Dandy Gilver Mysteries by Catriona McPherson

Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver mysteries are smartly written who-dunnits set within a historical backdrop. Set in 1920’s Scotland, Catriona McPherson’s books feature the exuberant investigations of upper-crust sleuth Dandelion Dahlia Gilver – otherwise known as Dandy Gilver – her friend and sidekick Alec and her Dalmatian dog Bunty.

The period settings are beautifully described, as are the scenes of Dandy Gilver’s domestic life on the Gilver Estate. Clearly Catriona McPherson has done her research on this period of history and the writing too has a feel of the period, giving the illusion of a book from that era. It is the knowing text and acute social observations that reveal the books as having been written in more modern times.

This is the post-world war 1 era and a time of social change. Dandy Gilver’s husband has returned from the Front, content to run the Gilver Estate as it has always been run. Dandy, however, displays a rebellious streak rejecting the restrictions of an earlier age. She is no longer content to have her time organized by her stolidly conventional husband and is intent on developing her fledgling investigation service.

In keeping with her upbringing and place in society, Dandy Gilver is often naïve and frequently scandalized by what she discovers in the course of her investigations. It is the reflections and musings of Dandy – the books are charmingly written in the first person – that lets the readers share in the melodrama and surprise of the mysteries.

Dandy must navigate both the Upstairs and Downstairs worlds to solve her mysteries. For someone who doesn’t know how any of the household tasks are done or even how to make a cup of coffee, being Downstairs is definitely a humorous challenge for Dandy Gilver.

The boundaries between the classes are shifting, with social status not quite as clear as it once was. The various, well defined supporting characters in Catriona McPherson’s books are often wryly humorous and many are adept at deflecting Dandy from her investigations.

However, Catriona McPherson’s heroine Dandy Gilver succeeds with a mixture of ingenuity, cheerful unscrupulousness and a personal warmth that endears her to others and ensures she gets what she needs to solve the case. The books contain many plot twists and turns with serious crimes resolved with the same brisk levity as domestic matters, creating a scatty, slightly slapstick atmosphere redolent of the era.

The current Dandy Gilver books are:

After the Armistice Ball

The Burry Man's Day

Bury Her Deep

The Winter Ground

Dandy Gilver & the Proper Treatment of Blood Stains