Лучшие книги Катрионы Макферсон

It’s the oldest bookshop in a town full of bookshops; rambling and disordered, full of treasures if you look hard. Jude found one of the treasures when she visited last summer, the high point of a miserable vacation. Now, in the depths of winter, when she has to run away, Lowell’s chaotic bookshop in that backwater of a town is the safe place she runs to. Jude needs a bolt-hole; Lowell needs an assistant, and when an affordable rental is thrown in too, life begins to look up. The gravedigger’s cottage isn’t perfect for a woman alone, but at least she has quiet neighbors.

When shy, lonely Ivy meets a woman who claims to be her long-lost sister, she knows it’s too good to be true. She decides to trust Kate anyway. She wants a family. She wants someone to love.

A gripping new crime novel set in 1940s Edinburgh at the birth of the NHS, IN PLACE OF FEAR is perfect for fans of Dear Mrs Bird and The Ninth Child . We follow newly appointed Medical Welfare Almoner Helen Crowther who, when a young woman mysteriously disappears, stumbles across something dark in the heart of Edinburgh's medical community.

In this darkly funny mystery Lexy Campbell's first love turns up dead at the Last Ditch Motel on Thanksgiving . . . and she becomes the prime suspect!

A mysterious object the size of a suitcase, all wrapped in bacon and smelling of syrup, can mean only one Thanksgiving at the Last Ditch Motel. This year the motel residents are in extra-celebratory mood as the holiday brings a new arrival to the group - a bouncing baby girl.

But as one life enters the Ditch, another leaves it. Menzies Lassiter has only just checked in. When resident counsellor Lexy Campbell tries to deliver his breakfast the next day, she finds him checked out. Permanently. Shocking enough if he was a stranger, but Lexy recognises that face. Menzies was her first love until he broke her heart many years ago.

What's he doing at the Last Ditch? What's he doing dead ? And how can Lexy escape the fact that she alone had the means, the opportunity - and certainly the motive - to kill him?

Set in 1930s Dundee and St Andrews, investigating the murder of a Punch and Judy puppeteer, THE MIRROR DANCE is the latest in the Dandy Gilver series from Catriona McPherson.

It is the breezy Scottish summer of 1936, Lady Dandy Gilver has been called, with trusted colleague Alec Osbourne, to solve the strange case of the Crammond Ferrywoman on the Firth of Forth.
A small island is home to a woman, Vesper Kemp, who has lost her mind, spending her days rambling in rags.
What is more troubling, is that Vesper claims to have murdered a young man. A concerned group of residents have good reason to believe she is innocent. But Dandy and Alec will have a dangerous journey ahead if they are to uncover the truth in the River Almond's murky waters.

When Finn and Paddy decide to move from their home in the city to the small town of Simmerton, it feels like everything has finally fallen into place. Paddy's been made partner at the law firm in town, and Finn has found full-time work as the deacon. Paddy's new boss has even offered them the use of a gate house on his property. Finn feels like this must be a fairy tale. Paddy thinks they've won the lottery. Either way, they agree: it's perfect.

But only days after moving into the gate house, Finn begins to have doubts. She keeps hearing strange sounds, and the thicket of trees make her feel claustrophobic rather than safe. When she and Paddy discover the bloody bodies of Paddy's boss and his wife, the fairytale has officially ended. A strange email—supposedly sent from the dead man—makes it clear: this was murder.

Paddy and Finn's dream of a new life quickly turns into a nightmare as the plot thickens and the tension grows. With strange neighbors and a haunting setting, Catriona McPherson once again weaves a page-turning tale of suspense.

Scottish-born California transplant Lexy Campbell sails into trouble when her houseboat party ends on a deadly note.

Now settled in her little houseboat, moored in the slough at the back of the Last Ditch Motel, Lexy Campbell wants nothing more than to build her counseling business, avoid her mother's phone calls and--who knows?--meet a nice guy. But when she throws a Halloween party for her motley crew of motel pals, the only single man is too old for her, too wrapped up in the case of beer chilling in the slough, and--oh, yes--too dead.

