The Game Is A Footnote (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #8)

Author:    Vicki Delany

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781639101450

Crooked Lane Books

320 Pages

$26.99; $13.99 Amazon

January 10, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scarlet House, now a historical re-enactment museum, is the oldest building in West London, Massachusetts.  When things start moving around on their own, board members suggest that Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, might be able to get to the bottom of it.  Gemma doesn't believe in ghosts, but she agrees to 'eliminate the impossible.'  But when Gemma and Jayne stumble across a dead body on the property, they're forced to consider an all too physical threat.

Gemma and Jayne suspect foul play as they start to uncover more secrets about the museum.  With the museum being a revolving door for potential killers, they have plenty of options for who might be the actual culprit.

Despite Gemma's determination not to get further involved, it would appear that once again, and much to the displeasure of Detective Ryan Ashburton, the game is afoot.

Will Gemma and Jayne be able to solve the mystery behind the haunted museum, or will they be the next to haunt it?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, has special skills that allow her to discover things about others.  She has superb observation skills.  It's served her well in helping to solve more than one murder.  But now she's been asked to see if Scarlet House is haunted.  It seems things have been moving around at night when no one is there.  Not really wanting to, but since the asking came from her best friend Jayne's mother Leslie, she agrees to do so.  So she finds herself, along with Jayne and Jayne's fiancé Andy, spending the night in the old house.  The only other people there are out in the barn: a retired veterinarian who cares for the animals, and volunteer Craig Jones.  Gemma, who doesn't believe in ghosts, spends time walking through the house at various hours to see if there is any activity.  

But when there's noise in the kitchen, nothing seems to have been disturbed.  And when there's noise in the barn, it seems the animals have been spooked by something unknown.  Then a body is discovered on the premises and Gemma calls the police, with her boyfriend Detective Ryan Ashburton arriving to check it out.

Now, Gemma is once again in pursuit of a killer, with clues few and far between.  She'll need all her wits about her to solve this murder, even if the police don't want her involved.

Then there's a bit of a complication:  Gemma's sister Pippa shows up out of the blue, claiming she's taking a bit of a vacation while her employer is in Washington on business.  Gemma, ever alert as she is, knows something else is up with Pippa.  Pippa is Mycroft Holmes to Gemma's Sherlock, and together they might just be unstoppable...and now the game is afoot... 

This is the eighth book in the series, and I have read them all.  While in the first book I wasn't fond of Gemma, I have now grown to love her.  She's extremely intelligent, loyal to her friends and family, loves animals, her shop, and, of course, Ryan.  She's an extraordinary woman, and she doesn't actually accuse anyone without having facts to back it up.  She also has a sudden problem with one of her employees, and while she'd like to leave it alone, her curiosity gets the better of her and she needs the answers she's looking for.

But now Pippa has come on the scene, with the story that she's on vacation, but Gemma doesn't believe it one whit.  She knows there's something going on, and she's determined to figure it out.  What she finds out from Pippa isn't what she expects, and she's surprised at it.  Watching both Gemma and Pippa together is a lot of fun, and makes your brain work just a little bit harder to try and figure it out before they do.

It's a delightful romp of a book, bringing the staid British together with the emotional Americans, and watching the two combine and deliver conclusions at the end is quite worthwhile.  It leaves us wanting more and waiting impatiently for the next in the series.  I enjoyed this book so much that I have decided to revisit the great Holmes himself in A Study in Scarlet.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Footnote-Sherlock-Holmes-Bookshop-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09XM5M8SC/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4842911731

More on Vicki Delany's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/

A Three Book Problem (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #7)

Author:    Vicki Delany

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781643857985

Crooked Lane Books

320 Pages

$26.99; $12.99 Amazon

January 11, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's a crisp, early October weekend, and business is slowing down as fall descends at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and adjacent Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room.  Wealthy philanthropist and prominent Sherlockian David Masterson has rented Suffolk Gardens House, where he plans to entertain his friends in a traditional English country House weekend.

As the chosen caterers, Jayne Watson and Gemma Doyle get to work preparing lavish meals and setting up Sherlockian books and props for entertainment.  Meanwhile, police detective Ryan Ashburton has taken time away from his duties to assist in the kitchen.  It quickly becomes apparent that David's guests don't like each other -- or their host.  Plus, some of them aren't even acquainted with the adventures of the Great Detective.

