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Dandy Gilver #5
Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains
One of The Boston Globe's Best Mysteries of 2011
“Guaranteed to appeal to those who have never got over the death of Dorothy L. Sayers.” —Financial Times (UK)
Welcome to Edinburgh, 1926. Dandy Gilver, a wealthy and witty aristocrat (and sometimes amateur sleuth) receives a letter from Lollie Balfour, who insists that her husband of five years is having her followed and her mail is being steamed open.
The only way for Dandy to help is by pretending to applying for a job as a lady’s maid in Lollie’s house. Dandy gets a crash course from her own maid and arrives at 31 Heriot Row, ready to put all of her detection skills to good use. Why does Mr. Balfour want to get rid of his wife? And can Dandy stay in disguise long enough to evade the villains?
Charming and funny, Dandy Gilver is an irresistible sleuth who is sure to win over mystery lovers everywhere. Readers who can’t get enough of Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Pym, and Dorothy Parker will definitely find a new favorite in Catriona McPherson’s smart and original mystery.
“Guaranteed to appeal to those who have never got over the death of Dorothy L. Sayers.” —Financial Times (UK)
Welcome to Edinburgh, 1926. Dandy Gilver, a wealthy and witty aristocrat (and sometimes amateur sleuth) receives a letter from Lollie Balfour, who insists that her husband of five years is having her followed and her mail is being steamed open.
The only way for Dandy to help is by pretending to applying for a job as a lady’s maid in Lollie’s house. Dandy gets a crash course from her own maid and arrives at 31 Heriot Row, ready to put all of her detection skills to good use. Why does Mr. Balfour want to get rid of his wife? And can Dandy stay in disguise long enough to evade the villains?
Charming and funny, Dandy Gilver is an irresistible sleuth who is sure to win over mystery lovers everywhere. Readers who can’t get enough of Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Pym, and Dorothy Parker will definitely find a new favorite in Catriona McPherson’s smart and original mystery.
293 pages, Hardcover
First published December 10, 2009
30 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Catriona McPherson
52 books526 followersCatriona McPherson (she/her) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the US in 2010. She writes: preposterous 1930s private-detective stories about a toff; realistic 1940s amateur-sleuth stories about an oik; and contemporary psychothriller standalones. These are all set in Scotland with a lot of Scottish weather. She also writes modern comedies about a Scot-out-of-water in a “fictional” college town in Northern California.
She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger
Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.
She has won multiple Anthonys, Agathas, Leftys and Macavitys for her work and been shortlisted for an Edgar, three Mary Higgins Clark awards and a UK dagger
Catriona is a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
March 29, 2016
It is difficult always to remember how far I have travelled along the road from where I used to be, where she still was, in that warm glade of gentle womanhood where such things would never occur to one. I felt as though I should have narrowed eyes and a cigarette in one corner of my red lips as I grilled her.
I don't know what to say.
This is the 5th book in the Dandy Gilver mystery series, and boy, has this series been a roller coaster ride for me! McPherson's writing is all over the place. Some entries in this series are wonderful (The Winter Ground and Bury Her Deep) while others are just okay.
This book falls into the 'just okay' category.
...
Dandy Gilver is a 1920s rich lady who is a detective. Married, a mother of two boys, Dandy is a rarity in the in the 'mystery novel' world.
In this book, it's 1926 and Dandy receives a letter from a woman who believes she is going to be strangled to death by her beastly husband. Dandy (who is a rich, upper-class person) goes undercover as a lady's maid to ingratiate herself into the household and find out what is going on.
...
Well, this could have been all sorts of clever. Upper-crust lady going undercover as a maid! I was expecting some revelations on the part of Dandy as to the plights and tribulations of people who actually have to work for a living, but no. Nothing.
Then there's this subplot about a strike and people protesting horrible working conditions. I thought Dandy, who at the beginning is very anti-worker's-rights (in the bubble of the upper-class who believes that coal miners "live in cute houses" and "get all the free coal they want" and other weird conceptions she seems to have) would wake up and see what coal mining REALLY entails and it's damages on the human body firsthand - but nope, nothing.
Why bring up these things if you are not going to explore them to the full extent? I was excited and eager, only to be let down by McPherson just lackadaisically ignoring these topics. And I know she could have done a stellar job of it, too. She's an amazing author and great at subtly bringing things around. She's wonderful at being subtle. But here, if she were trying to make any sort of statement or inner revelation in Dandy, she was so subtle that I couldn't pick it up. o.O What a waste.
...
Another thing I'd like to comment on is the fact that McPherson's wonderful prose is very toned down in this novel. Usually when reading a Dandy Gilver mystery, I am quoting it right and left - because McPherson has some wonderful writing, infused with a kind of dry wit that is just amazing.
In this book, I think I only got 8 quotes from it. This was very disappointing.
I could feel a nasty prickling creeping up my back towards my neck, where a nasty shrinking feeling in my scalp waited to meet it.
...
Dandy makes some wild leaps in this book that I can't follow. This is a common problem for McPherson - Dandy often comes to conclusions that (to me) seem out of left field. I can't understand how she gets from Point A to Point B sometimes.
This isn't helped by the fact that the ending and the whole reasoning behind the mystery is SO BIZARRE and very unrealistic. No wonder Dandy's reasoning seemed bizarre in this novel, the whole ending/reveal is crazy-insane and will leave you shaking your head like, "WTF did I just read?" Not a good choice on the author's part, in my opinion.
...
Tl;dr - Just ho-hum instead of the powerhouse I expected - the novel this COULD have been. Disappointing. It's still getting three stars from me, because it's a decent book and a decent read, but just not capable of blowing your mind or making you excited.
P.S. I love the title of this book, and the book cover is fabulous. The front is a maid with an apron which has the title on it in blood-red. When you turn the cover over, the back shows the maid's back, and she's hiding a knife behind her back! So cool. Great cover design.
I don't know what to say.
This is the 5th book in the Dandy Gilver mystery series, and boy, has this series been a roller coaster ride for me! McPherson's writing is all over the place. Some entries in this series are wonderful (The Winter Ground and Bury Her Deep) while others are just okay.
This book falls into the 'just okay' category.
...
Dandy Gilver is a 1920s rich lady who is a detective. Married, a mother of two boys, Dandy is a rarity in the in the 'mystery novel' world.
In this book, it's 1926 and Dandy receives a letter from a woman who believes she is going to be strangled to death by her beastly husband. Dandy (who is a rich, upper-class person) goes undercover as a lady's maid to ingratiate herself into the household and find out what is going on.
...
Well, this could have been all sorts of clever. Upper-crust lady going undercover as a maid! I was expecting some revelations on the part of Dandy as to the plights and tribulations of people who actually have to work for a living, but no. Nothing.
Then there's this subplot about a strike and people protesting horrible working conditions. I thought Dandy, who at the beginning is very anti-worker's-rights (in the bubble of the upper-class who believes that coal miners "live in cute houses" and "get all the free coal they want" and other weird conceptions she seems to have) would wake up and see what coal mining REALLY entails and it's damages on the human body firsthand - but nope, nothing.
Why bring up these things if you are not going to explore them to the full extent? I was excited and eager, only to be let down by McPherson just lackadaisically ignoring these topics. And I know she could have done a stellar job of it, too. She's an amazing author and great at subtly bringing things around. She's wonderful at being subtle. But here, if she were trying to make any sort of statement or inner revelation in Dandy, she was so subtle that I couldn't pick it up. o.O What a waste.
...
Another thing I'd like to comment on is the fact that McPherson's wonderful prose is very toned down in this novel. Usually when reading a Dandy Gilver mystery, I am quoting it right and left - because McPherson has some wonderful writing, infused with a kind of dry wit that is just amazing.
In this book, I think I only got 8 quotes from it. This was very disappointing.
I could feel a nasty prickling creeping up my back towards my neck, where a nasty shrinking feeling in my scalp waited to meet it.
...
Dandy makes some wild leaps in this book that I can't follow. This is a common problem for McPherson - Dandy often comes to conclusions that (to me) seem out of left field. I can't understand how she gets from Point A to Point B sometimes.
This isn't helped by the fact that the ending and the whole reasoning behind the mystery is SO BIZARRE and very unrealistic. No wonder Dandy's reasoning seemed bizarre in this novel, the whole ending/reveal is crazy-insane and will leave you shaking your head like, "WTF did I just read?" Not a good choice on the author's part, in my opinion.
...
Tl;dr - Just ho-hum instead of the powerhouse I expected - the novel this COULD have been. Disappointing. It's still getting three stars from me, because it's a decent book and a decent read, but just not capable of blowing your mind or making you excited.
P.S. I love the title of this book, and the book cover is fabulous. The front is a maid with an apron which has the title on it in blood-red. When you turn the cover over, the back shows the maid's back, and she's hiding a knife behind her back! So cool. Great cover design.
June 5, 2015
Our story takes place in the 1920s. Dandy Gilver is a sharp-witted aristocrat with nursing experience from the Great War. She has found herself in mysterious circumstances and played the amateur sleuth in four other outings. This particular adventure opens with a letter from Lollie Balfour. Lollie is convinced that her once loving husband is plotting to kill her and she begs Dandy to come to her as a lady's maid and see if she can get to the bottom of Pip Balfour's strange behavior. Once Dandy is installed, she soon finds that every member of the household from the butler to the chauffeur, from the cook to the scullery maid has reason to fear and loathe the head of the house. And that's just during Dandy's first day on the job. The next morning, Pip Balfour is found murdered in his bed with a nice, big carving knife sticking out of his neck. Everyone has a motive, but it seems that few had an opportunity. How did the killer get in? Why did no one hear him (or her)? Why did Pip leave such a strange will? And will Dandy be able to maintain her cover long enough to answer all the questions?
I decided to read Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains for two reasons--first, I needed to read a 2012 Award-Winning Book for the Monthly Motif Challenge (Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award--2012 Macavity Awards) and Catriona McPherson is originally from Scotland (and the book is set in Edinburgh) so it totally counts for the Read Scotland Challenge. And...it sounded like a good read, the blurb on the front announced "Agatha Christie lives!" and the blub on the back told me "Readers who can’t get enough of Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Pym, and Dorothy Parker will definitely find a new favorite in Catriona McPherson’s smart and original mystery." I'm afraid I have mixed feelings on this one.
Be forewarned...there will are spoilers ahead. There is no way to explain some of my misgivings without them. Here on the blog, I will disguise them with faint text color as best I can....
Let's begin with the problem areas. First off--Dorothy L. Sayers, McPherson is not. She does not display the literary knowledge, fluent writing, and intelligent banter among the characters necessary to wear that mantle. I wish critics and reviewers would stop comparing new authors to Sayers and Christie (and other Golden Age writers). It is extraordinarily rare to have one measure up--and when they don't, it usually detracts from what the author does well.
Second, Dandy's impersonation of a lady's maid shouldn't fool anybody. It's bad enough that she admits that her "vowels keep slipping"--but even with that, she says she could explain it away by telling the other servants that she's gently born, but come down in the world. Except she doesn't. She says she will tell them, but there is never an indication in the text that she did. We don't need the conversation. A simple sentence referring to the revelation when they're all sitting round the table for dinner would do it. But, no, we just have the servants snickering at her lofty ways. Then, whenever she's questioning anybody, it seems one minute they're suspicious of her questions or just wondering why this person who has only been in the house one day is so forward in her opinions and then the next minute they're all confiding in her.
Third (
Now...for the good points. This is a fun story. Zany has been used by other reviewers--and it fits, in a good way. The characters are fun and likeable and I enjoyed watching the story unfold and wondering what Dandy was going to do next. McPherson represents the 1920s well. If the award given had been for historical fiction alone and not for historical mystery, I would be 100 percent in favor. She also manages to provide lots of red herrings and false trails...it is unfortunate that the method employed by the villain of the piece to produce those red herrings wasn't believable. It would have been more effective if those red herrings would have had plausible explanations. Overall--good historical setting, interesting initial premise, likeable characters all add up to a decent three-star read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
I decided to read Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains for two reasons--first, I needed to read a 2012 Award-Winning Book for the Monthly Motif Challenge (Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award--2012 Macavity Awards) and Catriona McPherson is originally from Scotland (and the book is set in Edinburgh) so it totally counts for the Read Scotland Challenge. And...it sounded like a good read, the blurb on the front announced "Agatha Christie lives!" and the blub on the back told me "Readers who can’t get enough of Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Pym, and Dorothy Parker will definitely find a new favorite in Catriona McPherson’s smart and original mystery." I'm afraid I have mixed feelings on this one.
Be forewarned...there will are spoilers ahead. There is no way to explain some of my misgivings without them. Here on the blog, I will disguise them with faint text color as best I can....
