Dandy Gilver Mysteries

[callmemadam]

The Winter Ground was my first Dandy Gilver Mystery and I intend to read the rest. Dandy is in theory a lady of leisure, living on a Scottish estate with her conventional husband, Hugh. This book begins: ‘Twice a year, for a week or so, for half an hour each day, it is easy to feel glad to be in Perthshire.’ This shows that Dandy is something of a misfit in her county milieu and that there will be plenty of humour in the book. Rather than dutifully huntin’ shootin’ and fishin’, Dandy, with her friend Alec, is also a rather successful private detective.

There’s something cosy about reading a winter book in summer. Cooke’s circus spends the off season on a neighbouring estate and mysterious events cause the owner’s wife to call in Dandy. When an accident could be murder, in steps the delightful Inspector Hutchinson who, unusually for a copper, is happy to let amateurs do some of the work. The book is well written and very enjoyable.



Dandy Gilver has her own website here to provide background to the stories. I particularly like ‘Upstairs: Grant’, where Dandy’s maid gives advice on clothes. The Dandy Gilver Mysteries are set in the 1920s. Catriona McPherson has also written ‘modern’ novels, as Catriona McCloud and I intend to seek out those as well. Many thanks to the library for providing me with a new author to enjoy.

Comments

[6p00d834eb38c969e2 [typepad.com] (from livejournal.com)]

So glad you're a Dandy fan now! If you would like to borrow the others I shall give them to Mum to bring to Dorset when she's next up, although it sounds like you've discovered a decent library now so perhaps they have them all.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Yes, hurrah!
A very kind offer, thank you. I won't trouble you as I want to hunt them down now.

[(Anonymous)]

What a delightful website -written as if she is a real person. I loved it. Witty. I'll look into book depository to see if they can send me one. Thanks for the recommendation.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I hope you will enjoy it.

[ramblingfancy.livejournal.com]

I always think there's a touch of the Provincial Lady about her - the occasionally grumpy, frequently silent husband too. They are great good fun. I'm glad Ferndown is so good!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Yes! I'd meant to say that if the PL were a detective she'd be like this, also how much Hugh is like Robert, only fiercer.

Far more books but I've just started another three and cast them aside, alas.