What do you think?
Rate this book
Dandy Gilver #14
The Turning Tide
Set in 1930s Scotland and brimming with eccentric characters and incisive humor, The Turning Tide is Catriona McPherson's best Dandy Gilver mystery yet!
It's a breezy Scottish summer of 1936 and aristocratic sleuth Dandy Silver, along with trusted colleague Alec Osborne, has been called to solve the strange case of the Cramond Ferrywoman, on the Firth of the Forth.
From their cheerless digs in a local stately home, Dandy and Alec track Vesper Kemp, the ferrywoman, to a tiny tidal island. She seems to have lost her mind, roaming the beaches in rags, ranting about snakes and mercury. What is even more troubling, is that Vesper claims she murdered Peter Haslett, a young man who fell into the river, trying to row past ones of its four water mills, and drowned.
A group of worried Cramond residents--the minister, the innkeeper, and the lady of the big house--are determined that Vesper is innocent. But with four local millers themselves remaining oddly tight-lipped and with all the suspicious strangers who lurk about the village, Dandy and Alec have their work cut out for them. And the closer they get to the answers they seek, the stronger the sense that great danger lies beneath the surface of these murky waters.
It's a breezy Scottish summer of 1936 and aristocratic sleuth Dandy Silver, along with trusted colleague Alec Osborne, has been called to solve the strange case of the Cramond Ferrywoman, on the Firth of the Forth.
From their cheerless digs in a local stately home, Dandy and Alec track Vesper Kemp, the ferrywoman, to a tiny tidal island. She seems to have lost her mind, roaming the beaches in rags, ranting about snakes and mercury. What is even more troubling, is that Vesper claims she murdered Peter Haslett, a young man who fell into the river, trying to row past ones of its four water mills, and drowned.
A group of worried Cramond residents--the minister, the innkeeper, and the lady of the big house--are determined that Vesper is innocent. But with four local millers themselves remaining oddly tight-lipped and with all the suspicious strangers who lurk about the village, Dandy and Alec have their work cut out for them. And the closer they get to the answers they seek, the stronger the sense that great danger lies beneath the surface of these murky waters.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2019
18 people are currently reading
180 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 47 reviews
June 19, 2020
This was another wonderful foray into the world of discreet sleuth, Dandy Gilver, and her trusted colleague, Alec Osborne. The year is 1936; the location is the small village of Cramond, along the Firth of Forth in Scotland. A young man (whom Dandy just happens to know), winds up dead, floating downriver from one of the village's four mills. The ferrywoman is beside herself as she feels personally responsible. Yet, there was no physical possibilty that she could have done him in. She wails and appears to be in severe mental distress. Dandy and Alec are brought in on a consult to assess the ravings of this wild and unsettled woman. To this, add illegal antiquities trading and covert spirit smuggling with extreme tax evasion, and you have one heck of a tale.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series since day one and the latest installment is as witty and entertaining as all the rest. This story is based on solid historical research which is worked into a spectacularly spun tale. If creatively conceived, well written historical mysteries are your cup of tea, then this could well be a series for you.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series since day one and the latest installment is as witty and entertaining as all the rest. This story is based on solid historical research which is worked into a spectacularly spun tale. If creatively conceived, well written historical mysteries are your cup of tea, then this could well be a series for you.
November 28, 2020
It took me a while to get into this one, but it picked up in the middle and kept me turning pages until the end.
December 20, 2020
The delightful Dandy Gilver and her business partner Alec are asked to investigate the strange behavior of a ferrywoman in an area that hopes to become a tourist resort. At first, Dandy is busy with the joys of grandmotherhood, but when things get too messy at home, she and Alec set mioff for the kindly minister who wants to help the strange woman. But there seem to be other forces at work in the seemingly quiet village, and soon there's a corpse to contend with. Perhaps it's just me, but if there was ever a book that begged for a map of the area, this is it. It always interests me to watch Dandy's social conscience grow through the series.
