Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 11/10/2018 + 2307 more book reviews

It's the busy tourist season in this fourth book in the delightful Sherlock Holmes Bookshop cozy series, and I really think Gemma should give her assistant Ashleigh a raise. As soon as Ashleigh turns up for her shifts, Gemma is out the door on her investigations, leaving Ashleigh up to her eyebrows in customers. Yes, the young woman definitely deserves a raise, but since I enjoy Gemma's sleuthing so much, I really don't want her to spend all her time in the bookshop either!

One of the bonuses readers get in A Scandal in Scarlet (and the other books in the series) are wonderful recommendations for other books to read. You can't go wrong by following Gemma's suggestions-- and I have to admit that Delany's descriptions of the series' Cape Cod setting make me want to start packing and head east for a long visit.

As always, the author provides a well-paced, solid mystery with plenty of misdirection to keep readers guessing. Actually, there are two mysteries to solve, and I was totally wrong about the solution to the seven-year-old crime. (Love it when that happens!) The cast of characters is strong, too. Eagle-eyed Gemma is just prickly enough to keep readers amused without annoying them too much, and Jayne is the sidekick every amateur sleuth needs. She will follow Gemma anywhere because-- as Jayne says-- "Someone's got to keep you out of trouble." And-- hopefully-- Vicki Delany will keep us supplied with tales of Gemma's investigations for a good long time to come.

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