The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton

 

First Line: "I love the hat," I said, trying to ease my way into this unexpected conversation.

 

Forewarned that her surprising invitation to a Burns Night dinner may have more to do with her employer than it does with her, Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet attend the traditional Scottish celebration of poet Robert Burns at tiny Burns House, not far from the Cracked Spine Bookshop.

 

Once there, it becomes clear that Delaney was summoned in an attempt to make amends between Delaney's boss and one of the members of the club, who suspected Edwin of burning down his bookshop twenty years ago after a disagreement. 

But after the dinner, there's another fire. Burns House is burned to the ground, and there's a body in the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence.

~

 

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.

The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton

eISBN: 9781250789495

Minotaur Books © 2022

eBook, 304 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #7 Scottish Bookshop mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

First Line: He took a drag on the cigarette as he watched the bookshop.

Delaney Nichols has adapted well to her new home in Edinburgh, Scotland, even though it's so completely different from where she grew up in Kansas. She loves her job at The Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specializes in rare manuscripts and other valuable historical objects, and she's gathered several good friends around her. Her employer Edwin MacAlister is entrusting her with bigger and bigger jobs. Her newest one is going to Castle Doune to obtain a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, although she does think that the transaction that Edwin has devised is more than a bit cloak and dagger.

Unfortunately, Delaney finds a body on the castle ramparts, and from the William Wallace costume he's wearing, he's a perfect match for the man who was supposed to give her the comic. When Delaney runs to call the police, she finds the copy of the comic, its pages battered and fluttering in the breeze. Instinct tells her to take the pages, hide them under her jacket, and take them back to the bookshop. Doing so ensures that she must solve this very complicated mystery.

Paige Shelton has crafted an excellent puzzle of a mystery filled with plenty of misdirection to keep readers guessing. Her main character has just the right amount of budding romance with the handsome Tom, and she furthers her Scottish education by traveling by train and visiting Sterling and the Wallace Monument. 

If you overlook her tendency to trip over dead bodies, you have to admit that Delaney is having the perfect adventure in Scotland. She's not faced with too much culture shock because she's surrounded by a buffer of friends consisting of her co-workers, Tom, and her landlords Elias and Aggie. She doesn't even have to brave public transportation all that much because Elias has a taxi and insists on driving her to many of the places she needs to go, just like an overprotective father. 

I do have to admit to one small grievance (other than Delaney keeping evidence from the police): Edwin MacAlister himself. All his secrets, all his being unable to be reached by telephone or any other means, not only makes him a rather puzzling sort of businessman, it makes him downright annoying. He needs to show more trust in his employees/chosen family. I'd also like to know more about the treasures in that warehouse of his, but it may be a bit premature to ask him for a guided tour, especially since I've just filed a complaint.

I'm ready... Bring on Delaney's next adventure in Scotland!   
 

Of Books and Bagpipes by Paige Shelton

ISBN: 9781250057495

Minotaur Books © 2017

Hardcover, 320 pages

Cozy Mystery, #2 Scottish Bookshop mystery

Rating: B+

Source: the publisher


   

A Christmas Tartan by Paige Shelton

First Line: I had a holiday dinner this evening and presents to wrap, but something else had suddenly become more important.

Paige Shelton's lovely little short story tells us about Delaney Nichols' first Christmas in Scotland. She's been working at The Cracked Spine in Edinburgh long enough to feel comfortable, and she's really looking forward to celebrating a Scottish Christmas with her new friends. 

But just when holiday plans begin to pile up, Delaney's boss Edwin puts her in charge of tracing the owner of a mysterious box of items, and she finds herself being drawn into an otherworldly sort of cold case dating back to the 1960s. 

Shelton shows a Dickensian flair in writing this Christmas tale. Not only is it just the thing to read during the holiday season, it's a perfect addition to her new Scottish Bookshop series. Read it with a smile!

A Christmas Tartan by Paige Shelton

eISBN: 9781250132659

Minotaur Books © 2016

Digital Short Story, 85 pages

Short Story, #1.5 Scottish Bookshop

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon  

The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

First Line: It was perhaps fortuitous.

With master's degrees in literature and history and her walking papers from the small museum in which she used to work, Delaney Nichols grabs the opportunity of a lifetime. She packs her bags and moves from Kansas to Edinburgh, Scotland to work in Edwin MacAlister's bookshop The Cracked Spine.

Delaney knows scarcely a thing about what she's gotten herself into, but the work sounds exciting, and her new boss has promised that she'll be working at a desk "that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes." Delaney can't wait to get started.

Her new bookshop family is very welcoming, and Tom the bartender from the pub across the street looks mighty fine in a kilt. But before she can settle into her new life and her new job, a previously undiscovered First Folio of Shakespeare's plays goes missing, and Edwin's sister is murdered. Delaney wants to help Edwin, so she starts doing a bit of sleuthing. What's the real story behind the priceless folio, and how is it connected to Edwin's sister?

Author Paige Shelton takes many a book lover's dream-- moving to the UK and working in a bookshop-- and weaves it into a first-rate beginning of a new series. Through Delaney, she does an excellent job of portraying an American's culture shock in the ancient city of Edinburgh: driving on the "wrong" side of the road, the narrow streets, the incredibly old buildings everywhere, and the accents and friendliness of the Scottish people.

But the cultural differences aren't the only reason to devour The Cracked Spine. Delaney is an intriguing blend of intelligence and naïveté, and she's surrounded by an excellent secondary cast. The scarf-wearing Rosie with her little dog Hector always in tow. Handsome and charming Tom from across the street. Her landlords Elias and his wife. Detective Inspector Winters. And with all the treasures he's collected in The Cracked Spine's storeroom and his disorganized, mad professorish ways, Edwin MacAlister should be the source for many a future mystery.

Speaking of mysteries, the one in The Cracked Spine is a good'un. I didn't have a clue to the killer's identity, which always gives me a thrill. There were a couple of tiny things that made me raise an eyebrow: Delaney's finding her cottage was a bit too fortuitous, and I didn't quite believe her willingness to investigate Jenny's death, but they in no way ruined my enjoyment of the book. On the contrary-- I can't wait for the next installment!
  

The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

ISBN:9781250057488

Minotaur Books © 2016

Hardcover, 320 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Scottish Bookshop mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author