A Scandal in Scarlet: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Vicki Delany

Nov 2018 · A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery Book 4 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

Gemma and Jayne donate their time to raise money for the rebuilding of a burned out museum—but a killer wants a piece of the auction—in this fourth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery

Walking her dog Violet late one night, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop, acts quickly when she smells smoke outside the West London Museum. Fortunately no one is inside, but it’s too late to save the museum’s priceless collection of furniture, and damage to the historic house is extensive. Baker Street’s shop owners come together to hold an afternoon auction tea to raise funds to rebuild, and Great Uncle Arthur Doyle offers a signed first edition of The Valley of Fear.

Cape Cod’s cognoscenti files into Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, owned by Gemma’s best friend, Jayne Wilson. Excitement fills the air (along with the aromas of Jayne’s delightful scones, of course). But the auction never happens. Before the gavel can fall, museum board chair Kathy Lamb is found dead in the back room. Wrapped tightly around her neck is a long rope of decorative knotted tea cups—a gift item that Jayne sells at Mrs. Hudson’s. Gemma’s boyfriend in blue, Ryan Ashburton, arrives on the scene with Detective Louise Estrada. But the suspect list is long, and the case far from elementary. Does Kathy’s killing have any relation to a mysterious death of seven years ago?

Gemma has no intention of getting involved in the investigation, but when fellow shopkeeper Maureen finds herself the prime suspect she begs Gemma for her help. Ryan knows Gemma’s methods and he isn’t happy when she gets entangled in another mystery. But with so many suspects and so few clues, her deductive prowess will prove invaluable in A Scandal in Scarlet, Vicki Delany’s shrewdly plotted fourth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

Ratings and reviews

Oh, to be on Cape Cod for a beautiful summer day! Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson have more business at Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and Mrs. Hudson’s Tearoom than ever, and a challenging new mystery to solve. They are each uniquely delightful; Gemma is trying hard to be less blunt and not express her deductions as they come to her. After a late evening at work, Gemma and Violet, Great-Uncle Arthur’s cocker spaniel, are out for a walk when Violet alerts her to fire in the magnificent Scarlet House, built in 1648 and now a historical museum. After calling 911, she pounds on the door to see if anyone is inside, but the door is locked. First responders come quickly so she and Violet can go home. The Scarlet House fire resulted from an accident rather than arson, so the board of directors plan to repair the building immediately. That will take a good amount of money, however, so the board is going to have an auction hosted by Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. Great Uncle Arthur is donating his favorite pristine first edition copy of a Sherlock Holmes tale that is over a century old, and others donate expensive jewelry, gift packages, and more. Between the tea and scones and the start of the auction, however, the auctioneer hasn’t been seen. Gemma goes to the storeroom to see what is keeping Kathy Lamb, who is also chairperson of the museum board. Her ex-husband and his new, older, wealthy wife are present, as is the loudly obnoxious shopkeeper from Beach Fine Arts, Maureen MacGregor, who tried to donate a paint-by-number painting. When Gemma went back to the storeroom, she found Kathy on the floor, strangled, with the “weapon” still in place. Instead of an auction, there is a police investigation. Gemma has no plans to get involved, as Ryan, the man she loves and local lead detective is more important to her than getting in the middle of another murder. Until Maureen, the obnoxious neighbor, comes pleading. Maureen is not a friend, but Gemma is sure she is innocent and chooses to simply ask a few questions here and there. As things often seem to happen, Gemma is suddenly tangled up in a case that gets more intense, with more suspects than Sherlock can wave his pipe at. I do enjoy Gemma and Jayne; they are a fabulous, friendly duo. Jayne has mellowed the very British Gemma, helping change her from someone who bluntly spoke her mind to someone with more tact, especially when trying to creatively get information from people. Ryan still gets frustrated with her, but as the charming man who loves her, he accepts Gemma as she is. He appreciates how hard she is trying to change. All characters are well defined as befitting their roles. This reader was stumped by the mystery! There are so many possible suspects, so many who didn’t like the way Kathy handled things at the museum, and most of the town really disliked the next person killed. There are stunning plot twists, sometimes helping bring the resolution closer…or not. Overall, I was very impressed with the resolutions and surprises! This is a wonderful fourth in the series that can be read as a standalone, but I think you might enjoy reading all of them. I highly recommend A Scandal in Scarlet, with a beautiful summer setting at the Atlantic Ocean that is a fabulous read any time of year! From a grateful heart: I received an e-Arc of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Very absorbing. Didn't want to stop reading it. Kept me guessing who was the murderer.

About the author

Vicki Delany is a national bestseller in the US and one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers. A former computer programmer and systems analyst, Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is the past president of the Crime Writers of Canada. This is her fourth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.