December 15, 2020
I'm not sure if Dandy is getting dumber or everyone around her getting smarter! She has little to bring to the solution of this one while Alec and Grant outshine her obtuseness. But... and here's the thing... I just love her. Her cloaked sentimentality and feminine squeamishness. Her forward feminist thinking contrasted with her elitist prudery. Her compassion for the common man along side her gentrified comforts. Her progressive ideas alongside those firmly entrenched Scottish wives' tales. She is a walking contradiction and I love her for it. The closer she gets to my own age, the better I understand her. But I didn't understand much of this book. It mostly seemed obvious from early on even though convoluted. She was pretty slow on the uptake. But I am not disappointed. I will follow her to the end.
January 24, 2022
I like Dandy Gilver who is a posh sort of detective and I have read all the earlier books in the series. This story is set in 1936 and most of the story takes place in Cramond, which then was a village near Edinburgh.
Sadly I found this story just did not work for me and at the end there were several Who?, Why?, and How? questions which I did not feel the author had fully answered. Having said that, maybe I worry too much as I even got out a map so I could fully understand the geography of where the story was set!
Dandy and Alec are hired to investigate the odd behaviour of the woman who operates the ferry across the River Almond but when they arrive they discover that there are other mysteries in Cramond. As ever the author writes in a charming and witty style but at the end I did not fully understand how everything fitted together.
Sadly I found this story just did not work for me and at the end there were several Who?, Why?, and How? questions which I did not feel the author had fully answered. Having said that, maybe I worry too much as I even got out a map so I could fully understand the geography of where the story was set!
Dandy and Alec are hired to investigate the odd behaviour of the woman who operates the ferry across the River Almond but when they arrive they discover that there are other mysteries in Cramond. As ever the author writes in a charming and witty style but at the end I did not fully understand how everything fitted together.
August 28, 2020
It is 1936, and Dandy Gilver, private detective working with her trusted colleague Alec, is pulled away from her full time duties as a grandmother to undertake another case. It is an unusual one, not concerning murder or mayhem, but a young woman behaving strangely. This book, like several others in this series, involves Dandy and Alec immersing themselves in a community that is unsure of what to make of them, demonstrating local prejudices and suspicions that make their lives more difficult. This book is the latest in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone or out of sequence; like the others it demonstrates Dandy coming to terms with the Scottish life she has married into and Alec, a platonic best friend with whom she enjoys total trust. Their shared dialogue is always entertaining, and Dandy peppers her conversation with modern phrases picked up from her sons, to whom she is deeply attached and fearful for in case of another war. Her husband Hugh is obsessed with his estate and agricultural matters, but can still surprise with his help. As they struggle with accommodation, meals and more, Dandy and Alec must find out why a ferry woman will not carry passengers, and what is really going on in a small Scottish village on the coast.
When Dandy discovers that she is to become a grandmother, she is not prepared for the huge commitment of time and energy it will take, but she is as always helped by her friend Alec. When the third call for help comes from a Reverend Hogg, she decides that her daughter in laws plan for an enormous picnic can proceed without her help, so she willingly packs her bags and goes to Crammond with Alec. They soon discover that the local cause for concern is a woman, Vesper Kemp, who managed to retain her late father’s role as ferry keeper, but who has recently started behaving very oddly. The local clergyman has his own agenda, but there are two women, Miss Speir and Miss Lumley who have mixed feelings about the case. When Alec and Dandy meet Vesper, she is indeed behaving very oddly and seems frightened. The locals seem to have mixed feelings about her, and there are several odd happenings which confuse Dandy and Alec. There are students in the area with a strange fixation with potatoes, men with an unusual reason for being in the area, and two public houses with different clientele. When a young man’s fate is also questioned, Alec and Dandy must make every effort to discover the truth as soon as possible, even though there is danger in the finding out.
This is a lively and engaging book with some endearing characters, vivid descriptions of everything ranging from food to village life, and a delightful excursion to Edinburgh. This book explains a lot about the way Scottish people lived in the interwar period, the variants of class and money, and the shadows of the rise of Hitler. I greatly enjoyed this book, and always anticipate with pleasure reading another episode of adventures of Dandy and Alec. I was so pleased to read this book, and recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fairly gentle mystery novels.