Let's begin with the problem areas. First off--Dorothy L. Sayers, McPherson is not. She does not display the literary knowledge, fluent writing, and intelligent banter among the characters necessary to wear that mantle. I wish critics and reviewers would stop comparing new authors to Sayers and Christie (and other Golden Age writers). It is extraordinarily rare to have one measure up--and when they don't, it usually detracts from what the author does well.
Second, Dandy's impersonation of a lady's maid shouldn't fool anybody. It's bad enough that she admits that her "vowels keep slipping"--but even with that, she says she could explain it away by telling the other servants that she's gently born, but come down in the world. Except she doesn't. She says she will tell them, but there is never an indication in the text that she did. We don't need the conversation. A simple sentence referring to the revelation when they're all sitting round the table for dinner would do it. But, no, we just have the servants snickering at her lofty ways. Then, whenever she's questioning anybody, it seems one minute they're suspicious of her questions or just wondering why this person who has only been in the house one day is so forward in her opinions and then the next minute they're all confiding in her.
Third (
Now...for the good points. This is a fun story. Zany has been used by other reviewers--and it fits, in a good way. The characters are fun and likeable and I enjoyed watching the story unfold and wondering what Dandy was going to do next. McPherson represents the 1920s well. If the award given had been for historical fiction alone and not for historical mystery, I would be 100 percent in favor. She also manages to provide lots of red herrings and false trails...it is unfortunate that the method employed by the villain of the piece to produce those red herrings wasn't believable. It would have been more effective if those red herrings would have had plausible explanations. Overall--good historical setting, interesting initial premise, likeable characters all add up to a decent three-star read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2011
I was introduced to Catriona McPherson’s novels last month when preparing for Bouchercon. Molly Weston, owner of Meritorious Mysteries, and moderator of the panel I was on, suggested that each panelist read one of the works by the others. Consider this your disclaimer. Now that I have met Catriona in person, I am delighted to number her among my friends. That said, let’s talk about her book.
McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series falls into the “cozy” mystery category on book store shelves. Judging by Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains, the book is not an entirely comfortable fit in the cozy category.
The series is set in the 1920’s and mirrors the style of mystery’s golden age. Dandy is McPherson’s genteel lady sleuth. I have not read the other books in the series, but in this book her amateur detective goes under cover as a ladies’ maid to assist an acquaintance who fears her husband is planning to murder her. The plot becomes more complicated when the husband is murdered and Dandy must confront the possibility that her client, Mrs. Balfour, has brought her into the household as her alibi for the crime.
The book is a well plotted and well written puzzle mystery handled with a humorous hand. However, there are deeper layers to the story. Below stairs, Dandy is drawn into the world of the serving classes. She must watch the political upheaval of general strike that made her own class fear a European revolution similar to the one that had just occurred in Russia. Though the book does not bash us over the head with politics, the political climate of the time is too important to allow us to take the subject lightly. McPherson does an excellent job of balancing the details of a socially tense time with tongue in cheek humor and irrepressible wit.
What I found most interesting in this book was the fact that the more Dandy learns about the working class, the more she must examine her own values. I doubt that Mrs. Gilver will emerge from her encounter with the serving class unchanged. I look forward to seeing what sort of character growth shows up in the next book.
McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series falls into the “cozy” mystery category on book store shelves. Judging by Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains, the book is not an entirely comfortable fit in the cozy category.
The series is set in the 1920’s and mirrors the style of mystery’s golden age. Dandy is McPherson’s genteel lady sleuth. I have not read the other books in the series, but in this book her amateur detective goes under cover as a ladies’ maid to assist an acquaintance who fears her husband is planning to murder her. The plot becomes more complicated when the husband is murdered and Dandy must confront the possibility that her client, Mrs. Balfour, has brought her into the household as her alibi for the crime.
The book is a well plotted and well written puzzle mystery handled with a humorous hand. However, there are deeper layers to the story. Below stairs, Dandy is drawn into the world of the serving classes. She must watch the political upheaval of general strike that made her own class fear a European revolution similar to the one that had just occurred in Russia. Though the book does not bash us over the head with politics, the political climate of the time is too important to allow us to take the subject lightly. McPherson does an excellent job of balancing the details of a socially tense time with tongue in cheek humor and irrepressible wit.
What I found most interesting in this book was the fact that the more Dandy learns about the working class, the more she must examine her own values. I doubt that Mrs. Gilver will emerge from her encounter with the serving class unchanged. I look forward to seeing what sort of character growth shows up in the next book.
November 30, 2011
This was one of the best whodunits I have read in some time. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not graphic but plenty of description. Set in a fascinating historical context. And I'm always a sucker for books that deal with the upstairs, downstairs nature of British culture. The actual mystery was well done and the murderer and their methods were quite fascinating. I can only say that I'm off to find more Dandy Gilver books to entertain myself with.
July 5, 2024
"Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains" is an intriguing mystery novel set in the 1920s, written by Catriona McPherson. The plot follows Dandy Gilver, an amateur detective with a sharp wit and charming style, as she takes on a disappearance case at a Scottish mansion. McPherson creates a vibrant and evocative atmosphere, transporting the reader back to the era with historical details and a witty narrative. The characters are skillfully delineated, from the cunning Dandy to the mansion's eccentric inhabitants, each with their own agenda and secrets. With a well-constructed mystery and a charmingly British writing style, this novel is a delight for lovers of the detective genre and historical settings. "Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains" promises to keep the reader intrigued until the last page with its unexpected twists and vintage charm.
March 5, 2015
Another entertaining and well plotted murder mystery in the Dandy Gilver series. I had forgotten that I had bought this - until I trawled the depths of the kindle the other day. Clearly I bought this at discount at a point where I was still intending on reading these in order!
Dandy is under cover as a lady's maid investigating the riddle of a husband who is acting out of character towards his wife - when the troublesome husband is murdered. Who did it, and why is it that something just feels wrong about something?
As always, Dandy is a delight and there are some interesting issues in this around above stairs, below stairs, workers, privilege, strikes etc. I really enjoyed it - and will keep on looking for more in the series.
Dandy is under cover as a lady's maid investigating the riddle of a husband who is acting out of character towards his wife - when the troublesome husband is murdered. Who did it, and why is it that something just feels wrong about something?