The sensible choice is to leave it up to the cops to identify the body and catch the killer. So faster than you can say "Tam O'Shanter," Lexy and her friends jump into the case themselves, delving deep into their town's past for the roots of a mystifying crime.

Praise for Scot & Soda

"Peppered with clever red herrings, the mystery gleefully revels in the absurd, but it's Lexy's friendships with the Last Ditch's unusual residents that give this series its big heart. Those who enjoy the Stephanie Plum mysteries will find plenty to like."--Publishers Weekly

Praise for Scot Free, Book 1 of the Last Ditch Mystery Series:

A 2019 Lefty Award Nominee

"[McPherson's] character-driven romp is sparked by the larger-than-life, quirky residents of the Last Ditch Motel, putting this laugh-out-loud whodunit on a par with the early Janet Evanovich."--Library Journal (starred review)

"McPherson, a master of creepy psychological mysteries, shows an utterly different side of herself in this zany series kickoff."--Kirkus Reviews

"McPherson gives the fish-out-of-water theme a hilarious and original spin with Lexy Campbell, a Scottish therapist who falls for and marries a sexy California dentist who turns out to be more horndog than hero. Throw in a sweet old lady accused of blowing up her pyrotechnic husband and a hilariously bumbling supporting cast, and you have the perfect comic caper. Lexy is my new favorite unwitting detective and her cultural observations and mistakes are laugh-out-loud funny. Scot Free is a little sexy and a lot funny, with a heart and a bang."--Jess Lourey, Anthony and Lefty-nominated author

"The only times I stopped turning the pages were when I was laughing so hard it took both hands just to hold the book. McPherson is an ace plotter, a vivid, original stylist, and great company. A great beginning to a new series."--Timothy Hallinan, author of the Junior Bender series

"Everyone who knows me knows that I don't throw the word 'hoot' around lightly. So if I were to say that Catriona McPherson's new novel was a hoot, believe me, I would mean it. Filled with an entertaining cast of eccentric characters, Scot Free is a funny and original mystery. Quite frankly, it's a hoot. There, I said it."--Johnny Shaw, author of Big Maria and Imperial Valley

"Lexy's snide observations about the California lifestyle can't cover up her affection for her friends, who are as warm-hearted as they are weird. Readers will look forward to Lexy's further adventures."--Publishers Weekly

"McPherson, who has earned acclaim for her dark thrillers and Dandy Gilver period cozies, blends jaunty pacing, a comically rendered Southern California setting, and quirky characters in this series starter. A sure bet for fans of Janet Evanovich and Sarah Strohmeyer."--Booklist

Lexy Campbell fell in love and left her native Scotland for a golden life in California--hitched to a hunk, building her marriage counseling practice, living the dream. Six months later she's divorced, broke, and headed home. There's just one last thing. Lexy's only client--sweet little old Mrs. Bombarro--is in jail for murdering her husband with a fireworks rocket. Lexy knows the cops have got it wrong; all she needs is a few days to prove it and somewhere cheap to sleep at night. But checking into the Last Ditch Motel leads Lexy to a whole new cast of characters with troubles of their own.

Eden was its name. "An alternative school for happy children." But it closed in disgrace after a student's suicide. Now it's a care home, its grounds neglected and overgrown. Gloria Harkness is its only neighbor, staying close to her son who lives there in the home, lighting up her life and breaking her heart each day.

When a childhood friend turns up at her door, Gloria doesn't hesitate before asking him in. He claims a girl from Eden is stalking him and has goaded him into meeting her at the site of the suicide. Only then, the dead begin to speak—it was murder, they say.

Gloria is in over her head before she can help it. Her loneliness, her loyalty, and her all-consuming love for her son lead her into the heart of a dark secret that threatens everything she lives for.

A delightful Dandy Gilver mystery by Catriona McPherson, set in early 1930s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie.