When Dandy discovers that she is to become a grandmother, she is not prepared for the huge commitment of time and energy it will take, but she is as always helped by her friend Alec. When the third call for help comes from a Reverend Hogg, she decides that her daughter in laws plan for an enormous picnic can proceed without her help, so she willingly packs her bags and goes to Crammond with Alec. They soon discover that the local cause for concern is a woman, Vesper Kemp, who managed to retain her late father’s role as ferry keeper, but who has recently started behaving very oddly. The local clergyman has his own agenda, but there are two women, Miss Speir and Miss Lumley who have mixed feelings about the case. When Alec and Dandy meet Vesper, she is indeed behaving very oddly and seems frightened. The locals seem to have mixed feelings about her, and there are several odd happenings which confuse Dandy and Alec. There are students in the area with a strange fixation with potatoes, men with an unusual reason for being in the area, and two public houses with different clientele. When a young man’s fate is also questioned, Alec and Dandy must make every effort to discover the truth as soon as possible, even though there is danger in the finding out.
This is a lively and engaging book with some endearing characters, vivid descriptions of everything ranging from food to village life, and a delightful excursion to Edinburgh. This book explains a lot about the way Scottish people lived in the interwar period, the variants of class and money, and the shadows of the rise of Hitler. I greatly enjoyed this book, and always anticipate with pleasure reading another episode of adventures of Dandy and Alec. I was so pleased to read this book, and recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fairly gentle mystery novels.
December 28, 2020
I love the Dandy Gilver series. I received nine books for Christmas this year, all cosy/classic crime, and this was the one I read first. (The beautiful cover illustration was also an incentive.) And I am pleased to say that this latest instalment delighted me as much as previous books in the series.
It had all the usual ingredients, elegant and sensible Dandy, her loyal friend Alec, chilly Scottish landscapes for them to roam through and an eccentric rural community with lots of secrets. The only thing missing, I should warn Dalmatian aficionados, is Dandy's beloved dog Bunty who has stayed at home for this excursion.
I must admit I got the whole plot wrong.
The only other anxiety for me is the series' rapidly advancing timeline. We're now at 1936 and WW2 looms ominously before us. I wish the author could somehow administer the brakes and stave it off a bit longer. I also shallowly regret Dandy's advance to middle age - I still think of her as the young mother of small sons we first met in the early Twenties and it's a shock to remember occasionally that her sons are now grown up and she is around fifty. However judging by that cover illustration she's just as stylish as she ever was and the affectionate bond between her and Alec never becomes any less appealing.
Overall this is a delightful addition to a series I value for its dry wit and entertaining spirit as much as its storytelling and I will stay with it, even if we do plunge next into wartime.
It had all the usual ingredients, elegant and sensible Dandy, her loyal friend Alec, chilly Scottish landscapes for them to roam through and an eccentric rural community with lots of secrets. The only thing missing, I should warn Dalmatian aficionados, is Dandy's beloved dog Bunty who has stayed at home for this excursion.
I must admit I got the whole plot wrong.
The only other anxiety for me is the series' rapidly advancing timeline. We're now at 1936 and WW2 looms ominously before us. I wish the author could somehow administer the brakes and stave it off a bit longer. I also shallowly regret Dandy's advance to middle age - I still think of her as the young mother of small sons we first met in the early Twenties and it's a shock to remember occasionally that her sons are now grown up and she is around fifty. However judging by that cover illustration she's just as stylish as she ever was and the affectionate bond between her and Alec never becomes any less appealing.
Overall this is a delightful addition to a series I value for its dry wit and entertaining spirit as much as its storytelling and I will stay with it, even if we do plunge next into wartime.
May 11, 2020
'"Good," I said. "Someone's lying, Alec. And when someone's lying, there's a truth to be uncovered. We're on the scent at last."'
