What do you think?
Rate this book
Dandy Gilver #8
A Deadly Measure of Brimstone: A Dandy Gilver Mystery
Dandy and the whole Gilver clan travel to a spa town for a weekend of relaxation which is quickly interrupted by a slew of mysterious— and deadly—events.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
31 people are currently reading
400 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 29, 2016
"What a horrible, wicked way to kill someone. What a wicked, wicked thing to do. And to this woman." I waved the diary at him. "A woman who helps out at jumble sales and buys lace for her daughter. A woman who makes darling little jests with Bible passages that no one except herself will ever see. How could anyone have done that to her?" Alec refilled my glass even though it was hardly started. I think he had to do something.
"We will avenge her," he said.
This book was great! I'm glad to see that McPherson seems to be on a winning streak lately.
...
This is the 8th book in the Dandy Gilver series. It's 1929, Scotland, and rich Mrs. Gilver (wife, mother of two boys) is a private detective. She and her "Watson," Alec Osborne, are frequently hired to solve murders, robberies and other crimes. Meanwhile, Dandy's husband Hugh pretends his wife isn't being scandalous because he enjoys the money her crime-solving brings him.
...
In this installment, Dandy takes her husband and two sons to a "hydrotherapy spa/treatment center" (much like Bath, England) in order to help them recuperate after their long bout with influenza.
But there's another reason, too. A matron has died at the spa and - although the death certificate claims heart failure - her son and daughter are suspicious and ask "Gilver and Osborne, Servants of Truth" to investigate her death.
Murder, secrets, ghosts, spirit mediums, seances, and brimstone all combine to give Dandy what may be the case of her lifetime!
...
Still, I worried because his words were puzzling.
"What a peculiar person," I said, falling back on my grandmother's way of dealing with puzzlement: stake a claim to sense and normalcy and blame the other party for any troubled feelings or confusion they might have caused.
This was a great book. You never know what you are going to get in this series (McPherson has her ups and downs) but this is a real winner. The mystery is tight and makes sense, Dandy Gilver is - as always - a witty and charming narrator, and the setting - 1920s Scotland - is vivid and real. McPherson never slips on the atmosphere, I have to say, in any of her books. Major props to the woman for making it seem as if you are actually LIVING in the 1920s Scottish countryside while reading her books, it's amazing.
...
As per usual, Dandy's stuck-up bore of a husband (Hugh) and smirking, condescending sidekick (Alec) were annoying me.
Hugh and Dandy have always had separate bedrooms and when faced with the prospect of having to share a bed with his wife again, Hugh reacts as if she's told him he's to sleep in a bed of insects. I doubt they've had sex in over a decade, frankly. I doubt he would have had sex with her at all, except for the fact that he really wanted heirs. Dandy cutely and gamely suggests that it will be like a "second honeymoon," and Hugh is disgusted and upset.
McPherson never delves into Dandy's hurt over this - she always presents Dandy as able to brush it off,
Marriage would be so exhausting if I really gave it my all but I rather let things wash over me, from maid and husband both, and find life easier that way.
but it's ridiculous to think a woman wouldn't be deeply wounded by this kind of rejection by her husband. Hopefully this might be addressed in a later book.
...
Then there's Hugh's frequent, jeering remarks about how Dandy is 'brought low' by the work she does - exposed to all kinds of unsavory elements such as death and blackmail and snooping - and how it's "changed her" and (allegedly) negatively affected their sons.
Now. I know this is the 1920s but I can't believe Dandy allows her husband to get away with this shit. SERIOUSLY. If, heaven forbid, I was ever married to a man who denigrated my work (while happily living off the money it made) and, on top of that, snidely remarked on how it "soiled" me and insinuated that I was a bad influence on my sons, I WOULD TAKE HIS HEAD OFF. I have no idea how Dandy lets this slide. o.O
...
Apart from Hugh, we have Alec. Now, Alec was on pretty good behavior in this novel. I don't think I had to tell him to go fuck himself even once. *checks notes* Nope. Not once.
But, unfortunately, he's ramped up the sexism a bit - most noticeably when confronted with a female doctor and also when assigning women as more likely to be drawn in by "spiritual nonsense."
However, overall I was more satisfied with him in this novel. He and Dandy seemed more like true partners and he was less condescending to her than usual. I had very little urge to punch him in the face. That's good. I was actually touched by a subplot that involved him, so... good.
...
Another issue which I am curious about is how McPherson is going to deal with Bunty, Dandy's dalmatian and the light of her life. The love between Dandy and Bunty is clear and wonderful - Bunty is in every book and is Dandy's constant beloved companion. But she is 12 or 13 now and starting to slow down. I have no idea how McPherson is going to handle the dog's (inevitable) death, but I'm sure she'll do it with grace.
Bunty, who is always delighted when I am reversing, stuck her snout into the crook of my neck and poured out her love for me, in deep groans.
I love seeing Bunty and Dandy together and they are quite a pair. <3
...
Alec and Dandy are close friends. It seems McPherson has done away with the sexual tension between them that was in the first four books. In these last four books, that has almost completely disappeared (it was very subtle and well done in the first four) only to be replaced by an almost sibling-like relationship between the two. But Dandy still acts a bit jumpy about the fact that Alec might one day get married, and I have no real idea what is going on. I'll guess we'll see about that as well! LOL
Please note: This does NOT mean I want Dandy and Alec to "end up together." Ugh, gack, no. I am anti-cheating, even if Dandy's husband is a pompous, condescending, arrogant know-it-all. I am very thankful to McPherson that she as such a light touch (feather-light) with this kind of undertone, I am NOT rooting for this to become a mystery/romance series. Ugh. No.
...
Speaking of differences between the first half of the series (books 1-4) and the latter half (books 5-8), I've noticed a change in McPherson's writing style. I have to say I think I like the more complicated, beautiful, rich, and humanistic style of the first four books.
McPherson STILL has a great and distinct style - dry wit, great observations. But the complex richness that existed in the first four books doesn't seem to be present in these last four. I don't know how or why this change in McPherson's writing style came about, but it's noticeable (at least to me). I'm not complaining, exactly, these last four books are "easier" to read than the first four, and demand less scrutiny, but I kind of miss how hard my brain had to work to read the first four books in the series.
Don't get me wrong - McPherson is still clever, astute, witty, and sharp - but the books are not as deep and complex as they once were.
...
I loved how Grant (Dandy's "lady's maid") was involved in this book! Even though Grant has been a fun staple side character in every single book, this is the first novel in which she got to help Dandy out with an investigation.
I won't tell you how - I'll let it be a surprise - but it was a wonderful treat from McPherson.
...
The climax to this book was amazing, slamming you with all kinds of feelings. I felt like that part was particularly well done.
...
One complaint I do have, though, is that in this novel McPherson is basically saying that (in Dandy Gilver's world, at least) That might not be a drawback for everyone, but it certainly was one for me.
...
Tl;dr - A great book from a talented author. Even though this series has had it's weak points (Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder, I'm looking at YOU), overall I think it is a rewarding series. I love McPhersons strong Scottish voice, her complete mastery of the 1920s, and her wonderful dry wit.
"We will avenge her," he said.
This book was great! I'm glad to see that McPherson seems to be on a winning streak lately.
...
