Catriona McPherson

It's the oldest bookshop in a town full of bookshops; rambling and disordered, full of treasures if you look hard. Jude found one of the treasures when she visited last summer, the high point of a miserable vacation. Now, in the depths of winter, when she has to run away, Lowell's chaotic bookshop in that backwater of a town is the safe place she runs to. Jude needs a bolt-hole; Lowell needs an assistant, and when an affordable rental is thrown in too, life begins to look up. The gravedigger's cottage isn't perfect for a woman alone, but at least she has quiet neighbors. Quiet, but not silent. The long dead and the books they left behind both have tales to tell, and the dusty rooms of the bookshop are not the haven they seem to be. Lowell's past and Jude's present are a dangerous cocktail of secrets and lies, and someone is coming in to light the taper that could destroy everything."--Amazon.com.

A Novel

Quiet Neighbors

From the Agatha-award winning author of Quiet Neighbors comes a twisty, fascinating standalone that begs the question: how well can we ever know the people around us? When Finn and Paddy decide to move from their home in the city to the small town of Simmerton, it feels like everything has finally fallen into place. Paddy's been made partner at the law firm in town, and Finn has found full-time work as the deacon. Paddy's new boss has even offered them the use of a gate house on his property. Finn feels like this must be a fairy tale. Paddy thinks they've won the lottery. Either way, they agree: it's perfect. But only days after moving into the gate house, Finn begins to have doubts. She keeps hearing strange sounds, and the thicket of trees make her feel claustrophobic rather than safe. When she and Paddy discover the bloody bodies of Paddy's boss and his wife, the fairytale has officially ended. A strange email—supposedly sent from the dead man—makes it clear: this was murder. Paddy and Finn's dream of a new life quickly turns into a nightmare as the plot thickens and the tension grows. With strange neighbors and a haunting setting, Catriona McPherson once again weaves a page-turning tale of suspense.

Strangers at the Gate

Eden was its name. "An alternative school for happy children." But it closed in disgrace after a student's suicide. Now it's a care home, its grounds neglected and overgrown. Gloria Harkness is its only neighbor, staying close to her son who lives there in the home, lighting up her life and breaking her heart each day. When a childhood friend turns up at her door, Gloria doesn't hesitate before asking him in. He claims a girl from Eden is stalking him and has goaded him into meeting her at the site of the suicide. Only then, the dead begin to speak--it was murder, they say. Gloria is in over her head before she can help it. Her loneliness, her loyalty, and her all-consuming love for her son lead her into the heart of a dark secret that threatens everything she lives for. Praise: "Catriona McPherson spins webs of intrigue so beautiful and intricate she puts spiders to shame. With The Child Garden, she once again proves why she has rapidly become a star in the thriller genre . . . This is a book you will absolutely devour."--WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER, NEW YORK TIME BESTSELLING AND EDGAR AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF ORDINARY GRACE "An enchanting brew of mystery, poetry, legends, and dreams, Catriona McPherson's The Child Garden is also an elaborate shell game that will keep readers guessing up until the very end."--HALLIE EPHRON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT "Deeply resonant, utterly original, compelling, and satisfying, Catriona McPherson's The Child Garden is the work of a master--of character, tone, setting, and plot--writing at the thriller-most top of her form."--JOHN LESCROAT, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR "I loved this book so much I can barely speak. From page one, it's seamlessly told, beautifully original, and the voice, well, the voice is proof that Catriona McPherson is a powerful force and major talent in crime fiction. And the last page? I cried."--HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, AGATHA, ANTHONY, MACAVITY, AND MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR "Weaving strands of literary mystery, horror, and magical realism, The Child Garden is a twisting, now-you-see-it-now-you-don't tale about the ripple effect of tragedy."--JENNY MILCHMAN, AUTHOR OF COVER OF SNOW, RUIN FALLS, AND AS NIGHT FALLS "McPherson takes the reader on a suspenseful journey with Gloria Harkness, a devoted mother torn by doubt, love, and loyalty. A riveting, page-turning read; I did not want it to come to an end."--G.M. MALLIET, AGATHA AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE ST. JUST AND MAX TUDOR MYSTERIES

The Child Garden

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.