1936, and Dandy Gilver and her amateur detective side-kick Alec Osborne receive a series of letters requesting their help in dealing with a case in Cramond, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Once Dandy's daughter has managed to successfully give birth to twins, she is able to get away and investigate. A young man has been killed (someone she used to know) and the local ferrywoman is, it seems, blaming herself and slowly going mad. Invited by the local minister, the pair start to poke around and uncover a whole host of secrets and lies.
This is a great series, and although I haven't read all of them it is easy enough to drop in and pick it up as a stand alone book. Dandy and Alec are confronted by a suitably eccentric group of villagers, a local constabulary that is equally pompous and foolish, and red-herrings aplenty as they go on the trail of mysterious Roman artefacts, illicit alcohol and a potato trial on nearby Cramond Island. It's all a heap of fun, but with the occasional nod to the period and the looming shadow of impending world war troubling a generation still reeling from the Great War.
This is perfect escapist reading, and a decent challenge for eagle-eyed readers to spot the clues and work out what is going on. It is what it is, and is a great addition to the series. It also helps, for me, that this is set in my old stomping ground, so it was fun to see Cramond and Edinburgh (especially the old James Thin bookshop) in a period setting. 4 stars.
1936, and Dandy Gilver and her amateur detective side-kick Alec Osborne receive a series of letters requesting their help in dealing with a case in Cramond, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Once Dandy's daughter has managed to successfully give birth to twins, she is able to get away and investigate. A young man has been killed (someone she used to know) and the local ferrywoman is, it seems, blaming herself and slowly going mad. Invited by the local minister, the pair start to poke around and uncover a whole host of secrets and lies.
This is a great series, and although I haven't read all of them it is easy enough to drop in and pick it up as a stand alone book. Dandy and Alec are confronted by a suitably eccentric group of villagers, a local constabulary that is equally pompous and foolish, and red-herrings aplenty as they go on the trail of mysterious Roman artefacts, illicit alcohol and a potato trial on nearby Cramond Island. It's all a heap of fun, but with the occasional nod to the period and the looming shadow of impending world war troubling a generation still reeling from the Great War.
This is perfect escapist reading, and a decent challenge for eagle-eyed readers to spot the clues and work out what is going on. It is what it is, and is a great addition to the series. It also helps, for me, that this is set in my old stomping ground, so it was fun to see Cramond and Edinburgh (especially the old James Thin bookshop) in a period setting. 4 stars.
November 7, 2020
I jumped ahead and read this one out of order. One thing I found slightly confusing at first was placing in my mind the island with its tidal causeway and the village of Cramond which is reached by ferry across the river. This despite the fact that I have actually been to Cramond and been rowed over the river in the ferry! A map would have been very useful.
That said, I enjoyed the book and loved the dark atmosphere of the sinister water mills, the island that is only reachable by causeway at low tide and the cast of doubtful characters. It was all very watery!
I was intrigued by the way Dandy’s maid, Grant, has seemingly become an aide and co-conspirator in the investigations. As I have only read the earlier books before, this was a happy surprise: although she was never the subservient domestic, given that Dandy was somewhat cowed by her. Thinking about it, Grant is a bit like a female Bunter or Jeeves.
I also like the way Dandy and Alec are portrayed: Alec is reliable and resourceful but not in a clichéd macho way. Little glimpses of his behaviour such as being unable to resist giving a Tarzan of the Apes type yodel or driving erratically because he is thinking hard give him a convincing realism. And I find Dandy a delight altogether.
Living in Fife as I do, the settings are an important factor in my enjoyment of these books as I know many of these places. And the author doesn’t seem to make stupid errors as some do when using a specific setting for a series (Sarah Sheridan, I’m looking at you..)
I will definitely go back and catch up on the Dandy Gilver books I’ve missed.
That said, I enjoyed the book and loved the dark atmosphere of the sinister water mills, the island that is only reachable by causeway at low tide and the cast of doubtful characters. It was all very watery!
