Bury Her Deep (A Dandy Gilver Mystery, 3)

I can't say enough about the Dandy Gilver series. I read quite a few other mystery series, and end up getting disillusioned with the mediocre writing and lackluster plots. No so for this series - it feels so true to the times, and the writing is impeccable. I love the way the series is unpredictable -- it's not just a typical mystery formula. Some are quite dark, and the characters always surprise. I also love the true to life portrayal of Dandy's homelife, and how chilly her marriage is. It makes her feel like a real woman of her times, and not a set character. I just ordered the newest installment and can't wait to dive in. Keep going Catriona!!!

Dandy Gilver, a bored mother and wife of Hugh Gilver, a wealthy farmer, is now a self proclaimed detective having successfully solved one case..and been paid for doing so..is now prepared to accept the offer of a minister of the church in Fife , to solve the mystery of the "Dark Stranger". Ladies of the newly formed Women's Rural Institute in a small village, have been attacked when on their way home from meetings by a stranger dressed in dark clothes, who pulls out strands of their hair. Dandy stays at the manse with the minister and his daughter, but doesn't get far with her questioning of the victims, all of whom seem strangely reticent about details of their attacker. The villagers are a strange lot, clinging determinedly to the past, unwilling to accept new ideas and intermarrying for generations. When some of the locals raise the subject of witchcraft, Dandy dismisses the idea as superstitious nonsense as it's 1924, but later has to question her own thoughts on the matter. It's a strange book with some very likeable characters and quite a few kinky ones which is often the case in tales of the inhabitants of small villages.