1st May 1926 Dear Alec, Just when those who should be working are all downing tools for this wretched strike (and I still can t believe it I mean to say: riots, Alec in Edinburgh of all places) guess who is setting her virgin shoulder to its very first wheel? I am dressed in serge and sensible footwear, sleeping in an iron bed and dining off pickled tongue at six o clock each day. I am, in short, that nice young Mrs Balfour's new maid. But don t worry, Alec dear: things haven t got as bad as all that. It s just that that nice young Mr Balfour is going to kill his wife. At least, she thinks so, and the more I hear about him from butler, cook and bootboy the more I m inclined to agree. So I m undercover, in disguise, bent upon foiling. And jolly hard work it is too tomorrow is my half-day free if you d care take me out for a restorative bun. (Every maid needs a beau to buy buns for her.) Yours, Dandy xx p.s. Ask for Miss Rossiter: below stairs I am she.
1st May 1926 Dear Alec, Just when those who should be working are all downing tools for this wretched strike (and I still can t believe it I mean to say: riots, Alec in Edinburgh of all places) guess who is setting her virgin shoulder to its very first wheel? I am dressed in serge and sensible footwear, sleeping in an iron bed and dining off pickled tongue at six o clock each day. I am, in short, that nice young Mrs Balfour's new maid. But don t worry, Alec dear: things haven t got as bad as all that. It s just that that nice young Mr Balfour is going to kill his wife. At least, she thinks so, and the more I hear about him from butler, cook and bootboy the more I m inclined to agree. So I m undercover, in disguise, bent upon foiling. And jolly hard work it is too tomorrow is my half-day free if you d care take me out for a restorative bun. (Every maid needs a beau to buy buns for her.) Yours, Dandy xx p.s. Ask for Miss Rossiter: below stairs I am she.
The intriguing new mystery featuring Dandy Gilver, 'the most engaging and ingenious crime-cracker I've met in ages' (Scotland on Sunday)
Catriona McPherson was educated at Edinburgh University, and spent a few years as a university lecturer before writing her first Dandy Gilver novel. Catriona now writes full-time and lives on a farm in Galloway.
McPherson's books are always strong on period detail, with nifty sleight-of-hand plotting and plenty of interesting secondary characters, but it's Dandy herself who makes them shine: witty, briskly humane and quietly subversive, she is a continuing delight. - GuardianA subtle detonation of the cosy genre... an acute sense of period, sharp observation of the mores of the day (both above and below stairs), a nicely-judged infusion of humour and a winning heroine. - IndependentGuaranteed to appeal to those who have never got over the death of Dorothy L Sayers . . . McPherson has an ear for mellifluous language ... The story bristles with clues, and the resolution.. is unguessable. - Financial Times on DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINSDan Brown meets Barbara Pym . . . Dandy is brisk, baffled, heroic, kindly, scandalised and -above all - very funny. - Guardian on the Dandy Gilver seriesMcPherson is on to a winner... The period detail is accomplished and convincing, the crime is neatly convoluted and McPherson's prose bristles with clever asides under a lucid surface... I can't wait for her next adventure. - Scotland on Sunday on AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALLDelightful - Herald on THE WINTER GROUNDDandy Gilver is an enthralling heroine; part Dorothy Parker, part Miss Marple, utterly engaging. [Catriona] can send chills up your spine and provoke a fit of the giggles in the space of a few short pages. Absolutely wonderful - Kirsty Scott
Agatha Christie meets Upstairs, Downstairs in McPherson's charming fifth interwar whodunit featuring Edinburgh sleuth Dandy Gilver (after 2008's The Winter Ground). One morning the aristocratic detective opens a letter from Walburga Balfour, who writes, "My husband is going to kill me, and I would rather he didn't." Walburga goes on to ask that Dandy show up at her house under the guise of seeking employment as her maid, to keep her husband in the dark. At their meeting, Walburga persuades Dandy to assume the servant's position as a means of protecting her. Soon after Dandy starts working downstairs, a murder in the house brings the police into the matter. Since an impending transit strike has spread the authorities thin, Superintendent Hardy relies on Dandy for help in solving the crime. The solution may disappoint some, but fans of Phryne Fisher and Maisie Dobbs will be satisfied. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Scottish aristocrat Dandy Gilver (The Winter Ground) is not one to twiddle her thumbs. Indeed, she's lead partner in a private investigative firm, with friend Alec Osborne as her Watson. In this outing, Dandy has gone undercover as a maid to help Mrs. Balfour find out why her husband wants her dead. Within 24 hours, the husband is the murder victim. Clever Dandy is fully aware that she's dealing with a closed-room case and madly uses her powers of observation to unravel a complex puzzle before more violence ensues. This splendid 1926 Edinburgh historical incorporates the ongoing labor strike and social nuances of the day. VERDICT With witty dialog and low-key humor, McPherson's series is a great choice for Jacqueline Winspear, Carola Dunn, and Amy Patricia Meade fans. A strong traditional offering with sly humor, a love of dogs, and not too much violence. A real contender for the Agathas! [Library marketing.] (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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