I was intrigued by the way Dandy’s maid, Grant, has seemingly become an aide and co-conspirator in the investigations. As I have only read the earlier books before, this was a happy surprise: although she was never the subservient domestic, given that Dandy was somewhat cowed by her. Thinking about it, Grant is a bit like a female Bunter or Jeeves.
I also like the way Dandy and Alec are portrayed: Alec is reliable and resourceful but not in a clichéd macho way. Little glimpses of his behaviour such as being unable to resist giving a Tarzan of the Apes type yodel or driving erratically because he is thinking hard give him a convincing realism. And I find Dandy a delight altogether.
Living in Fife as I do, the settings are an important factor in my enjoyment of these books as I know many of these places. And the author doesn’t seem to make stupid errors as some do when using a specific setting for a series (Sarah Sheridan, I’m looking at you..)
I will definitely go back and catch up on the Dandy Gilver books I’ve missed.
April 23, 2021
This started so well with Dandy and Hugh becoming grandparents and Hugh unbending enough to actually show some fatherly concern for poor Mallory ... and then, I don't even know what to say, was there even a murder? I can't tell.
Dandy and Alec have been gently refusing several letters to assist with the strange case of the Cramond Ferrywoman. However, when Mallory decides to invite a group of disadvantaged children to holiday in the grounds of Gilverton they decide they would rather investigate what has occasioned these strange pleas. Dandy and Alec have been approached by the local vicar, Mr Hogg, because their ferrywoman Vesper Kemp has refused to ferry people to and from the tiny tidal island, at first she only refused during good weather but now she has refused entirely and is running around the island barefoot, half-naked, dirty and with her hair in a tangle.
Coincidentally Dandy discovers that a friend's young son who died recently actually drowned in the river, but speaking to villagers and the local big-wigs she starts to hear conflicting accounts of his death, leading her to suspect murder. So now there are two mysteries to solve.
Maybe it was because I read this book in dribs and drabs but this felt very disjointed and disappointing, I also struggle to believe the truth about the perpetrators - it seems unlikely and I just keep thinking 'but how did they come together?'.
Anyway, I have already read the next book in the series (got an ARC which started me on this epic read) so now I'm looking for something similar eg 20th century detective but no knitting or cats. Anyone got any recommendations?
Dandy and Alec have been gently refusing several letters to assist with the strange case of the Cramond Ferrywoman. However, when Mallory decides to invite a group of disadvantaged children to holiday in the grounds of Gilverton they decide they would rather investigate what has occasioned these strange pleas. Dandy and Alec have been approached by the local vicar, Mr Hogg, because their ferrywoman Vesper Kemp has refused to ferry people to and from the tiny tidal island, at first she only refused during good weather but now she has refused entirely and is running around the island barefoot, half-naked, dirty and with her hair in a tangle.
Coincidentally Dandy discovers that a friend's young son who died recently actually drowned in the river, but speaking to villagers and the local big-wigs she starts to hear conflicting accounts of his death, leading her to suspect murder. So now there are two mysteries to solve.
Maybe it was because I read this book in dribs and drabs but this felt very disjointed and disappointing, I also struggle to believe the truth about the perpetrators - it seems unlikely and I just keep thinking 'but how did they come together?'.
Anyway, I have already read the next book in the series (got an ARC which started me on this epic read) so now I'm looking for something similar eg 20th century detective but no knitting or cats. Anyone got any recommendations?
April 14, 2020
I’m finding myself a bit torn onthis. I read a few of her books a few years ago and rather enjoyed them, so when I noticed this latest Dandy Gilver book on Netgalley I thought I’d request it. They are cosy mysteries of the kind that attempt to replicate the ‘Golden Age’ of crime fiction, a genre I am fond of.
In many ways, I very much enjoyed The Turning Tide. It was fairly standard as the genre goes, but I liked Dandy and her detecting partner Alec as much as I remember doing. They’re entertaining and interesting, and it’s still not so common for a woman and a man to be friends but not have a romance in fiction that I greatly appreciated it. Some of the supporting characters were quite fun too.
