Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble

Dandy Gilver #12

by Catriona McPherson

Scotland, 1934.
Fair is foul and foul is fair as aristocratic private detective Dandy Gilver heads off to Castle Bewer to solve a mystery of a missing ruby necklace and a tragic family curse. She arrives as the residents are preparing to stage a production of Macbeth, yet sinister goings on seem to be more than amateur dramatics.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Crime, Historical, Detective, Fiction, Historical Mystery

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2017

About the author

Catriona 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.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pays some homage to the golden age of crime, set in the world of impoverished 1930s aristocrats facing change as it gets more difficult to raise the finances to afford their estates and castles, in the face of mounting debt and death duties. It is set in Scotland, and detective Dandy Gilver and her partner Alec Osborne arrive at the thirteenth century Brewer Castle, the home of Minnie and Bluey, and Ottoline. They are there to get to the bottom of a missing necklace of rubies, assumed to be with Ottoline's estranged husband, Richard, who deserted the family to go abroad. It is thought he is dead, but there is a question mark over where the necklace could be. The necklace is a symbol of a feud between the Brewers and the Annandales at Mespring. It is cursed and rumours abound in its role in the gory death of a Brewer bride after Anne Annandale was jilted.

It turns out Dandy's mission is more complicated, her and Alec are to provide security for a group of actors putting on the cursed Scottish Play at the Castle to raise revenue and the American tourists staying there. The scene is set for mayhem and laughs, with ghosts, misunderstandings, and the clash of tradition vs the need for change. The Brewers are expecting to lose their home and they have worries about the elderly Ottoline being moved to reside elsewhere. Cordelia Grant, Dandy's lady's maid, is over the moon about being involved in the stage production and having minor acting roles. Turbulent circumstances mean that Alec and even the grimly resistant Dandy are roped in. In a tale of family secrets and lies, the detectives dig deep to expose the truth.

It took me quite a while to settle into this book and it was halfway before I got fully engaged with the story. It can seem as if the plot meanders until the story begins to gather pace and momentum. There are plenty of comic touches and humour to keep the interest of the reader but the plot needs to be tightened up. However, all in all, I did enjoy reading the novel, which often feels like a historical farce on occasion. It's strength is the characters, Dandy is a fine, upstanding and independent woman working in an area where women are rarely seen at this time. This does not delve into the harsh economic realities of the historical period, it is more a light, entertaining, and escapist read. Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

[Bookread2day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dandy Gilver is brisk, baffled, heroic, kindly and scandalised.
Scotland 1934. Fair is foul and foul is fair as aristocratic private detective Dandy Gilver heads off to Castle Bewer to solve a mystery of a missing ruby necklace and a tragic family curse. She arrives as the residents are preparing to stage a production of MacBeth, yet sinister goings on seem to be more than amateur dramatics. Dandy Gilver and a spot of Toil and Trouble hardback is published by Hodder and Stoughton 13th July 2017.
I thought that it would be nice to give you readers .....
Facts and Fiction
Castle Bewer's location and lay-out owes something to Caerlaverock Castle and anyone who makes an excursion to it will recognise some features. However Mespring House does not exist in Dumfriesshire or anywhere else, but some of its decorative excess will be familiar to anyone who has visited enough major historic piles.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy to review.

[K.J. Charles]

A lot of fun. Nice to have a middle-aged woman starring--mother of two grown children, married, with a young man as a sidekick. The period feel is great, especially the sense of the upper classes adrift in a rapidly changing world, as the last remnants of Golden Age privilege slide from between their fingers and they can only gawp in horror at the youth of today. Enjoyable mystery, good read.

[Annabel Frazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun romp for those who like historical detective stories. Compared to some of the books in this series, the single setting makes it easier to follow (they can get over-complicated - see my comments below) and the structure of planning and putting on a play helps with the pacing. But the other reviews suggest that some readers found it hard to follow and I sympathise.

I am a fan of this series and have read them all - and glancing through the other reviews, I would say this puts me at an advantage of knowing more about Dandy's family background. However, I'd also say that said family background is the strength of the series and we could all have done with seeing more of it.

