"Everything I adore" —RED"A deliriously fun tale, flawlessly written." —SAGAA delightful Dandy Gilver mystery set in 1930s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. Wedding bells are set to ring as Dandy Gilver, family in tow, arrives in windswept Wester Ross on Valentine's Day. They've come to celebrate Lady Lavinia's fiftieth birthday and to meet her daughter Mallory, a less-than-suitable bride-to-be for Dandy's son Donald.But soon love is the last thing on Dandy's mind when the news breaks that Lady Lavinia has been found dead, brutally murdered in the middle of her famous knot garden. Strange superstitions and folklore abound among the Gaelic-speaking locals. But , Dandy suspects that the tangled boughs and branches around Applecross House hide something much more earthly at work . . .

Scottish-born California transplant Lexy Campbell sails again when a body is found during her houseboat Halloween party 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 smart choice is to leave it up to the cops to identify the body and catch the killer. Lexy and company make a different choice, and they're on the case before you could say "Tam O'Shanter," delving deep into the roots of this mystifying crime. Praise for Scot Free, Book 1 of the Last Ditch Mystery Series: "[McPherson's] character-driven romp is sparked by the larger-than-life,...

Home is where the harm is . . . A woman returns to her childhood home to find a community brimming with dark secrets in this award-winning standalone psychological thriller from master of suspense Catriona McPherson. When she was twelve years old, Opal Jones ran from her alcoholic mother and didn't look back. Now, returning to their pokey Leeds terraced house 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 her front doorstep. But tragedy has struck Mote Street in Opal's absence. Ten years ago, Margaret's three-year-old grandson disappeared from her back yard. What really happened to him? Only one thing's certain: someone knows more than they're telling. Opal vows to uncover the truth for Margaret's sake....

Lexy Campbell's ex-husband begs for her help finding his current wife, whose disappearance mirrors that of a number of statues around California – menacing ransom note and all. A community is devastated when the bronze statue of local legend Mama Cuento is stolen on Valentine's Day. When Lexy Campbell arrives on the scene, a big bronze toe is found along with a ransom note – "Listen to our demands or you will never see her again. There are nine more where this came from". Then, Lexy's ex-husband Bran turns up begging for help to find his wife, Brandee, who has disappeared. Lexy agrees to pitch in, but when she shows up at Bran's house he has just discovered one of Brandee's false nails and another ransom note with the same grisly message. Are the two cases linked or is a copycat on the loose? Who would want to kidnap a bronze statue or, come to that, Brandee? And can Lexy put aside her hatred for Bran long enough to find out?

An invitation you can't refuse. You should . . . 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. She's making a mistake. Ivy enters Kate's fairytale cottage, deep in the heart of Scotland . . . and she doesn't come out. She's the first to go missing. She won't be the last. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Tash's journey is just beginning . . . Multi-award-winning master of suspense Catriona McPherson is back with an ominous, twisty psychological thriller set in contemporary Scotland that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Strangers at the Gate is one of her best." - New York Times bestselling author Ann CleevesFrom Catriona McPherson, Agatha Award-winning author of Quiet Neighbors, comes Strangers at the Gate: a twisty, fascinating mystery that asks the question: who do you turn to when everyone's a stranger and you've stopped believing your own eyes? Finnie Doyle and Paddy Lamb are leaving city life in Edinburgh behind them and moving to the little town of Simmerton. Paddy's been made partner at the law firm in town, and Finnie has snagged a job as a church deacon. Their rented cottage is quaint; their new colleagues are charming, and they can't believe their luck.But only days after moving into the gate house, Finnie begins to have doubts. She keeps hearing strange sounds, and the thicket of trees make her feel claustrophobic rather than safe. When they witness the bloody aftermath of a brutal murder, it changes everything....

For Keiko Nishisato, leaving Tokyo is a rare adventure, but it’s living in the quiet little town of Painchton, Scotland, that shows her how far she is from home.

Keiko has never met friendlier people than the Painchton Traders. Only the Pooles, the butchers below her second floor apartment, want to keep their distance. Murray Poole attracts her right away. Mrs Poole puzzles her—is there more than recent widowhood behind all that sadness? And then there’s Malcolm. Massive and brooding, he hints at something dark behind the bustle and banter of this strange little town.

