Gemma Doyle manages a charming Sherlock-Holmes Bookshop on Cape Cod. When she finds a potentially valuable magazine left by a customer, Gemma takes her sidekick Jayne and searches for the owner.
The story is full of greedy people hoping to inherit riches, suspicious police, and Gemma, who is extremely observant, just like the fictional Holmes. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery, and I really loved the descriptions of the bookshop. I'd love to see the next books in the series.

I ended up listening to the audiobook of Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany. The narrator does a good job of bringing Gemma Doyle and the other characters to life. I liked the setting of the Sherlock Holmes themed shop set in new England. The main character, Gemma, sometimes got on my nerves. She is highly observant and logical but it felt a bit forced at times and she came across as a know-it-all at points. I almost wondered if Gemma has Asperger's as she is highly intelligent but her social ques are sometimes lacking. It's possible this was intentional, as there are psychology articles that suggest Sherlock Holmes had Asperger's. I was able to guess the villain part way through the book. I may read another in the series to see how the character progresses.

I love the setup for this series. Gemma is from London and running her Uncle's Sherlock themed bookstore in Cape Cod. Attached to the bookstore is Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room which is run by her best friend Jane. Things are going pretty smoothly until a valuable item is left in Gemma's store which leads them into stumbling over a dead body and becoming front and center in a murder investigation. The bookstore itself sounds like such a fun place to visit and I love Gemma's deductive reasoning skills. I especially liked that Jayne called Gemma on getting too involved in the investigation and dropping the ball on a number of business matters.

While I do really enjoy Gemma's deductive reasoning at times she comes across as annoying and her sureness that she is smarter then everyone else has her making some To Stupid to Live decisions. Given that her relationship with the police is pretty contentious - as her ex-boyfriend is one of the primary detectives - it makes a bit of sense but I did periodically want to scream at her. I'm hoping this is just some setup pains as this is the first book in a series. I did enjoy the setting and premise and while Gemma did make me roll my eyes a time or two (or five) I feel like there's enough positive about this story to keep me reading the series.

You don't have to have read the Sherlock Holmes books to be an instant fan of this new series. Gemma Doyle is the co-owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium along with her uncle Arthur, although Gemma handles the day-to-day operations. Gemma also co-owns Mrs. Hudson's Tearoom next door with her friend Jayne, who is the baker. Gemma is very observant and has an analytical mind which sometimes gets her in trouble as others do not make the same connections that she does. This comes in handy when her store is inadvertently involved when a woman is found dead. I enjoyed this first in the series very much and was surprised by the ending. I can't wait to read more of this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Meet Gemma Doyle who has returned to the small town in Cape Cod to help manage a family bookshop. She stumbles upon a very rare magazine containing the first Sherlock Holmes story stashed inside. Doing the right thing, she tries tracking down the owner of the intriguing find, but instead they find a body. A dead body.

Unfortunately Gemma is the first suspect, so she sets out to prove her innocence. She meets a rare book expert, whose books aren't the only attractive thing. She will meet many characters in her pursuit of justice, but will one of them be the killer?

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Elementary, She Read.

This is a modern day, lighthearted mystery that mimics Sherlock Holmes. This time "Sherlock" is a female bookstore clerk Gemma Doyle, with her female, even headed side kick Jayne. Together they put their heads together to solve a mystery of a valuable magazine that ends up on their shelves. But their pursuit to find the owner of the magazine turns into something much more sinister.

Full disclosure, I did not finish this one. But it had nothing to do with not liking it, I've just read it already, several times. Different spins on Sherlock have been done, and they're great, but in my opinion, tired. However, the writing, plot and character development were spot on. If you want a fun mystery, this would be great to try.

This cozy was a 3 1/2 star read for me. Gemma owns and operates a Sherlock Bookstore on Cape Cod and is enjoying the beginning of the summer season. Her best friend, Jayne, operates an attached tea room named after Sherlock's Housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. Gemma is supposed to be a Sherlock like character who notices many details other people miss. Unfortunately this trait does become annoying. I hope it is toned down a little in future books. When a valuable Doyle item is hidden in her shop and the owner is found murdered she sets outs to solve the mystery. I felt the mystery was weak. Since the final clue was a visual one and not available to the reader the solution was a surprise but the motive was a stretch. I did like the small town setting and the bookstore background. The book was an easy and quick read. Since I like this author's other series I will probably read the next one. Enjoy

RATING: 4 STARS
2017; Crooked Lane Books

This punny title and cutesy cover briefly caught my attention, but the cat on the cover had me hesitating. Normally, I have stayed away from cute cozy mysteries that have puns for titles, and anything that involves "recipes/knitting guide included", cats or dogs solving mysteries and cats on the cover period. The judgy uppity sarcastic eye rolling reader in me just couldn't even entertain the thought of liking this genre. The same reader that loves Murder, She Wrote, sad books and movies, cries at true crime shows and really anything heartwarming or sad reminded me that it could be fun...try it at least. Plus, Vicki Delany is a Canadian writer so I requested this title. The good news is there are no cats solving crimes.

