This is the first book that I’ve read by Catriona McPherson, and I will probably read the second. Pilots are always hard for me, whether they’re a TV show or novel, because of the time it takes to set up the characters and atmosphere. Sometimes a first novel isn’t representative of the rest of the series, either. You can refer back to my Longmire post if you need an example of this.
Anyways, when I started this book I wasn’t sure if I’d even finish it. I don’t mean to criticize – the writing is very good. It was a little bogged down with description for me (this whole sentence is describing a dress):
“Most flattering in shape, although it takes stitching on to my petticoat straps, and with a miraculous effect on my complexion, which can be shadowy around the eyes if I am not careful.”
I’m not sure it was the description that slowed me down on my approval of this book, though. McPherson writes the story from the perspective of Dandelion (Dandy) Gilver, a rather bored housewife in England. She is involved in this mystery from the beginning as her friend Daisy requests that she investigate a jewel theft that supposedly occurred at her ball. The reason Daisy asks Dandy to investigate is quite insulting (to the reader; Dandy seems fine with it): Dandy tends to ask innocuous questions quite innocently, and nobody will be surprised if she blunders about asking questions.
Apparently, this is a reputation of Dandy’s; the woman whose jewels were stolen (Mrs. Duffy) doesn’t seem surprised that Dandy would be interested, and her daughters take it in stride as well. However, the mystery soon gets more serious than missing jewels when Mrs. Duffy’s beach cottage burns down in a fire and her daughter Cara goes missing. Dandy works tirelessly with Cara’s finance, Alec, to solve the mystery and put Alec’s mind at rest.
The plot in this novel is actually really good. I’m still turning it over in my head today and I finished it last night! What was hard about reading this book, aside from the lengthy descriptions, was following Dandy’s thought process. That was also very well done, as it probably reflects the thought patterns of a woman who doesn’t think she’s particularly intelligent, who’s just gaming at trying to solve a problem, and whose life regularly involves thinking about more mundane things. But, boy, was it confusing! There were a lot of blanks to fill in, a lot of guesses to be made, and a lot of assumptions left. It is a different style of writing and it is well-done, but it can be a lot for the brain to follow to catch every nuance. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would at the beginning, and I give praise to McPherson for a well-written debut of Dandy Gilver.