Category: Catriona McPherson

The Turning Tide by Catriona McPherson – A Dandy Gilver Mystery in a Coastal Village

August 24, 2020

 

It is 1936, and Dandy Gilver, private detective working with her trusted colleague Alec, is pulled away from her full time duties as a grandmother to undertake another case. It is an unusual one, not concerning murder or mayhem, but a young woman behaving strangely. This book, like several others in this series, involves Dandy and Alec immersing themselves in a community that is unsure of what to make of them, demonstrating local prejudices and suspicions that make their lives more difficult. This book is the latest in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone or out of sequence; like the others it demonstrates Dandy coming to terms with the Scottish life she has married into and Alec, a platonic best friend with whom she enjoys total trust. Their shared dialogue is always entertaining, and Dandy peppers her conversation with modern phrases picked up from her sons, to whom she is deeply attached and fearful for in case of another war. Her husband Hugh is obsessed with his estate and agricultural matters, but can still surprise with his help. As they struggle with accommodation, meals and more, Dandy and Alec must find out why a ferry woman will not carry passengers, and what is really going on in a small Scottish village on the coast.

 

When Dandy discovers that she is to become a grandmother, she is not prepared for the huge commitment of time and energy it will take, but she is as always helped by her friend Alec. When the third call for help comes from a Reverend Hogg, she decides that her daughter in laws plan for an enormous picnic can proceed without her help, so she willingly packs her bags and goes to Crammond with Alec. They soon discover that the local cause for concern is a woman, Vesper Kemp, who managed to retain her late father’s role as ferry keeper, but who has recently started behaving very oddly. The local clergyman has his own agenda, but there are two women, Miss Speir and Miss Lumley who have mixed feelings about the case.  When Alec and Dandy meet Vesper, she is indeed behaving very oddly and seems frightened. The locals seem to have mixed feelings about her, and there are several odd happenings which confuse Dandy and Alec. There are students in the area with a strange fixation with potatoes, men with an unusual reason for being in the area, and two public houses with different clientele. When a young man’s fate is also questioned, Alec and Dandy must make every effort to discover the truth as soon as possible, even though there is danger in the finding out.

 

This is a lively and engaging book with some endearing characters, vivid descriptions of everything ranging from food to village life, and a delightful excursion to Edinburgh. This book explains a lot about the way Scottish people lived in the interwar period, the variants of class and money, and the shadows of the rise of Hitler. I greatly enjoyed this book, and always anticipate with pleasure reading another episode of adventures of Dandy and Alec. I was so pleased to read this book, and recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fairly gentle mystery novels.   

 

This is the fourteenth book in the series, and if you have not discovered Dandy and her family yet, you have a real treat in store! I have really enjoyed all of them, learning a lot about life in Scotland in the first half of the twentieth century, and some really funny incidents as Dandy struggles with the pretensions of her maid and the fixed views of her husband. 

In other news, I am starting a re read (after about twenty years) of “A Suitable Boy”. Yes, it’s only a few pages so far, but its a big book! I have watched the first couple of episodes and think it is beautifully filmed and usefully simplifies a complex story. I’ll let you know how it goes!   

A Step So Grave by Catriona McPherson – a Dandy Gilver investigation into Scottish superstition and more

July 8, 2020

A Step So Grave (Dandy Gilver): Amazon.co.uk: McPherson, Catriona ...

A Step So Grave by Catriona McPherson 

 

Family matters dominate this book in the series of Dandy Gilver investigations. Those who know and enjoy this series will remember the insights it offers into Scottish life in the early half of the twentieth century, as well the narration of the story by the highly individual Dandy Gilver who enjoys her work as a private detective together with her partner, Alec Osbourne. In this novel, which can definitely be read as a stand alone book, family matters prevail for Dandy, as she visits the home of her eldest son, Donald’s, intended bride. Many of the novels in this series are located in very specific places, such as a department store, a city house or a dance hall. This novel is set in a house, a village in the farthest reaches of Scotland, an obscure and distant place dominated by Lady Lavinia, the matriarch of a small community. Not that Dandy is happy with the proposed match, and the more she finds out about the appallingly named “Lady Love” the more concerned she becomes about the situation of a matriarch who dominates the oddly assorted family. This is a cleverly plotted story of a murder in a family home, specfically a rose garden, which is full of folklore, superstition and the Gaelic language. As Dandy and Alec investigate, the research in this novel propels a story which is sometimes funny, always fascinating, and deeply enjoyable. 