Glasgow,1932, is a city in the grip of dance-fever. Public ballrooms and backstreet dancehalls are thronged every night and competition for professional titles is fierce. Even after the sudden death of one of last year's hopefuls there are plenty willing to take his place, and few who stop to wonder why he died.

In the melting pot of the Locarno Ballroom in Sauchiehall Street, a debutante rubs shoulders with denizens of Glasgow's meanest streets, her respectable fianc oblivious, her parents dismayed.

When she starts receiving threats from a rival, they grow frantic enough to call on Dandy Gilver to save their precious daughter from harm.

But as Dandy and her sidekick, Alec Osborne, begin to unravel the secrets of the dancehall, they soon discover that the rot goes much deeper than rivalry and there's more at stake than a silver cup.

Despite the pretty frocks and dancing shoes, this apparently glittering world is a darker place than they've ever been before . . .

That was the day I met Gus, the day I grew a family as if from magic beans, the day she died. That's the point, see? It was the very same day...

Jessie Constable has learned the hard way to always keep herself safe. But meeting Gus King changes everything. Before she knows it, Jessie is sleeping at Gus's house, babysitting his kids, becoming a part of his family. And yet, she can't ignore the unsettling questions. Who does she keep seeing from the corner of her eye? Why are strange men threatening her? Most importantly, what really happened to Gus's wife?

Creating a brilliant, foreboding mystery where nothing is as it seems, master storyteller Catriona McPherson weaves an ominous tale that will keep you guessing until the very end.

A delightful Dandy Gilver mystery by Catriona McPherson, set in early 1930s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie. On the rain-drenched, wave-lashed, wind-battered Banffshire coast, tiny fishing villages perch on ledges which would make a seagull think twice and crumbly mansions cling to crumblier cliff tops while, out in the bay, the herring drifters brave the storms to catch their silver darlings. It's nowhere for a child of gentle Northamptonshire to spend Christmas. But when odd things start to turn up in barrels of fish - with a strong whiff of murder most foul - that's exactly where Dandy Gilver…

Perthshire 1929 and the menfolk of the Gilver family have come down, between them, with influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy. Dandy the devoted wife and mother decides it is time to decamp; Dandy the intrepid detective, however, decides to decamp to the scene of a murder she would dearly love to solve.
The family repairs to the Borders town of Moffat, there to drink the sulphurous waters straight from the well and to submit to the galvanic wraps and cold salt rubs of the splendid Laidlaw Hydropathic Hotel.
But all is not well at the Hydro. The Laidlaw family is at war, the guests are an uneasy mix of old faithfuls and giddy upstarts, and the secret of the lady who arrived but never left cannot be kept for long. And what of those drifting shapes in the Turkish bath? Just steam shifting in the air? Probably. But the Hydro was built in the lee of a Gallow Hill, and in this town the dead can be as much trouble as the living . . .

A 2014 Anthony Award Winner When she was twelve years old, Opal Jones escaped her mother's endless drinking. Now, returning to their small Leeds cottage after her mum's death, Opal feels like she's gone back in time. Nosey Mrs. Pickess is still polishing her windows to a sparkle. Fishbo, Opal's ancient music teacher, still plays trumpet with his band. And much to Opal's delight, her favorite neighbor, Margaret Reid, still keeps an eye on things from the walk in front of her house.

But a tragedy has struck Mote Street. Margaret's grandson, Craig, disappeared some ten years ago, and every day he's not found, shame and sorrow settle deeper into the neighborhood's forgotten corners. As the door she closed on her own dark past begins to open, Opal uncovers more secrets than she can bear about the people who were once her friends.

