This was another wonderful foray into the world of discreet sleuth, Dandy Gilver, and her trusted colleague, Alec Osborne. The year is 1936; the location is the small village of Cramond, along the Firth of Forth in Scotland. A young man (whom Dandy just happens to know), winds up dead, floating downriver from one of the village's four mills. The ferrywoman is beside herself as she feels personally responsible. Yet, there was no physical possibilty that she could have done him in. She wails and appears to be in severe mental distress. Dandy and Alec are brought in on a consult to assess the ravings of this wild and unsettled woman. To this, add illegal antiquities trading and covert spirit smuggling with extreme tax evasion, and you have one heck of a tale.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series since day one and the latest installment is as witty and entertaining as all the rest. This story is based on solid historical research which is worked into a spectacularly spun tale. If creatively conceived, well written historical mysteries are your cup of tea, then this could well be a series for you. ( )

'"Good," I said. "Someone's lying, Alec. And when someone's lying, there's a truth to be uncovered. We're on the scent at last."'

1936, and Dandy Gilver and her amateur detective side-kick Alec Osborne receive a series of letters requesting their help in dealing with a case in Cramond, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Once Dandy's daughter has managed to successfully give birth to twins, she is able to get away and investigate. A young man has been killed (someone she used to know) and the local ferrywoman is, it seems, blaming herself and slowly going mad. Invited by the local minister, the pair start to poke around and uncover a whole host of secrets and lies.

This is a great series, and although I haven't read all of them it is easy enough to drop in and pick it up as a stand alone book. Dandy and Alec are confronted by a suitably eccentric group of villagers, a local constabulary that is equally pompous and foolish, and red-herrings aplenty as they go on the trail of mysterious Roman artefacts, illicit alcohol and a potato trial on nearby Cramond Island. It's all a heap of fun, but with the occasional nod to the period and the looming shadow of impending world war troubling a generation still reeling from the Great War.

This is perfect escapist reading, and a decent challenge for eagle-eyed readers to spot the clues and work out what is going on. It is what it is, and is a great addition to the series. It also helps, for me, that this is set in my old stomping ground, so it was fun to see Cramond and Edinburgh (especially the old James Thin bookshop) in a period setting. 4 stars. ( )