Summer 1923, and as the village of Queensferry prepares for the annual Ferry Fair and the walk of the Burry Man, feelings are running high. With his pagan greenery, his lucky pennies and the nips of whisky he is treated to wherever he goes, the Burry Man has much to offend stricter souls like the minister or temperance pamphleteer. And then at the Fair, in full view of everyone - including Dandy Gilver, invited to hand out the prizes - he falls down dead. If he has been poisoned then the list of suspects includes anyone with a bottle of whisky in the house, and, here at Queensferry, that means just about everyone.
The quirky from book 1 doesn't hold so much in book 2, but boy howdy is the dark still there. I'm not going to lie, while I was intrigued by the Burryman Festival, the description of the Burryman's ... costume? creeped me right out. McPherson's detailed description made me feel claustrophobic and I could totally understand why children would cry upon seeing him.
Dandy continues her unorthodox (for the times) partnership and I'm curious how the author is going to shape this investigative duo in future books. I nailed the whodunnit part, but the ending... ugh, I did not see the ending coming and I was more than a little surprised and impressed that McPherson went there in what is ostensibly a cozy historical.
Will definitely read more of the series - and not just because I have the books. ;)
Reading updates
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Started reading
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16 November, 2019:
Finished reading
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16 November, 2019:
Reviewed