A Novel of Suspense

House. Tree. Person

Lexy Campbell fell in love and left her native Scotland for a golden life in California--hitched to a hunk, building her marriage counseling practice, living the dream. Six months later she's divorced, broke, and headed home. There's just one last thing. Lexy's only client--sweet little old Mrs. Bombarro--is in jail for murdering her husband with a fireworks rocket. Lexy knows the cops have got it wrong; all she needs is a few days to prove it and somewhere cheap to sleep at night. But checking into the Last Ditch Motel brings an unexpected slice of life and a whole world of trouble.

the lighter side of the dark underbelly of the California dream

Scot free

Feeling restless in the years after World War I, Scottish gentry wife Dandy Gilver investigates the whereabouts of a cache of stolen diamonds, a case that tests Dandy's scruples and is complicated by the untimely death of a young woman.

A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery

After the Armistice Ball

From Catriona McPherson, the Agatha-Award winning author of Quiet Neighbors, comes a clever, spine-tingling standalone Gothic thriller. “Go to My Grave is both a classic ‘country house mystery’ and a thriller. Atmospheric, with mind-bending twists, a narrator who may or may not be reliable, and an ending that will take your breath away and leave you astonished.” —Louise Penny Donna Weaver has put everything she has into restoring The Breakers, an old bed and breakfast on a remote stretch of beach in Galloway. Now it sits waiting—freshly painted, richly furnished, filled with flowers—for the first guests to arrive. But Donna's guests, a contentious group of estranged cousins, soon realize that they’ve been here before, years ago. Decades have passed, but that night still haunts them: a sixteenth birthday party that started with peach schnapps and ended with a girl walking into the sea. Each of them had made a vow of silence: “lock it in a box, stitch my lips, and go to my grave.” But now someone has broken the pact. Amid the home-baked scones and lavish rooms, someone is playing games, locking boxes, stitching lips. And before the weekend is over, at least one of them will go to their grave.

Go to My Grave

It’s egg-hunt season, but Lexy Campbell is spending Easter hunting a killer!

Not even Cuento’s Easter bonnet parade can distract Lexy Campbell from conception woes and missing tourists Bill and Billie Miller. The Millers’ vintage Mustang has been abandoned, its interior covered in blood.

Is this a double murder, and if so, where are the bodies? Why were the Millers spending the night in their car? Did they pitch up at the Last Ditch Motel only to be turned away? Are they really dead? The Trinity for Trouble are quickly on the case!

As they start to identify the guests staying at the motel the weekend before Easter – including a Goth and a barbershop singer on stilts – disturbing evidence comes to light. Can Lexy see though all the deception to unmask the truth and save the Last Ditch?

Last Ditch Mystery #8

Scot's Eggs

Lexy's wedding becomes a crime scene when a murderer dares to strike on her big day in this superbly plotted and wickedly funny cozy.

Lexy Campbell is about to put her bridezilla tendencies to one side to tie the knot with her beau Taylor in Cuento. The Last Ditch crew and Lexy's mum and dad are all in attendance. But just as the couple are about to exchange vows, wedding celebrant Sister Sunshine is discovered dead, strangled with the fairy light decorations.

Her wedding now a crime scene, Lexy vows not to get drawn into the investigation - until she learns about the bizarre going-on in nearby Cuento cemetery from its volunteers. Is there a link between Lexy's wedding day carnage and a series of disturbing graveyard pranks? Will Lexy ever get her happily ever after? Forget the bride from hell, it's the wedding from hell, and things are about to get a whole lot worse!