 

Dandy’s introduction to Applecross is not favourable as her family travels across the sea and completes the journey to the house in the arms of fishermen. Dandy immediately forms a concerned impression of a family with many secrets, especially when she discovers not only that Mallory, Donald’s chosen, is several years older than he is, and that also he seems fixated on her mother. Indeed, everyone speaks of her generosity, her determination to improve the community, and her talent with flowers and the memorable knot garden which is her obsession. Her husband, Lachlan, still bears the scars he suffered in the War when trying to save the life of a young man from the village. Also present is a couple who have long been friends of Lady L, whose son has indeed married the younger daughter of the house, Cherry. Dandy, Hugh and their younger son Teddy all feel distinctly uncomfortable with the establishment despite the universal supposed love for her ladyship. When a scandal emerges on the morning of the birthday celebrations, they are urged to return home until matters are sorted out. It is only when they have braved the journey homewards that they discover that Lady L has been found murdered in her beloved garden. Their dismay is only increased when it seems as if the matter has been hushed up with an unlikely tale of a tramp who happened to be in the isolated area, and the whole situation needs to be further investigated before an engagement can be confirmed. 

 

This novel works so well because of the character of Dandy and how she narrates the story, her surprise at various elements of the establishment, and her disgust at such things as the over the top decoration of the house and the physical labour undertaken by Cherry. The humour is expressed in such things as her descriptions of her husband Hugh, and the machinations of her maid Grant, who supplies a most unsuitable dress for an active detective. This book engages extremely well with the times in which it is set, as one War is in the recent past and another political upheaval seems highly probable. The research into the setting is impeccable, but lightly worn in such things as the phonetic descriptions of Gaelic phrases. As always I recommend McPherson’s books whole heartedly, and suggest that those who enjoy well plotted historical murder mysteries seek them out.     

 

I remarked to a friend recently that with so many novels available featuring women detectives in the 1920s and 1930s they must have been bumping into one another trying to solve every murder in Britain. I can immediately think of Maisie Dobbs and Kate Shackleton, as well as Daisy Dalrymple. My friend suggested that they didn’t have much else to do.  I enjoy reading all of these series, though I do particularly enjoy the sense of humour in the Dandy books. Have you read all of these series? Any thoughts?

Dandy Gilver & A Spot of Toil & Trouble by Catriona McPherson – The Scottish Play in a Castle

May 7, 2018

Image result for dandy gilver and a spot of toil and trouble

Dandy Gilver is a character familiar to readers of this book blog. Inasmuch as she always narrates the books which she appears in, her character is self evident as quite a thoughtful person who rebels in an organised way against her class and expectations. Her role, established over the last eleven books, is as an amateur detective with her trusty sidekick Alec. They do not always get on, they infuriate each other with their habits when detecting, they are as predictable to each other as any married couple. They basically respect each other’s processes while working through the mysteries they unearth in each novel, and in contrast with Dandy’s relationship with her usually absent husband they enjoy the joking of a sibling like relationship. As in the previous novels they rarely stick to the mystery they have been hired to solve, discovering the underlying truth of what happens when they start to pursue the “wisps” of clues. The setting of the interwar period is beyond the post First World War aftermath, but here is the first stirrings of concern that there may be another war on the way.

