⋙ Read Free The Burry Man Day Dandy Gilver Mysteries Catriona McPherson 9780786717408 Books

The Burry Man Day Dandy Gilver Mysteries Catriona McPherson 9780786717408 Books

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The Burry Man Day Dandy Gilver Mysteries Catriona McPherson 9780786717408 Books

This was the first Dandy mystery I read (it's the second of the series) and is still my favorite. Knowing nothing about it but drawn in by the cover art (who wouldn't be, do admit), I brought it along on an overseas flight as my "back up book," not knowing what to expect. Dandy kept me entertained for many a cramped, uncomfortable hour and had me laughing out loud many times. I love original mysteries of the 1920s and 30s, and though there are quite a few modern series set in those decades, I haven't warmed up to any except this one and one other (Phryne Fisher). McPherson's language rings true to the period - and the dialogue never sounds phony or forced. It was like discovering a book from the golden age of mysteries that I'd never read before. The 1920s can be handled badly by some modern writers - verging on parody - but not McPhereson. She shows considerable skill in throwing cocktail parties and giving characters nicknames like Buttercup and a yen for lounging pyjamas without it ever sounding clichéd. It's also intelligent - so while enjoyable and relaxing, it isn't too light, as some neo-`20s mysteries can be (the ones that have to explain any and every literary allusion to be sure we get it).

McPherson bestows Dandy with not only wit and wry humor, but also authentic biases of her time and status (upper class, though I wouldn't describe her as an "aristocratic socialite"); I would add that the latter is subtle. I particularly admire the handling of Dandy's relationship with her maid: on one hand it's rather nanny/child, with Dandy, though the employer, either meekly submiting to Grant's wishes or fearing her disapproval (this occasionally has bearing on her detecting). But, Dandy, a woman who has always had a maid, doesn't confuse her employee for a friend; McPherson doesn't draw undue attention to this fact, however.

Of course as soon as I got home I had to look up the Burry Man and found him every bit as scary as Dandy/McPherson describes - nightmares and daymares.


Tags : The Burry Man's Day (Dandy Gilver Mysteries) [Catriona McPherson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The festivities at the annual Ferry Fair in 1923 are thrown into turmoil when the ubiquitous Burry Man, a pagan-dressed,Catriona McPherson,The Burry Man's Day (Dandy Gilver Mysteries),Carroll & Graf Pub,0786717408,~(@0ReZ8s`3@3zpBv_2006_1st-ed1s,Mystery & Detective - General,Murder;Investigation;Scotland;South Queensferry;Fiction.,Mystery fiction.,South Queensferry (Scotland);Social life and customs;Fiction.,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction Mystery & Detective General,Investigation,Murder,Mystery & Detective - Historical,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,Mystery And Suspense Fiction,Mystery fiction,MysterySuspense,Scotland,Scottish Novel And Short Story,Social life and customs,South Queensferry,South Queensferry (Scotland)

The Burry Man Day Dandy Gilver Mysteries Catriona McPherson 9780786717408 Books Reviews

This book was so enjoyable I hated to put it down. I hope someone makes a mini-series of these Dandy Gilver books, she is a great character.
This series is well written, and the characters are rounded and believable. The setting is nicely curious, being a local fair with strange goings on.
This great series really captures the feel of upperclass Britain between the wars- echoes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.
I love Dandy. Very good cozy mystery. I wish they were all available on kindle.
Well written. Historical details very accurate. The years after WW

I think that the years just after WWI were really interesting. In the U.S. stories and movies set in the 20's tend to be about flappers and gangsters not real seeming people. Dandy is both believable and likable. The author writes well and knows her history.
The cover art is what prompted me to read the sixth book in this series first, Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains. Having enjoyed that novel so much because of the period setting and the unusualness of the characters I embarked on the pleasure of reading all the novels, but now in order. After the Armistice Ball is the first novel in the series and I strongly recommend that you begin with that one. There is a continuing cast of characters and you will enjoy the other novels more if you know from the beginning how each character fits into Dandy's life. The Burry Man's Day is the second in sequence and it had been a little while since I had read the other two novels. I was thrown slightly off balance for a while because I could not remember who Daisy was and the author took a very long time to give me the information. Well, Mrs. Daisy Esslemont is Dandy's long time friend and her home was the setting for the first case Dandy solved. For some unknown reason the author didn't mention any of that until the novel was rather far along and I had to keep wracking my brain to try to remember who Daisy was and why there was an air of complete familiarity between Daisy, Frederica (Freddy), and Dandy. Old school chums and best friends from then on is the answer. This novel takes place around 1923, just long enough after WWI for society women like Dandy to become restless with the sameness of their everyday lives after their wartime efforts but still not too far removed from the aftermath of war to have it play a large part in how people are coping with what happened during those years.