But I can’t, I just can’t get on board with mental illness being used for shock value and mystery. It’s shallow and lazy and, frankly, offensive. That nobody would do anything about the ferry when Vesper stops running it properly is completely implausible, and that nobody would call a doctor or a police (not that that would have helped her, but that is a thing that people do) is equally bizarre.
So although I enjoyed aspects of this book, on the whole it wasn’t for me. Even the resolution of the mystery is a bit weird and convoluted and didn’t seem terribly believable, though if I’d liked other aspects of it more I might not have noticed that!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
In many ways, I very much enjoyed The Turning Tide. It was fairly standard as the genre goes, but I liked Dandy and her detecting partner Alec as much as I remember doing. They’re entertaining and interesting, and it’s still not so common for a woman and a man to be friends but not have a romance in fiction that I greatly appreciated it. Some of the supporting characters were quite fun too.
But I can’t, I just can’t get on board with mental illness being used for shock value and mystery. It’s shallow and lazy and, frankly, offensive. That nobody would do anything about the ferry when Vesper stops running it properly is completely implausible, and that nobody would call a doctor or a police (not that that would have helped her, but that is a thing that people do) is equally bizarre.
So although I enjoyed aspects of this book, on the whole it wasn’t for me. Even the resolution of the mystery is a bit weird and convoluted and didn’t seem terribly believable, though if I’d liked other aspects of it more I might not have noticed that!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
June 22, 2020
Ok. - quick admission. I've not read any of the books in this series since the first one, which I loved, but time and distraction kept me from reading more until now. Clearly, there has been some water under the bridge since the Armistice Ball but actually puzzling out the various relationships was in some ways as satisfying as the mystery, which has a rather odd premise (a female ferry boat operator has gone somewhat off the rails embarrassing the town) but proves to me engrossing. McPherson has a splendid eye for character and the setting, despite being a now rather distant one, is quite natural and convincing. The attitudes to childbirth and rearing are quite amusing to read now. Certainly the book is well researched. Will I head back and read the 12 novels in the series I missed? No. But I might well read the next one!
June 3, 2021
Dandy is now a grandmother. she loves the babies but is not used to them being there ALL the time. She and Alec take a case to escape her daughter in law's mother and baby picnic weekend. They travel to Crammond and find mystery, murder and danger. Well done. It is the breezy Scottish summer of 1936, Lady Dandy Gilver has been called, with trusted colleague Alec Osbourne, to solve the strange case of the Crammond Ferrywoman on the Firth of Forth.
A small island is home to a woman, Vesper Kemp, who has lost her mind, spending her days rambling in rags.
What is more troubling, is that Vesper claims to have murdered a young man. A concerned group of residents have good reason to believe she is innocent. But Dandy and Alec will have a dangerous journey ahead if they are to uncover the truth in the River Almond's murky waters.
A small island is home to a woman, Vesper Kemp, who has lost her mind, spending her days rambling in rags.
What is more troubling, is that Vesper claims to have murdered a young man. A concerned group of residents have good reason to believe she is innocent. But Dandy and Alec will have a dangerous journey ahead if they are to uncover the truth in the River Almond's murky waters.
August 23, 2022
I like mysteries that involve an interesting cast of characters and this is a good one. It is set in Scotland in the mid 1930s. The unlikely detective is the middle aged wife of a well to do Scottish landowner. Her sidekick is a family friend who doesn't seem to have to work for a living. They are hired by the vicar of a small coastal town to figure out the bizarre behavior shown by a local woman who rows the local ferry. At the same time the son of a friend of the detective has drowned in the same town. The ferry woman appears in torn clothing talking gibberish, and the death of the young man soon appears to be not exactly a drowning. They are put up in uncomfortable circumstances at the home of one of the local dowagers and the two of them follow leads that take them back in time and eventually all the loose ends get tied together. I'm looking forward to finding others in the series.