Dandy herself, her witty relationship with her friend Alec (and it was daring in her era to have a friend of the opposite gender), her fractious relationship with her husband Hugh (from which just as much entertainment is to be got) and her sons, servants and various friends are at the heart of the series. My impression is that these books are tricky to write and it would be hardly surprising if so as in each case, the setting of the murder plot is different - a nunnery, a department store, a fishing community. Researching these different period settings must be hard work and a lot of it is wasted (on me at any rate) because I don't know much about the period myself and I get quickly lost in the plot. If the author was to sketch the setting a little more lightly and lean more heavily on Dandy and her family for comic relief, the books might be easier to write and more fun.

She could also do with simplifying the plots - which again, would be less work. I get lost in the family tree in almost every book and thus the revelations which come thick and fast in the final section are wasted on me because I am struggling to keep track of who is related to who and what the key dates are. (And as an aficionado of Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, I don't believe keeping track of an family-centred plot is beyond me.) As a writer myself, I know how difficult it is to restrain oneself from adding extra twists and turns at every stage (either because you fear the whole thing is too obvious and straightforward or because once you've thought of a twist, like Agatha Christie's Mrs Oliver you can't bear not to use it), but the safest advice with plotting is that less is more.

Overall, if you like historical detective stories, I would say that the Dandy Gilver series are slow-paced and have their flaws, but atmospheric and well worth enjoying (with the first one, After The Armistice Ball and The Proper Treatment of Bloodstains being two of my favourites).

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble, the 12th novel to feature posh private detectives Dandy Gilver and Alec Osborne.

It is 1934 and Dandy receives a letter from old friend Minnie Bewer asking her and Alec to come to Bewer Castle to help with security when they open the doors to paying visitors and a theatre company. When they get there their remit changes and they are asked to look for the Cut Throat, a cursed ruby necklace that disappeared 30 years ago at the same time as Minnie's father in law, Richard.

This is the first novel in the series that I have read so I'm a little late and I feel that I would have got more from this novel if I had more of Dandy's backstory as some of the references to her family situation imply a knowledge I don't have.

The novel itself is a bit of a mixed bag. The plot bumbles along with Dandy and Alec positing all sorts of outlandish theories until an extremely complicated solution is revealed, some of which I guessed early on, some of which defies belief. It's not exactly a rigorous investigation.

There is a large cast of characters to keep up with from the Bewer household to the actors and visiting Americans. They are painted in broad brush strokes but no more is required.

Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble is not a challenging read more a light hearted, pleasant stroll through some unlikely and sometimes funny situations.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well ... for one of the recent books in this series I said I hoped Dandy and Alec would be investigating a murder in high society and my wish sort of came true.

Dandy is invited to a genuine Scottish castle by Minnie, a woman she knew as a debutante, in a letter full of mysterious hints. When Dandy and Alec arrive they find Minnie and her husband Bluey have fallen on hard times. They live in Bewer Castle with Bluey's mother Ottoline.

Right from the start Dandy and Alec don't really know what they are there to investigate. At first they are asked to look for a ruby necklace with a terrible history which was lost when Ottoline's husband Richard left her. Then they are asked to prove whether Richard is still alive or died abroad. What is not very clear is whether they want the necklace found, or Richard to be alive, it all hinges on death duties.

Minnie and Bluey's daughter Penny has caught the acting bug and has been staying with her cousin in Glasgow, until an accident closes the theatre. Now the family have decided to invite the theatre company to Castle Bewer to perform a Shakespeare play to raise money for the upkeep of the castle. Minnie and Bluey have also sold treasure-hunter tickets to the general public with the story of the cursed ruby necklace.

This was yet another convoluted plot that kept me guessing right until the end.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as gripping as the previous one (with the nuns) or as fast paced, but still a good read. I ordered both books from England since there isn't any US edition, but there is, oddly, on the next in the series, which I'll be reading on Kindle shortly.

[Angelnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at www.angelnetreviews.com

As usual I’ve done my normal trick of picking up a book far along in a series! This is book twelve in McPherson’s cosy crime series about an aristocratic private detective in the 1930s. If you are a fan of traditional Agatha Christie mysteries or P.G.Wodehouse I think that you’ll really enjoy this humorous and lively mystery story.

Dandy Gilver and her detective partner Alec Osborne arrive at a friend’s castle in Scotland. The impending issues of death duties and their effect on the estate has necessitated a search for a long lost family jewel. As Dandy and Alec begin the search for the ill-fated and cursed ruby a band of actors arrive at the castle to begin a season of Shakespeare that will hopefully raise some more money for the family.

As the rehearsals proceed for the equally cursed Scottish play – he who shall not be named! – Dandy soon discovers that there are much worse deeds taking place behind the scenes than there are on the stage.

The story does take a little while to get going. The opening sets the scene for the social setting and explains a bit more about the mores of the day. It is interesting in that it is set in a Downton-esque period of flux where staff in great houses are dwindling and women are becoming more independent in their own right.

You don’t need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this book although I will be adding them to my very long reading list to go back to. Its a fun and comfortable read with interesting characters and an astute leading lady.

Supplied by Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.

[Louise Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once more McPherson delivers an entertaining, twisty mystery, set in the humorously crime-ridden 1930s Scotland that we're now familiar with in the Dandy Gilver Mystery series. This time no-nonsense Dandy and her sidekick Alec Osborne find themselves in Castle Brewer, an aristocratic pile that's on its uppers and forced to throw its doors open to the public. Dandy and Alec are ostensibly employed to find the family treasure, the ominously named Cut-Throat ruby necklace, but end up unraveling family intrigues aplenty as the public invade and the resident family and their rivalrous neighbours deal with their changing world. Just in the background throughout is the glorious Grant, Dandy's lady's maid. Her clear thinking plays a bigger and bigger role as this series evolves. I'd love to see her with a series of her own. Any chance?

[SALLY WHITE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. Apparently, Dandy Gilver is a series of books by the author – this is the first one I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it as a light summer read. I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, and supposedly, if you are a fan of hers, these are the books for you. Dandy Gilver is a private detective (very aristocratic) who lives in Scotland. Although a crime has been committed – a necklace has gone missing – this novel is full of wit and humour. I found Dandy to be a likeable character, and although the main crime has been committed, there are also several other “incidents” going on, so the story flows. I would recommend this as a read and would be tempted to read some of the other novels in this series.

[Patsy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost stopped reading after the prologue. I don't like them much at the best of times and this one is grim – making me think I was mistaken about what kind of book it was. Having reached the end, I still don't think it adds anything positive and if I read another book by this author I'll just skip the prologue completely.

The actual story is good fun, with interesting characters, lots of twists and turns and appropriate backdrop. The plot (the one devised by a character which I won't say more about to avoid spoilers) was very complicated. That's fine, but I'd have preferred the way it was all revealed to have been simplified a little. I had to concentrate much harder than I wanted to at the end of an otherwise nicely easy and entertaining read.

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual this is a clever mystery with a less-cozy-than-normal solution. Dandy's been called to help an old friend who's family is trying to save their fortunes by exploiting their castle's tourist potential. They're in competition with the family down the road - who have been bitter rivals for a couple of generations. There's a curse, a missing ruby and a vanished man for Alec and Dandy to try and work out, but it turns out there are also a myriad of secrets and lies to untangle. I really enjoyed this - the theatre troupe make for an interesting group of side characters and a good foil for (relatively) straight-laced Dandy. I really do like this series.

[Nofar Spalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cozy mystery, set in 1934, with a female protagonist in her later 40s. If you can imagine some of the issues that Jane Austen dealt with, coupled with a very unusual mystery story/treasure hunt, with a good measure of "Macbeth" poured over it all, you have this novel. It's a fun and unusual read (in terms of mystery plots), although it does move at a pace befitting the literature of the era it depicts (i.e. slowly), and I'd much rather have her have Grant as a sidekick than Alec. If you're looking for an intelligent summer read, this is it. I liked it enough to go hunting after the rest of the series.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfectly delightful accidental find! Picked this up on a whim at a library book sale and read it on the beach this week. The setting is charming, the characters are deliciously Wodehousian and hilarious, the banter is frothy and fun, and most importantly, the mystery was solid, clever, original and fair! So thrilled to have discovered a whole new series. Highly recommend for any fans of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, P. G. Wodehouse, Elizabeth Peters or (early, good) Jill Churchill. Perfectly lovely.

[Soozee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again a cracking read in this series. Dandy and Alec are invited to a Scottish castle to find a missing ruby necklace, and are embroiled in the owners' scheme to make money by staging a Shakespeare play (that one!). The result is some hilarious 'acting' by Dandy as they try to find out just what happened to the father in law of her friend, and try to track down the missing gems.

I found the ending a little less satisfying than usual, but the whole thing is a great read. There was nearly some romantic interest for Alec!

[Tiffany E-P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know if these are getting better or if it’s just that I took a break and read a few other books and so when I came back to read this next book in the series it seemed even more amazing than the previous books? Solid plots, lovable and realistic characters and the dry English wit…present throughout the series. And this book-A creepy castle, missing jewels and a curse! Although Alec didn’t have much of a presence in this one…and Donald and Teddy now being young men in their 20s is horrible foreshadowing. I’m dreading the war that is coming…

[Diane Close · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read in this series. I liked how Macbeth was really just a backdrop, rather than an integral part of the mystery, or an echo to the main story. There was more interesting bits about the acting company and its preparations than anything specifically Shakespearean. The ending got quite muddled, though, which is why I didn't rate this 5 stars. It was a pleasant diversion, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Suzie Grogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining, especially if you know before you start the book that it isn’t a traditional whodunnit, more an entertaining romp of a mystery, set in a grim castle peopled with dotty characters against a background of a performance of Macbeth and the story of a cursed ruby necklace. Danny is an authentic middle aged woman sleuth, although I prefer it when she is more evenly balanced with sidekick Alec, who is clearly crazy about her.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dandy and Alec are hired to apparently look for a long-lost ruby necklace, and to prevent anyone else from stealing it — or are they? What is the true history of the necklace? The more they investigate, the murkier matters become. And it doesn't help that the Scottish castle has been overrun by a troupe of players preparing to put on MacBeth! This cozy mystery is somewhat of a romp, and I was able to guess portions of the solution, if not quite all. Recommended.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a recent Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I have never read any of the Dandy Gilver series before. I did not find it easy to read this book, so not sure whether it is because I hadn't read the previous books in the series. I usually do enjoy murder mysteries set many year's ago. In this case, 1934. If you are familiar with this series, then I would recommend this book.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another case for Dandy and Alec, this time involving a cursed necklace, a missing husband, and a run down castle filled with actors. These books are tremendous fun normally, but there wasn't as much of that this time, and I guessed what had happened, or at least the main thrust of it, quite early on, but it didn't really spoil the reveal.

[ME · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this may have been my favorite. Not quite as dark as some of her earlier books, and Dandy seems to be warming up a bit. It's always hard to get the pacing of the language at first and I'm sure I miss some nuance because of the colloquial gap, but I just love the act of reading these books. Such a joy.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always fun, always complicated.
I got a few of the clues and was fairly sure of the perpetrators, but you can never be certain with these tales.
However, I fail to understand how the sudden disappearance of one child and the unexpected appearance of another can go unnoticed. Perhaps the fashions of the day helped?

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Hodder & Stoughton and netgalley for this ARC.

Even if you are new to this series, you will enjoy it just as much as veteran readers. I love the humor, teamwork, and atmospheric mood of this mystery.

[Gabi Coatsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dandy Gilver continues to charm as she encounters yet another murder in the wilds of Scotland. A theatrical troupe playing Macbeth adds to the confusion but Dandy cannot be distracted from finding the killer.

[Kate Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delicious and twisty plot one finds in this twelfth book of the Dandy Gilver series. Author Catriona McPherson has outdone herself with this one - it is a full barrel of red herring.

[Lori Rader-Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saved this one, even though I ordered it from the UK the second it was published, until I could luxuriate. And that was yesterday. Love this character and this author's witty voice.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good afternoon of leisurely sleuthing in the finest setting.

[Lesley Shears · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best Gilver & Osborne yet - Dandy takes inspiration from the Scottish play to solve a tangled family mystery.

[Sheila Howes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this one. Whilst this is the twelfth in the series, there was no back story, and the plot was very slow moving.