This is the 8th book in the Dandy Gilver series. It's 1929, Scotland, and rich Mrs. Gilver (wife, mother of two boys) is a private detective. She and her "Watson," Alec Osborne, are frequently hired to solve murders, robberies and other crimes. Meanwhile, Dandy's husband Hugh pretends his wife isn't being scandalous because he enjoys the money her crime-solving brings him.
...
In this installment, Dandy takes her husband and two sons to a "hydrotherapy spa/treatment center" (much like Bath, England) in order to help them recuperate after their long bout with influenza.
But there's another reason, too. A matron has died at the spa and - although the death certificate claims heart failure - her son and daughter are suspicious and ask "Gilver and Osborne, Servants of Truth" to investigate her death.
Murder, secrets, ghosts, spirit mediums, seances, and brimstone all combine to give Dandy what may be the case of her lifetime!
...
Still, I worried because his words were puzzling.
"What a peculiar person," I said, falling back on my grandmother's way of dealing with puzzlement: stake a claim to sense and normalcy and blame the other party for any troubled feelings or confusion they might have caused.
This was a great book. You never know what you are going to get in this series (McPherson has her ups and downs) but this is a real winner. The mystery is tight and makes sense, Dandy Gilver is - as always - a witty and charming narrator, and the setting - 1920s Scotland - is vivid and real. McPherson never slips on the atmosphere, I have to say, in any of her books. Major props to the woman for making it seem as if you are actually LIVING in the 1920s Scottish countryside while reading her books, it's amazing.
...
As per usual, Dandy's stuck-up bore of a husband (Hugh) and smirking, condescending sidekick (Alec) were annoying me.
Hugh and Dandy have always had separate bedrooms and when faced with the prospect of having to share a bed with his wife again, Hugh reacts as if she's told him he's to sleep in a bed of insects. I doubt they've had sex in over a decade, frankly. I doubt he would have had sex with her at all, except for the fact that he really wanted heirs. Dandy cutely and gamely suggests that it will be like a "second honeymoon," and Hugh is disgusted and upset.
McPherson never delves into Dandy's hurt over this - she always presents Dandy as able to brush it off,
Marriage would be so exhausting if I really gave it my all but I rather let things wash over me, from maid and husband both, and find life easier that way.
but it's ridiculous to think a woman wouldn't be deeply wounded by this kind of rejection by her husband. Hopefully this might be addressed in a later book.
...
Then there's Hugh's frequent, jeering remarks about how Dandy is 'brought low' by the work she does - exposed to all kinds of unsavory elements such as death and blackmail and snooping - and how it's "changed her" and (allegedly) negatively affected their sons.
Now. I know this is the 1920s but I can't believe Dandy allows her husband to get away with this shit. SERIOUSLY. If, heaven forbid, I was ever married to a man who denigrated my work (while happily living off the money it made) and, on top of that, snidely remarked on how it "soiled" me and insinuated that I was a bad influence on my sons, I WOULD TAKE HIS HEAD OFF. I have no idea how Dandy lets this slide. o.O
...
Apart from Hugh, we have Alec. Now, Alec was on pretty good behavior in this novel. I don't think I had to tell him to go fuck himself even once. *checks notes* Nope. Not once.
But, unfortunately, he's ramped up the sexism a bit - most noticeably when confronted with a female doctor and also when assigning women as more likely to be drawn in by "spiritual nonsense."
However, overall I was more satisfied with him in this novel. He and Dandy seemed more like true partners and he was less condescending to her than usual. I had very little urge to punch him in the face. That's good. I was actually touched by a subplot that involved him, so... good.
...
Another issue which I am curious about is how McPherson is going to deal with Bunty, Dandy's dalmatian and the light of her life. The love between Dandy and Bunty is clear and wonderful - Bunty is in every book and is Dandy's constant beloved companion. But she is 12 or 13 now and starting to slow down. I have no idea how McPherson is going to handle the dog's (inevitable) death, but I'm sure she'll do it with grace.
Bunty, who is always delighted when I am reversing, stuck her snout into the crook of my neck and poured out her love for me, in deep groans.
I love seeing Bunty and Dandy together and they are quite a pair. <3
...
Alec and Dandy are close friends. It seems McPherson has done away with the sexual tension between them that was in the first four books. In these last four books, that has almost completely disappeared (it was very subtle and well done in the first four) only to be replaced by an almost sibling-like relationship between the two. But Dandy still acts a bit jumpy about the fact that Alec might one day get married, and I have no real idea what is going on. I'll guess we'll see about that as well! LOL
Please note: This does NOT mean I want Dandy and Alec to "end up together." Ugh, gack, no. I am anti-cheating, even if Dandy's husband is a pompous, condescending, arrogant know-it-all. I am very thankful to McPherson that she as such a light touch (feather-light) with this kind of undertone, I am NOT rooting for this to become a mystery/romance series. Ugh. No.
...
Speaking of differences between the first half of the series (books 1-4) and the latter half (books 5-8), I've noticed a change in McPherson's writing style. I have to say I think I like the more complicated, beautiful, rich, and humanistic style of the first four books.
McPherson STILL has a great and distinct style - dry wit, great observations. But the complex richness that existed in the first four books doesn't seem to be present in these last four. I don't know how or why this change in McPherson's writing style came about, but it's noticeable (at least to me). I'm not complaining, exactly, these last four books are "easier" to read than the first four, and demand less scrutiny, but I kind of miss how hard my brain had to work to read the first four books in the series.
Don't get me wrong - McPherson is still clever, astute, witty, and sharp - but the books are not as deep and complex as they once were.
...
I loved how Grant (Dandy's "lady's maid") was involved in this book! Even though Grant has been a fun staple side character in every single book, this is the first novel in which she got to help Dandy out with an investigation.
I won't tell you how - I'll let it be a surprise - but it was a wonderful treat from McPherson.
...
The climax to this book was amazing, slamming you with all kinds of feelings. I felt like that part was particularly well done.
...
One complaint I do have, though, is that in this novel McPherson is basically saying that (in Dandy Gilver's world, at least) That might not be a drawback for everyone, but it certainly was one for me.
...
Tl;dr - A great book from a talented author. Even though this series has had it's weak points (Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder, I'm looking at YOU), overall I think it is a rewarding series. I love McPhersons strong Scottish voice, her complete mastery of the 1920s, and her wonderful dry wit.
November 16, 2014
One thing a reader can count on when reading a book by Catriona McPherson is layered plot and interesting characters. Although A Deadly Measure of Brimstone is the 8th addition to the Dandy Gilver series, it is my introduction to these books set in the 1920s in Scotland. Of course, I’ll be playing catch-up now, but I was quite comfortable in reading this one before the first seven, as the characters were well fleshed out and relationships were clearly formed. I think that reading the previous seven will add to my enjoyment of reading more of all of the recurring characters, but I didn’t feel at all lost or confused in their roles. I consider it a great talent of the author to make the reader comfortable in her series, wherever they might happen to jump in.
The main character is, of course, who the series is named for, Dandy Gilver, a woman of considerable means living in the Perthshire countryside with her husband Hugh and their two teenage sons. Hugh is very conventional and likes to maintain a certain order to life, although I suspect that his time in WWI, from which he just returned in the first book of the series, has opened his eyes more than he admits to changes that are in progress. Dandy needs a bit more adventure than her husband, and, thus, her detecting business allows her to use her abundant instincts and smarts to satisfy her yearning for excitement. Joining her in her detective business is neighbor Alec Osborne, with whom Dandy seems to be able to let down her positional reserve and get to the nitty gritty of murder and strange occurrences. Theirs is an easy-going back and forth, with witty conversation and true team work. Alec appreciates the plucky side of Dandy, and Dandy thrives on the support for her endeavors.
In this eighth novel, Dandy’s husband and sons have been lingering with the flu and its after effects for some weeks. As luck would have it, and Dandy does seem to have a certain amount of that, the family of an older woman who has died at a Hydro facility in the Borders town of Moffat, requests the services of Dandy to investigate the suspicious death. So, Dandy is able to convince her husband that he and the boys need to partake of the healing powers of the facility, not revealing to him the ulterior motive behind the trip. There is a practical reason for removing her family from their residence, too, as Dandy hopes to do have some home renovations done while away. Alec is on board with the assignment and arrives at the Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel as a guest, while Dandy lets a house for her family.
Investigating the death of their clients’ mother, Mrs. Addie, takes Dandy and Alec, as well as the reader, into the 1929 world of hydrotherapy to try and determine just what went wrong with Mrs. Addie’s treatments there. The brother and sister who run the establishment, Thomas “Tot” Laidlaw and Dr. Dorothy Laidlaw, strike Dandy as odd from the get go, but their secrets are well hidden and difficult to uncover. To further complicate matters, there is the rumor of ghosts and that Mrs. Addie herself had seen one. Spiritualists start arriving at the Hydro as the Gilvers settle in, and Dandy and Alec must determine what, if any, the other world has to do with the mysteries of this one.
One of my favorite parts of this novel was the time setting, the end of October 1929, and as Dandy and Alec inch ever closer to the answers of what happened to Mrs. Addie, time inches closer to the date of the 1929 stock market crash in America, which had effects worldwide, including Dandy’s peer group. McPherson cleverly brings this important event into the story in subtle references to finances and the stock market in America, and, she ties up the solution to all the mysteries in the plot to coincide with the Crash of ’29. Great pacing in this ending and throughout the novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this Dandy Gilver mystery and plan to read the others set in a time of great change for the world, especially Great Britain, where the traditional ideas of class and culture were being shook to the core after WWI. Dandy is the perfect vehicle in which to see these changes. She may have much in common with the ladies of Downton Abbey, but she is able to use her wit, good humor, and practicality to carve an identity all her own. Catriona McPherson, who just won the Anthony Award at the 2014 Bouchercon for “Best Paperback Original” for her stand-alone As She Left It, knows how to tell a story with unforgettable characters and captivating plot.
The main character is, of course, who the series is named for, Dandy Gilver, a woman of considerable means living in the Perthshire countryside with her husband Hugh and their two teenage sons. Hugh is very conventional and likes to maintain a certain order to life, although I suspect that his time in WWI, from which he just returned in the first book of the series, has opened his eyes more than he admits to changes that are in progress. Dandy needs a bit more adventure than her husband, and, thus, her detecting business allows her to use her abundant instincts and smarts to satisfy her yearning for excitement. Joining her in her detective business is neighbor Alec Osborne, with whom Dandy seems to be able to let down her positional reserve and get to the nitty gritty of murder and strange occurrences. Theirs is an easy-going back and forth, with witty conversation and true team work. Alec appreciates the plucky side of Dandy, and Dandy thrives on the support for her endeavors.
In this eighth novel, Dandy’s husband and sons have been lingering with the flu and its after effects for some weeks. As luck would have it, and Dandy does seem to have a certain amount of that, the family of an older woman who has died at a Hydro facility in the Borders town of Moffat, requests the services of Dandy to investigate the suspicious death. So, Dandy is able to convince her husband that he and the boys need to partake of the healing powers of the facility, not revealing to him the ulterior motive behind the trip. There is a practical reason for removing her family from their residence, too, as Dandy hopes to do have some home renovations done while away. Alec is on board with the assignment and arrives at the Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel as a guest, while Dandy lets a house for her family.
Investigating the death of their clients’ mother, Mrs. Addie, takes Dandy and Alec, as well as the reader, into the 1929 world of hydrotherapy to try and determine just what went wrong with Mrs. Addie’s treatments there. The brother and sister who run the establishment, Thomas “Tot” Laidlaw and Dr. Dorothy Laidlaw, strike Dandy as odd from the get go, but their secrets are well hidden and difficult to uncover. To further complicate matters, there is the rumor of ghosts and that Mrs. Addie herself had seen one. Spiritualists start arriving at the Hydro as the Gilvers settle in, and Dandy and Alec must determine what, if any, the other world has to do with the mysteries of this one.
One of my favorite parts of this novel was the time setting, the end of October 1929, and as Dandy and Alec inch ever closer to the answers of what happened to Mrs. Addie, time inches closer to the date of the 1929 stock market crash in America, which had effects worldwide, including Dandy’s peer group. McPherson cleverly brings this important event into the story in subtle references to finances and the stock market in America, and, she ties up the solution to all the mysteries in the plot to coincide with the Crash of ’29. Great pacing in this ending and throughout the novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this Dandy Gilver mystery and plan to read the others set in a time of great change for the world, especially Great Britain, where the traditional ideas of class and culture were being shook to the core after WWI. Dandy is the perfect vehicle in which to see these changes. She may have much in common with the ladies of Downton Abbey, but she is able to use her wit, good humor, and practicality to carve an identity all her own. Catriona McPherson, who just won the Anthony Award at the 2014 Bouchercon for “Best Paperback Original” for her stand-alone As She Left It, knows how to tell a story with unforgettable characters and captivating plot.
September 13, 2019
I had not read any earlier books in the series, and I starting by liking this one for its unusual nature. The household comes down with flu, including the staff, and the village is stricken also with scarlet fever. At this period (late 1920s) those with money usually decamped for more healthful locations, and the householders do, with a paying enquiry to help them. They are to find out how a lady really died at a health spa resort.
I kept wondering what motive there could be, if there had been a murder, but the sleuths - Darcy and her gentleman friend, for her husband and sons are little involved with the sleuthing - don't really spend any time looking for a motive beyond robbery. Could it be that they knew something? Absent a motive, enquiring about the death feels like a tedious investigation and a matter of who was where and when. We also get a lot of padding, including an overdone batch of spiritualists and mediums and ghosts. (Bloody Mary was Mary Tudor, not Mary Queen of Scots.)
The highly unusual location, in a hydrotherapy spa where women take off all their attire and don't want to bathe at the same time as their servants, is well worth noting. I didn't like the constant pestering of a young masseuse who surely should have said 'not my place to say, ma'am,' rather than dropped heavy hints and complaints each time. Otherwise the research is detailed and location feels solid. I would read an earlier book if I find one.
This is an unbiased review.
I kept wondering what motive there could be, if there had been a murder, but the sleuths - Darcy and her gentleman friend, for her husband and sons are little involved with the sleuthing - don't really spend any time looking for a motive beyond robbery. Could it be that they knew something? Absent a motive, enquiring about the death feels like a tedious investigation and a matter of who was where and when. We also get a lot of padding, including an overdone batch of spiritualists and mediums and ghosts. (Bloody Mary was Mary Tudor, not Mary Queen of Scots.)
The highly unusual location, in a hydrotherapy spa where women take off all their attire and don't want to bathe at the same time as their servants, is well worth noting. I didn't like the constant pestering of a young masseuse who surely should have said 'not my place to say, ma'am,' rather than dropped heavy hints and complaints each time. Otherwise the research is detailed and location feels solid. I would read an earlier book if I find one.
