The Poison Pen: A Scottish Bookshop Mystery
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Setting – Scotland
Publisher : Minotaur Books (April 9, 2024)
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250890608
ISBN-13 : 978-1250890603
Kindle ASIN : B0C2MY3D5R
The Poison Pen, the ninth installment in the Scottish Bookshop series by Paige Shelton, set in a specialty bookstore in Edinburgh called The Cracked Spine.
Edinburgh is mourning the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II when Bookseller Delaney Nichols’s boss comes to her with a most unusual assignment. An old friend of his, living in an estate in the village of Roslin, has found what could be a priceless relic on her property, and Delaney is tasked with investigating. Could Jolie possibly have an item of breathtaking Scottish historical significance in her possession? But when Delaney arrives at Jolie’s estate, she is greeted by a legal team with a vested interest in the property. Jolie manages to remove the interlopers, but as they’re examining the priceless item, they hear a scream, and meet a much less welcome discovery: a body.
As Delaney digs deeper, she discovers Jolie’s own fascinating history. Jolie’s mother had long claimed that her daughter was the rightful heir to the throne, not Elizabeth II, because of an affair she claimed to have with King Edward VIII. The only evidence, however, is in the form of a purported journal that one of Edward’s secretaries kept. The puzzles become more confusing when a connection is uncovered between this far-fetched story and the murdered man. Delaney will have to read between the lines to put together the pieces…or become history herself.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Edwin MacAlister, owner of The Cracked Spine in Edinburgh Scotland has a special assignment for his employee, Delaney Nichols. An old friend, Jolie Lannister has found what she thinks could be a valuable artifact on her estate in Roslin. Edwin wants Delaney to take a look at it and investigate its provenance. She asks her friend Elias to drive her as she is still learning to drive on the other side of the road.
Delaney and Elias arrive to find Jolie along with her legal counsel and two men she has brought to do a full inventory of everything in and on the estate. While Jolie does appear to have a hoarding problem she feels the attorney has overstepped her bounds and asks them to leave. Jolie had instructed her groundkeeper to put the priceless item in an unusual place. Before Delaney can even get a good look at it they hear a scream. A scream that leads to a dead body.
Delaney starts to dig into Jolie’s history and she finds that her mother had made the astounding claim that she had an affair with King Edward VIII and that Jolie was the real heir to the throne instead of Elizabeth II. The only proof is a supposed journal kept by one of Edward’s secretaries. Could that be a tie to the man who was murdered? Delaney is pulling out all the stops to find out.
The people of Edinburgh and all over the UK, the commonwealths and several of us in America are still mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II. I love that Ms. Shelton included that in this story along with some royal tea about the womanising Edward VIII. It also appears that Delaney is hearing a very special new voice.
All our favorite characters return and continue to grow in logical ways. Delaney and Tom’s relationship is so sweet. She has even started borrowing his car as long as she isn’t going too far. Her responsibilities are growing in her work for Edwin. He trusts her completely. Hamlet and Rosie along with miniature Yorkie, Hector keep the bookshop running. Rosie even takes a trip with Delaney as they work to make clues fit together. Elias and Aggie are a wonderful couple too. I am happy they are part of Delaney’s life.
We meet Jolie Lannister, her right-hand woman Trudie, and her friend and groundskeeper Homer, who happens to be an old friend of Elias. These characters are well-crafted and likable even though they are not fully truthful at first.
The mystery is complex with a lot of twists and turns and Delaney follows each clue while developing and discarding different theories. She is a smart amateur sleuth assisted by some wise words only she hears. Is the artifact real? Who is the true owner? Why was it found now? And why did a man have to die? There are several different viewpoints. I do enjoy that Delaney keeps her friend Inspector Winters abreast of everything she finds and learns. I also like the way Tom gets caught up in her investigation.
The title A Poison Pen is a bit puzzling. I ran a search and the word “pen” is not mentioned in the book other than in the title, and “poison” was only mentioned once. That being said I got totally caught up in the story and had a very short personal suspect list. I was flabbergasted that one of those names was correct.
A Poison Pen is the 9th book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery and is a compelling read with well-developed engaging characters in a unique setting. Jolie’s West Rosebud House was quite a place and she was a very interesting character. I hope this isn’t the last we see of her, Trudie, and Homer.
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About The Author
PAIGE SHELTON had a nomadic childhood, as her father’s job as a football coach took her family to seven different towns before she was even twelve years old. After college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, she moved to Salt Lake City. She thought she’d only stay a couple years, but instead she fell in love with the mountains and a great guy who became her husband. After many decades in Utah, she and her family moved to Arizona. She is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series, the Alaska Wild series, the Dangerous Type mystery series, Farmers’ Market Mysteries, and the Country Cooking School Mysteries. She’s lived in lots of places but currently resides in Arizona. Find out more at www.paigeshelton.com
Also written by Paige Shelton
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”