Coming April 26, 2022
The Vanishing Type: A Charming Bookish Cozy Mystery
(A Secret, Book and Scone Society Novel)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – North Carolina
Kensington Cozies (April 26, 2022)
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496726448
ISBN-13 : 978-1496726445
Kindle ASIN : B09BKB191Y
While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet—until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal.
His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town’s new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery—someone has mutilated all her store’s copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne’s name is mentioned.
The coincidence disturbs Nora, who’s one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn’t even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester’s past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it’s not just Hester’s relationship at stake, but her life. . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Secret, Book, and Scone Society Members
Nora, the owner of Miracle Books, tries to heal people’s woes with a unique set of books she personally selects for them.
Hester runs the Gingerbread House bakery. Customers tell her a little bit about their lives and what brought them to Miracle Springs. Then she bakes them up a “comfort scone”.
June works at the hot springs spa where people come to rejuvenate themselves.
Estella is a beautician who tries to help her clients find their true selves.
Nora Pennington is busy with her employee and friend Shelton Vega planning ways to entice readers into the store and buy books they can escape into while it is chilly outside. They have some great ideas including a Blind Date with a Book event for Valentine’s Day.
Deputy Andrews has also confided in Nora and asked for her help to come up with the perfect evening for him to pop the question and ask Hester to marry him. Knowing how much Hester loves the book Little Women and knowing the movie theater in town will be screening old movies she comes up with a way to combine the two for the proposal.
Before they can get together for the big event Nora discovers that several copies of The Scarlet Letter at her store have been damaged. Some had angrily removed the name of Hester from all of the copies. It gives her pause because she knows her friend Hester has a secret she hasn’t even shared with the man who is going to propose to her very soon.
Then a man is found dead outside of town off a hiking trail. They find no identification on the body but he had a rare book in the pocket of his jacket. This piques the attention of all the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society. But what they find could rock Hester’s world. Her secret is going to come out and it could cost her her life.
I love this series so much. The friendships these women have built are so strong and their gifts to help people are so heartwarming. This time they have a mystery to solve to help one of their own and they won’t give up until every clue falls into place and the mystery is solved. I have to say this was an emotional read, my heart was tugged in several directions for various reasons. The story touched me personally and my heart broke when a child was bullied at school for the same problem I had. All these years later kids can still be so mean. I was thrilled when Nora had the perfect book to comfort the child.
Again Ms. Adams takes on another social issue with teen pregnancy and the following adoption. Hester is carrying a heavy load of guilt and trauma due to the way her family forced her to deal with a pregnancy. The author gives the story a huge twist using a set of rare books that carry clues to help solve a very complex mystery and to help Hester. This story was so well-plotted and interesting on many levels. It truly had a puzzle that needed to be solved to push the story further and I was captivated by each new piece and where it all would lead. I had a really hard time putting it down when it was time for bed.
I continue to be in awe of the author’s knowledge of books across so many genres. Nora’s gift is to find a perfect book for each customer, from children to adults of all ages and interests. She seems to have read every book in her store and can remember the tiniest detail in all of them. I am green with envy and thankful for the list provided of them all at the end of the book. My book wish list grows every time I read one of the books in this series.
Ellery Adams has created such a wonderful set of core characters. They all have their faults and traumatic things they have dealt with and are still dealing with every day. They are engaging and welcoming. They are all strong, kind, and genuine. I would love to meet people just like them in real life. A place like Miracle Books would truly be my happy place.
The Vanishing Type is an excellent addition to this series! I loved every minute of it and was sad to reach the final page. You will definitely find this book on my Best Reads of 2022. I can’t wait for the next book!!
I recommend this entire series! They are best read in order for maximum enjoyment.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
Read my review of The Secret, Book & Scone Society here, The Whispered Word here. The Book of Candlelight here, and Ink and Shadows here.
Sounds great, thank you.
Sounds like a fun read.