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105th out of 355 books
—
607 voters
After the Armistice Ball (Dandy Gilver #1)
Dandy Gilver, her husband back from the War, her children off at school and her uniform growing musty in the attic, is bored to a whimper in the spring of 1923 and a little light snooping seems like harmless fun. And what could be better than to seek out the Duffy diamonds, stolen from the Esselmont's country house, Croys, after the Armistice Ball? Before long, though, the...more
Hardcover, 303 pages
Published
August 10th 2005
by Carroll & Graf
(first published 2005)
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Book one in the Dandy Gilver, society sleuth, mystery series set in Scotland. It is 1922 and members of the upper class are getting back to normal from the events of World War I and are holding what had been an annual ball before the war. Dandy is asked by a friend to help work out what happened regarding diamonds that supposedly went missing while the owner was staying at the friend's house during the ball. That request leads Dandy and new found friend Alex through a series of events over sever...more
Jun 30, 2012
Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Snail in Danger (Sid) by:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=205237235587408630945.0004a687492f9b13f43c9&ie=UTF8&source=embed&vpsrc=6&ll=55.950065,-3.170414&spn=0.023068,0.041113&z=14
Shelves:
mystery-genre
It seems to me that a hallmark of 20th and 21st century literature is that not much gets explained. That is, the sort of talking to the reader to explain things (except as genuine interior monologue) such as is seen in SF, is generally absent. I'm not sure if I'm explaining what I mean very well, but this book had the same sort of feel, especially near the beginning.
It also has what I think you might call a bumbling hero. Dandy (short for Dandelion) has hardly any clue what she is doing, and she...more
It also has what I think you might call a bumbling hero. Dandy (short for Dandelion) has hardly any clue what she is doing, and she...more
I thought this was one of the best crime novels I have read that has been written in the last 20 years. I find it extremely satisfying that not only is Dandy a good detective, but that she thinks as someone living through the post-war period would have been likely to. Ms McPherson has drawn excellent 3D characters and although I knew nothing about Scotland (either in the 1920s or even much now) before reading this series I felt that I had gained an insight into that society at that time. One oth...more
I found this book at the library, decided to give it a try, and was smitten! It's charming and witty, and lightly suspenseful. If you're looking for light mystery reading, give it a try!
I love books of the 1920's and 30's and particularly enjoy mystery of the time! Without looking at the copywrite date, one would think this book was written during that time!
The plot and characters were interesting. I had a hard time following some of the references (to Jane Austen characters) and some of the conclusions made between the character's. I want to tell Dandy---no I don't know what your talking about when your facial expression tells the whole story to your friend Alec! And by the wa...more
The plot and characters were interesting. I had a hard time following some of the references (to Jane Austen characters) and some of the conclusions made between the character's. I want to tell Dandy---no I don't know what your talking about when your facial expression tells the whole story to your friend Alec! And by the wa...more
Dandy Gilver is just a touch bored. Her husband is obsessed with drains on the Gilverton estate, her sons are off at school, and her maid Grant is far too concerned with fashion. When her friend Daisy asks for help, Dandy (short for Dandelion) jumps at the chance. Daisy's husband is in insurance, and the Duffy family wants to cash in a claim...for the missing family diamonds. The only problem is Mrs. Duffy's story about the diamonds doesn't ring true, and the premium payment hasn't been met. Whe...more
I really enjoyed this book! It was one of those "judge the book by its cover" picks from the library - they had a table out of mysteries and this one caught my eye because I love the 1920's.
Dandy is a Scottish society wife. Now that World War I has ended, she's packed her uniform away and gone back to the usual routine as a wife and mother. Eager for an adventure, she agrees to look in to the alleged theft of from diamonds from her friend's annual Armistice anniversary ball. Soon she has more a...more
Dandy is a Scottish society wife. Now that World War I has ended, she's packed her uniform away and gone back to the usual routine as a wife and mother. Eager for an adventure, she agrees to look in to the alleged theft of from diamonds from her friend's annual Armistice anniversary ball. Soon she has more a...more
Well, this book put me off this series because McPherson's MO is a tremendous amount of discursive conversation and not much else. While this was the introductory work, I liked the "Bloodstains" book best (my first read in the Dandy Gilver bunch) because I also got a bit of insight into the Upstairs/Downstairs life of a British townhouse in the 1920s.