May 22, 2023
3.75 stars
This Scottish historical series is a delight. Set between the wars, unlikely private investigator Dandy Gilver and her partner Alec wind up in a little town after a call for help from the local vicar. The young woman who runs the ferry has evidently lost her marbles, is behaving quite strangely, and often refuses to take the boat across.
They refuse the job several times until they discover a link between the ferry and the death of a young man whose family Dandy knows. When they arrive they find a town full of secrets and deception, some criminal activity, and not a lot of cooperation from the locals.
But the real treasure of this series is not the plots although they are interesting. It's Dandy's dry humor and pithy observations and the appealing Scottish setting.
This Scottish historical series is a delight. Set between the wars, unlikely private investigator Dandy Gilver and her partner Alec wind up in a little town after a call for help from the local vicar. The young woman who runs the ferry has evidently lost her marbles, is behaving quite strangely, and often refuses to take the boat across.
They refuse the job several times until they discover a link between the ferry and the death of a young man whose family Dandy knows. When they arrive they find a town full of secrets and deception, some criminal activity, and not a lot of cooperation from the locals.
But the real treasure of this series is not the plots although they are interesting. It's Dandy's dry humor and pithy observations and the appealing Scottish setting.
October 26, 2020
I actually enjoyed this one more than I expected, especially after reading some of the early, very critical reviews. I was a bit worried when the opening involved her son, his older bride and new twin babies, and dozens more mothers and babes being treated to a grand old time down ye old manse, but that was thankfully dispensed with quickly in the first couple chapters. This was more of a Nancy Drew meets a Hardy Boy style adventure mystery, but I thought it was a nice change of pace. In the end I'm not sure how the setup stayed a mystery given that almost the entire village was in on it save for the reverend, but the storytelling was well done. 3.5 stars.
June 13, 2020
I am delighted to say that this is a great improvement on the previous two entries in the series, but is still nowhere as near interesting as the earlier books.
The settings, particularly at Cramond and in James Thin's the booksellers, took me back to my childhood and youth in Edinburgh, but the plot was not particularly engrossing or engaging. Many people will find aspects disturbing, especially the depiction of Vesper Kemp, the Cramond ferrywoman.
3.5 stars as it has encouraged me to continue with Dandy and Alec.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton for the digital review copy.
The settings, particularly at Cramond and in James Thin's the booksellers, took me back to my childhood and youth in Edinburgh, but the plot was not particularly engrossing or engaging. Many people will find aspects disturbing, especially the depiction of Vesper Kemp, the Cramond ferrywoman.
3.5 stars as it has encouraged me to continue with Dandy and Alec.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton for the digital review copy.
July 31, 2020
Even if I enjoyed this story I think it'd be better to read the previous instalment as I felt a bit confused at times and didn't understand some references to previous books.
The characters are fleshed out and likeable, the plot is enjoyable and engrossing even if a bit convoluted at times. The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing.
The historical background is vivid and interesting.
I recommend this book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
The characters are fleshed out and likeable, the plot is enjoyable and engrossing even if a bit convoluted at times. The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing.
The historical background is vivid and interesting.
I recommend this book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
December 20, 2020
I am a huge fan of Catroina McPherson, and enjoyed hearing from her virtually at the 2020 Bouchercon. The Turning Tide is a delightful book, another in her Dandy Gilver series, engaging and fun. Dandy and her fellow sleuth Alec arrive in a small Scottish town at the request of the local vicar, who is concerned about a woman who seems to have lost her mind. Dandy and Alec track down the woman and discover the source of her distress, while uncovering a bigger scandal. Along the way they meet a town full of oddballs.
I highly recommend this fun romp!
I highly recommend this fun romp!
July 18, 2020
*****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review******
This latest instalment in the Dandy Gilver series was a bit of a miss for me. I've loved some of this series, and found some less engaging and this is more of the latter than the former. I like the characters and I liked the idea of the mystery, but something about it all just didn't gel together for me. A shame but I'll still keep reading them. And this cover is gorgeous.
This latest instalment in the Dandy Gilver series was a bit of a miss for me. I've loved some of this series, and found some less engaging and this is more of the latter than the former. I like the characters and I liked the idea of the mystery, but something about it all just didn't gel together for me. A shame but I'll still keep reading them. And this cover is gorgeous.
September 6, 2020
I looked forward to catching up with Dandy and Alec but I found this book quite disappointing. Like a few other reviewers I thought that using mental illness in a crime novel was in bad taste. Also the mystery itself was rather unbelievable. A map would have helped as I found it hard to visualise the island and the mills on the river. I will probably continue to read books in this series but hope the next one will be an improvement on this.
June 6, 2021
Enjoyable read with a female detective and her male associate set in Scotland of about 1850s.
They came to this little island to investigate what was bothering Vesper, a young woman who inherited the ferry from her father. She is not herself and no longer running the ferry as she should. We meet a cast of interesting characters, two older ladies, and a minister. A three mill owners don't seem to be running the mills as is usual.
The characters are charming and the mystery evolving.
They came to this little island to investigate what was bothering Vesper, a young woman who inherited the ferry from her father. She is not herself and no longer running the ferry as she should. We meet a cast of interesting characters, two older ladies, and a minister. A three mill owners don't seem to be running the mills as is usual.
The characters are charming and the mystery evolving.
July 30, 2021
This was my first Dandy Gilver mystery, but will definitely not be my last. While reading this book I felt like I was transported to rural Scotland and was on the tiny island of Crammond with Dandy and Alec. The characters, setting and time period are well portrayed. There is some humor interspersed into the story and I found myself laughing out loud. The mystery kept me guessing up to the end.
January 21, 2022
I enjoyed spending time with Dandy and found the beginning of the novel, before the mystery itself even got started especially fun and amusing. The mystery, however, left me cold as did Dandy and Alex's attempts at figuring out what was going on. The final outcome wasn't very satisfying, either. This will not keep me from continuing with the series. Dandy Gilver remains a favorite character and I love following her life.
January 12, 2020
I'm afraid I found this disappointing. The cover promised so much. I could not relate to Dandy. I had to read several pages several times in order to understand the narrative and I'm an extremely experienced and fluent reader. I'm still puzzled as to why there ever was a case in the first place. Vesper''s behaviour initially indicated the need for health professionals not amateur detectives.
February 26, 2021
Probably 3.5 stars. Dandy and Alec have a new case: why does the ferry-woman at Cramond refuse to do her job? And is there any connection with the recent death of a young man in the same area? The two begin their investigation without really know what they are investigating, or just where the clues they find are leading. Quick, enjoyable read, with a touch of humor. Recommended.
March 16, 2021
Secrets and lies abound in a coastal Scottish village with a mad ferrywoman, Roman ruins, agricultural experiments, and four millers. The interplay between Dandy and Alec makes me smile. (I also love that the heroine/narrator isn’t an 18-year-old ingenue.) However, I do wish I had seen more of Mallory’s picnic.
September 8, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. The author has such a clever way with words and the characters are so distinctive. The mystery was a real puzzler, very elaborate. I very much enjoyed being in Dandy Gilver's head (the main character). I wish I had time to binge the whole series. I started with this one so now I need to backtrack.
December 20, 2022
Another very entertaining story in the series of Dandy and Alex. This time they are invited by the local minister to come to a remote village where a young woman, employed as the ferry person, seems to have lost her mind. They then link the events to the sudden death of the son of a friend of Dandy's, so she is determined to find out just what has been going on.
The book has the usual humour and dry wit, and offers an entertaining view of life between the wars, but the war clouds are gathering.
The book has the usual humour and dry wit, and offers an entertaining view of life between the wars, but the war clouds are gathering.
October 11, 2024
Well this is the first book that Dandy got hurt in. And that there was actual danger to Alec and Dandy from the bad guys. The first part of this book-describing Donald and Mallory and the babies was hilarious. I almost wish there was another series just of household stories and not mysteries or murders. The backdrop of WWII is just looming more and more ominously.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews