starts each story with a comment about Johnson’s bifocals and eventually are sucked into the Johnson’s world either by accident or design. But by the end of each book, each woman’s life has changed because of their contact with Johnson. Tropical Issue was the last book published originally but the first one in the rerelease, so the modern reader is aware of the tragedy in Johnson’s life and how he is led back into being a spy.

Each book is set in an exotic or exciting locale ( and yes, I would class the northern isles of Scotland exciting) with complicated plots and plenty of hare-brained action but always with ending that took me by surprise.

The last book ends with an intriguing plot thread that explores about what happened to Johnson in the first book which ties the overarching plot.

Content warning

These books are symbolic of their times and do have references to non-consensual sexual contact which is disturbing to read  about accepted it was by women and society!

Moroccan Traffic by Dorothy Dunnett- Book review and blog tour

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for Moroccan Traffic Dorothy Dunnett

Upwardly mobile and smart Wendy Helmann, Executive Secretary, is in Marrakesh with her mother while her boss, Chairman of Kingsley Conglomerates, conducts very delicate if slightly dubious takeover negotiations.

Morocco is a romantic place, but Wendy finds herself side-tracked from its attractions by the antics of Rita Geddes and a few peripheral problems such as kidnapping, explosions, industrial espionage, murder and car chases across the High Atlas mountains . . . Enter Johnson Johnson and his yacht, Dolly.

Thank you, Random Things Tour and Farrago, for my copy of the book.

Review

I have conflicting feelings about Moroccan Traffic by Dorothy Dunnett, a action packed thriller- I loved this instalment in The Dolly Mysteries but I am sad this is the last book in this series featuring the Spy who also happens to be a famous portrait painter.

Read more: Moroccan Traffic by Dorothy Dunnett- Book review and blog tour

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

The Dolly Mysteries featuring Johnson Johnson, portrait painter and spy have been rereleased under different names and in chronological order rather than its original publication date. Interestingly the books are told from the point of view of several strong women characters and our view of Johnston is formed through their eyes.

Moroccan Traffic was published in 1992 under the aptly named Send a Fax to the Kasbah and is the last book in the series chronologically and the last book to be published. Moroccan traffic definitely sheds more light on Johnson’s past, and we finally get to see him make peace (of sorts) with his life.

Wendy, the main character, and first-person narrator is the sensible, boring but ambitious executive assistant who wants to climb up the corporate ladder with the help of her larger-than-life mother (who deserves a book in her own right). As with the other heroines of the Dolly mysteries, she becomes embroiled in international and corporate espionage the minute she meets Johnson.

The book has an explosive start and an equally explosive finish with plenty of action scenes in exotic locales, twists and fights in crazy environments- this time there is an impressive action scene featuring monkeys, and boars!

But the best bit of this book is the appearance of my favourite Dolly heroine – Rita Geddes who ten years after Tropical Issue ( review here) is just as amazing and now the CEO of her own company. We also hear about Joanna from Split Code ( review here) as well as her father and a sense of her role in Johnson’s future.

Moroccan Traffic can be read as a standalone, but this is much more enjoyable and satisfying if you have read the other books in the series.

Perfect for Fans of

The Dolly mysteries. Hilarious, action-packed thrillers.

Author biography
Dorothy Dunnett (1923-2001) gained an international reputation as a writer of
historical fiction. She later turned to crime writing with the acclaimed Dolly books, aka
the Johnson Johnson series. She was a trustee of the National Library of Scotland, and
a board member of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 1992 she was
awarded an OBE for her services to literature. A leading light in the Scottish arts world
and a renaissance woman, Dunnett was also a professional portrait painter and
exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy on many occasions.

Tropical Issue- by Dorothy Dunnett – Book review and Blog tour

I’m pleased to be part of the Random Things Blog tour for Tropical Issueby Dorothy Dunnett- one of the Dolly mysteries featuring the enigmatic Johnson.

Rita, a small, tough Scottish make-up artist is on Madeira trying to find out who killed Kim-Jim, an American make-up supremo. Also anchored off the island is Dolly, the yacht of Johnson Johnson with whom Rita teams up to get to the bottom of this foul deed.Rita’s fighting spirits are aroused despite her danger. She is not one for quitting, even when she learns she is caught up in an international drug-smuggling ring.But she also discovers that dealing with the maddeningly enigmatic Johnson Johnson is, by no stretch of the imagination, plain sailing.

Review

The Lymond Chronicles (review here) and The House of Niccolo ( review here) by Dorothy Dunnett are some of my favourite book and the author ability to spin an amazing story is evident in the Tropical Issue, book one in the Dolly mysteries.