The period details that I enjoyed in "Bloodstains" were mostly absent in "Armistice" and "Unsuitable Day," which will be it for me for Dandy Gilver...more
The period details that I enjoyed in "Bloodstains" were mostly absent in "Armistice" and "Unsuitable Day," which will be it for me for Dandy Gilver...more
I quite dug my first experience with Catriona McPherson’s dry detective, Dandy Gilver, with her disarming candor and her mild grumpiness, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. After The Armistice Ball is a solid little detective story with enough reasonable twists to keep me engaged and an authentic enough ring that I wasn’t jarred out of her world by anachronisms. (I’m no expert on the British interwar years, but nothing glaringly modern leapt out at me: more astute readers, pleas...more
I like the time it's set in. I love who-dunnits set in big mansions with society intrigues galore.
But I started to get uncomfortable after a while. Then I got itchy.
Maybe the writer was being ironic and I didn't get it, but suddenly her reverse misogyny got embarrassing.
Remarks along the line of 'after hearing of the daft shenanigans I got up to, tweeds akimbo, my husband now undoubtedly thinks me sillier than he already did, and of course, I had been a bit of a numpty about the whole affair, bu...more
But I started to get uncomfortable after a while. Then I got itchy.
Maybe the writer was being ironic and I didn't get it, but suddenly her reverse misogyny got embarrassing.
Remarks along the line of 'after hearing of the daft shenanigans I got up to, tweeds akimbo, my husband now undoubtedly thinks me sillier than he already did, and of course, I had been a bit of a numpty about the whole affair, bu...more
I really really wanted to love this book. I love the time period and female sleuths, but I just couldn't get into this one. It took me a while to realize it was based in Scotland, and the story started off right away without a lot of pretext. I never got a feel for the characters and could read a page and not get anything from it. A lot of dialogue. I know she's recently won a lot of awards for her later books in the series, so obviously she works out some of these writing kinks.
My goodness, how many of these British lady detectives between the wars are there?! This one's centered in Scotland. Not as light as Rhys Bowen's Lady Georgianna, not as serious as Jaqueline Winspear's Misie Dobbs. A lot like Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple but upper class. This is the first in the series and the heroine here, Dandy Gilver, starts as a frivolous amateur but ends deep (although still amateur). I really don't need to get sucked into another series like this - what will become of my...more
Hooray, another intriguing series to follow -- set in the early 1920s among the struggling upper classes of Perthshire, the book manages to be both amusing and compelling as a seemingly obvious case of theft and blackmail becomes much darker and more complex. I plan to continue reading the exploits of Dandy (for Dandelion) Gilver, whose "upstairs" life is deceptively easy thanks to her maid Grant and the others who allow her the luxury of time to spend solving the difficulties of other socialite...more
This apparently is a first novel and proof you shouldn't judge a book by its gorgeous cover--I expected a different personality for the heroine and even more of the faithful dog.
It took forever to get through this book: the plot and language are ponderous--the book just drags on and then suddenly rushes to a conclusion intent on throwing several twists at us. Not many sympathetic characters in the book except for the murder victim's fiance. The heroine apparently is in a loveless or stale marria...more
It took forever to get through this book: the plot and language are ponderous--the book just drags on and then suddenly rushes to a conclusion intent on throwing several twists at us. Not many sympathetic characters in the book except for the murder victim's fiance. The heroine apparently is in a loveless or stale marria...more
Dandy is a woman of privilege who appears rather ditzy. A friend of hers asks her to use her ability to appear innocuous to investigate an acquaintance who is attempting to extort some money from the woman's husband. Dandy is on the case.
I found getting used to the book a bit diffuclt, the writing giving me some problems at first. But After a few Chapters that problem disappeared and I enjoyed the characterizations and Dandy a lot.
Light cozy and fun.