This is an unbiased review.
October 25, 2013
The latest adventure in Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver mystery series is a mixed blessing: as always, the novel is expertly written, hilariously funny and sharp witted, and works well as a romance but falls rather short of expectations as a murder mystery.
Catriona McPherson perfectly conjures up the world of Hydro hotels in 1929. She introduces us to semi-genteel and not quite so genteel folk “taking the healing waters” in the Scottish hillside resort of Moffat, where Dandy and her long-time paramour Alec have gone to investigate the mysterious death of a stout elderly lady from Edinburgh.
Naturally, their detective work is done under guise of a family holiday and so the entire Gilver clan decamps to Moffat, pretends to be surprised when neighbour Alex appears and affects little astonishment when Mother Dandy confesses she’s actually on one of her sleuthing expeditions. And her family thought that just this once she actually cared about their health!
Mixed romantic blessings:
McPherson is obviously trying to respond to readers’ complaints about the immovable relationship between Alec and Dandy. By “immovable” I mean that their “friendship” has not been allowed to move on to the next level, to mature into a passionate affair; nor has it been permitted to unduly upset Dandy’s unhappy marriage to her bore-of-the-century husband Hugh.
After 8 long years of sleuthing this ménage-a-trois is still bumbling through the plot of light-weight but enjoyable murder mysteries without so much as a jealous eyebrow raised on Hugh’s side and without so much as a chaste kiss planted on Dandy’s moist lips by Alec. Dandy herself reserves affectionate outbursts for her faithful Dalmatian Bunty, the only Moffat guest to ever sleep in Dandy’s bed.
While a frustrated Alec is contemplating a loveless marriage of convenience to a young woman at the Hydro, Dandy resigns herself to be a reluctant mother to two teenage sons and an even more reluctant wife to aristocratic pompous husband Hugh, who disapproves of everything she does and is about has emotionally stunted as it gets. Her beloved Bunty, meanwhile, is getting on in years. Will Dandy ever grow up, dispense with Nanny Palmer’s starched advice and finally fall into the arms of Alec, when Bunty bounds into to doggy heaven?
Dandy’s stern maid Grant is an enjoyable addition to the sleuthing team and I’m rather looking forward to her future outings – no doubt she’ll be showing off her considerable acting skills in future novels.
At the close of the book we are at least left to hope; more romantic entanglements are indicated! There are stirrings of love and jealousy in Alec’s breast, which have not gone unnoticed by Dandy, while husband Hugh has discovered - to his utter amazement - that he actually does care a great deal about his wife.
Mixed murderous blessings:
The plot revolves around the eccentric guests, nurses and management of a glamorous but nearly bankrupt Hydro hotel. McPherson’s recipe works well initially: throw in a few red herrings in the form of mystic mediums and charlatans, stir well and discover a smelly barrel that may or may not contain a corpse; then season well with a few ghosts and simmer until the death of good Mrs Addie is finally explained – of sorts!
At this point the plot recipe begins to curdle because no cause of death is ever fully revealed. What did Mrs Addie truly die of? Was this an accidental death or a planned murder? McPherson doesn’t seem to be able to make up her mind and leaves us guessing. The ghosts and mediums may chant and rave, but they cannot disguise the fact that this latest mystery is McPherson’s weakest murder mystery plot to date. Frankly, at the end the whole thing falls apart. It’s a real shame, because the book is a page-turner.
After “taking the waters” with a pinch of salt and a dollop of brimstone for nearly 300 pages and reaching a truly spectacular and frankly heart-stopping finale in which stoic husband Hugh is finally showing some emotion, McPherson can’t resist the temptation to drag the supernatural into the mix, something I really could have done without. We never learn what killed Mrs Addie, nor are Dandy’s feelings for Alec and his for her ever likely to spill over into a mature adult relationship between a man and a woman, which makes their relationship far less believable for the reader.
If my dearest friend had nearly died at my side – Nanny Palmer be damned – I’d have thrown my arms around him and planted a tear-stained kiss on his surprised lips! We get none of that, of course, instead we get the stiff upper lip, even if it is somewhat singed, and our sleuths walk out of a disaster zone with the air of two shoppers leaving a disappointing Harvey Nichol’s or Harrods’ sale.
It’s time to let them hug and snog, Ms McPherson – give Hugh a proper reason to raise his bushy eyebrows for and rage in full-blown Victorian disapproval at the loss of his “property”!
Overall, an enjoyable read; hilariously funny as far as will-they-won’t-they romances go, and feathery and light as ghosts on the murder-mystery front.
Catriona McPherson perfectly conjures up the world of Hydro hotels in 1929. She introduces us to semi-genteel and not quite so genteel folk “taking the healing waters” in the Scottish hillside resort of Moffat, where Dandy and her long-time paramour Alec have gone to investigate the mysterious death of a stout elderly lady from Edinburgh.
Naturally, their detective work is done under guise of a family holiday and so the entire Gilver clan decamps to Moffat, pretends to be surprised when neighbour Alex appears and affects little astonishment when Mother Dandy confesses she’s actually on one of her sleuthing expeditions. And her family thought that just this once she actually cared about their health!
Mixed romantic blessings:
McPherson is obviously trying to respond to readers’ complaints about the immovable relationship between Alec and Dandy. By “immovable” I mean that their “friendship” has not been allowed to move on to the next level, to mature into a passionate affair; nor has it been permitted to unduly upset Dandy’s unhappy marriage to her bore-of-the-century husband Hugh.
After 8 long years of sleuthing this ménage-a-trois is still bumbling through the plot of light-weight but enjoyable murder mysteries without so much as a jealous eyebrow raised on Hugh’s side and without so much as a chaste kiss planted on Dandy’s moist lips by Alec. Dandy herself reserves affectionate outbursts for her faithful Dalmatian Bunty, the only Moffat guest to ever sleep in Dandy’s bed.
While a frustrated Alec is contemplating a loveless marriage of convenience to a young woman at the Hydro, Dandy resigns herself to be a reluctant mother to two teenage sons and an even more reluctant wife to aristocratic pompous husband Hugh, who disapproves of everything she does and is about has emotionally stunted as it gets. Her beloved Bunty, meanwhile, is getting on in years. Will Dandy ever grow up, dispense with Nanny Palmer’s starched advice and finally fall into the arms of Alec, when Bunty bounds into to doggy heaven?
Dandy’s stern maid Grant is an enjoyable addition to the sleuthing team and I’m rather looking forward to her future outings – no doubt she’ll be showing off her considerable acting skills in future novels.
At the close of the book we are at least left to hope; more romantic entanglements are indicated! There are stirrings of love and jealousy in Alec’s breast, which have not gone unnoticed by Dandy, while husband Hugh has discovered - to his utter amazement - that he actually does care a great deal about his wife.
Mixed murderous blessings:
The plot revolves around the eccentric guests, nurses and management of a glamorous but nearly bankrupt Hydro hotel. McPherson’s recipe works well initially: throw in a few red herrings in the form of mystic mediums and charlatans, stir well and discover a smelly barrel that may or may not contain a corpse; then season well with a few ghosts and simmer until the death of good Mrs Addie is finally explained – of sorts!