Dandy and Daisy have been asked to come to South Queensferry in Scotland to the castle and estate which Mr. and Mrs. Cadwallader and Frederica de Cassilis are restoring and bringing back to its former state of productivity and importance. Cad is an American and he and Freddy have lived in America during the war years so have remained more unaffected by the hardships than those in England and Scotland. Now a centuries old tradition of the yearly Ferry Fair is under attack from a group of temperance crusaders, namely the Burry Man. For the past twenty-five years Robert Dudgeon has allowed himself to be completely covered in burdock seeds - basically prickly thorns - and he has walked around the town from nine in the morning until six in the afternoon demanding tributes of money or whiskey to ward off bad luck for the coming year. The money goes to charity, the whiskey goes to make him very drunk. This time Robert dies as soon as he finishes his day as the Burry Man. The police rule natural causes, Dandy doesn't think so.

You must enjoy novels written about the social structures in place during this time period and this place for this to be a novel you will like. The social class system is still very firmly in place. There is a "right" way to act in social situations and Cadwallader doesn't really understand all of those "right" ways because of his American background. Dandy and her friends can definitely be snobs but they seem to soften quite a lot because of the absolute goodness of Cad and his sincere desire to be helpful regarding his new duties as caretaker of the estate. Dandy also is willing to overlook social situations regarding her status if it will help her in investigating crimes. She has some very honestly stated feelings of ambivalence toward her husband, Hugh, and a distinctly non-maternal attitude toward her sons. She shows no compunction whatsoever for staying away from them for long periods of time. One has to wonder though if she wouldn't be off like a shot should a calamity befall any one of them. After the success Dandy and Alec Osborne had with their first case they dive right in to investigate what may be a crime in this one. The relationship between Dandy and Alec is always left undetermined and my hope is that it will remain so throughout the entire series. For a mystery solving reader this one seemed to be a little bit easy, at least until that twist was thrown in at the ending. I like the writing style of Catriona McPherson, the way she makes the reader work to figure out the solution to the crime and how she is fair in placing the clues within the reach of all, it is just up to the reader to spot them. I read this novel on my and the formatting was very well done. However, there is a lovely map at the beginning of the novel which I would have dearly loved to make available to help with all the different locations around the town which have activity in the book. Unfortunately the map was so small on my it was not useful. Granted, my is one of the first issues so maybe now there is some way to enlarge the picture to see it more clearly.
I was disappointed in this book most of the way through the story. It was like one of those meringue candies that melts away in your mouth and doesn't have much of a taste. Empty calories. The upper-class 1920s heroine, Dandy, and her pals didn't have an ounce of weight to them. "Enough already," I thought as the tale progressed, or more accurately, "not enough at all."

The plot pulled a 180 on me with its climax and denouement. The tone of the story changed, as did my opinion of it.

I figured out the mystery's switcheroo a number of pages before Dandy. However, there was another, larger, darker switcheroo coming that I did not foresee, and it was a heart-breaker. What started out as a silly adventure of upper class twits among the Scottish village folk ended as a deeply affecting story of how the Great War was still tragically destroying lives five years after its official end.

So if you get this book and at first don't like it because it is too light and silly, stay with it to the end and see what you think. I'm not sure if I'll read another book in the series, but I am glad I did not give up on this one.
This was the first Dandy mystery I read (it's the second of the series) and is still my favorite. Knowing nothing about it but drawn in by the cover art (who wouldn't be, do admit), I brought it along on an overseas flight as my "back up book," not knowing what to expect. Dandy kept me entertained for many a cramped, uncomfortable hour and had me laughing out loud many times. I love original mysteries of the 1920s and 30s, and though there are quite a few modern series set in those decades, I haven't warmed up to any except this one and one other (Phryne Fisher). McPherson's language rings true to the period - and the dialogue never sounds phony or forced. It was like discovering a book from the golden age of mysteries that I'd never read before. The 1920s can be handled badly by some modern writers - verging on parody - but not McPhereson. She shows considerable skill in throwing cocktail parties and giving characters nicknames like Buttercup and a yen for lounging pyjamas without it ever sounding clichéd. It's also intelligent - so while enjoyable and relaxing, it isn't too light, as some neo-`20s mysteries can be (the ones that have to explain any and every literary allusion to be sure we get it).

McPherson bestows Dandy with not only wit and wry humor, but also authentic biases of her time and status (upper class, though I wouldn't describe her as an "aristocratic socialite"); I would add that the latter is subtle. I particularly admire the handling of Dandy's relationship with her maid on one hand it's rather nanny/child, with Dandy, though the employer, either meekly submiting to Grant's wishes or fearing her disapproval (this occasionally has bearing on her detecting). But, Dandy, a woman who has always had a maid, doesn't confuse her employee for a friend; McPherson doesn't draw undue attention to this fact, however.

Of course as soon as I got home I had to look up the Burry Man and found him every bit as scary as Dandy/McPherson describes - nightmares and daymares.