I found getting used to the book a bit diffuclt, the writing giving me some problems at first. But After a few Chapters that problem disappeared and I enjoyed the characterizations and Dandy a lot.
Light cozy and fun.
Not bad, but the author has an unfortunate tendency to write in a sort of shorthand, thinking that the reader is perfectly capable of understanding what she's talking about. Well, this reader isn't. Perhaps I'm just particularly obtuse. Also, there was a cliffhanger ending. I'm not opposed to such on principle, but this book has a rather clumsy use of it.
I enjoyed this book which is thew first one in the Dandy Gilver series, it's set in Scotland - Edinburgh,Perth and Galloway. Daisy Esslemont asks her friend Dandy to try and find out what has happened to the Duffy diamonds. It does drag a bit at times with Dandy having to go back to Galloway so many times but I do like Dandy and Alec, who helps her in this investigation.
I enjoyed this very much: the writing flows, it's well-plotted, and the main character is both likeable and believable. I particularly appreciate her matter-of-fact view of marriage: she has her part of the house, her husband has his, and they occasionally meet for meals. I look forward to reading the sequels.
If you are looking for a mystery set between the wars and are all caught up on Maisie Dobbs, this is a good series to consider. While not the psychological mystery of the Maisie Dobbs series, Dandy is a likeable sleuth and this series provides a good window into the time, at least for the upper classes.
Enjoyed reading about this new girl in town, although the town is in 1922. Danday would be a bored housewife today, but in 1922, she was the typical upscale English wife and mother. Typical in regards to the higher society that married more for name and social standing than for 'love'.
I had a hard time getting used to the author's style of writing. I found myself having to go back a few times to re-read passages to make sure I understood or connected the dots together. The end was a let down. One key point to the mystery was supposedly solved in a conversation, but not out-right. I had to do some thinking out loud to put a name to it. Even then, I'm not completely sure I got it right. I think a mystery book should be all wrapped up nice and clean at the end- no VITAL question...more
This is the first book in the Dandy Gilver series. Similar to the Maisie Dobbs novels but set in the 1920 period. This first book starts out well but slows down in the middle.I kept at it and the conclusion was worth the persistance.
Amateur sleuth Dandy Gilver investigates missing jewels and what at first seems to be a suicide but turns out to be quite something else. The Scottish period setting is admirable and the storyline almost so.
1922. Dandy Gilver is kind of a cross between Phryne Fisher (rich and sophisticated) and Amelia Peabody (who always seems to miss the obvious). I enjoyed it enough to want to read more in the series.
I didn't enjoy this book at all, to be honest. The beginning was boring and hard to get into, the middle was convoluted and choppy, and the ending was sloppy and confusing. I won't be reading the rest of the series.
I loved that the characters really seem to have a 1920s British upper class mindset.
I wish more people would read this because am going crazy that I can't discuss the Dandy-Alec UST.
I wish more people would read this because am going crazy that I can't discuss the Dandy-Alec UST.
Will Dandy develop into a Sherlock or a Watson to Alec's Sherlock? I'm confused so I'm reserving final judgment until I've read another in the series.
Loved this....great character - Dandelion Gilver!! Rather Wodehouse and Dorothy Sayers in influence. Excellent. Have just started the next one. Please keep writing Catriona
Cute cosy series setin England after World War Ii when social structures were changing. Interesting characters and plots.
Excellent period mystery set after World War I. I loved Dandy Gliver and her bumbling approach to detecting.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Who? (Possible spoiler) | 7 | 24 | Aug 07, 2012 03:50pm |
aka Catriona McCloud
Catriona McPherson was born in South Queensferry. After finishing school, she worked in a bank for a short time, before going to university. She studied for an MA in English Language and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, and then gained a job in the local studies department at Edinburgh City Libraries. She left this post after a couple of years, and went back to university t...more
More about Catriona McPherson...
Catriona McPherson was born in South Queensferry. After finishing school, she worked in a bank for a short time, before going to university. She studied for an MA in English Language and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, and then gained a job in the local studies department at Edinburgh City Libraries. She left this post after a couple of years, and went back to university t...more
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Oct 23, 2012 02:47pm