At this point the plot recipe begins to curdle because no cause of death is ever fully revealed. What did Mrs Addie truly die of? Was this an accidental death or a planned murder? McPherson doesn’t seem to be able to make up her mind and leaves us guessing. The ghosts and mediums may chant and rave, but they cannot disguise the fact that this latest mystery is McPherson’s weakest murder mystery plot to date. Frankly, at the end the whole thing falls apart. It’s a real shame, because the book is a page-turner.
After “taking the waters” with a pinch of salt and a dollop of brimstone for nearly 300 pages and reaching a truly spectacular and frankly heart-stopping finale in which stoic husband Hugh is finally showing some emotion, McPherson can’t resist the temptation to drag the supernatural into the mix, something I really could have done without. We never learn what killed Mrs Addie, nor are Dandy’s feelings for Alec and his for her ever likely to spill over into a mature adult relationship between a man and a woman, which makes their relationship far less believable for the reader.
If my dearest friend had nearly died at my side – Nanny Palmer be damned – I’d have thrown my arms around him and planted a tear-stained kiss on his surprised lips! We get none of that, of course, instead we get the stiff upper lip, even if it is somewhat singed, and our sleuths walk out of a disaster zone with the air of two shoppers leaving a disappointing Harvey Nichol’s or Harrods’ sale.
It’s time to let them hug and snog, Ms McPherson – give Hugh a proper reason to raise his bushy eyebrows for and rage in full-blown Victorian disapproval at the loss of his “property”!
Overall, an enjoyable read; hilariously funny as far as will-they-won’t-they romances go, and feathery and light as ghosts on the murder-mystery front.
March 31, 2021
It's 1929. the Gilver household is laid low with influenza and Gilver and Osbourne have a case to investigate the death of an elderly woman called Mrs Addie at the Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel in Moffat (also Scotland for us southerners). When rumours of scarlet fever circulate, Dandy sees an opportunity to take Hugh and their two boys plus their cook, butler and her ladies maid to the hotel and investigate the death at the same time.
The hotel is run by a brother and sister Dorothea and Thomas (Tot) Laidlaw following the death of their father who founded the hotel. Tot is an oily, smirky man too quick with a wink and a nod for Dandy, whereas Dorothea is a studious woman, and a medical doctor to boot. What is distinctly odd is the clientele, half of them are elderly people like Mrs Addie, clearly there to drink the (disgusting) waters and partake of the various therapies, the other half are Bright Young Things and flappers, all loud voices and cocktails. Then a third group start to arrive, flamboyant and theatrical they are seeking ghosts which are said to haunt the hotel.
After my quibbles with the last two books I think Catriona McPherson is right back on track with this one. A hydropathic spa hotel is so very Agatha Christie and I loved the way in which the different strands were woven together. I even guessed the motive for the murder, although there were also plenty of other things I didn't guess too. Also, we see a lot more of Hugh than usual, and of Grant's theatricality. I still find it absolutely fascinating how Catriona McPherson seems able to write Dandy so convincingly, with the attitude and values of a woman of that era, I have no idea if it is authentic but it feels like the real thing.
I've got 10 ARCs to read and review for NetGalley but I might (who am I kidding, I definitely will) just buy the next book in the series.
The hotel is run by a brother and sister Dorothea and Thomas (Tot) Laidlaw following the death of their father who founded the hotel. Tot is an oily, smirky man too quick with a wink and a nod for Dandy, whereas Dorothea is a studious woman, and a medical doctor to boot. What is distinctly odd is the clientele, half of them are elderly people like Mrs Addie, clearly there to drink the (disgusting) waters and partake of the various therapies, the other half are Bright Young Things and flappers, all loud voices and cocktails. Then a third group start to arrive, flamboyant and theatrical they are seeking ghosts which are said to haunt the hotel.
After my quibbles with the last two books I think Catriona McPherson is right back on track with this one. A hydropathic spa hotel is so very Agatha Christie and I loved the way in which the different strands were woven together. I even guessed the motive for the murder, although there were also plenty of other things I didn't guess too. Also, we see a lot more of Hugh than usual, and of Grant's theatricality. I still find it absolutely fascinating how Catriona McPherson seems able to write Dandy so convincingly, with the attitude and values of a woman of that era, I have no idea if it is authentic but it feels like the real thing.
I've got 10 ARCs to read and review for NetGalley but I might (who am I kidding, I definitely will) just buy the next book in the series.
November 25, 2014
http://openbooksociety.com/article/a-...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Daniele
*Contains mild spoilers*
Dandy Gilver is essentially a bored housewife. The spouse of a Scottish country gentleman, she and her neighbor/closest friend Alec have gained a favorable reputation as private detectives. Her entire household (excluding her) has been ill so, when she receives a letter from Mrs. Addie’s children asking them to examine the strange circumstances surrounding their mother’s death at the Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel, Dandy feels this is the perfect opportunity for her husband, sons, cook, and butler to partake of the “healing waters” at the hotel while she and Alec investigate. The family sets up in a house near the hotel, and Alec checks in under the guise of back pain, and the two begin their clandestine probe all the while trying to keep their true motivations from Hugh and the boys.
The Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel is a busy establishment, but it quickly becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. Some guests are there for their health, while others are there for the secret night life, and a few ghost hunters and mediums are thrown in for good measure. Mrs. Addie’s family was told she died while hiking from heart failure, but her children wonder if it was foul play. Dandy and Alec are suspicious of owners Thomas and Dorothea Laidlaw and the town doctor who signed the death certificate. Dandy spends a great deal of time talking to Regina, the spa assistant who laid out Mrs. Addie. She even solicits the help of her ladies maid Grant to infiltrate the group of mediums. Eventually, Hugh is clued in on the mystery, and his knowledge helps to solve the ghostly subplot. There is also a subplot involving Alec’s sudden decision that he needs to find a wife and produce an heir.
Honestly, A Deadly Measure of Brimstone has a wonky plot, but it works on most levels. The writing is strong and sharp witted with an authentic “voice” that provides a good sense of place and period for its post-WWI setting. McPherson capably captures the droll sense of humor of the aristocratic stiff upper lip and reserved relationships of the time while not overlooking the lingering effects of the Great War on society in general and her characters. The story does get a bit bogged down at times with all of the descriptions of steam rooms and detoxifying mud treatments, but the climactic fire provided sufficient thrills. It was nice to see that Hugh really did care about Dandy, and I particularly enjoyed Grant’s inclusion in the investigation. I suspect she is quite an eccentric personality and hope to see her appearance in future investigations. I confess that I am disappointed in the lack of resolution regarding Mrs. Addie’s death. Was it due to natural causes, negligence, accident, or foul play? I was also left a little bereft about the deaths of other characters. Their demises seemed unnecessary.
Overall, I enjoyed this installment and will continue to read the series. I recommend A Deadly Measure of Brimstone to those who follow the series and to readers who might enjoy an offbeat mystery set in the Roaring Twenties.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Daniele
*Contains mild spoilers*
Dandy Gilver is essentially a bored housewife. The spouse of a Scottish country gentleman, she and her neighbor/closest friend Alec have gained a favorable reputation as private detectives. Her entire household (excluding her) has been ill so, when she receives a letter from Mrs. Addie’s children asking them to examine the strange circumstances surrounding their mother’s death at the Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel, Dandy feels this is the perfect opportunity for her husband, sons, cook, and butler to partake of the “healing waters” at the hotel while she and Alec investigate. The family sets up in a house near the hotel, and Alec checks in under the guise of back pain, and the two begin their clandestine probe all the while trying to keep their true motivations from Hugh and the boys.
The Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel is a busy establishment, but it quickly becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. Some guests are there for their health, while others are there for the secret night life, and a few ghost hunters and mediums are thrown in for good measure. Mrs. Addie’s family was told she died while hiking from heart failure, but her children wonder if it was foul play. Dandy and Alec are suspicious of owners Thomas and Dorothea Laidlaw and the town doctor who signed the death certificate. Dandy spends a great deal of time talking to Regina, the spa assistant who laid out Mrs. Addie. She even solicits the help of her ladies maid Grant to infiltrate the group of mediums. Eventually, Hugh is clued in on the mystery, and his knowledge helps to solve the ghostly subplot. There is also a subplot involving Alec’s sudden decision that he needs to find a wife and produce an heir.
Honestly, A Deadly Measure of Brimstone has a wonky plot, but it works on most levels. The writing is strong and sharp witted with an authentic “voice” that provides a good sense of place and period for its post-WWI setting. McPherson capably captures the droll sense of humor of the aristocratic stiff upper lip and reserved relationships of the time while not overlooking the lingering effects of the Great War on society in general and her characters. The story does get a bit bogged down at times with all of the descriptions of steam rooms and detoxifying mud treatments, but the climactic fire provided sufficient thrills. It was nice to see that Hugh really did care about Dandy, and I particularly enjoyed Grant’s inclusion in the investigation. I suspect she is quite an eccentric personality and hope to see her appearance in future investigations. I confess that I am disappointed in the lack of resolution regarding Mrs. Addie’s death. Was it due to natural causes, negligence, accident, or foul play? I was also left a little bereft about the deaths of other characters. Their demises seemed unnecessary.
Overall, I enjoyed this installment and will continue to read the series. I recommend A Deadly Measure of Brimstone to those who follow the series and to readers who might enjoy an offbeat mystery set in the Roaring Twenties.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
July 2, 2013
One of the great joys of attending festivals is being scheduled on panels with people whose work I don't know yet. So I'll be at the Theakston's Old Peculier (sic) Harrogate Crime Fest in the middle of this month shadowing Val McDermid who is reprising her role as Chair 10 years after the first one (heck, is it 10 years? It feels like yesterday) so that I know how to run the Historical Festival in October (25th - 27th - put it in your diary). But I'll also be on a panel on Sunday 21st entitled Slaughtering the Sacred Cows.
With me will be Stuart MacBride, Cathi Unsworth and Catriona MacPherson - all of us are apparently iconoclastic in one form or another. As you do before these events, I've just started reading their books - and have just finished Catriona Macpherson's Dandy Gilver novel.
This is the seventh in the series and I can't think why it's taken so long to get around to something so richly, gloriously, wonderfully off the wall. The premise is simple: Mrs Dandy (Dandelion) Gilver is a country house lady living in a grand house in hte Perthshire wilderness, wife to Hugh, mother to two teenaged sons, Teddy and Donald, mistress to a variety of lady's maids, butlers, factors and general factotums - and she's bored. Or I guess she was bored at the start of the series when she joined forces with her neighbour, Alec Osborne for the purposes of solving crimes.
They make a formidable team: not quite Sherlock and Holmes, because neither of them is dim, but they balance each other nicely and in this book's theme of country house spas and mediums, ghosts and murder, they manage between them to run rings round the opposition without ever feeling as if they are either superheroes or implausibly well informed.
It's all told in a first person voice that feels absolutely of its time and its this, the voice, that really hooked me. Dandy Gilver reminds me of the various competent women who run hawking displays at gamefairs. She's completely at home in her rural estate, but can don furs and march about town if she has to. She's not squeamish, but she's not gung ho either. Coupled to this is a sense of time that is absolutely perfect. The setting is 1929, and everyone carries scars from the first world war (Alec, reminiscing at one point with a fellow serviceman, says that 'it was not so bad once the rations started up again', which carries within it such a wealth of unspoken horrors that it could have made a whole portion of the novel itself: it doesn't, it's there as part of the texture, the warp and weft of a time about which I know very little, but in which the author is obviously an expert. Like the best historical novels, this is one from which I learned a lot about a time and a social class without ever feeling I was being taught - this is learned, but it wears its learning lightly.
This is set, I realise, in the era of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. It knocks both of these out of the water - so, so, so much better. I expect there'll be a television series, soon...
So all in all, I'm immensely glad I came across this, and am looking forward to delving further into the Dandy Gilver series. And I'll see you at Harrogate if you can make it.
With me will be Stuart MacBride, Cathi Unsworth and Catriona MacPherson - all of us are apparently iconoclastic in one form or another. As you do before these events, I've just started reading their books - and have just finished Catriona Macpherson's Dandy Gilver novel.
This is the seventh in the series and I can't think why it's taken so long to get around to something so richly, gloriously, wonderfully off the wall. The premise is simple: Mrs Dandy (Dandelion) Gilver is a country house lady living in a grand house in hte Perthshire wilderness, wife to Hugh, mother to two teenaged sons, Teddy and Donald, mistress to a variety of lady's maids, butlers, factors and general factotums - and she's bored. Or I guess she was bored at the start of the series when she joined forces with her neighbour, Alec Osborne for the purposes of solving crimes.
They make a formidable team: not quite Sherlock and Holmes, because neither of them is dim, but they balance each other nicely and in this book's theme of country house spas and mediums, ghosts and murder, they manage between them to run rings round the opposition without ever feeling as if they are either superheroes or implausibly well informed.
It's all told in a first person voice that feels absolutely of its time and its this, the voice, that really hooked me. Dandy Gilver reminds me of the various competent women who run hawking displays at gamefairs. She's completely at home in her rural estate, but can don furs and march about town if she has to. She's not squeamish, but she's not gung ho either. Coupled to this is a sense of time that is absolutely perfect. The setting is 1929, and everyone carries scars from the first world war (Alec, reminiscing at one point with a fellow serviceman, says that 'it was not so bad once the rations started up again', which carries within it such a wealth of unspoken horrors that it could have made a whole portion of the novel itself: it doesn't, it's there as part of the texture, the warp and weft of a time about which I know very little, but in which the author is obviously an expert. Like the best historical novels, this is one from which I learned a lot about a time and a social class without ever feeling I was being taught - this is learned, but it wears its learning lightly.
This is set, I realise, in the era of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. It knocks both of these out of the water - so, so, so much better. I expect there'll be a television series, soon...
So all in all, I'm immensely glad I came across this, and am looking forward to delving further into the Dandy Gilver series. And I'll see you at Harrogate if you can make it.
August 15, 2014
I struggled with rating and reviewing this one. My least favorite Dandy Gilver novel is "Bury Her Deep", which yammers on far too much about farming techniques, and dips a little too heartily into the Agatha Christie homage occult for my liking. "Deadly Measure of Brimstone" suffers from similar problems, even though I think that overall it's a better written book.
This time around it's turn of the Century "spas" and ghosts that are stirred in a little too heavily overtaking the plot at times. The story lumbers and lurches along, dropping several more interesting side plots for things like a doctoral dissertation on placebos, or detailed descriptions of the many, many types of rubs and baths.