Gemma Doyle, the bookstore owner and female detective, actually dislikes the cat, Moriarty (and the feelings are mutual). While her business partner and great uncle travels, she runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in Cape Cod. Connected to the bookshop is Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room, run by Gemma's bestie, Jayne. Gemma finds a copy of Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes story and contains a clue she and Jayne try to solve. With her Holmes's like mind, she finds that the clues lead them to a dead body. If Gemma doesn't find the killer they may find themselves in jail.

I found myself quickly lost in the story, the quaint town and loved all the characters. It is a great read when you want something quick and easy but also entertaining. There is also a bit of romance, but it is the relationship of Gemma and Jayne is most endearing. I am definitely down for rest of the series and may even give cozy mysteries a shot.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

Although it has good elements, it did not wow me, and I was put off the rest of the series by the lead character.

I would like to thank netgalley and Crooked lane books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the idea, but there was way too much info dumping going on.

Elementary, She Read
A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #1
Vicki Delany
Crooked Lane Books, March 2017
ISBN 978-1-68331-096-9
Hardcover

In Elementary, She Read, author Delany introduces quite an interesting set of characters along with a new twist on mysteries set in bookshops. While Gemma Doyle is the protagonist of this new series, the history behind the story begins when Gemma’s Great Uncle Arthur seized the opportunity to buy a building at the famous address of 222 Baker Street- though this Baker Street is located in West London, Massachusetts rather than London, England. With such a well known address, it was a given that her mystery loving uncle would open a Sherlock Holmes bookstore. When he found a bookstore alone wouldn’t make it, he expanded to include any and all things pertaining to Sherlock Holmes. Along the way, the opportunity arose to open a tea shop, named appropriately Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, next door but connected by an internal door. That shop is run by Gemma’s good friend Jayne. That is the story behind the story.

In a nutshell, the main plot of Elementary, She Read is this. The store is swamped one afternoon by a traveling bridge group, and while tidying the store after the group has left, Gemma finds an old Strand magazine that is not part of the store’s inventory hidden among the other magazines. Curious as to how it came to be there, she thinks back over the people who had just left the store and remembers one lady who was carrying a plain white plastic shopping bag that did not appear to be part of the group. She searches the store, finds the bag the woman was carrying and in it found a clue as to where the woman might be staying. Puzzled as to why the woman left what could well be a valuable magazine in the store, she puts the magazine to her home safe and sets off to find the woman. From there the plot follows a familiar path of amateur sleuths. Gemma tries to do the right thing and ends up finding a dead body or two and lands in the middle of a police investigation as a prime suspect. Eager to clear her name she starts snooping around trying to solve the murder, as well as unravel the original mystery as to why the magazine was placed in her store. The plot is well done with plenty of twists to keep readers on their toes. When the solution was finally revealed, I have to say I had figured out that the guilty person was involved but had not worked out how or why. I felt like Delany played fair with the readers by giving them clues to follow yet making the puzzle complicated enough to keep us working at it.

Readers don’t see much of Uncle Arthur in the book, and I hope that changes as the series moves forward. He seems to be a character ripe for development. Gemma is a great protagonist and has the eye for noticing details like Sherlock himself. There is a book about thinking like Sherlock mentioned several times throughout the book. The book actually exists (I checked on Amazon) and I plan on getting a copy. Readers get to know Jayne a bit but I suspect we’ll get a better read on her in future books. There were a couple of “villains” among the characters giving readers people to despise. One was a police woman who seems to have taken an instant dislike to Gemma, while the other was a fellow shopkeeper who has the need to control everyone else’s business. I’m sure we’ll get more of them as well.

There are the standard animals in the book-Gemma’s pet dog and the store’s resident cat who seems to like everyone except Emma.

Elementary, She Read is a wonderful beginning to what I hope is a long running series.

Reviewed by guest reviewer Caryn St.Clair, February 2017, for Buried Under Books.

A really wonderful start to a series I have come to love.

Gemma Doyle, an English transplant in Massachusetts, owns a Sherlock Holmes-themed bookstore, complete with an attached tea shop and fitting address. Gemma herself is similar to the famed detective, with an insatiable curiosity and slightly cold manner that is driven by an incessant attention to detail. When her and her best friend Jayne, the owner of the tea shop, try to find the owner of a Sherlock Holmes magazine accidentally left in the store, they stumble upon a dead body (because of course), and Gemma is the prime suspect (again, of course).

Given Gemma's nature and how close to home the case is, she is compelled to investigate the murder, through both legal and slightly gray means. Other cast of characters include a handsome ex-boyfriend detective and an equally handsome rare book dealer, one detective out for her blood, and a bunch of suspicious relatives to the deceased. Interspersed with the sleuthing is scene from a cozy coastal town, where the locals all know each other and everyone keeps a finger on the gossip pulse.