Last Ditch #7

Scotzilla

Will the truth pull them under? A twisty, gripping mystery from a multi-award-winning master of suspense that you won't be able to put down . . . Tabitha Muir returns to her childhood home in the remote hills of Hiskith in Scotland after twenty years away. She's lost her job, her house, and custody of her son after a divorce, and thinks this must be rock bottom - but worse is to come. An unplanned explosion at the dam on the loch and the suspicious death of her beloved cousin Davey force Tabitha to confront her past demons. Is Davey's death just another dark episode in the Muir family's scandalous history? As Davey's closest friends, Gordo and Barrett, help Tabitha try to answer the many questions around Davey's demise, Tabitha discovers that nothing she thought she knew about herself and those around her is true . . . The trio are about to bring Hiskith's darkest secrets to the surface, but will the truth destroy them?

Deep Beneath Us

A cosy Dandy Gilver mystery set in 1930s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie. 'A delightfully uplifting mystery with a distinctly P.G. Wodehouse-ian feel. Navigating ancient castles, and family feuds, Dandy Gilver must also contend with a ribald staging of Shakespeare's Macbeth. I loved the sense of fun, the wonderful use of language . . . satisfying on many levels.' Vaseem Khan, author of the Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra Scotland, 1934. Aristocratic private detective Dandy Gilver arrives at Castle Bewer, at midsummer, to solve the tangled mystery of a missing man, a lost ruby and a family curse. The Bewer family's latest wheeze to keep the wolf from the door is turning the castle keep into a theatre. While a motley band of players rehearse Macbeth, the Bewers themselves prepare lectures, their faithful servants set up a tearoom, and the guest wings fill with rich American ladies seeking. Meanwhile, Dandy and her sidekick Alec Osborne begin to unravel the many secrets of the Bewers and find that, despite the witches, murders and ghosts onstage, it's behind the scenes where the darkest deeds are done. 'The perfect read for those who enjoy the bygoneworld charm of Nancy Mitford, Evelyn Waugh and Agatha Christie.' - The Lady on Dandy Gilver and a Most Misleading Habit 'Catriona McPherson is a writer as talented as she is versatile. Dandy Gilver tackles a Golden Age era puzzle with her usual aplomb when the Scottish play offers a Shakespearean twist to a mystery with plenty of classic ingredients.' Martin Edwards 'Dandy Gilver is a fabulous character. a cross between Nancy Drew and the Australian crime cracker Miss Fisher. She is both relentless and brilliant.' Amazon Reviewer

Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble

The Last Ditch crew travel from California to an idyllic Scottish village for the holidays, but something very unmerry is lurking below the surface...The news that a man disappeared from the crumbling pile sixty years ago, along with an unsettling discovery in the bricked-up basement, means that Todd, Kathi and Lexy must solve another murder.

Hop Scot

A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery (Dandy Gilver Mysteries)

The Burry Man's Day

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. Praise: "[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."--KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW) "McPherson's small-town tale is far more a thriller . . . and might even draw fans of Dennis Lehane."--BOOKLIST "[A] grisly standalone."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Come to Harm

After meeting and growing close to Gus King and his family, strange things start happening to Jessie Constable, and she begins to investigate what happened to Gus' wife.

The Day She Died

When she was twelve years old, Opal Jones escaped her mother’s endless drinking. Now, returning to their small Leeds cottage 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 the walk in front of her house. But a tragedy has struck Mote Street. Margaret’s grandson, Craig, disappeared some ten years ago, and every day he’s not found, shame and sorrow settle deeper into the neighborhood’s forgotten corners. As the door she closed on her own dark past begins to open, Opal uncovers more secrets than she can bear about the people who were once her friends.