On this occasion Dandy is summoned to a thread bare Scottish castle by the couple who own it for the moment. Minnie and Bluey know that they are in big financial trouble, and are grasping at the idea of putting on Shakespeare play staged by their daughter’s fiancé, Leonard, in order to attract rich visitors. Bluey’s mother Ottoline is still in residence, full of memories of her husband Richard who left many years previously possibly with a famous but apparently cursed necklace. Dandy and Alec are hired to find the necklace, or at least establish what happened to it. In looking for it they disturb many family secrets as well as the fabric of an old solid building. It soon emerges that the play planned is in fact Macbeth, and casting issues mean that everyone gets dragged onstage. There is thus the opportunity for many theatrical jokes, especially the Porter’s speech. The denouement is complicated, and demands much concentration, but is ultimately satisfying in way of these novels.

These books are enjoyable to read, with strong characters and some very funny moments. The in jokes on this occasion relate to Macbeth, and actors who frequently take themselves very seriously. The plot wanders a little, and there are loose ends and red herrings aplenty. This is a relaxed book compared to the earnest series set in the same period, Maisie Dobbs by Jaqueline Winspear, as McPherson takes a far lighter view of the characters and their motivations. This book fits the bill for a casual read, even if the reader does have to work a little harder at the end to understand what has been happening. It is an historical mystery series that is worth following, though I feel it could also be read as a standalone novel, and the series as a whole probably does not have to be read in strict order. The “Scottish Play” was never quite performed like this!

So, a jolly book for a hot Bank Holiday, and a new bookshop discovered! Northernvicar tracked down Astley Book Farm in the Midlands (see http://www.astleybookfarm.com/index.html) for more details. I found the beautifully shelved fiction section while he enjoyed tea and scones. Money was spent…and a first edition “Love Among the Ruins” by Angela Thirkell found!

Dandy Gilver & a Most Misleading Habit by Catriona McPherson

September 23, 2017

Image result for dandy gilver and a most misleading habit

It is possible that you have heard of Dandy Gilver and her detecting missions set in the 1920s. Catriona McPherson who has hit on a rich vein of organisations that need investigating as dubious activities have resulted in murder. Her novels are historical fiction, and to her credit each place she writes about is thoroughly researched. In the past she has looked at hotels, department stores, and grand houses. The latter was intriguing as she is a member of the minor aristocracy herself, married to the challenging Hugh whose own interests extend only to hunting and shooting. She has become a detective with her good friend Alec partly because her marriage is tedious despite her two sons, when her interests are meant only to cover clothes and social visiting. The fees that she often receives for finding the missing, solving the murder mysteries and sorting out the good from bad have provided a decent heating system and a small estate for her younger son. In this novel she is asked to investigate the death of a nun and disappearance of some disturbed inmates of a hospital on a cold moorland site.

This volume is a well written picture of a religious community attacked by mysterious intruders. A fire and the vandalism of a room have rocked the institution, but not as much as the death of the senior sister. Sister Mary set up the community to include an orphanage, and it is here that much of the comedy occurs as Dandy (her nickname is an endearing feature of all these novels) has little experience of children and their needs. The many “Sisters” who inhabit this story are confusing and make the narrative difficult to follow, though they are given different personalities. It is a complicated tale with many characters, perhaps too many if honestly examined. This is a post First World War novel, where women are becoming more free to work, live in different settings and challenge the old order. Not that Dandy is a strident feminist in any sense, but she sees no reason why she cannot follow the mystery to its end. The characters she investigates become dizzyingly complex, the clues multiply, and her confusion is echoed by the reader. I was keen to discover who did what to whom and why, but even at the end some of the red herrings were not resolved.   This is not an elegantly worked out plot, but the drama and incident along the way make it an engaging read.

In many ways this is a lightweight novel meant for entertainment rather than education. Having said that, its implicit messages about men left mentally scarred by what they have experienced in the trenches is interesting, as is the fate of children born out of wedlock but cheerfully and generously treated in this community. The women gathered as Sisters seem not to question their lot, but perhaps have made a reasonable choice given the perceived “shortage” of eligible men, even if they are younger than the women who lost loved ones in the War. It is an exciting and interesting read, while the deficiencies of clear plotting do not spoil the novel as the narrative and characters are so strong. Best read as part of the series, it does refer back to other books, but could be read as a stand alone novel. I enjoy the details of the clothes, especially the arcane information of the parts of the Sisters’ habits, which actually become an element of the story. This is a good read for those interested in the period, and I recommend it for fans of modern historical fiction.