Before Gemma can ponder their relationships a poisoned dart sails through the window of the library, presenting Gemma Doyle with a three-book problem.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Gemma Doyle and her best friend Jayne Hudson are asked to cater a Sherlock Holmes weekend at the majestic Suffolk House, they agree,  Both of them have always wanted to see the interior, and this is their chance.  But what they don't expect is to find that the people host David Masterson has invited are hostile toward each other.  What's more, some of them don't even know anything about Sherlock Holmes, which sets Gemma to wondering.  At least she has help from her boyfriend, West London Police Detective Ryan Ashburton, who has taken time off to help them.

But after a tense first night, Jayne and Gemma have plans the next day to meet someone in the library.  That is, until that person is killed by a poisoned dart, which struck accurately and fatally.  Now Jayne and Gemma are in the middle of another murder investigation, and with a surfeit of suspects, Gemma's got to use her attention to detail to discover a killer before they kill again...

I initially didn't care for the first book in this series, but I am glad that I stuck with it.  Each book has gotten better than the last, and the characters are evolving in their lives with each one.  It's delightful to become involved with them, living in their world temporarily, and taking in the descriptions of West London, the characters, and their problems.  This book, -- a three book problem, as it were -- is from Sherlock Holmes, when he would have a particularly sticky problem, and call it a three pipe problem.  The titles are whimsical and anyone familiar with Holmes will understand them.  But be aware that even if you are not familiar with Holmes that you will still enjoy the books.

Gemma is off and running once again wondering who would want to kill the person, and so begins her questioning of the guests for the week.  Sometimes subtle, sometimes not; she intends to find out who had something to hide and why they wanted this person dead.  But it soon becomes apparent that finding a killer isn't as easy as it could be, when everyone seems to not want to talk about it and even shies away from her.

So between the police doing what they need to do and Gemma doing what she's inclined to, we have a mystery that is not easy to solve and a group of people who might have all had a reason to kill.  It gives a tantalizing story of greed, lies, blackmail, and murder, and keeps you on your toes while you search for a killer.  When the ending comes, it is a surprise indeed, which makes it more than ever a most pleasant read.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Book-Problem-Sherlock-Bookshop/dp/1643857983/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4173372142

More on Vicki Delany's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/

A Curious Incident (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #6)

Author:  Vicki Delany

Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781643854748

Crooked Lane Books

304 Pages

$18.79; $13.99 Amazon

January 12, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I am not a Consulting Detective," Gemma Doyle reluctantly tells 11-year-old Lauren Tierney, when the little girl comes to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium to beg Gemma to find her missing cat, Snowball.  Gemma might not be able to follow the clues to find the cat, but her dog Violet follows her nose to locate the missing kitten in a neighbor's garden shed.  Gemma and Violet proudly return Snowball to her grateful owner, and Gemma basks in praise for a job well done.  But a few days later Lauren is back with ten dollars in hand, wanting to once again hire a consulting detective, and this time for a far bigger job:  Her mother has been accused of murdering her garden club rival.

Sheila Tierney's garden, which everyone said was the one to beat for the West London Garden Club trophy, has been vandalized thee night before the club's early summer tour.  Sheila confronted her former friend and gardening partner Anna Wentworth in a towering rage, and the women nearly came to blows.  Later that night, after having won the trophy for best garden, Anna is found murdered and Sheila Tierney is the police's prime suspect.

Despite herself and despite the disapproval of her police detective boyfriend Ryan Ashburton, the game is once again afoot, and Gemma finds herself and Jayne Wilson using their powers of deduction to ponder yet another curious incident.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Gemma Doyle owns and runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, and is known to have helped the police solve crimes in the past.  When a little girl enters her shop begging for her help, Gemma won't commit to it, but tells her she will keep her eyes open in finding Lauren Tierney's kitten.  Fortunately, she's able to do so, making Lauren happy.  But the next day Lauren wants to hire Gemma to keep her mother out of jail.  It seems that Sheila Tierney has been accused of the murder of Anna Wentworth, once her friend.  Sheila's garden was touted as the one to beat in this year's Garden Club contest, and when she awoke she found her garden destroyed.  Knowing it was Anna, she had a very public confrontation with the woman, coming to blows between them.  But when Anna's body is discovered later that evening, Sheila is the prime suspect.

But Gemma isn't so sure, and even though she's warned off the investigation, her innate curiousity and sharp mind won't let it go.  Looking high and low for clues, Gemma might have gotten too close to the killer, and once you kill, it's easy enough to do it again...

This is one of the series that have actually gotten better over time.  I will admit that I wasn't fond of the first book in the series, but I did especially like the last one and this one.  Gemma isn't as pushy as she was, and she's actually kinder to people than she first appeared.  She's shown her love and loyalty to those around her just by her actions.  I do like the fact that Donald has a bigger role in this book, and he also is showing his affection for Gemma -- even if she's a bit wary of it, and Donald has his own way of doing things. which are rather humorous.

When Anna is killed, there actually are plenty of suspects, ranging right down to Gemma's frail elderly neighbor.  But Gemma's mind is always working, and even if she can't get answers from the police, it really doesn't matter, since she's able to come to the correct conclusion on her own.  It's actually fun trying to find the murderer before Gemma does; although she always has the reasons why and the murder weapon at hand in the end.

Lauren is delightful, actually acting like an eleven-year-old would act, instead of being a adult in a child's body, as many writers portray them.  Her actions are those as they should be, and it shows her eagerness for love and acceptance without actually saying so.

When Gemma starts asking questions, there's no stopping her, and when she gets too close to the killer, they plan to put her out of commission, but still she presses on, this time more deeply, and at last comes to the realization of the identity which we might have known (or not) all along.  This is a welcoming addition to the series, and I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to the next.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Incident-Sherlock-Bookshop-Mystery/dp/1643854747/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3841762612

More on Vicki Delany's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/

There's a Murder Afoot (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #5

Author:  Vicki Delany

Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781643850344; 9781643855738

Crooked Lane Books

336 Pages

$21.35; $7.99; $7.99 Amazon

November 24, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 6th of January is Sherlock Holmes's birthday, and lucky for Gemma Doyle, January is also the slowest time of the year at both the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room.  It's a good time for Gemma and her friends to travel to England for a Holmes convention.  For Gemma, the trip provides an opportunity to visit her parents, Jayne Wilson is excited about seeing all the sites London has to offer, and Ryan Ashburton just wants to spend time with Gemma.  But the trip is immediately derailed when Gemma's father Henry recognizes his brother-in-law Randolph Denhaugh, who disappeared more than thirty years ago on the night he stole a valuable painting from his own parents.

Henry, a retired detective with Scotland Yard, has been keeping tabs on the man's career as a forger of old masters, and he warns Randy to stay away from his family.  But when Randy is found dead after the banquet with a dazed and confused Henry Doyle standing over him, the police leap to assume his guilt, it's up to Gemma, with the help of her friends, to plunge into the "lowest and vilest alleys" of London to save her father from prison.

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Gemma Doyle, along with her great-uncle Arthur, own the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in West London, Massachusetts.  She, along with her friends Jayne, Donald, Grant, and boyfriend police detective Ryan Ashburton, are in London, England to attend a banquet where Arthur is to be given an award and Gemma is going to accept it for him.  She's also planning on doing some shopping for the bookshop and visiting with her parents and older sister Pippa.  While attending the expo, she comes across a man who seems to know who she is and gives her a message for her mother, Anne.  But Gemma doesn't do so, and finds out from her father that he's her uncle Randolph, who absconded with the one thing her grandparents wanted.  No one has heard from him since.

Then her father has a public scene with him, telling Randy to stay away from his family and they leave.  But after the banquet, Gemma goes looking for her father and finds him standing over Randy's body looking dazed.  The police detective on the case has an old grudge against Henry and decides he's guilty of murder.  But when Pippa asks Gemma to get involved - telling her she can't be involved herself due to her job - Gemma, with the help of her friends, determines to find the guilty party, even if it means staying in London indefinitely....

This is probably my favorite book in the series.  I have to say that while it started out slow (so slow I put it down a couple of times) once the action picked up, then I continued on to finish it in one sitting.  In this book we get to meet Gemma's parents and sister, and it helps us understand more about her upbringing and why she is the person she is.  I did enjoy the rapport between them, and the closeness they share as a family.  It's delightful not to see a mother who harasses her daughter constantly, as many books portray them.