I do wish more time were spent on Alec's sudden desire to settle down and produce an heir, or how the Gilver household coped when even the cook came down with the flu, but no, those plot points are practically dispensed with in the prologue! Instead we're subjected to repeated descriptions of progressively hotter steam rooms, and everything you ever wanted to know (and more!) about disrobing, clothing storage, and various massages in such an establishment.
The insertion near the end, of Grant as an assistant, and the mining of Hugh's knowledge, were definitely positive developments that I'd like to see more of in the future. And unlike several other reviewers, I prefer Dandy and Alec as friends and colleagues, not as lovers. Thank goodness not every male-female detective pair has to snog each other at every opportunity! Heck, it might even be interesting if Alec turned out to be gay. There are certainly enough hints dropped in that direction. In that era he'd still be expected to do his social duty and produce an heir, which better explains why he'd take on any suitable, practical female at this point rather than look for a love match.
I also didn't mind not finding out exactly what killed Mrs. Addie. The cover-up explanation made sense, whether the death was due to natural causes or outright murder. What disappointed me the most, though, was Dandy's book-ending conversation, which threw a perfectly good plot out the window and had her suddenly fully embracing the supernatural--something she certainly would not have done given her earlier experiences in "Bury Her Deep". That final paragraph is a complete throw-away, and that's exactly what I intend to do with it!
This time around it's turn of the Century "spas" and ghosts that are stirred in a little too heavily overtaking the plot at times. The story lumbers and lurches along, dropping several more interesting side plots for things like a doctoral dissertation on placebos, or detailed descriptions of the many, many types of rubs and baths.
I do wish more time were spent on Alec's sudden desire to settle down and produce an heir, or how the Gilver household coped when even the cook came down with the flu, but no, those plot points are practically dispensed with in the prologue! Instead we're subjected to repeated descriptions of progressively hotter steam rooms, and everything you ever wanted to know (and more!) about disrobing, clothing storage, and various massages in such an establishment.
The insertion near the end, of Grant as an assistant, and the mining of Hugh's knowledge, were definitely positive developments that I'd like to see more of in the future. And unlike several other reviewers, I prefer Dandy and Alec as friends and colleagues, not as lovers. Thank goodness not every male-female detective pair has to snog each other at every opportunity! Heck, it might even be interesting if Alec turned out to be gay. There are certainly enough hints dropped in that direction. In that era he'd still be expected to do his social duty and produce an heir, which better explains why he'd take on any suitable, practical female at this point rather than look for a love match.
I also didn't mind not finding out exactly what killed Mrs. Addie. The cover-up explanation made sense, whether the death was due to natural causes or outright murder. What disappointed me the most, though, was Dandy's book-ending conversation, which threw a perfectly good plot out the window and had her suddenly fully embracing the supernatural--something she certainly would not have done given her earlier experiences in "Bury Her Deep". That final paragraph is a complete throw-away, and that's exactly what I intend to do with it!
April 2, 2015
The Dandy Gilver mysteries are set in 1920s Scotland; this title is set at the time of the stock market crash in America. Dandy convinces her family - two sons and husband - to visit a spa where they can "take the waters" after their illnesses - bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy and influenza. However, she takes them to a spa where someone recently died so that she and her detective partner, Alec Osborne, could reassure the family that there was nothing untoward about the death. Of course, they find all types of deception - the spa doctor did not sign the death certificate, the doctor's brother is running an illegal gambling den in the basement of the Laidlaw Hydropathic Establishment, and the most recent guests are there because of the many ghosts which have started to "appear" in large numbers. I enjoyed this book enough to finish it; but I found the main characters to be fairly unbelievable. And, this series is advertised as laugh-out-loud funny but I didn't find that to be true.
March 5, 2015
This book is a nominee for an award at the 2015 Left Coast Crime mystery conference. I'd not read McPherson even though she's won this prize previously. Now I really have a problem! I've read three books in this category and they all are winners. This Dandy Gilver outing is definitely worth your time if you like a bit of historical color, wacky characters, and very good writing in your books.
Dandy Gilver is a PI/housewife/British mum in the late 1939s/1940 UK. In Deadly Measure she takes the family along on a case to a modernized stately home in the country, where they meet a whole collection of "unusual" folk. The book had me giggling throughout, while sympathizing with Dandy and her partner, and sometimes with her husband, the stuffy Hugh, and her sons, a pair of teens who don't quite ring true in 2015 but then, they aren't given much to do in this story and it was a far different time.
Dandy, I think, would have loved the new century.
Dandy Gilver is a PI/housewife/British mum in the late 1939s/1940 UK. In Deadly Measure she takes the family along on a case to a modernized stately home in the country, where they meet a whole collection of "unusual" folk. The book had me giggling throughout, while sympathizing with Dandy and her partner, and sometimes with her husband, the stuffy Hugh, and her sons, a pair of teens who don't quite ring true in 2015 but then, they aren't given much to do in this story and it was a far different time.
Dandy, I think, would have loved the new century.
December 8, 2024
One of her best, I think. I'm always in the mood for McPherson's detective stories, they manage to combine interesting, distinctive characters with an unusual plot, some excitement, not too much violence, and they have a certain breezy charm about that without trying to be twee or whimsical which would be annoying as heck. In this case I was even moved, at the end, and my eyes misted over a tad.
Loved to see more involvement from Hugh and the boys too!
Note to future self: this is the one set at the Hydro-therapy Spa.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
Loved to see more involvement from Hugh and the boys too!
Note to future self: this is the one set at the Hydro-therapy Spa.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
August 6, 2016
Dandy Gilver has to move her husband and two boys out of their drafty mansion--the men are just recuperating from complications of flu, and there's scarlet fever in the village. She decides to kill two birds with one stone when a case for the detective agency she runs with her friend Alec comes up at the Laidlaw Hydropathetic Establishment. It seems Mrs. Addie is dead of a heart attack, to the disbelief of her children, who know that her heart was sound. There are many mysteries at the hydro, and a number of mediums seem to have moved in, led by the hypnotic Mr. Merrick. But what can that have to do with Mrs. Addie?
March 8, 2015
Author Catriona McPherson, in her eighth installment of the Dandy Gilver mystery series, spins a fabulous cosy tale set in 1920s Scotland. It's a little Upstairs, Downstairs, with a touch of Agatha Christie added and a dash of P.G. Wodehouse for good measure. The writing is colorful and exquisite - laying out a visual landscape that is vast and rich in color. The emotions are well described and easily felt. The reader is fully transported to a different place and time as they march in step with the ever active mind of female sleuth, Dandy Gilver. I will certainly make a point of reading the earlier books in this series.
May 22, 2020
This is the sixth book which I have read in this series and I am hoping to be able to read them all. Dandy is an unlikely English female private detective living in Scotland after the First World War. This novel is set in 1929 just before the stock market crash. An elderly woman has died at a Hydro in Moffat and Dandy and her partner Alec go down to investigate. Indeed Dandy takes her family down too as they are recovering from illness. There are mysterious goings on at the Hydro and Dandy finally discovers the reason for the elderly woman's death. A charming read with quite a few sub-plots.
February 21, 2015
Dandy Gilver is up in arms when her husband and sons are stricken with illnesses. She is happy to travel to a health spa for the investigation of a woman's death and to get her family on the road to recuperation. The woman died while a patient at the spa and Dandy and her faithful sidekick Alec soon root out the problem and get to the bottom of the mystery while fending off the airs to mediums and psychics who are searching for the ghosts that supposedly lurk in the spa. This is a good series and I enjoy reading these.