Overall, I enjoyed this greatly. It has all of the elements that you can ask for in a cozy and in a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, from the quaint town, plucky and independent female protagonist, and even a cute dog. My gripes are relatively minor. These include a horrid dislike of the first person narration, a slight disconnect from Gemma, who is aware of her personality quirks and cold exterior, but feels no need to correct them, and a slightly predictable murder. However, none of these will detract me from finishing the series and purchasing a copy as soon as this comes out.

If you love Sherlock Holmes stories, you will love this female version of him. Gemma Doyle owns the Sherlock Homes Bookshop and Emporium. Her best friend, Jayne Wilson owns the tea shop next door in which Gemma is a partner. Between the two of them, they manage to get involved in murder mystery.

Gemma has all the observant talents and deductive ability of Sherlock Holmes and manages to get into hot water with the local police, one of which she has been involved with. While he believes in her abilities, his partner is less than enamored with them.

The story involved the death of a wealthy man who has a large Sherlock collection, his nurse, her son and a copy of a valuable book. There is a twist to the story that I never saw coming which makes the book all that much better.

If you like trying to figure out “who done it”, this is a wonderful book to do just that with.

"Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

Fans of Sherlock Holmes will delight in the sleuthing duo of Gemma and Jayne in Elementary, She Read, the clever and captivating series debut by nationally bestselling author Vicki Delany."

Cozy fun with the Holmes canon? Yes please!

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Elementary, She Read is the first book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series. Gemma Doyle comes to New London to run her uncle's bookstore, and along with her best friend, stumble onto a murder scene. She then finds herself a suspect in self same murder, and doesn't trust the police to look further than her store for the real criminal. Gemma feels she must find out who did the deed in order to clear her name.
I found the plot intriguing, with lots of suspects. While I never did warm up to Gemma, I really liked many of the supporting cast. Maybe she'll grow on me as the series continues. The writing style was comfortable, and well paced. Descriptions were clear, and I could see myself standing in Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room, as well as many other locations throughout the story. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I am totally in love with this series. I love Gemma, Jayne, Uncle Arthur, Ryan, Grant, and so many other folks around town--and let's not forget Moriarity, the bookshop cat!
The author does a marvelous job with these stories. The village and the people who live there seem to come to life on the page, and the reader will begin to care about virtually everyone. The mystery is well done also, surprising you at various times. I wasn't sure who the murderer was until the last minute.

Gemma Doyle moved from England to West London, Mass. to help her great uncle Arthur. His in his nineties and is not one to settle down but he couldn't help buying a building when it was on Baker Street because he is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. It wasn't doing very good because he was just selling the Sherlock Holmes cannons, but when Gemma came she realized that it would make more money if she stocked all the retellings and even books in that era as well as memorabilia. She didn't have to like all that goofy stuff to know it would sell. Gemma runs that store and is also partners with her friend who runs the store next door called Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. Her uncle Arthur is hardly ever home as the travel bug is in his veins so he leaves the running of the store to Gemma.

Gemma has an eye for details and can tell when things are out of place in her store and she found a magazine that looked a lot like a rare magazine that could be worth a lot of money. When she finds the owner, she finds her dead and herself as the murder suspect. Gemma and her Sherlock like abilities is not always a good thing because she seemed to know way too much about what happened and doesn't know when to shut up. :)

The detectives on the case are Ryan, whom Gemma has a past with, and Louise, who takes an immediate disliking to Gemma which doesn't do her any good because Ryan gets taken off the case for knowing Gemma. While Louise is determined to make a case against Gemma, she must do her best to find the killer. 

I really liked Gemma and her gift for details, it also cracked me up because she kept digging herself a hole. Her friend Jayne would be like shut up...lol. I liked all the side characters and I have a feeling it's going to be fun seeing what will happen with Gemma as the series progresses. 

The author pulled one over on me and I was totally surprised by who the murderer was though I feel like I should have known...lol. Great mystery!

This was a cute little themed mystery. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery, although the ending felt a little far-fetched. Also the protagonist is a bit over the top as well. Nothing that a little suspension of disbelief won't take care of :)

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley.

Usually I like the combination of a cozy mystery, cat, and bookstore. Unfortunately, this was a trifle too slow-going for me. The characters weren’t engaging enough to carry it. Perhaps as the series develops....

What a wonderful telling of a modern day Sherlock Holmes. Gemma is a book store owner, in small town Massachusetts, and the focus of the story is Sherlock Holmes. Gemma has a wonderful way of observing a lot around her, and is brutally honest about it. Obviously this tends to turn off a lot of people, including her ex Ryan, who is also the homicide detective. Did I mention that Gemma keeps finding dead bodies? Her friend Jayne is her somewhat sidekick, or Watson, and together they work on finding the real killer before it is too late. I really enjoyed this one, as it is the first in the series (have also read the third book, and enjoyed that too), and look forward to reading many more in this series and by this author. Highly recommend.