Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains

A cosy Dandy Gilver mystery set in 1920s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie.

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.

Catriona McPherson''s latest novel in the series, Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble is now available for pre-order.