As always, Dandy is a delight and there are some interesting issues in this around above stairs, below stairs, workers, privilege, strikes etc. I really enjoyed it - and will keep on looking for more in the series.
February 6, 2013
A fun series, reminding me of Alan Bradley's series, also set between the World Wars. Because I haven't read any of the other Dandly Gilver books, I don't know if they are all as derivitive of Downton Abbey. Or maybe not, maybe it was just coincidental. And maybe it's because I've just watched the first season of DA, but I felt that someone ripped off someone else's story big time.
I guess the take-away here is, if you enjoy DA, you will enjoy this book. However, if you like your light, escapist who-dunnits with the faintest whiff of believablity, this is not the book for you. The solution is one of the silliest I've ever come across.
I guess the take-away here is, if you enjoy DA, you will enjoy this book. However, if you like your light, escapist who-dunnits with the faintest whiff of believablity, this is not the book for you. The solution is one of the silliest I've ever come across.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2014
This was the first book in the series that I've read and I'll definitely be going back to track down the earlier books. I'm really curious about Dandy's husband and his blase attitude toward her going off to solve mysteries. And I loved her partnership with Alec and the glimpses of the time period. But mostly, this one was such a fun puzzle kind of mystery. I did end up guessing who the bad guy was, but only about half a second before our PI. A good read and I look forward to reading more.
May 7, 2014
A mystery of the classic puzzle variety, where the reader has all the same clues as the investigator. This is also a locked room mystery, and has an upstairs-downstairs component as well. This is a later book in the series, so I felt adrift on a few aspects, like how old Dandy is, but that wasn't too distracting.
Give to readers of: Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series; and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series
Give to readers of: Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series; and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series
June 21, 2011
I found this book clever and utterly delightful. The pleasure is not only in solving the mystery, but following the escapades of Dandy and friends as you reach the ultimate conclusion. Upon finishing, I immediately ordered the rest of the books in the series!
January 26, 2021
Ha, so much for my prediction - 100% wrong! And yet irritatingly I did have a slight feeling about the real culprit.
Our amateur sleuth Dandy Gilver receives a letter from an Edinburgh lady, accusing her husband of trying to kill her, she begs Dandy to come and work undercover as her maid in order to help her escape. In disguise as Miss Rossiter, ladies maid, Dandy finds her employer Lollie Balfour (real first name Walburga!) to be a sacred waif of a woman, but surprisingly her husband Phillip doesn't appear to be the sort of monster who threatens to kill his wife. Yet talking to the other servants Dandy finds that each of them has a tale of the spiteful, cruel things that Mr Balfour has done to them. Unsurprising then that he is found dead, stabbed in the neck with one of the kitchen knives.
This is a classic golden age locked door mystery. Because the butler meticulously locks all the door every night the murder must be an 'inside job', certainly nearly everyone has a motive, but it seems that everyone also has an alibi!
As always this was a cracking read, I was totally convinced the murderer was someone completely different and yet the clues were all there ready to be unpicked, just little nuggets dropped carelessly into conversations.
Overall, very satisfactory mystery with a plausible ending that I did not see coming.
Our amateur sleuth Dandy Gilver receives a letter from an Edinburgh lady, accusing her husband of trying to kill her, she begs Dandy to come and work undercover as her maid in order to help her escape. In disguise as Miss Rossiter, ladies maid, Dandy finds her employer Lollie Balfour (real first name Walburga!) to be a sacred waif of a woman, but surprisingly her husband Phillip doesn't appear to be the sort of monster who threatens to kill his wife. Yet talking to the other servants Dandy finds that each of them has a tale of the spiteful, cruel things that Mr Balfour has done to them. Unsurprising then that he is found dead, stabbed in the neck with one of the kitchen knives.
This is a classic golden age locked door mystery. Because the butler meticulously locks all the door every night the murder must be an 'inside job', certainly nearly everyone has a motive, but it seems that everyone also has an alibi!
As always this was a cracking read, I was totally convinced the murderer was someone completely different and yet the clues were all there ready to be unpicked, just little nuggets dropped carelessly into conversations.
Overall, very satisfactory mystery with a plausible ending that I did not see coming.
November 10, 2011
I need to preface this with saying this is book five but the first one I've read of the series. In some ways that is a handicap. I don't know Dandelion “Dandy” Gilver and she was undercover for most of this books so I didn't get a good feel for her. What I did get was that she is married well and that wealth gives her free time. She's partnered in crime solving with Alec Osbourne who I assume is equally wealthy. All you learn about him in this is that he's ex-military. Her husband Hugh is just there for framework to play off their status in the face of striking workers and encroachment of communism in 1920's Scotland.
Dandy has a reputation for crime solving and she gets a letter from Lollie Balfour, young wife of Pip Balfour who has been sneaking into her bedroom to threaten her life and she wants Dandy to find proof he means it. After a few days training with Grant, her own maid, Dandy assumes the life of Miss Fanny Rossiter (realizing she didn't know the Christian names of any of her own servants) and joins Lollie's eleven other servants.
Naturally, this excess of wealth gets tossed against the ideals of Communism all through the book, especially with Harry, the valet and resident Communist. There is also John the chauffeur, Faulds the Butler, Stanley, the footman, Miss Hepburn the cook, her niece Millie the scullery maid, the tweenie Eldry, the house maid Phyllis and Mattie the young boy who does all the other chores. Pip Balfour seems very nice to Dandy and that is his reputation nice on the face then nasty like raping maids, cutting the pockets out of the Communists pockets so he could hold to the ideals of owning nothing, leaving Mattie (who had been in a mine cave in as an even younger boy) in the dark and so on.
Before long, Pip is murdered in his bed in a locked house. In fact, the male servants sleep in an outbuilding so only the maids could have done it. However the strike has happened grinding all of Scotland to a halt and the police have all they can do just to keep the peace so there is only detective Hardy to help Dandy solve the case before someone either flees justice or kills someone else.
Over all, it's a good mystery but I didn't really connect with Dandy. Maybe because I'm coming in so late and it's assumed I know the things I felt were lacking. For example, 200 pages in she makes an off hand comment that she was glad her sons didn't know that the Scott Monument had stairs to the top. Sons? Well I'm sure if I started at the beginning I would have known that but still you'd think that she'd have spent a moment's thought about leaving her kids behind with her husband while she went undercover. The ending was a little unusual. I won't rush out to buy others but if the library has them I might go back in time and see earlier books. Maybe I'll get a better handle on who Dandy and Alec really are since I didn't get it from this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2012
First sentence: I had been standing under this tree, against these railings, looking at that house from the corner of my eye for almost ten minutes now while I waited for my heart to stop dancing.
Dandy Gilver, amateur sleuth, is asked to go undercover as a ladies maid for Lollie Balfour. Mrs. Balfour fears that her life is in danger from her husband. As early plot twist leads Dandy with a completely different crime to solve.
Ms. McPherson committed the criminal offense of series writers; she seemed to assume the reader had read all the previous books. Frankly, I found this incredibly annoying and frustrating as I had no knowledge as to the background of the apparently recurring characters, including the protagonist, nor did the author provide any. Dandy is supported by three characters with male-sounding names: Alec, Hugh and Bunty. Trying to understand who they are and their relationship to Dandy was confusing and impossible. At least I did figure out one is a dog!
One can almost accept that a seemingly upper-class woman could convenience an established English staff she was a lady’s maid might be possible, particularly as it was explained away as her recently suffering a decline in social position. However, I found it nearly impossible to believe the police would be so accepting of Dandy’s interference.
The dialogue is quite good. I particularly enjoyed the conversations between Dandy and Alec…’Fanny?’ said Alec. ‘And debunked? Where do you get those words? Do you have to pay a subscription?”
The plot does improve and become more intriguing as the story progresses. This isn’t a book set above stairs, but below stairs and amongst those who worked in the coal mines. There is interesting historical information regarding the worker strikes.
“Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains” creates a delightful sense of dread very early on in a story enhanced by an eye for detail and description. I question how plausible the investigative methods were, but the story was unique. I did enjoy it, in the end, but doubt I would read another in the series. I do believe that had I started with the series first book, my view might be quite different.
DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS (Hist Mys-Dandy Gilver-England-1926) – Okay
McPherson, Catriona – 5th in series
Minotaur Books, 2011
Dandy Gilver, amateur sleuth, is asked to go undercover as a ladies maid for Lollie Balfour. Mrs. Balfour fears that her life is in danger from her husband. As early plot twist leads Dandy with a completely different crime to solve.
Ms. McPherson committed the criminal offense of series writers; she seemed to assume the reader had read all the previous books. Frankly, I found this incredibly annoying and frustrating as I had no knowledge as to the background of the apparently recurring characters, including the protagonist, nor did the author provide any. Dandy is supported by three characters with male-sounding names: Alec, Hugh and Bunty. Trying to understand who they are and their relationship to Dandy was confusing and impossible. At least I did figure out one is a dog!
One can almost accept that a seemingly upper-class woman could convenience an established English staff she was a lady’s maid might be possible, particularly as it was explained away as her recently suffering a decline in social position. However, I found it nearly impossible to believe the police would be so accepting of Dandy’s interference.
The dialogue is quite good. I particularly enjoyed the conversations between Dandy and Alec…’Fanny?’ said Alec. ‘And debunked? Where do you get those words? Do you have to pay a subscription?”
The plot does improve and become more intriguing as the story progresses. This isn’t a book set above stairs, but below stairs and amongst those who worked in the coal mines. There is interesting historical information regarding the worker strikes.
“Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains” creates a delightful sense of dread very early on in a story enhanced by an eye for detail and description. I question how plausible the investigative methods were, but the story was unique. I did enjoy it, in the end, but doubt I would read another in the series. I do believe that had I started with the series first book, my view might be quite different.
DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS (Hist Mys-Dandy Gilver-England-1926) – Okay
McPherson, Catriona – 5th in series
Minotaur Books, 2011
November 13, 2015
It's Edinburgh and it's 1926, and from those two data alone you could have more or less sold me on this book. Gentlewoman PI Dandy Gilver is called in by frightened young wife Walburga "Lollie" Balfour to protect her from the nightly death threats of her seemingly possessed husband Pip. Dandy infiltrates the house as Lollie's new maid, and is soon accepted within the community of servants there, even though subject to some good-natured mockery over her plummy tones. It seems that almost all of the servants have a tale to tell of their master's vile behavior towards them, so it's no wonder that nobody shows much unhappiness when the next morning he's found brutally murdered.
Anyone might have wanted to kill Pip, it seems, yet the police surgeon is insistent that the death-blow was delivered with such force that almost certainly it must have been administered by a man. And here's a first problem for Dandy's ratiocinations: the practice of the household is that the male servants are locked out of the main house every night . . .
Mixed in with the mystery plot is quite a deal about the General Strike of 1926, and how it affected communities and divided opinions, and about the awful and ludicrously dangerous conditions under which UK coal miners were expected to work, already for a pittance and, so the mine-owners were now demanding, in future for even less (sound familiar?). There's a stretch of the text during which this material, fascinating (and important) though it is in itself, seems to be taking over from the narrative proper, but it doesn't last too long before . . .
Well, I could forgive this book absolutely anything when I got to the final reveal. One of the cover puffs talks about the novel in terms of Agatha Christie, but that does it a disservice. The denouement is magnificently worthy of John Dickson Carr: it came straight out of the blindside, for me, is patently ridiculous (as all of Carr's best reveals are), and is completely and utterly satisfying (ditto). Yes, the book could have been about 10% shorter and I'd not have complained, but by the time I got to the last 20 pages or so I was trying to both read and applaud at the same time.
And, because I was reading a novel set in Edinburgh, my Yank wife was complaining the hale time that my diction had got awfy Scots fir some reason, forbye.
Anyone might have wanted to kill Pip, it seems, yet the police surgeon is insistent that the death-blow was delivered with such force that almost certainly it must have been administered by a man. And here's a first problem for Dandy's ratiocinations: the practice of the household is that the male servants are locked out of the main house every night . . .
Mixed in with the mystery plot is quite a deal about the General Strike of 1926, and how it affected communities and divided opinions, and about the awful and ludicrously dangerous conditions under which UK coal miners were expected to work, already for a pittance and, so the mine-owners were now demanding, in future for even less (sound familiar?). There's a stretch of the text during which this material, fascinating (and important) though it is in itself, seems to be taking over from the narrative proper, but it doesn't last too long before . . .
Well, I could forgive this book absolutely anything when I got to the final reveal. One of the cover puffs talks about the novel in terms of Agatha Christie, but that does it a disservice. The denouement is magnificently worthy of John Dickson Carr: it came straight out of the blindside, for me, is patently ridiculous (as all of Carr's best reveals are), and is completely and utterly satisfying (ditto). Yes, the book could have been about 10% shorter and I'd not have complained, but by the time I got to the last 20 pages or so I was trying to both read and applaud at the same time.
And, because I was reading a novel set in Edinburgh, my Yank wife was complaining the hale time that my diction had got awfy Scots fir some reason, forbye.
July 21, 2013
I finally decided that since I can expect it to be ages before I get a copy of The Winter Ground — though this may no longer be the case; the last time I looked the absence of an American edition was inflating prices on the used market, and this seems to no longer be true — that I would go ahead and read the books that followed it. For anyone else in a similar position, you can read this book without much fear of spoilers. There is one reference to The Winter Ground that's technically a spoiler, but for anyone who knows the nature of this series (mysteries, and mostly murder mysteries) it shouldn't come as a great surprise.
I enjoy the style of this series, and I enjoy the interwar setting. I guessed in a very general way what was going on, but not the specifics, and I didn't even guess the culprit, which is funny when you think about it. It struck me while reading this that Dandy Gilver, the protagonist, is very much the un-Peter Wimsey, and in a way the un-Harriet Vane. Dandy is no bluestocking, and it's hard to imagine Peter disguising himself as a valet as Dandy disguises herself as a lady's maid for this book. (Which make the comparisons to Dorothy L. Sayers rather strange.) I like that the author mostly avoids making her characters anachronistically enlightened while portraying class consciousness and class struggle in a way that mostly doesn't detract from the story.
I enjoy the style of this series, and I enjoy the interwar setting. I guessed in a very general way what was going on, but not the specifics, and I didn't even guess the culprit, which is funny when you think about it. It struck me while reading this that Dandy Gilver, the protagonist, is very much the un-Peter Wimsey, and in a way the un-Harriet Vane. Dandy is no bluestocking, and it's hard to imagine Peter disguising himself as a valet as Dandy disguises herself as a lady's maid for this book. (Which make the comparisons to Dorothy L. Sayers rather strange.) I like that the author mostly avoids making her characters anachronistically enlightened while portraying class consciousness and class struggle in a way that mostly doesn't detract from the story.
Read
July 19, 2018Enjoyable mostly because I loved reading about life downstairs. I watched some episodes of You Rang, M'Lord? a few months ago, and I was reminded of that while reading about Dandy's cluelessness whilst undercover as a lady's maid.
I skipped the third and fourth books in this series (the third kept putting me to sleep, and I avoided the fourth because I can't stand circuses), but as far as I can tell, this fifth book is an odd duck in comparison because it's actually fast-paced! The previous books were slower than molasses. Perhaps correspondingly, the prose wasn't as consistently sharp as in the previous books. I also don't know if this would be a good place to the start in the series, because Dandy going undercover means her actual character and life aren't depicted.
The mystery itself was engaging for the majority of the book. Dandy is employed by the lady of the household, whose husband is engaging in gaslighting and planning to murder her. On Dandy's first night on the job, however, someone else is murdered while she and her client safely sleep, and while a strike hampers official investigations, Dandy is drafted to assist--all while maintaining her cover as a shouldn't-be-so-nosy lady's maid. There are interesting complications--a baffling last will and testament chief among them--and I was reading with great interest, enjoying various twists and mental puzzles, until the resolution hit. Some suspension of disbelief was required on my part to swallow it.
So. The book had its flaws and I probably wouldn't recommend it indiscriminately, but it was still an enjoyable reading experience for me on balance.
I skipped the third and fourth books in this series (the third kept putting me to sleep, and I avoided the fourth because I can't stand circuses), but as far as I can tell, this fifth book is an odd duck in comparison because it's actually fast-paced! The previous books were slower than molasses. Perhaps correspondingly, the prose wasn't as consistently sharp as in the previous books. I also don't know if this would be a good place to the start in the series, because Dandy going undercover means her actual character and life aren't depicted.
The mystery itself was engaging for the majority of the book. Dandy is employed by the lady of the household, whose husband is engaging in gaslighting and planning to murder her. On Dandy's first night on the job, however, someone else is murdered while she and her client safely sleep, and while a strike hampers official investigations, Dandy is drafted to assist--all while maintaining her cover as a shouldn't-be-so-nosy lady's maid. There are interesting complications--a baffling last will and testament chief among them--and I was reading with great interest, enjoying various twists and mental puzzles, until the resolution hit. Some suspension of disbelief was required on my part to swallow it.
So. The book had its flaws and I probably wouldn't recommend it indiscriminately, but it was still an enjoyable reading experience for me on balance.
March 31, 2012
Dear Mrs. Gilver,
My husband is going to kill me, and I would rather he didn't.
When Dandy Gilver receives this missive from a lady in Edinburgh, she hastens to the young woman's side. However, as the woman is extremely fearful of her husband, she asks that Dandy come as a ladies' maid, seeking to fill a recently-abandoned position. Mrs. Gilver, a lady herself, asks her own ladies' maid for assistance, and shows up at the Balfour residence, a bit anxious but ready to fill her post. After only one day in the house, there is a dead body and motives miles long...or so it appears.
This first installment in the adventures of Dandy Gilver was absolutely everything I wanted it to be - a bit P.G. Wodehouse, a little Patricia Wentworth, a lot Maisie Dobbs. However, these comparisons are useful only for gauging whether or not it's your cup of tea because Dandy and her story are a bit different. The best word to describe the novel? Zany. First, Dandy is married to Hugh but relies on her friend Alec as her "Watson," and I really enjoyed the friendship and collaboration between the two. It's the early 20s, there's a strike on, and tensions in Scotland are running high. Also, the group below decks is much more important than any lady or gent: a commie valet, dance hall butler, and a peering tom are all part of this oddball cast of domestic help.
Good luck beating Dandy to the punch as I was quite unable to, though I had my suspicions, and pick this one up for yourself and/or for the mystery lover in your life and read it quickly so you'll be ready for the next in the series come spring.
Read this: if you liked Gosford Park, Upstairs, Downstairs, Downton Abbey, Jacqueline Winspear or P.G. Wodehouse. Perfect for cold winter weather.
My husband is going to kill me, and I would rather he didn't.
When Dandy Gilver receives this missive from a lady in Edinburgh, she hastens to the young woman's side. However, as the woman is extremely fearful of her husband, she asks that Dandy come as a ladies' maid, seeking to fill a recently-abandoned position. Mrs. Gilver, a lady herself, asks her own ladies' maid for assistance, and shows up at the Balfour residence, a bit anxious but ready to fill her post. After only one day in the house, there is a dead body and motives miles long...or so it appears.
This first installment in the adventures of Dandy Gilver was absolutely everything I wanted it to be - a bit P.G. Wodehouse, a little Patricia Wentworth, a lot Maisie Dobbs. However, these comparisons are useful only for gauging whether or not it's your cup of tea because Dandy and her story are a bit different. The best word to describe the novel? Zany. First, Dandy is married to Hugh but relies on her friend Alec as her "Watson," and I really enjoyed the friendship and collaboration between the two. It's the early 20s, there's a strike on, and tensions in Scotland are running high. Also, the group below decks is much more important than any lady or gent: a commie valet, dance hall butler, and a peering tom are all part of this oddball cast of domestic help.
Good luck beating Dandy to the punch as I was quite unable to, though I had my suspicions, and pick this one up for yourself and/or for the mystery lover in your life and read it quickly so you'll be ready for the next in the series come spring.
Read this: if you liked Gosford Park, Upstairs, Downstairs, Downton Abbey, Jacqueline Winspear or P.G. Wodehouse. Perfect for cold winter weather.
November 19, 2013
Well, I liked it. There was something kind of happy-go-lucky about the whole book. I didn't realize that it was number five in a series - and nowhere on the book cover or inside flap was that mentioned - until I got about 2 chapters in and started wondering why there wasn't a little more filling in of back-story, but it wasn't that big an issue. The plot was pretty fluffy, and the wrap-up made me kind of roll my eyes, but the main character is appealing in a Tuppence-y sort of way - she also turns a phrase rather well. The thing that did irritate me was this final phrase on the inside front flap: "Readers who can't get enough of Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Pym, and Dorothy Parker will definitely find a new favorite in Catriona McPherson's smart and original mystery." - this is the phrase that made me want to read the book in the first place. Now, I have never read any Barbara Pym, so I can't offer any opinions on whether or not that choice makes sense, but I HAVE read a good deal of the writing of both of the Dorothys (Dorothies?) and this book really has nothing in common with either of them (except that, like most of Sayers' work, this is a mystery set in the early part of the twentieth century). It lacks the depth and intellect of Dorothy #1, and it lacks the bite and acid humor of Dorothy #2. It DOES bear some resemblance to the writing of Agatha Christie, especially the Tommy and Tuppence books (although I would not have said, "Agatha Christie lives!" like John Lescroart is quoted as saying), and also to Ngaio Marsh's books. This fits squarely in the "cozy" category.
September 7, 2011
Was pretty excited about this one because reviews were good and the cover quote from John Lescroart is: "Agatha Christie lives!"
And you know, I would like to read a book by zombie Agatha Christie.
This one isn't that book, I'm afraid. But it's still interesting and mystery-filled! It might turn out to be a great series! I didn't DISlike it. I'd just maybe overhyped it? In my brain. (Back to zombies, you see.)
Now that I've mentioned zombies twice (thrice) I should tell you that there are no zombies in this book. There are servants, and there are coal miners on strike, and there is MURDER, and it all takes place in Edinburgh in 1926. Our sleuth is a rich lady who dons a disguise and slums it with the help belowstairs to figure out if her employer's husband wants to kill her. That sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, now that I look back on it, (Who is HER? my English teacher would write in the margin) but you probably get the idea.
Might read the next one to see if it becomes slightly more what I'm looking for, which it totally could. (It's just the stretches of imagination were pretty big to make for a book taking place in a stuffy household in Edinburgh.)
And you know, I would like to read a book by zombie Agatha Christie.
This one isn't that book, I'm afraid. But it's still interesting and mystery-filled! It might turn out to be a great series! I didn't DISlike it. I'd just maybe overhyped it? In my brain. (Back to zombies, you see.)
Now that I've mentioned zombies twice (thrice) I should tell you that there are no zombies in this book. There are servants, and there are coal miners on strike, and there is MURDER, and it all takes place in Edinburgh in 1926. Our sleuth is a rich lady who dons a disguise and slums it with the help belowstairs to figure out if her employer's husband wants to kill her. That sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, now that I look back on it, (Who is HER? my English teacher would write in the margin) but you probably get the idea.
Might read the next one to see if it becomes slightly more what I'm looking for, which it totally could. (It's just the stretches of imagination were pretty big to make for a book taking place in a stuffy household in Edinburgh.)
December 1, 2011
Anther mystery in the Dandy Gilver, society sleuth, mystery series set in Scotland in the early 1920's. The wife of an upper class Scotsman living in Edinburgh writes to Dandy asking for her help as she fears her husband wants to kill her. Dandy accepts and is hired as the lady's personal maid in order to determine what is going on. Upper class Dandy gets to impersonate a maid and live downstairs giving her an appreciation for those who work downstairs. Her first night there, the husband is murdered and Dandy works with the police to solve the murder. She also gets help from her younger partner Alex.
The story conveys a certain amount of upper class behaviors which make Dandy sound almost glib and shallow, but that could really be how they behaved. Her references to her husband are near condescending and he appears trivialized. She appears to have more affection for her dog than her husband who appears to a bit dense and tolerated by her. The mystery tends to be on the light side and Dandy and Alex work through the details to arrive at who the murderer is and why. There is a lot of plot time spent dealing with the life and treatment of servants.
The story conveys a certain amount of upper class behaviors which make Dandy sound almost glib and shallow, but that could really be how they behaved. Her references to her husband are near condescending and he appears trivialized. She appears to have more affection for her dog than her husband who appears to a bit dense and tolerated by her. The mystery tends to be on the light side and Dandy and Alex work through the details to arrive at who the murderer is and why. There is a lot of plot time spent dealing with the life and treatment of servants.
March 15, 2012
This was a nice read and I liked the way we got to know the characters and surroundings. The reveal was even quite good too. So I feel like maybe I'm being mean not to give it another star. I won't, partly because it wasn't a stand-out read, and partly because Dandy really didn't seem to be a very good detective. She's supposed to be undercover as a servant, and she doesn't enter into the spirit of it at all -- I'd have thought McPherson, having come up with the situation would have wanted to get more mileage out of it. It doesn't work very well, the other servants not smelling more of a rat the way Dandy behaves. Also, she's far too trusting and willing to believe that the things people say and the way they behave are genuine and therefore rule them out as suspects. It's no real credit to her that the murderer is discovered. Anyway, I do intend to read more of the series. Dandy has a rather unhappy marriage, seemingly, and I'd be interested to know if that detail is going somewhere or if it's just added for a bit of shade.
