Catriona McPherson Books In Order

Publication Order of Dandy Gilver Books

Publication Order of Last Ditch Mystery Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Born in 1965 in the city of Edinburgh, the Scottish author Catriona McPherson lived there for a number of years, as she wrote her unique brand of historical fiction and comedy. Known for her sharp wit, she’d become a renowned writer over the years, winning many awards in the process, especially for her Dandy Gilver series of novels. Using the tropes of the murder mystery as well, she was able to subvert them turning them on their head, creating something idiosyncratic all of her own in the process. With well defined characters and a good eye for detail, she still writes to this day.

Early and Personal Life

Brought up in the city of Edinburgh where she spent a large portion of her formative years, she took in her surroundings, putting them back into her writing career which was soon to follow. It was her time here that helped to spark the seeds of inspiration, as she fostered her love of both reading and writing from a very early age. Taking in experiences from her surroundings, she informed not only herself, but her writing as well, something which would take shape over the years to come.

Studying at the highly prestigious Edinburgh University, she got her PhD in linguistics at the age of thirty after extensive years of studying, all the while honing and refining her craft. Creating a tone that was entirely unique to her during her time here, she was able to give her work a not only a strong sense of style, but a grounding with details and accuracy. This then allowed her to become the highly regarded writer that she now is today, gaining not only critical success, but commercial acclaim as well.

Working a series of jobs prior to becoming a writer, she built upon her portfolio of experience by working in banking, library work, and a short stint in academia. During this time she also continued to work and build upon her talents as a writer, something that was going to finally payoff in the years to come. Using her experiences she built upon her various premises and characters, something which would help provide her with the foundations with which work from.

Living in California since 2010, she keeps herself constantly active through such activities as cycling, gardening, baking and cooking, and reading. Working as a writer full-time, she keeps continues to work to this very day, with plenty more novels soon set to be released on the horizon. This doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon either, as she has a lot more ideas, with her writing career growing from strength-to-strength everyday.

Writing Career

Whilst she released a non-fiction title, the thesis ‘Existence and Truth in Discourse’, in 2002, she had her first fictional novel published in 2005, with the novel ‘After the Armistice Ball’. This was also to be the first in the Dandy Gilver series of titles, which all featured the eponymous well to do female as its main protagonist. Following her throughout, the books saw her solving mysteries and dealing with cases, all whilst providing wit and charisma, something which her many fans have come to appreciate.

Bringing out her first stand-alone novel in 2013, she soon went on to gain success for other her solo titles as well, alongside her eleven and counting Dandy Gilver books. Winning awards such as the Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback, the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award, she was also getting huge amounts of critical acclaim. This has helped her in becoming one of the most revered writers in her particular field to date, something which will continue for some time yet.

Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains

First published in 2009 on the 10th of December through Minotaur Books, this was set to be the fifth book in the long-running and popular Dandy Gilver series of novels. Continuing in much the same vein as before, it carries on telling the story of the eponymous Dandy Gilver and her various mysteries. Giving the readers more of what they want, it manages to capture both the style and the tone of what came previously, whilst also building upon the already established characters too.

Set in 1926, this novel sees Dandy Gilver, the wealthy aristocrat living in Edinburgh, receive a letter from Lollie Balfour telling her that she believes her husband is having her followed. This leads to Dandy Gilver investigating by taking a position as a lady’s maid in the Balfour household, in order to go undercover and learn more. This leads to Dandy needing to learn about the many intricacies of being a maid, all the whilst evading capture from those hoping to hide the truth. Why is Lollie’s husband having her followed? Who are the villains and what exactly do they want? What is behind Dandy Gilver and the proper treatment of bloodstains?

As She Left It

This was to be the first stand-alone fictional title from Catriona McPherson, marking the first time she stepped away from the Dandy Gilver franchise, which she had made her name with. Initially published on the 8th of June through the Midnight Ink publishing label, she worked on creating a new story, whilst still retaining some of her stylistic elements that initially made her popular. It also won the 2014 Anthony Award, proving that she had merit within the critical establishment, setting her up as an author of great repute, as she gained both critical and commercial success with her subsequent novels to follow.

Returning home years later after leaving at only twelve years of age to escape her mother’s drinking, Opal Jones finds nothing has changed. It feels like stepping into a time-warp as she returns to the small Leeds cottage of her childhood, as all her neighbors are still just the same as before. That’s when she starts to learn about the past as, ten years prior, the grandson of neighbor Margaret Reid had disappeared, leaving behind a sense of shame for everyone there. What are they all hiding? Where did he disappear to? Is it really as she left it?