Tag: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!

Today I am happy to share my thoughts about
The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime
(A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery) by Vicki Delany!

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Setting – London, England
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (January 14, 2025)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639109269
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639109265
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D1Q6N7DW

Bookshop owner Gemma Doyle heads to London for a wedding, but when a body is found in connection with a rare book, Gemma sets out to sleuth the slaying in bestselling author Vicki Delany’s tenth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

Gemma Doyle and her friends have packed their bags and headed to London for her sister Pippa’s wedding. Waiting for her in the hotel lobby is none other than Gemma’s ex-husband, Paul Erikson. Paul has a rare book he wants her to see—calling it “the real deal”—so Gemma agrees to meet him at their old shop, Trafalgar Fine Books, the following day. But when Gemma arrives, accompanied by Grant, a rare book dealer, they find Paul dead in his office.

Paul had been down on his luck, but Gemma never expected this. Had he borrowed money from people he shouldn’t have? And where is the valuable book he was so anxious for Gemma to see? It’s nowhere to be found in the shop. Because of their previous relationship, Gemma feels she owes something to Paul and vows to find his killer.

As Gemma and her best friend Jayne Wilson follow Paul’s trail of friends, enemies, clients, and ex-lovers through London to Yorkshire, she realizes the puzzle of Paul’s last days is more twisted than she originally thought.

This mystery is anything but elementary, and Gemma and Jayne have to use all their wit to get to the bottom of it before their time in London—or in life—is over.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Gemma Doyle’s sister Pippa is getting married and she and her friends arrive in London for the wedding. After the ceremony, Gemma runs into Paul Erickson, her ex-husband and former partner of Trafalgar Fine Books. He tells her he has a book she needs to see. He says “It might be a real deal”. She tries to put him off but agrees to meet him at their old store the next day. She refuses to meet him alone so her new brother-in-law Grant who happens to be a rare book dealer, and huge Sherlock Holmes fan Donald tag along with her. They arrive at the rundown shop to find Paul has been killed.

Everyone wants Gemma to leave the case to the Metropolitan Police but she jumps right in feeling it is something she must do for Paul. So while her dad, her boyfriend Ryan, and Jayne’s fiance Andy take off on a fishing trip, Gemma and Jayne work to piece together what they can of Paul’s recent life. The game is truly afoot as clues begin to fall into place and what they have been looking there is found but they may need a little help to close the case.

Gemma is her true self wanting to enjoy her time with her family and friends but feels the tug of a good murder mystery. Jayne feels compelled to play Watson to her Sherlock. I was surprised that Ryan left her to go fishing because he knows her and knew she was not going to sit idly by. Same with her father. What I found especially intriguing was that we learned more about Pippa’s mysterious high-power job. She barely had time to get married handling one crisis after another. She even told Gemma to leave Paul’s death alone. Ten books in and these characters continue to surprise me.

While everyone is in London Uncle Arthur is holding down the fort at home and not doing a very good job. He does have Ashleigh at the store to attempt to curb anything major happening there but even she cannot control everything. Mrs. Ramsbatten can only do so much at home. A skunk smell, a quick fix gone wrong, a power outage – Gemma may have her hands full when she gets home.

Ms. Delany has penned a complicated mystery that tested this reader. The plotlines were intricately twisted together. My suspect list was always in fluid motion. When I thought I cleared one I put them back a few pages later. She really challenged my armchair detective skills. I was surprised by everywhere Gemma and her friends traveled and the entities they interacted with, especially their little foray at a nightclub where they interacted closely with people. I may have been laughing out loud.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime has a lot of moving parts and twisty plotlines. I had a great time touring around London with Gemma and her cohorts. I am looking forward to doing it again next year.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About the Author

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than forty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Year Round Christmas books for Crooked Lane, the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.

Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Website – Facebook – Twitter/X:  @vickidelany and@evagatesauthor – Instagram: vickidelany

Find more books written by Vicki Delany here. 

Find books written as Eva Gates here.

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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.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”