September 15, 2014
Whenever you leave a book and keep thinking the characters are real, you know you've had a great treat.
In this story, amateur sleuth Dandy Gilver goes under cover and below-stairs in post WWI Edinburgh to figure out why a nice young woman's husband seems bent on killing her. Dandy pretends to be aristocrat Lollie Balfour's personal maid, and learns more about working-class Scotland than just how to remove stains from clothing. The story is woven around the general strike of 1926, that lasted 9 days, and has you gripping the edges of your book to find out what happened to an over-staffed household while it creates the kind of intrigue one hopes for in a good mystery. Keep guessing right to the end. Bet you won't figure this one out too soon. Fun, fun, read, with lovely descriptions, memorable characters, and juicy twists and turns throughout.
In this story, amateur sleuth Dandy Gilver goes under cover and below-stairs in post WWI Edinburgh to figure out why a nice young woman's husband seems bent on killing her. Dandy pretends to be aristocrat Lollie Balfour's personal maid, and learns more about working-class Scotland than just how to remove stains from clothing. The story is woven around the general strike of 1926, that lasted 9 days, and has you gripping the edges of your book to find out what happened to an over-staffed household while it creates the kind of intrigue one hopes for in a good mystery. Keep guessing right to the end. Bet you won't figure this one out too soon. Fun, fun, read, with lovely descriptions, memorable characters, and juicy twists and turns throughout.
October 26, 2014
I love discovering a new historical mystery series!
The Dandy Gilver series -- of which this book, the first I found, turns out to be #5 -- is set (at least this book is set) in the years after WWI. Dandy Gilver comes from aristocratic origins, either in Scotland or somewhere that allowed her to become well-acquainted with Scotland. (If I'd read the series in order, I wouldn't have to keep qualifying my factual statements.) The first-person POV is congenial, and some of her life arrangements (e.g., (1) both a good marriage and a separate close friendship with a man who helps her in her amateur investigations, and (2) a beloved Dalmation) add to the series' interest.
This particular mystery has a solution I find slightly hard to swallow, but the way in which it's presented is particularly clever. I'll be tracking down and reading the earlier and later books.
The Dandy Gilver series -- of which this book, the first I found, turns out to be #5 -- is set (at least this book is set) in the years after WWI. Dandy Gilver comes from aristocratic origins, either in Scotland or somewhere that allowed her to become well-acquainted with Scotland. (If I'd read the series in order, I wouldn't have to keep qualifying my factual statements.) The first-person POV is congenial, and some of her life arrangements (e.g., (1) both a good marriage and a separate close friendship with a man who helps her in her amateur investigations, and (2) a beloved Dalmation) add to the series' interest.
This particular mystery has a solution I find slightly hard to swallow, but the way in which it's presented is particularly clever. I'll be tracking down and reading the earlier and later books.
April 9, 2013
Locked doors, Jekyll and Hyde personality, lots of believable suspects, and Dandy Gilver to boot! This was my first Dandy Gilver book and it won't be the last! I found myself thinking about the people 'downstairs' and wanting to get back down there and see what was new. Very good! Set during a strike in 1926 Scotland when all the coal mines stopped, all the public transportation stopped. Rough time for all. An especially brutal murder. Each one of the staff had a reason for murder, or did they? How did the person or persons get in or were they already in? Is the will for real or a joke? Who is George Pollard and more importantly where is he? I did guess right who did it but didn't guess the twist that came with it!
January 4, 2013
Complicated 1930s mystery. I found there to be an excess of misdirection and was disappointed with the resolution. I was irritated with how she spent the entire book making the murder victim out to be a horrible character and then at the last minute redeemed him in such a way that I still was curious if he was a bad person. It was too abrupt.
I appreciated not being able to figure out who committed the murder right away but doubt I'll read another one of hers soon.
There were a lot of assumptions that one had read the previous books--though oddly she doesn't specify which of her other books are Dandy Gilver ones on the front pages (all of them? some of them)
I appreciated not being able to figure out who committed the murder right away but doubt I'll read another one of hers soon.
There were a lot of assumptions that one had read the previous books--though oddly she doesn't specify which of her other books are Dandy Gilver ones on the front pages (all of them? some of them)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2014
A fun read with witty dialogue, interesting supporting characters, good historical context and research and a classic whodunnit plot.
In my opinion the culprit is not really hard to figure out, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless.
Series mystery, but I haven't - to my admittedly faulty memory - read any of the others in the series. That hindered me a little but not much since I enjoy jumping right in and not reading a lot of backstory.
Recommended for: fans of Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series.
In my opinion the culprit is not really hard to figure out, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless.
Series mystery, but I haven't - to my admittedly faulty memory - read any of the others in the series. That hindered me a little but not much since I enjoy jumping right in and not reading a lot of backstory.
Recommended for: fans of Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series.
February 22, 2015
Dandy Gliver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains by Catriona McPherson is set in Scotland in 1926. Dandy Gliver is an aristocrat and an amatuer slueth. When Lollie Balfour is convinced her husband is going to murder her Dandy goes undercover as Lollie's maid.
As she goes undercover as a maid, a murder occurs in the household and Dandy must keep her cover and try and find out all the secrets in the house to solve the murder and Lollie's plight. A great period mystery.
As she goes undercover as a maid, a murder occurs in the household and Dandy must keep her cover and try and find out all the secrets in the house to solve the murder and Lollie's plight. A great period mystery.
April 19, 2015
I do believe this was the first Dandy Gilver I have truly understood. Previous books were filled with quite a bit of Scottis(?) idioms and I would be lost! This was a great murder mystery involving the "Lord of the House" and one of the servants. All is not what you think it is! Looking forward to the next in the series!
December 11, 2011
The book is as clunky as the title...even after I had finished it, I was still thinking, "huh?" It's not that I was outsmarted by the suspect in the mystery...it's more that the mystery didn't really hang together--or ring true, for that matter. Oh well.
May 8, 2014
Good story, it was my first Dandy Gilver, so I didn't know much of the back story, but it was not really necessary to enjoy this book. A nice mystery, easy read, not to be taken too seriously. My recommendation, get a drink, a snack and enjoy.
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