Monday, August 15, 2016

On My Radar: Paige Shelton




I think that, no matter how hard we try, all of us have been bitten to some degree by the instant gratification bug. It usually happens to me when I find a listing for a book I'm absolutely wild to read-- and then find out that it won't be available for a year or two. Ouch. 

As soon as I learned that the next books in Paige Shelton's Dangerous Type and Scottish Bookshop series were being released next year, I made a note on my All Things Book calendar. I don't know about you, but I have different ways of dealing with books that I must read. In the case of the two books I'm about to tell you about, I know that I'll be going to author events at The Poisoned Pen to have Paige sign the copies I'll be buying, so there's no need to pre-order or anything. 

Which books am I salivating over? Let's take a look!


Available February 7, 2017!
Bookman Dead Style is the second book in Paige's Dangerous Type cozy series which is set in Star City, Utah.

Synopsis: "It’s January, and the Star City Film Festival has taken the Utah ski resort town by storm. Movie stars are everywhere, carving fresh powder on the slopes and crossing the thresholds of Bygone Alley’s charming boutique shops—including The Rescued Word, where Clare Henry and her grandfather restore old typewriters and beloved books. When cinema’s hottest superhero, Matt Bane, enters their store to buy some personalized notecards, it’s hard not to be starstruck.

But when Clare sees the police leading Matt out of The Fountain Hotel in handcuffs only a few hours later, she can’t believe her eyes. The affable actor is accused of killing his sister, but Clare’s convinced he’s wrong for that role. Now it’s open call for suspects as Clare tries to reel in the killer before another victim fades to black...


One of the things I enjoyed so much about To Helvetica and Back-- the first book in the series-- was its setting of a fictionalized Park City, Utah. Paige brings the town to life, and I can't wait to read about it during its film festival!


Available April 4, 2017!
Those of you who've read my blog for any length of time know that I'm probably a bit unhinged when it comes to my affection for Scotland (and in particular the Highlands). Paige's first Scottish Bookshop mystery, The Cracked Spine, was a bit of a book lover's dream: a young American woman gets a job in a bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a bit of murder and mayhem ensues.

In this second book, Of Books and Bagpipes, Delaney finds herself traveling to Doune Castle, which is northwest of Stirling. (If you watch Game of Thrones or Outlander, you'd recognize Doune Castle.)

Synopsis: "Delaney Nichols has settled so comfortably into her new life in Edinburgh that she truly feels it’s become more home than her once beloved Kansas. Her job at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specializes in rare manuscripts as well as other sundry valuable historical objects, is everything she had dreamed, with her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, entrusting her more and more with bigger jobs. Her latest task includes a trip to Castle Doune, a castle not far out of Edinburgh, to retrieve a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, an “Oor Wullie,” in a cloak and dagger transaction that Edwin has orchestrated.

While taking in the sights of the distant Highlands from the castle’s ramparts, Delaney is startled when she spots a sandal-clad foot at the other end of the roof. Unfortunately, the foot’s owner is very much dead and, based on the William Wallace costume he’s wearing, perfectly matches the description of the man who was supposed to bring the Oor Wullie. As Delaney rushes to call off some approaching tourists and find the police, she comes across the Oor Wullie, its pages torn and fluttering around a side wall of the castle. Instinct tells her to take the pages and hide them under her jacket. It’s not until she returns to the Cracked Spine that she realizes just how complicated this story is and endeavors to untangle the tricky plot of why someone wanted this man dead, all before getting herself booked for murder
." 



They both sound good, don't they? I'm thankful that they are being published at different times; otherwise, I wouldn't know which to read first!

What about you? Are Bookman Dead Style and Of Books and Bagpipes on your radar now? Or did you beat me to it? Inquiring minds would love to know!


 

6 comments:

  1. Oh, now you've got me curious about Shelton's work, Cathy. I've heard of this series, but not (yet) tried it. What a great setting and premise, though. Hmm.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both the series are well worth reading, Margot. Please give them a try!

      Delete
  2. I have To Helvetica and Back and The Cracked Spine on my TBR list. I guess I better step it up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's impossible to keep up with all these series, isn't it? :-)

      Delete
  3. Yes, I've read the first in both these series and am definitely looking forward to these two!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!