ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Wythenshawe Dandy by S.J. Galbraith

Posted on 5th August 2026 By Nicola

The Wythenshawe Dandy by S.J. Galbraith is published by Salt Publishing and is available now. My thanks to the publishers for the review copy.

An unoccupied flat. A freshly dressed bed. The body of a young woman laid out neatly on the duvet.

The dead girl looks familiar – troublingly familiar – but Detective Inspector Cassie May can’t place her. And to compound her troubles, Cassie has just started dating the flat’s owner, James Flynn.

When her boyfriend is accused of murder, an ambitious young DI risks her career – and her life – by defying her bosses, the security services, and a crime syndicate, to prove the innocence of a man who seems more worried about the long-buried secrets she might unearth than the murder charge hanging over him.

Set across the leafiest of Sheffield suburbs, the sink estates of South Manchester, and the bleak and snowy Pennine moors that separate them, The Wythenshawe Dandy presents a discomforting picture of a world where privilege and wretchedness coexist.

The body of a young woman is found laid on the bed in a Sheffield flat belonging to James Flynn. DI Cassie May attends the scene, both as investigating officer but also as Flynn’s potential new love interest. They had barely got started and now Cassie has to consider whether Flynn played any part in the girl’s death. Instinct tells her he’s not capable of it but why does it feel as though he’s hiding something?

The Wythenshawe Dandy is so much more than a police procedural. Cassie’s investigations lead her into a murky world of gangs, abuse, corruption and the secret services, whilst taking her from Sheffield to Edinburgh and back again. Most of the book is set in Sheffield which, as a Sheffielder, pleased me no end, but it also takes us to the Pennines and the often impassable Snake Pass (very atmospheric), and to Manchester as we learn more about Flynn’s background.

I enjoyed this book very much. It’s twisty and dark, with a deliciously complex and unexpected series of events, stretching back years, which eventually lead Cassie to the truth. The main characters are well-developed and memorable: Flynn is a sort of gentle giant with hidden depths and Cassie is a tenacious cop and a prickly sort who needs someone like Flynn to break down her barriers. I also really liked DS Meg Harper who works incredibly well with Cassie, and Angus, Flynn’s friend, was most intriguing! I don’t know whether there’s any more mileage in the characters but I’d love to see them return in another book. Either way, this is an excellent crime thriller debut from S..J. Galbraith. Oh and if you’re wondering about the title, well it’s all explained in the book and I thought it was a clever piece of metafiction.

Originally from South Manchester, Stephen Galbraith moved to Sheffield in 1994 and still lives in the city with his wife and daughters. After working in senior management in several business sectors, he sold his company and embarked upon a Creative Writing MA at Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating with Distinction. The Wythenshawe Dandy is his debut crime novel.