December 28, 2014
Meh. These mysteries are very uneven - some are great, some are not. Sadly, this is in the latter category. It would have been fine, at 200 pages, an aggressive edit from the 291 it has. There were huge sections where NOTHING happened. And Ms. McPherson - your chapters are too long! Also, there was way too much insinuation that Dandy and Alec were closer than Dandy and her own husband. This took me a really long time to read - very unusual for me.
November 7, 2014
Set in 1920s Scotland, this is part ghost story and part murder mystery than leans towards being a cozy. There was quite a bit going on, but it seemed to move slowly. Dandy is an unusual protagonist, and I particularly like Alec Osborne. Overall, I liked this installment and will probably seek out the others in the series.
December 12, 2014
I like this series but, as I've said before, I don't get the comparisons to Maisie Dobbs. The tone is much different. I like the welter of historical detail and don't find the limbo of Dandy and Alec's relationship puzzling for the time.
March 13, 2016
This is the first time I have read any books written by Catriona McPherson. Loved the story and loved the wit. I shall be looking out for more books by this author.
I was fortunate to have won this book on the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I was fortunate to have won this book on the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
September 7, 2016
The whole gang were roped into this one, with Hugh, the two boys, and even Grant pitching in. But while it was entertaining enough, I twigged cause of death, long before our Dandy . . .
Also, it was annoying that they kept referring to 'Bloody Mary' when that was Mary Tudor, NOT Mary Stuart.
Also, it was annoying that they kept referring to 'Bloody Mary' when that was Mary Tudor, NOT Mary Stuart.
February 6, 2014
This is the best in the series so far...and I am waiting for the next in this series, although she will have a hard time topping this one.
May 27, 2014
One of the best in the series, I think. It was nice to see Grant get a larger role. All of the regular characters are getting increasingly interesting, too. Looking forward to the next one!
June 8, 2015
I was debating whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. The "murder mystery" seemed a little weak to me but I enjoyed the authors wit and the flavor of 1929 Scotland
January 14, 2015
Not up to the usual.
August 6, 2023
My father loved 'shaggy dog' stories or jokes. They went on and on and on before finally the punch line was delivered and then the audience (usually us kids imprisoned at the dinner table) were allowed to groan appropriately and then get on with the meal, the dishes or a direct escape.
There are times when Ms McPherson apparently suffers from a Shaggy Dog Virus herself. She regularly indulges in more complicated descriptions of what the characters are doing than is truly necessary. Eg: Dandy's scramble up a tree only to spy the door key she is searching for is resting on the lintel above the door in question. The entire set of detailed paragraphs could have been reduced to a more efficient two sentences. And that's at the micro level.
At the macro level...McPherson turns her amateur detective into spiral upon spiral of repeated so-call discovery pursuits (how many times does Dandy really need to subject herself to spa 'treatments' for the luvva Pete?) with little progress in each one and about 40% of them in retrospect, pretty pointless in terms of plot progress.
I now ponder my essential beef with McPherson : her nudgenudgewinkwink 'Hints' are too obviously useless time and space wasting distractions, while her sublter suggestions are simply irritatingly obscure. For this reader, she doesn't hit the note either way.
Her characters are sound, her prose is mildly entertaining and superior in its styling and competence but am I just getting better at distinguishing the red herring diversions or is she becoming more obvious? I really find myself skipping a lot these days as I work through this series just to get to the point. Which, in the end, unfortunately I am beginning to see in this title and a few others, is not all that uniquely designed after all. But as always, the author can't resist throwing out a final sentence that implies...I don't know what. I'm left yet again, with the impression that as a reader I lack something and just don't get whatever she is suggesting.
A technique obviously meant to entice...it just causes an eye-roll in me. And then might just prompt me to skip the whole thing and retire from this series.
There are times when Ms McPherson apparently suffers from a Shaggy Dog Virus herself. She regularly indulges in more complicated descriptions of what the characters are doing than is truly necessary. Eg: Dandy's scramble up a tree only to spy the door key she is searching for is resting on the lintel above the door in question. The entire set of detailed paragraphs could have been reduced to a more efficient two sentences. And that's at the micro level.
At the macro level...McPherson turns her amateur detective into spiral upon spiral of repeated so-call discovery pursuits (how many times does Dandy really need to subject herself to spa 'treatments' for the luvva Pete?) with little progress in each one and about 40% of them in retrospect, pretty pointless in terms of plot progress.
I now ponder my essential beef with McPherson : her nudgenudgewinkwink 'Hints' are too obviously useless time and space wasting distractions, while her sublter suggestions are simply irritatingly obscure. For this reader, she doesn't hit the note either way.
Her characters are sound, her prose is mildly entertaining and superior in its styling and competence but am I just getting better at distinguishing the red herring diversions or is she becoming more obvious? I really find myself skipping a lot these days as I work through this series just to get to the point. Which, in the end, unfortunately I am beginning to see in this title and a few others, is not all that uniquely designed after all. But as always, the author can't resist throwing out a final sentence that implies...I don't know what. I'm left yet again, with the impression that as a reader I lack something and just don't get whatever she is suggesting.
A technique obviously meant to entice...it just causes an eye-roll in me. And then might just prompt me to skip the whole thing and retire from this series.
January 19, 2023
I love this series, these characters, and this author. The writing style is wonderful and not the norm today. There's plenty of humor and history and good old-fashioned British mystery. This was absolutely delightful.
The Hyrdo reminded me of the Kellog Health Spa in the Road to Wellville, only most of the treatments were baths of various kinds.
This was a very entertaining read with lots of investigation of various kinds. It was very exciting with the right amount of danger. I do like a heroine who can get herself out of a jam.
I was also surprised to find out who the killer was and what was really going on. There were surprises.
The Hyrdo reminded me of the Kellog Health Spa in the Road to Wellville, only most of the treatments were baths of various kinds.
This was a very entertaining read with lots of investigation of various kinds. It was very exciting with the right amount of danger. I do like a heroine who can get herself out of a jam.
I was also surprised to find out who the killer was and what was really going on. There were surprises.
October 9, 2022
This is a great series, and this book was one of my favourites so far. Dandy is such a down to earth character, and I love the way the author writes. In this tale, Dandy's husband and sons have succumbed to some serious flu illnesses and she takes them to a hydrotherapy centre to recuperate. Its fortunate that it is the site of the demise of an old lady who's family have just engaged Dandy and her detective business to find out what really happened.
The result involves spiritualism, hydro treatments and some really underhand goings on. Great fun!
The result involves spiritualism, hydro treatments and some really underhand goings on. Great fun!
July 16, 2019
A lovely and exciting romp in a book that brings the spirit of the '20s alive - this time right before the Great Depression starts. The characters, the setting and the plot are phenomenally well done, and I could hug McPherson for Grant and Hugh alone.
If you're looking for a summer read that won't damage your IQ, or a comfort read that won't bore, this is the book for you.
If you're looking for a summer read that won't damage your IQ, or a comfort read that won't bore, this is the book for you.
September 27, 2024
So, so good. And such funny moments! Dandy’s self deprecating comments are just slyly hilarious. I love that Grant is now getting in on the costumes and pretending. And Dandy not sending in Hugh’s investment orders for the American stock exchange, while the reader knows very well that the Great Depression is looming…So many tongue in cheek moments.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews