Dandy Gilver and a Deadly Measure of Brimstone

Description

Perthshire 1929, and the menfolk of the Gilver family have come down, between them, with influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy. Dandy, the devoted wife and mother, decides it is time to decamp; Dandy the intrepid detective, however, decides to decamp to the scene of a murder she would dearly love to solve. The family repairs to the Borders town of Moffat, there to drink the sulphurous waters straight from the well and to submit to the galvanic wraps and cold salt rubs of the splendid Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel. But all is not well at the Hydro. The Laidlaw family is at war, the guests are an uneasy mix of old faithfuls and giddy upstarts, and the secret of the lady who arrived but never left cannot be kept for long. And what of those drifting shapes in the Turkish bath? Just steam shifting in the air? Probably. But the Hydro was built in the lee of a Gallow Hill, and in this town the dead can be as much trouble as the living...

Catriona McPherson was born in the village of Queensferry in south-east Scotland in 1965 and educated at Edinburgh University. She left with a PhD in Linguistics and spent a few years as a university lecturer before beginning to write fiction. The first Dandy Gilver novel was short-listed for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger 2005 and the second was long-listed for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year Award 2007. Catriona writes full-time and divides her time between southern Scotland and northern California.

This is a beguiling book whose 1920s setting, light tone, and beautifully developed main characters draw you ever deeper into the central puzzle, or perhaps puzzles, which take on an increasingly dark tone as the story progresses. The background is utterly convincing, and there is a considerable amount of pleasure in simply learning more about Scotland in the 1920s. Most important of all, however, is that this is a thoroughly enjoyable read whose whose twists and turns are genuinely intriguing. An absolutely outstanding murder mystery... - UndiscoveredScotland.co.uk on DANDY GILVER AND A BOTHERSOME NUMBER OF CORPSES 1930s lady detective Dandy Gilver lands a sleuthing gig in a setting straight out of Enid Blyton. Cosier than a pair of WI-knitted mittens, Corpses serves up murder most foul - and is also good for several giggles. - Time Out on DANDY GILVER AND A BOTHERSOME NUMBER OF CORPSES Dandy Gilver is: - - Brisk, baffled, heroic, kindly, scandalised and - above all - very funny. - Guardian A winning heroine. - Independent The most engaging and ingenious crime-cracker I've met in ages. - Scotland on Sunday Wonderful . . . a lesson to us all. - Scotsman A delightful heroine. - My Weekly