Dandy Gilver &the Unpleasantness in the Ballroom – Catriona McPherson

August 5, 2015

Another day, another series depicting a woman detective in the late 1920s, early 1930s in Britain. Definitely Britain because this series of ten books about the cases of Dandy (Dandelion!) Gilver  often take place in Scotland. This book is the latest in the series in which a fairly bored aristocratic (if with an unusual upbringing ) becomes a private detective with her friend Alec.

The earlier nine books are about how Dandy almost accidentally becomes an investigator into the matters of scandal and often murder which seem to afflict the minor aristocracy and gentry in those exciting days. There are the usual panics about money and position, and the details about dress and manners which are familiar from the Maisie Dobbs books, though not so deeply significant and meaningful as in some purple passages in those books.  These are far more realistic than the Daisy Darymple books, as the characters seem more realistic though equally obsessed with food and hunger for same. Dandy’s husband, Hugh, is not the romantic lead of a woman’s dreams; he is quite fed up with Dandy’s activities when he first discovers them but is more than reconciled to them when the money she earns subsidises his estate and provides for the sons, whom Dandy seems more than happy to leave.

 

This is an uneven series in my mind, whether read at yearly intervals or as a catch up when they suddenly appear in the library. The second book, The Burry Man’s Day , is set in Queensferry, and deals with local customs with a clever if unlikely ending. The eight book, Dandy Gilver and a Deadly Measure of Brimstone is a very good read about mysterious goings on in a Scottish Spa. Some books in this series are better than others; McPherson is better in enclosed worlds, but not as in Agatha Christie. Her research seems excellent and nothing really jars, unless it is the heroine’s impatience with the lot of women. These are not fast moving narratives like Miss Fisher, and Dandy rarely faces danger or temptation. These books are more thoughtful, clues, motives and characters are more carefully worked through. They do not need to be read in strict order, as the stories do not really run into one another, but the supporting cast does develop and change.

This particular adventure begins with Dandy and Alec being retained by a family in Glasgow. There is a lot about ballroom dancing but nothing very taxing for the reader, and costume sewing is also important. It becomes a tangled web of motive and characters, and I enjoyed its unpredictability. Dandy and Alec have to eat, drink and even attempt dancing, but happily Grant is on hand…

These books are light reading in many ways, and are not as deep and meaningful as Maisie Dobbs! They are funny and involving, and can be informative about each community Dandy gets embroiled in with Alec’s assistance. As good summer reads I would recommend them, especially if you can borrow or get them cheaply, as frankly they are not great literature. Any more Women detectives of the interwar period out there?

Back from the far North (or further North anyway!)

September 3, 2011

I’m back from holiday! A fortnight in changeable, lovely, welcoming Orkney.  For a twenty five mile island, there are many books to be had. The Orcadian bookshop is definitely worth a look if you find yourself in Kirkwall ( perhaps an unlikely circumstance…) if only because they can order up any book in print with very little to go on. The famous author in Stromness is George Mackay Brown, poet, journalist and writer of amazing prose. We did buy a couple of his books; watch this space for further comments.

I did of course read a few books while I was there (eight or so).  It was made easier by the extreme comfort of the bungalow and the day of the gale when I couldn’t get out of the front door. This did include some Harry Potter, numbers two and three, as well as some books in various murder mystery series.  I really enjoyed Dandy Gilver and an unsuitable Day for a murder by Catriona McPherson

Having not enjoyed The Winter Ground much this is a good return to form for the Dandy Gilver series. It is set in two department stores and depicts two warring families and suicide, or murder. I thought that the descriptions of the two stores was particularly good, as well as Dandy’s reactions to the clothes on sale. The mystery takes second  place to the characterisations and descriptions of people and place. At last Hugh the husband does the right thing, and we see Dandy herself develop in confidence. The police are not generally cooperative, but Dandy still discovers a lot of the truth. My only and main criticism of the book is the family complications which had me checking the family tree in the front of the book. That is part of the plot, however, so not surprising that it’s complicated.