For such a settled place, a lot of young women seem to leave. But the more Keiko discovers the less she believes, until she can’t tell where her fears end and the real nightmares begin.

"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 "McPherson, a master of creepy psychological mysteries, shows an utterly different side of herself in this zany series kickoff."—Kirkus Reviews "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 "Scot Free is a proper cuppa Scottish mystery served under harsh California sunshine—and everyone's a little crazy from the heat. Lexy and her Last Ditch friends are...

"An unnerving and suspenseful novel, House. Tree. Person. is McPherson's best yet."—Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author A year ago, she was happily married, running her beauty salon, raising her son, living in her dream house. Now Ali McGovern's dreams are slipping away and all her old ghosts are rising. A job at Howell Hall, the private psychiatric facility nearby, seems too good to be true. Why have they employed her? How can they afford her? And what are they hiding? When a body is discovered in a shallow grave on Ali's first day at work, it feels like one last horror. But it's just the beginning of her descent into a nightmare world she never imagined existed, far too close to home. Praise: "McPherson is a master of creating psychological tension and doubts about the motives of her characters . . . the clever way McPherson reveals each hint of the truth makes this a one-sitting...

Review'Barbara Pym meets Dan Brown ... The strengths of BURY HER DEEP all derive from the voice of the narrator. Respectably married to the deeply conventional Hugh Gilver, Dandy is brisk, baffled, heroic, kindly, scandalised and above all very funny as she sleuths her way through the Scottish countryside.' -- Guardian 'Captivating and beautifully written Reminiscent of a wittier and less savage reworking of THE WICKER MAN, this book is alternately funny and chilling and works on a number of levels. A most original mystery novel.' -- Historical Novels Review 20080301 'McPherson is on to a winner with her 1920s society sleuth Dandy Gilver, who is the most engaging and ingenious crime-cracker I've met in ages. She is gauche but perceptive, married but unromantic (although there's a lovely frisson to her co-solver), sly but endearingly innocent. The period detail is accomplished and convincing, the crime is neatly convoluted and McPherson's prose bristles with clever asides under a lucid surface. I wouldn't be surprised if she is translated on to the small screen soon, and I can't wait for her next adventure.' -- Scotland on Sunday on AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL 20080301 'What a tonic it turned out to be' -- Fiona Walker 20080301 'Engaging and mysterious' -- Candis on BURY HER DEEP 20080301 'Dandy Gilver is a delightful heroine' -- My Weekly 20080301 'McPherson is an exemplary crime writer, effortlessly balancing the driest wit with melodramatic suspense. Her range of reference is seriously literary, her research impeccable, and her exuberance with period detail utterly beguiling. And Dandy herself is wonderful: blundering bravely through this mad and murky tale with perfect aplomb and a drop-dead vocabulary, she is a lesson to us all.' -- Scotsman 20080301 'Dandy Gilver is an enthralling heroine; part Dorothy Parker, part Miss Marple, utterly engaging. Catriona seems to have managed to transform the stiff prose of the era into something wonderfully fluid and beguiling. Absolutely wonderful. A real treat.' -- Kirsty Scott 20080301 'Compelling' -- Publishers Weekly starred review 20080301 'engaging and mysterious' -- Candis 20080301 About the AuthorCatriona McPherson’s first novel, After the Armistice Ball, was short-listed for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award. She is also the author of The Burry Man's Day.

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.Praise:"McPherson's second stand-alone is a tour de force, a creepy...

Untangling the shame and sorrow on Mote Street. At the age of twelve, Opal Jones escaped her mother’s endless drinking and her life in Leeds, England. Returning to the small cottage on Mote Street after her mum’s death is like going back in time. Nosey Mrs. Pickess is still polishing her windows to a sparkle (the better to spy) and Fishbo, Opal’s ancient music teacher, is still playing trumpet. Then, Opal learns about a tragedy the neighborhood has never recovered from: the disappearance of three-year-old Craig Southgate. The sweet, red-haired child Opal once knew was kidnapped — and never seen again. At first, unraveling the decade-old mystery is a fine distraction from Opal’s own ugly past. But teasing out her neighbors’ dark secrets begins dredging up uncomfortable memories of her own childhood - and a growing suspicion about little Craig's fate.