As She Left It

A woman on the run uncovers a series of deadly secrets in this gripping, twisty standalone psychological thriller from award-winning master storyteller Catriona McPherson. Lowland Glen is the oldest bookshop in a quiet Scottish town full of bookshops; rambling and disordered, full of hidden treasures. Londoner Jude fell in love with it when she visited last summer, the high point of a miserable holiday. Now, in the depths of winter, it seems a strange place to run away to - but Jude's tired and heartsick, and when the bookstore's charming but eccentric owner, Lowell, welcomes her with open arms, she knows she's made the right decision. Lowell needs an assistant, and the job comes with accommodation too. The isolated gravedigger's cottage isn't perfect for a woman alone, but it's a good place to hide from her troubles - and at least she has quiet neighbors. Quiet, but not silent. The long dead and the books they left behind have tales to tell, and the dusty bookshop is not the haven it seems. Lowell's past and Jude's present are a dangerous cocktail of secrets and lies - and someone is coming to light the taper that could burn everything down around them . . .

Quiet Neighbours

A cosy Dandy Gilver mystery set in 1930s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Alexander McCall Smith and Agatha Christie. 'McPherson is an exemplary crime writer' Scotsman BAD LUCK? BAD TIMING? OR GOOD OLD-FASHIONED MURDER? When a circus comes to spend the winter at the neighbouring estate to Gilverton, Dandy Gilver's two sons are cock-a-hoop and they are not alone in their excitement. The allure of Tumbling Topsy Turvy, Tiny Truman and the Troupe Prebezhensky also draw the attention of the fast set, who would never normally be seen dead with the nouveau riche Mr & Mrs Albert Wilson. 'The name, darling, tells you everything you need to know.' But when Dandy Gilver is asked to investigate a series of nasty tricks taking place in the circus she discovers, under the colourful charms on the surface of circus life, a hotbed of passion and resentment she cannot begin to understand. But, when one of the artistes suddenly dies, Dandy must somehow get behind the smoke and mirrors to find answers in a world where nothing is as it seems. 'Dry wit . . . sparkling dialogue and meticulous description.' Herald 'The most engaging and ingenious crime-cracker I've met in ages' Scotland on Sunday Dan Brown meets Barbara Pym . . . Dandy is brisk, baffled, heroic, kindly, scandalised and - above all - very funny - Guardian Catriona McPherson's latest novel in the series, Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble is now available for pre-order.

The Must-Read Cosy Mystery Book of the Festive Season

The Winter Ground

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. Praise: "Expertly done."—The New York Times "[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Shudderingly terrific."—The Globe and Mail "McPherson's small-town tale is far more a thriller...and might even draw fans of Dennis Lehane."—Booklist "[A] grisly standalone."—Publishers Weekly

'Authentic social history at the birth of the NHS, an intriguing murder, a strong and convincing central character, and McPherson's wonderful story-telling skills make this a very classy mystery' ANN CLEEVES Helen leaned close enough to fog the mirror with her breath and whispered, 'You, my girl, are a qualified medical almoner and at eight o'clock tomorrow morning you will be on the front line of the National Health Service of Scotland.' Her eyes looked huge and scared. 'So take a shake to yourself!'' Edinburgh, 1948. Helen Crowther leaves a crowded tenement home for her very own office in a doctor's surgery. Upstart, ungrateful, out of your depth - the words of disapproval come at her from everywhere but she's determined to take her chance and play her part. She's barely begun when she stumbles over a murder and learns that, in this most respectable of cities, no one will fight for justice at the risk of scandal. As Helen resolves to find a killer, she's propelled into a darker world than she knew existed, hardscrabble as her own can be. Disapproval is the least of her worries now. IN PLACE OF FEAR is a gripping new historical crime novel that is both enthralling and entertaining, and perfect for fans of AJ Pearce and Nicola Upson. Readers love IN PLACE OF FEAR: 'What a wonderful book this is!' 'I loved [it] ... Helen is another cracker of a heroine from McPherson and I hope to read much more of her story in future' 'Historical crime from a talented pen. Intriguing and compelling in equal measure' 'An excellent read'

Catriona McPherson

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