This is a good book in the series, which does not need to be read strictly in order to enjoy the novel. It may be a bit confusing if you read it as the first book by this author, though it is possible just to read it to wallow in the 1920s period details. It is a good book, a very Scottish book, and you really don’t have to go to Orkney to buy it!

Reading for pleasure…or prescribed?

August 16, 2011

I mentioned in my last post one of the issues with reading books, beyond the format you choose. Do we read for our own pleasure, as we feel interested in a novel or indeed non fiction book, or do we read because we feel we have to, for a book group or other reasons? I know that we often discover books when we are handed a book list, some of which we come to enjoy. And one of the benefits of going to a library is the possibility of trying out a new author or even type of book without risking any money. Of course, if you get hooked on a author or series you may end up spending a lot of money…

One of my favourite bookblogs, http://www.dovegreyreader.co.uk/ had a post yesterday about reading “on a whim”; putting aside the lists and instead reading a book that just seems interesting or enjoyable at the time. Sometimes I just get fed up of the books that I ought to read, and pick up something less challenging  or just more fun.

Which is probably why I picked up The Winter Ground by Catriona McPherson, being another Dandy Gilver mystery. For those of you who may be baffled , Dandy Gilver is an upper class bored wife and mother in the 1920s who likes to investigate mysteries, often involving murder in Scotland. I really enjoyed the last one that I read, The Burry Man’s Day, and thought that I would pick up this one in the library despite the fact that it is set around Christmas in the frozen north. (though it is rather chilly here, for August, not to mention the rain, hail, thunderstorms….)

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This novel is set in a circus, and given that we had a circus skills workshop in the big tent in our garden (thanks, Northumberland libraries!) the other week, I thought that this would be a good read. It wasn’t on a list, and it isn’t particularly educational. It is a little difficult to follow, as the action is set in a  fading circus. The Spanish Influenza epidemic has damaged the local families and it is in some ways a sad book, but the central mystery is more tricky to work out than first appears.  I got very confused about the various names and nicknames, acts and equipment in the circus described, and while I’m sure she had done a lot of research, I think that some of the narrative got lost. I think that part of the problem was that some of the characters went by several names, including Russian abbreviations. While I found the other two in the series fairly straightforward, if not easy to solve, this one was unnecessarily complicated. Also some of the background is sad, even given the national sense of loss in the 1920s. I would definitely pick up another book in this series to read, not because I have to, but because these are well researched and atmospheric books with interesting mysteries a the centre of the book. Good holiday reads, even if the weather is anything but summer time.

Murder Mystery Solved! (Before I read the last bit…)

August 3, 2011

After all the excitement of my 100th post and my very first guest reviewer,(thanks MHH!) it’s back to my weird selection of books. Easy to get hold of, but a strange selection of history (fiction and non fiction) general fiction (some of it literary) and a fair bit of murder (only fictional, don’t panic) and anything else which takes my fancy…

My latest murder is one of a series. I may have mentioned the books of Catriona  McPherson before, but her second book in the Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery series has kept me occupied in the Festival which is in full swing hereabouts. So between being nice to people eager to discover local history and the details of the production of the King James Bible (400 years old this year) I’ve been solving a murder.

The mystery to be found in The Burry Man’s Day is not the toughest I’ve ever read of in a historical murder novel.

 

I think that this mystery is informative about the period just after the First World War, when social barriers had been challenged and women had won many more rights, even if customs in small Scottish towns lagged behind. McPherson lives in Scotland and may be more culturally aware than some other writers of historical mystery novels, despite their often impeccable research. I think that she has got the sense of life in a community just right, with the lively children, dubious drinkers, strict housewives and funeral practices. The headmaster and wife of the school are so well described that they would be in the running for the Mrs Proudie Prize (Trollope’s Barchester Chronicles)

  Cue extra picture of Alan Rickman in the Barchester Chronicles with the fearsome Mrs Proudie, role model for Clergy Spouses everywhere.

Back to McPherson. The unexpected death of a well known local character in a very public setting sets off the hunt for a possible murderer, motive and method. The extra thing about this series of novels is the genuinely funny style. The hostess of the fete is called Buttercup by the leading character, much to her new husband’s bemusement. The same hostess has lived in America, from which she has acquired habits from the famous speakeasy’s need to hide alcohol quickly as well as suspicions of gangsters. This book is far more confident than its predecessor After the Armistice Ball. Dandy now enjoys detecting and is confident in her partner, which allows her to have a more realistic crisis of conscience at the significant moment. Despite its humour, this book makes some serious points about the damage done by the War.

Unusually for me, I worked out roughly what must have caused the events in the book quite early on. Despite my record of reading many murder mysteries, I often struggle to beat the detective to murderer, motive and method. This may be because the novel does not obey the rules concerning letting the reader having all the information in good time, or maybe because I’m just not good at puzzles. This book is so good that even if you crack the mystery early on, the process, the scenery and the characters are worth following. I have also enjoyed greatly Elizabeth Peters, Carola Dunn and Laurie King  who write good historical murder mysteries, but I think that McPherson has a slight edge on style and humour. Well worth a read.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authors of the North- at least for a time

November 3, 2010

When we moved up to the Frozen North, I suppose that I imagined that my days of going to author signings in our local bookshops, reasonably handy for London, were over. And yes, they probably have changed. One local independent bookshop, Cognito in Hexham, does seem to round up quite a few authors to sign their books ( =expensive presents for Husband and others) and seem to organise the book festival in May – hence my sighting of Phillipa Gregory as my post of a few weeks ago.

Another popular author attraction is the Newcastle University Insights lecture programme, open to the public. I have sighted Juliet Nicolson,writer of The Great Silence and more recently Juliet Gardiner writer of The Thirties and The Blitz. More about both writers at a later date.

And tonight, at our local library, Graham Pears, writer of a new crime novel, The Myth of Justice. A retired policeman of the North East, he entertained his audience with many tales of his career, including chasing an escaped lion across Sunderland. If the book turns out to be as funny as his stories, it will be excellent. I think it looks as if it is going to reveal a realistic, if fictional, story of criminal life in the North East, so  I’m looking forward to reading it. His next book comes out in March; I hope to have read this one and posted about it before then. He is due to speak in the City Library in Newcastle on Saturday as part of the Books on Tyne Book Festival. I’m actually due to go to the Free Thinking Event at the Sage, where other authors at to be let loose on the public. It looks good ( and it’s my birthday, so I’ll try to forget my age).

A book after all this gadding about?

After the Armistice Ball by Catriona McPherson is, as may be guessed from the title, another murder mystery set in the Twenties.The Heroine, Danny Gilver, does not seek to solve a murder, thinking only that there is an insurance scandal going on involving friends and acquaintances. Thus she is a fairly inept, if instinctive, investigator, and when murder is suspected she is not motivated by the need for money, furthering her career or anything except a determination to get to the bottom of a convoluted family situation. There are very dramatic events, but there are a lot of very realistic details of Dandy’s own family situation, including her rather awkward husband.

I enjoyed this book; McPherson having established a fairly laid back style and describing a woman who has to worry about her own family responsibilities as well as crime solving. There are elements which are a little repetitive, and one or two loose ends which are a little annoying. It does represent one of an ever increasing number of women detective tales written recently but set in this period, but this does depict a female young enough to be concerned with her appearance and role, but past the courtship with the handsome young detective/lord/policeman stage. I think it is the first of a series as well, and it is a worthwhile, interesting story. It does not go off into psychological studies like the Maisie Dobbs series, but is more substantial than the Daisy Darlymple mysteries. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it as a fairly easy read if a little annoying in places where the narrative does drift a little. It does not have the stamp of authenticity like Patricia Wentworth’s book in my last post, and can sometimes be a little fantastic, but it is a page turner,and worth seeking out. I will try and read the others available in the series, but you know how it is …so many books, so little time…