The Mirror Dance by Catriona McPhersonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
2020 has been the year that resurrected my love of the historical mystery aka the cosy mystery. In my teens and 20s I devoured some of the greats: Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Dorothy L Sayers etc. If there was a member of the British aristocracy solving a crime then I loved it. Time passed, my tastes changed, and TBH they all started to feel a bit same-same. Then 2020 happened and suddenly all I wanted to read (apparently) were historical detective stories. Ashley Weaver, Allison Montclair and Anna Lee Huber appeared on my radar. I think the stylistic covers drew me in to start with. Anyhoo, a long-winded way of explaining why I requested an ARC of this book, despite it being the 15th book in the series!
Dandy Gilver lives on a country estate in Scotland. A 50-something year old woman with a husband and adult children, in fact a grandmother. She and a (younger) male neighbour called Alec have had some success in solving mysteries with, I gather, some assistance from her husband Hugh and her lady's maid Grant. One sleepy Sunday afternoon Dandy receives a call from a magazine owner in Dundee asking her to intervene with a Punch and Judy show which is using copyrighted images of their cartoon characters in its act.
A rainy Bank Holiday Monday excursion with her female employees to Dundee to see the Punch and Judy show ends in tragedy when Dandy discovers his body, foully murdered (as they say). An impossible murder, with an invisible murderer in front of an observant audience, a plethora of red herrings and impossibilities, a link to a similar murder 50 years earlier and a behind-the-scenes look at the art of the theatre.
I came to this book fresh and, although it is the 15th book in a series, I found it easy to read as a stand-alone. I love the harking back to a different era, with different moral values, different standards and yet still an era in a state of change.
On to the mystery, I was on the right lines, I caught some of the clues, and yet I didn't guess the murderer. Satisfying, plausible, clever and ultimately satisfying. I will definitely read more of this series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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