After the Armistice Ball

Dandy Gilver and her husband attended the Armistice Anniversary Ball hosted by Silas Esslemont and his wife Daisy. The jewels put away during WWI are sparkling and glittering as the ladies circulate throughout the night. The most famous of all is the Duffy diamonds, and Lena Duffy is delighted to have everyone’s attention focused on the family jewels. However, Dandy is surprised a few days later by a call from her friend Daisy, who says that help is urgently needed as Lena Duffy is emphatic that the diamonds were stolen at their home during the ball.

The story starts at a leisurely pace, but the allure of the mystery is undeniable. The delightful prose keeps you engaged throughout. As the narrative gained momentum, I found myself show more unable to put the book down. Daisy’s impromptu sleuthing escapades may be a bit exasperating, especially the excuses she gives her husband for her absences. However, the cleverly placed red herrings in the mystery kept me intrigued.

Reviewer's Note: On some websites, the book is marketed as the first in a cozy mystery series. I present my review as part of the historical mystery genre due to the description of certain events during the investigation. show less

It was fun to make Dandy's acquaintance. Her pettiness and confusion are well painted and winning. I'm not sure I caught all the clues but liked the wrap up well enough.

I've heard some good things about Catriona McPherson's Dandy Gilver series over the years, and since I love Scotland and that period of time, I thought it was time to give the first book in the series a try. I've read many books about World War I and the years leading up to the conflict as well as its aftermath. The prologue of After the Armistice Ball immediately wove its spell and took me right to that time when the fighting was finished, and people were taking their first tentative steps in a brand-new world. I also fell in love with Dandy Gilver and her slightly arch, slightly sarcastic, sense of humor. Her husband is a paragon of predictability, and I had fun watching Dandy as she plotted how to take her little investigative tours show more with spouse Hugh being none the wiser.

The mystery of the diamonds and the murder is a true puzzler, and Dandy definitely needs the help of Alec Osborne, fiance of Cara Duffy. There are real diamonds, there are fake diamonds, there are false trails, and people aren't always whom they seem to be. I joined Dandy in confusion on more than one occasion. However, one thing about this book drove me up the wall and across the ceiling: how Dandy and Alec came to solve the crime. How? By endless talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. And when these two weren't rehashing everything for the millionth time, Dandy was think, think, think, think, thinking about it. This book told me that I need a bit more action in my mysteries, and it reminded me of something else.

As a rule, I don't read Golden Age mysteries because I don't enjoy them-- especially if the crime solver is a female. Most females of the era don't have unlimited travel privileges. They have a few opportunities to see, observe, and question, and then they must retire to their parlors to ponder everything over endless cups of tea. After the Armistice Ball is written in the style of one of these classic Golden Age mysteries. If you read them and enjoy them, you're going to love Dandy Gilver. Unfortunately, although I enjoy Dandy Gilver, Golden Age mysteries just are not my cup of Darjeeling. show less

Maybe 2.5? I did so want to like this book. Setting was perfect. Woman detective perfect concept. In execution, if I had to hear Dandy described as stupid by herself or other characters I was going to scream. Indeed, her bumbling was quite annoying. Plot/murder was too convoluted for words. Writing was very nice, with shots of humor. Nasty trick indeed to leave a central mystery unresolved. Good portrait of upper classes between the wars. Fairly condescending portraits of both men and women in general. Still, being a glutton for punishment, I will try another.

Quirky, and a little bit dark. It's been long enough now since I read it that I'm very fuzzy on most of the details, but I enjoyed it enough to immediately pick up book #2. Dandy is a little odd at the start, and her partnership with a male character that's not her husband is innocent yet intriguing and challenging to my sense of what one could get away with during the time (the interval between WW1 and WW2).

Dandy Gilver is asked by a friend to look into missing diamonds, and then one of the family who has been robbed is found dead, Cara Duffy's fiance Alec is unsure about the death and his suspicions encourage Dandy to keep hunting. The two of them spark well as a team. The banter sounds authentic and the characters appealed I'm looking forward to more of this.

I was very impressed with the quality of writing of this book. It was tightly written, with clever red herrings and likable, believable characters and relationships. And best of all, unpredictable!