We also get to see parts of London through Gemma's and her friends eyes, and that's rather fun.  Especially when it came to Gemma trying to ditch her friends while she played detective, much to the consternation of Ryan, who wasn't happy that she was investigating, especially since she wouldn't allow him to help.

The plot was done nicely, with the 'villains' in full view but still not so easy to find.  The red herrings thrown throughout kept us busy traveling the streets of the city hunting for the person who wanted Randolph dead, and the reasons why.  When we finally come to the climax of the book, with Gemma finding her prey, it's rather interesting and fun, and watching it all come to a head is worth the wait.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Theres-Murder-Afoot-Sherlock-Bookshop/dp/1643855735/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3839505021

More on Vicki Delany's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/

The Cat of the Baskervilles (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #3)

Author:  Vicki Delany
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Trade Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781683314714; 9781683318064; [9781520096797]
Crooked Lane Books [Dreamscape Media]
320 Pages
$19.47; $10.99; [$26.62]; $10.99 Amazon
October 9, 2018

⭐⭐⭐

Legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives on Cape Cod to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival.  When Sir Nigel, some of the cast, and the director visit the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop at 222 Baker Street, Gemma Doyle realizes that Sir Nigel is not at all suited to the role.  He is long past his prime and an old drunk to boot.

The cast, in particular the much younger actor who previously had the role, are not happy, but the show must go on.

Before the play opens, Leslie Wilson, mother of Gemma's best friend Jayne, arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room.  The tea is a huge success, but when it's time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing -- on;y to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead.  Along with the dead body, Gemma finds evidence incriminating Leslie Wilson.  When the police, in the presence of handsome detective Ryan Ashburton and suspicious detective Louise Estrada, focus their attention on Leslie despite the numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot and it's again up to the highly perceptive Gemma and the ever-confused but loyal Jayne to clear Jayne's mother's name.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Gemma Doyle owns the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop in Cape Cod, and her best friend Jayne owns Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room next door.  When a famous actor, along with others in the cast who are performing The Hound of the Baskervilles for a local theater festival show up at the shop, she's at first pleased to have them until the lead, Sir Nigel Bellingham, is rude to everyone around him and is obviously a drunkard.

After being railroaded by Jayne to help out at a tea being given in honor of Sir Nigel, she notices several people are angry at him.  But it isn't until Jayne's mother Leslie confronts him about his behavior, and Sir Nigel goes missing, that Gemma wonders what is really going on.  When she later discovers him lying at the bottom of a cliff, she once again finds herself involved in a murder investigation - without the police's consent.  But with the main suspect being Jayne's mother, she's determined to find the killer since the police don't seem to be looking anywhere else...

I'm of two minds about this book: I really love Sherlock Holmes and the idea of an Englishwoman come to America and opening a bookshop dedicated to all things Sherlock intrigued me.  I do realize that Gemma is supposed to have the qualities of Sherlock, but they don't work so well for her.

For one thing, Holmes would never disturb a crime scene by removing evidence and hiding it.  I also don't think he would treat people the way Gemma does.  I may be the only one who notices it, but she "talks down" to everyone, as if she thinks they're beneath her.  For example, instead of having a talk with her employee about what she wants for her shop, she puts her off or changes the subject.  She also makes dates that aren't dates - she's basically using Grant as a device to get information, while poor Grant can't figure this out.

I do understand that she's supposed to be as analytical and logical as Holmes; but while he was charming despite this, Gemma has a rude side to her that she needs to focus on.  (She also needs to spend more time with Violet and discover why Moriarity doesn't like her).  I also don't understand why Estrada despises Gemma.  Yes, I understand many authors need for a 'nemesis' as it were, but Estrada is over the top.  I fully expect them to get into a brawl eventually.  I, for one, don't much care for the nemesis angle, but that's just me, and I won't ding a book because of it.

However, I did think that there were a few red herrings thrown in, and the mystery was done quite nicely, so kudos for that.  When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it is satisfying enough so that I will read the next in the series.

https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Baskervilles-Sherlock-Bookshop-Mysteries/dp/1683318 064/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2135606358

More on Vicki Delany's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/