The Reek of Red Herrings: A Dandy Gilver Mystery

Gothic touches enliven McPherson’s ninth Dandy Gilver mystery set in Scotland (after 2014’s [em]A Deadly Measure of Brimstone[/em]). In 1930, a distressed H. Birchfield of Birchfield & Sons, a fish distributor, approaches PI Dandy and her fellow investigator, Alec Osborne. Body parts found in barrels of herring clearly indicate foul play, yet the livelihoods of Birchfield’s far-from-wealthy employees will be threatened if word spreads and the authorities step in. Dandy and Alec trace the source to a village in Banffshire and masquerade as sibling folklorists to conduct discreet inquiries. They encounter townspeople with a permissive view of premarital sex, a minister and doctor who exchange dueling quotations, an eccentric pair of brothers with a museum of curiosities, an artistic English couple, and a less than gracious landlady. The Scots dialect and multiple names for villagers may pose some difficulties, but an exciting climax and the moral dilemmas confronting Dandy and Alec deliver rewards for readers. [em]Agent: Lisa Moylett, Coombs Moylett Literary Agency. (Dec.) [/em]