Pamela C. (pj-s-bookcorner) reviewed The Burning Pages (Scottish Bookshop, Bk 7) on + 862 more book reviews
Delaney Nichols faces off against an elusive arsonist in the seventh Scottish Bookshop Mystery.
"One winter's night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She's perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at Burns House itself, a tiny cottage not far from the Cracked Spine bookshop but well hidden. There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney's boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin for burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement.
But after the dinner, there's another fire. The Burns House itself is burned to the ground, and this time there's a body among the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to discover that he might actually have a plausible motive..."
"One winter's night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She's perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at Burns House itself, a tiny cottage not far from the Cracked Spine bookshop but well hidden. There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney's boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin for burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement.
But after the dinner, there's another fire. The Burns House itself is burned to the ground, and this time there's a body among the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to discover that he might actually have a plausible motive..."
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
I've often considered Paige Shelton's Scottish Bookshop cozy series to be a bit of wish fulfillment. After all, how many American readers would jump at the chance to move to Edinburgh, Scotland, for a dream job in a bookshop? (I would!) Now in book seven, Delaney's life has changed in ways that she never would have imagined while living in Kansas.
The Burning Pages brings readers to another Scottish staple, the Burns Night dinner, and introduces us to high-profile defense attorney Clarinda Creston. We also learn more about Edwin's past, which is a slowly evolving process since it would be hard to imagine anyone else who has more secrets squirreled away than he. But while we're learning about Edwin, we're also getting a chance to find out about young Hamlet's background. I was happy to see another member of the cast become more fully fleshed.
Due to some excellent misdirection, it wasn't easy to deduce the identity of the pyromaniac, and I always appreciate the extra work for my little grey cells. Now all I have to do is wait to see what Delaney gets up to next.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
The Burning Pages brings readers to another Scottish staple, the Burns Night dinner, and introduces us to high-profile defense attorney Clarinda Creston. We also learn more about Edwin's past, which is a slowly evolving process since it would be hard to imagine anyone else who has more secrets squirreled away than he. But while we're learning about Edwin, we're also getting a chance to find out about young Hamlet's background. I was happy to see another member of the cast become more fully fleshed.
Due to some excellent misdirection, it wasn't easy to deduce the identity of the pyromaniac, and I always appreciate the extra work for my little grey cells. Now all I have to do is wait to see what Delaney gets up to next.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