Praise:

Winner of the 2014 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original

Winner of the 2013 Gold ForeWord IndieFab Award for Mystery

Named one of KIRKUS REVIEWS' "Best Books of 2013"

"The creator of Dandy Gilver . . . has produced a stand-alone that is worlds apart, a fascinating, mysterious ramble you can't put down."--KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)

..".dark, absorbing, contemporary stand-alone..."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"[A] captivating stand-alone from the author of the Dandy Gilver mystery series." --BOOKLIST

"McPherson has crafted a tale that is both suspenseful and poignant. I wanted to cheer for Opal one second and hug her the next."--EILEEN RENDAHL, AUTHOR OF THE MESSENGER NOVELS

Before she was a detective, Dandy Gilver spent one perfect summer with the Lipscotts of Pereford. So when two of the Lipscott sisters beg her to help the third, she can hardly refuse.

Friday 3rd June, 1927

Dear Alec,
Careful what you wish for, lest it come true' is my new motto, and here is why. I was summoned to Dunfermline, that old grey town, in the matter of a missing heiress.

She had flounced off in a sulk over forbidden love and I, suspecting elopement, was loath to take the job of scouring guesthouses to find the little madam and her paramour.

Before I could wriggle out of it, though, there was a murder in the mix - or was it suicide? I had hardly begun to decide when it happened again. Then I was sacked. Actually sacked! By two separate people, and both dismissals in writing. And that's not even the worst of it, darling: matters here are careering downwards much in the style of a runaway train.

Dandy Gilver investigates murder when a Russian Circus arrives in rural 1920s Perthshire.
BAD LUCK? BAD TIMING? OR GOOD OLD-FASHIONED MURDER?

When a circus comes to spend the winter at the neighbouring estate to Gilverton, Dandy Gilver's two sons are cock-a-hoop and they are not alone in their excitement.

The allure of Tumbling Topsy Turvy, Tiny Truman and the Troupe Prebezhensky also draw the attention of the fast set, who would never normally be seen dead with the nouveau riche Mr & Mrs Albert Wilson. 'The name, darling, tells you everything you need to know.'

But when Dandy Gilver is asked to investigate a series of nasty tricks taking place in the circus she discovers, under the colourful charms on the surface of circus life, a hotbed of passion and resentment she cannot begin to understand. But, when one of the artistes suddenly dies, Dandy must somehow get behind the smoke and mirrors to find answers in a world where nothing is as it seems.

Dear Alec,
Remember my engagement yesterday? The annual duty luncheon for the Reverend Mr Tait from which and whom I expected only boredom? I could hardly have been more wrong, Alec dear, and I am this minute packing to follow the Reverend home to his manse in Fife, there to attend a meeting of the Rural Womens' Institute. Hardly a house party at which one would usually leap, I grant you, but not only is the man himself a perfect darling - imagine Father Christmas shaved clean and draped in tweed - but his parish, it seems, heaves with more violent passions than a Buenos Aires bordello. A stranger, you see, is roaming the night and pouncing on the ladies of the Rural. At least that's the tale they're telling and the one that Mr Tait told me, but since half the village think he's a figment and he only ever strikes at the full moon, I cannot help but wonder if there's something even odder going on . . .

Much love and remember me fondly if the dark stranger gets me,
Dandy xx

“Guaranteed to appeal to those who have never got over the death of Dorothy L. Sayers.” —Financial Times (UK)
Welcome to Edinburgh, 1926. Dandy Gilver, a wealthy and witty aristocrat (and sometimes amateur sleuth) receives a letter from Lollie Balfour, who insists that her husband of five years is having her followed and her mail is being steamed open.

The only way for Dandy to help is by pretending to applying for a job as a lady’s maid in Lollie’s house. Dandy gets a crash course from her own maid and arrives at 31 Heriot Row, ready to put all of her detection skills to good use. Why does Mr. Balfour want to get rid of his wife? And can Dandy stay in disguise long enough to evade the villains?

Charming and funny, Dandy Gilver is an irresistible sleuth who is sure to win over mystery lovers everywhere. Readers who can’t get enough of Dorothy L. Sayers, Barbara Pym, and Dorothy Parker will definitely find a new favorite in Catriona McPherson’s smart and original mystery.