Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains - Tapa dura

'A subtle detonation of the cosy genre... an acute sense of period, sharp observation of the mores of the day (both above and below stairs), a nicely-judged infusion of humour and a winning heroine.' -- Independent 20091203 'Dan Brown meets Barbara Pym ... Dandy is brisk, baffled, heroic, kindly, scandalised and - above all - very funny' -- Guardian 20091203 'McPherson is on to a winner... The period detail is accomplished and convincing, the crime is neatly convoluted and McPherson's prose bristles with clever asides under a lucid surface... I can't wait for her next adventure.' -- Scotland on Sunday on AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL 20091203 'Dandy Gilver is a delightful heroine' -- My Weekly 20091203 'Delightful' -- Herald on THE WINTER GROUND 20081031 'Compelling' -- Publishers Weekly starred review 20081031 'Dandy Gilver is an enthralling heroine; part Dorothy Parker, part Miss Marple, utterly engaging. [Catriona] can send chills up your spine and provoke a fit of the giggles in the space of a few short pages. Absolutely wonderful' -- Kirsty Scott 20081031 'What a tonic' -- Fiona Walker 20081031

1st May 1926 - Dear Alec, Just when those who should be working are all downing tools for this wretched strike (and I still can't believe it -- I mean to say: riots, Alec -- in Edinburgh of all places) guess who is setting her virgin shoulder to its very first wheel? I am dressed in serge and sensible footwear, sleeping in an iron bed and dining off pickled tongue at six o'clock each day. I am, in short, that nice young Mrs Balfour's new maid. But don't worry, Alec dear: things haven't got as bad as all that. It's just that that nice young Mr Balfour is going to kill his wife. At least, she thinks so, and the more I hear about him from butler, cook and bootboy the more I'm inclined to agree. So I'm undercover, in disguise, bent upon foiling. And jolly hard work it is too -- tomorrow is my half-day free if you'd care take me out for a restorative bun. (Every maid needs a beau to buy buns for her.) Yours, Dandy xx p.s. Ask for Miss Rossiter: below stairs I am she.