I loved the first one in this series. I felt like this one didn’t measure up. It just didn’t keep me hooked the way the first one did.

I love this series with it's bookish charm! I also loved reading about the setting and the beautiful country side. I have read the first two books in this series as well and I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a beautiful setting, great characters and a charming bookshop filled with treasures!

Delaney has made friends with two medical students who came to the bookshop to sell some historic medical books. One weekend she goes out with Rena and Sophie and meets their friend Mallory. Mallory is found dead behind the bookshop the next morning. Delaney doesn’t know what’s going on but she intends to figure out the connection between some old grave robbers Burk & Hare, Dr. Knox, the medical books, some scalpels, an old scandal at the medical school and the current murder.
I enjoyed this mystery. Delaney has been in Edinburgh longer and it makes a bit more sense in this storyline that she would investigate. The relationship between Tom and Delaney deepens. The murderer is a little surprise but was among the suspects. I like the setting in Edinburgh and the bookshop. Definitely recommended. If you haven’t read the first two, you might want to to get the backstory on Delaney..

This is the first book in the series of three that I have read, but I was able to follow the story line with no problem. It does mention some past events, but the story can be read as a stand alone without reading the prior two books. After reading this one, I will go back and read the first two. I absolutely loved the history and setting in the book. After visiting Scotland last fall, I was able to revisit the sites I had seen and learn more about the story of Burke and Hare that I had heard about in the dungeons and underground. Now, on to the story.

Delaney Nicols works at The Cracked Spine, a bookstore in Edinburgh. She befriends two medical students, Rena and Sopie, and buys a couple of books from them. Little do they know that they are rare and valuable manuscripts. Later that night while socializing at the local pub, she meets another friend Mallory and one of their professors, Dr. Eban. She thinks there is something off about Dr. Eban and there is something that bothers her. After leaving, Delaney meets her boyfriend Tom at the bookstore to show a famous set of scalpels used by an infamous local doctor back in the days of body snatching. After viewing them, locking them in the desk and locking the store, they head home. The next morning when Delaney arrives at work, she finds out that the store was broken into and Mallory is dead in the alley with a skull placed beside the body. A mystery to be solve for sure.

I enjoyed this book very much. The setting of a rare bookshop in old Edinburgh, a hidden warehouse where the owner hides/stores rare antiquities and the whole medical school link made the story feel a bit spooky without being too creepy. Delaney is an intelligent main character, who makes friends easily and is nice and friendly. She is also perseverant and does not give up easily. Along with Delaney there are all the quirky secondary characters, most of them working at the university and the bookstore. Tom, Delaney's boyfriend is her sounding board and helps her solve the mystery, even with all the red herrings. I was completely surprised by the ending and the big reveal, but it was realistic and in hindsight, the clues were there. A lot of history is told throughout the story that made it even more interesting for me. The publisher, St. Martin's Press, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

This has such a great setting and I still just love the backstory of how Delaney came to work at the Cracked Spine. Being where she is, I really liked the historical aspect to finding both the old medical books and instruments, and how they all tie into the crime. The series just keeps getting stronger.

This was a very good read - I am so glad that there was an audiobook of this so I was able to experience it. I really enjoy Delaney and all of her friends and co-workers. I love the setting and how settled into Scotland she has gotten. And I love how she gets involved with mysteries, even when she isn't trying to [much was the case here].

Murder and mayhem reigns here and the story is very interesting as they Incorporated the true life story of Burke and Hare [serial killers who killed for medical school to have cadavers - they were not particularly concerned with who they killed and the Dr. that they sold to is believed to have known that they were doing it. NOT nice all the way around] into their story-line. It was very interesting how the author did that and of course made me spend time looking up so much information about said serials killers.

Very good edition to this series - I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to further editions of this story!

***I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for a unbiased review.

Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton is the third tale in A Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. Delaney Nichols has relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland where she works at The Cracked Spine, a rare book and manuscript shop. Delaney has two new friends in medical students Rena and Sophie. They met when the ladies brought in some antique medical books to sell (which her boss, Edwin MacAlister loves). She went out to a club with them where they encounter Mallory and Dr. Byron Eban (an odd man). Dr. Eban has a particular fascination in Burke and Hare (two men who killed to obtain corpses for Dr. Knox to use for medical research). Dr. Eban believes Edwin owns the scalpels by the famous Dr. Knox (hidden in his not so secret room). Delaney cannot resist checking for the blades before heading home. The next morning, Delaney gets a call that someone broke into The Cracked Spine and Mallory was found dead in the alley beside the shop with a skull from the medical school next to her. Delaney, with the aid of the books, delves into the case to catch the culprit.

Lost Books and Old Bones can be read alone. The details a reader’s needs are included in this tale. Delaney does talk about past cases in the story as well. I love the setting of this series. The author provides us with beautiful descriptions of Edinburgh as well as historical tidbits. Another delightful part of the book is the books referenced (who doesn’t love visiting a bookstore and browsing for hours). The paranormal element (the books in The Cracked Spine give her cryptic clues) is barely present. I wish the author would incorporate it more into the story. Burke and Hare are an integral part of the story (mystery). Ms. Shelton wove their history into the story. Their tale is creepy and fascinating. Delaney devoted her time to solving the mystery. She goes around asking questions and people just answer them (I know it is fiction but is this realistic). You would think someone would tell her to bugger off. Delaney spends little time at the job that pays her bills, but she does have time for her boyfriend, Tom (and to be jealous of old girlfriend who appeared at the crime scene and happens to be a reporter). The author does not fully flesh out the secondary characters (Rena & Sophie for example). I found the pace to be slow especially in the beginning which was also disjointed. It lacked an ease and flow. There was too much repetition of certain details (how Delaney is not good friends with Sophie and Rena). The mystery had some interesting components (Dr. Eban is particularly unnerving) and there is misdirection to throw readers off the real killer. However, it really did not work as I had no trouble identifying the culprit (the who and why). The story could have used more action (needed something to liven it up). I am rating Lost Books and Old Bones 3 out of 5 stars. Lost Books and Old Bones just failed to capture and hold my attention.

This cute little cozy mystery series takes us back to Scotland for another mystery, full of vivid descriptions and tangled plot lines.

I've been reading this series since the first book. Delaney is a US Midwest transplant to Edinburgh, Scotland. In the first book she took the courageous leap to Scotland, accepting a position in a book store. She's adapted, loves her job and boss, has made friends, met a man and learned (sort of) to understand the Scottish accent. New friendships lead her to a mysterious death at the medical school with tie ins to an old crime. Excellent book. I especially liked the glimpse into the differences between medical education in Scotland and the US.

This is the third book in the Scottish Bookshop mysteries, set in Edinburgh Scotland. I loved the first two books and I loved this one too! The main character, Delaney Nichols, is an American who came to Scotland and works at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop with a very interesting back room filled with undiscovered and uncataloged treasures. Delaney has started dating Tom, owner of a nearby pub and things are going well until she finds a dead body in the alley behind the bookshop. She gets involved in the investigation and discovers that the back room contains more secrets than she thought.

This book has a great setting, plot, and characters. I highly recommend it. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Since I am a cat and stay in my palace, I cannot confirm this but I have been told if you are a traveller, it is fun to read books set in places you have visited. I know Momma got an extra kick out of this book because she could visualize the places in which the story took place- the old part of Edinburgh.
I enjoyed it too because I did like Delaney who soaks up the lore and atmosphere in this city so far and so different from her home. Edinburgh reeks of history- not literally of course- and some of it is less than savoury. Modern medicine owes “thanks” to some shady individuals who dug up bodies to sell to the medical school. It was the only way that doctors could learn how the human body worked. None did this for altruistic reasons but Burke and Hare are two who “helped’ the bodies become bodies for sale.
Interwoven in the story are many of the characters from that dark time but Delaney doesn’t have to go back that far to find darkness when a new acquaintance is murdered in the close behind the book store where she works. There are lots of subplots upon subplots but the big mystery is who killed Mallory and why.
I enjoy a mystery when the author gets the reader wondering if they clues are right and if the one the reader thinks “did it” actually did. There were lots of red herrings and some outright surprises before the killer is unmasked.
It is an thrilling finale and made me want more. I will give it five purrs and two paws up.

Title: Lost Books and Old Bones

Author: Paige Shelton

Series: Scottish Bookshop Mystery

Pages: 320

Genre: Cozy mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Delaney has been working as a bookseller in Edinburgh for almost a year now. She has made friends outside the bookshop including three medical school students. Dating her pub owner Tom and enjoying living in the city that has become home to her. When she literally stumbles over a new mystery when one of the medical school students is killed outside the bookshop.

Unlike the other books in this series, this third book Lost Books and Old Bones kept me guessing from the beginning as to who the killer was. Just when I thought I had it figured out a new twist would be thrown in. But Delaney is determined to find the killer and in the process try to solve a decades old crime as well. Little does anyone know that the present crime is tied to the past one? And again when Delaney gets too close to the killer her life is in danger.

Lost Books and Old Bones is a quick and interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading cozy mysteries and books set in Scotland. I did not see the twist at the very end coming but it was a welcomed twist. It is best to read the books in order, the first book being The Cracked Spine and book two Of Books and Bagpipes. There is also A Christmas novella called A Christmas Tartan that can be read after the second book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone

A bookshop, Scotland, and a murder – do I really need to say more?

Lost Books and Old Bones is the 3rd in the series, not counting a Christmas novella (which I haven’t read yet). I’ve read all three and definitely enjoy spending time in Edinburgh with Delaney and her crew. I don’t often feel like I would actually love to hang out with the characters in books, but I would love to work in the bookshop and drink at the pub across the road, and visit the castle. Lost Books and Old Bones could probably be read as a stand-alone, but I think the first couple of books will give some needed background on Delaney and what makes the bookshop so special. All of the major characters return here, and there is a touch of romance for Delaney, but not enough to take away from the plot.

This time around, Mallory, one of Delaney’s new friends, is killed in the alley behind the bookstore. All the clues point toward the School of Medicine where Mallory was a student and in true amateur detective fashion Delaney starts poking around. I do have to give her credit. She shares (almost) everything she finds out with the policy (eventually). She even tries to call her boyfriend before putting herself in danger, not that it helps. In books, they never seem to answer their phone when you really, really need them to.

I liked how the present mystery pulled in bits of history and we were given plenty of clues. There were plenty of twists and turns and false leads before we get to the solution, but the whodunnit was kind of perfect. The motive was pretty run of the mill, but the murderer was kind of fascinating. And the ending was sweet; it made me smile.

A warm glow seems to suffuse the Edinburgh that Delaney calls her new home, in spite of murders both old and new. Three books ago, Delaney Nichols (from Kansas) answered an eccentric ad to work in a book store in Edinburgh, and the books in the series chronicle her resulting position at The Cracked Spine, a rare book store and sort of museum in what is portrayed as a quaint Scottish city. She now has a job cataloguing the book store owner's odd collection of museum grade artifacts, a cabdriving paternal landlord, a pub owning boyfriend who looks great in a kilt, and many, many Scottish friends. The Edinburgh that she inhabits seems designed to protect her even as she throws herself into danger while investigating various crimes with the semi-supernatural help of quotations from famous authors.

In this current third in the series, Delaney has made friends with a couple of medical students and through them has met a very unusual professor, Dr. Eban, who incorporates the story of 19th century grave robbers in his lectures. Shortly after meeting another medical student, Delaney's new acquaintance is murdered outside The Cracked Spine, and connections to the history of the grave robbers surface. Delaney's investigating leads her to a further connection between some scalpels and books at the store and a group of four professors comprised of Dr. Eban, his wife, the dead girl's father, and a convicted criminal. Complications ensue and, in the end, there is a satisfying resolution to the murder.

Shelton brings an inviting version of Edinburgh to life in this series, adding historical knowledge to a travelogue that, in this case, centers around the University of Edinburgh's medical school. This is great escape reading, transporting the reader to environs that are quite different from the US and quite appealing. The characters, while all interesting, tend toward oddly quirky rather than evil, bringing a decidedly cozy feel to the plot. One wonders how Delaney ever gets any work done with all of her running around Edinburgh in search of a killer, but her boss seems content to leave the bookstore closed while the investigation is underway. Delaney's personal relationship with her pub owner develops further by the end of the book but, like the violence, romance occurs mainly off stage. Given her love of Scotland, old books, and the pub owner, it does not appear that Delaney will be headed back to Kansas anytime soon.

This is book 3 in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series and Delaney is making new friends among the medical students that live in the area. After partying with several of the girls, she finds one of the students dead in the alley and she feels compelled to find the killer. As the suspect list narrows, she starts to suspect something is up with the the owner of the shop and a set of old medical instruments found in the bookstore's warehouse. I like the story but I find it distracting that some of the characters are talking with the Scottish accents but you soon get used to it. I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have enjoyed Paige Shelton's other series and was excited to receive a copy of Lost Books and Old Bones from Net Galley. Delaney is an American who has taken a job in a wonderful bookstore in Scotland. I really liked this character, she is a strong, dynamic woman who is also adventurous and smart. A dead body turns up in the alley behind the bookstore and Delaney is surprised to see it is a young woman she had just met while out with some medical students from the local university. Delaney's natural curiosity and eagerness to solve the mystery lead to some interesting sleuthing. There are many twists and turns as Delany tries to figure out how some antique scalpels and old medical books are related to the murder. Her sleuthing turns up several suspects and she enlists the aid of friends who work at the university and local museum to help her figure out how all of the pieces fit together. I really enjoyed the Scottish setting and the different Scottish sayings and terminology that Delaney is learning to navigate. I am eager to read the first two books in this delightful series.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

It is so good to be back in Edinburgh with Delaney, who has lived there for about a year since leaving Kansas! She answered a compelling ad for a special position at a unique bookshop, The Cracked Spine. Again I am impressed by the depth research of history and antiquities in this beautiful setting, the intriguing, well-written mystery, and the characters who make it the great series it is. Lost Books and Old Bones, third in the series, can be read as a standalone. It is also the best to date, but don’t miss the first two!

Delaney’s new friends, Rena and Sophie, attend med school at University of Edinburgh. They met at the bookstore when Rena sold a collection of rare medical books to help pay for her school. They are at a pub on a Friday night after a particularly challenging exam. Mallory, a friend of Rena and Sophie, joins them, and they have a good time until their prof shows up at the pub. Slipping out, Mallory and Sophie leave, then Rena has an odd, fear-tinged request for Delaney: If anything happens to Rena, would she watch over Sophie? She was also concerned that Sophie might be in too deep with Dr. Eban – meaning what? After their plan to have a fun evening, things quickly turned too serious.

The following morning brought terrible news. Hamlet, the student who works at the Cracked Spine, arriving at work at the same time as Rosie, a long-term employee of the bookshop, found the front door unlocked and the body of a young woman in the alley. It was Mallory, and a human skull is next to her body.

Delaney does not want to get involved in another police investigation, but she simply can’t keep from asking questions. Delaney’s boyfriend Tom assists in getting an attorney for Delaney when she meets with police, simply because she very briefly knew the deceased and was out with her and their mutual friends the evening before. The author introduces a labyrinthe of unusual clues and red herrings that lead from the legendary Dr. Robert Knox from the 1800’s to Dr. Jack Glenn, alleged murderer missing more than a decade. This time, Delaney’s “bookish voices” are less than forthcoming with hints of who to beware of.

Delaney is a sleuth that I enjoy, and hope to follow through many new adventures! She is so three-dimensional that I could almost see her to step off the pages, along with her boyfriend, Tom, owner of Delaney’s Wee Pub (not named after her). She is the first woman he has dated for any length of time, which rankles Bridget, a thwarted girlfriend from their university days, now a local journalist looking for a big scoop. There is an eclectic group of characters, many of whom are not who they seem to be. All are defined well, most are very likable.

The mystery this time focuses on Delaney’s friends outside the book shop rather than the people associated with The Cracked Spine or its owner, Edwin. I did, however, miss seeing her landlord, Elias, and his wife, Aggie, more prominent in earlier novels. They became fast friends when Delaney moved across the pond, and Elias has been a great tour guide and sleuthing helper. The mystery is stunning; there are perfect red herrings and a fabulous mix of past and present meeting in the halls of medical and historical knowledge. The author’s knowledge of Scotland is impressive, showing Delaney and her med school friends to be brilliant and – at least for Delaney – able to read the clues and change course when necessary. Finding the real bad guy/ gal was a real challenge, and I was surprised to see who it really was. While I had slight suspicion of the person, it wasn’t someone seriously considered. I highly recommend Lost Books and Old Bones – as well as the rest of the series – to cozy mystery lovers who appreciate bookshops and libraries, universities and museums, Scotland, and one of the more intelligent, contemporary sleuths in the British Isles.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

First I would like to thank St. Martins Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this story, all the history behind anatomy and the story of Burke and Hare are enough to cause nightmares.

I have to warn anyone that hasn't read these books, get snacks and drinks and block off some time, you will not want to stop reading for anything!! I was fortunate enough to be on a plane for 5 hours so I could immerse myself in this book and not have to stop.

I love these characters and the adventures they get involved in, please Ms. Shelton keep writing.

This was my first foray into this series, although I have read other books by this author and let me tell you it was a delightful read. Delaney is out with some friends from the local medical school and is having a blast but one of the girls is acting weird and she doesn't know what to make of it. When the evening comes to an end Delaney and Rena head out, Rena says something cryptic that worries Delaney but there isn't much she can do if the girl won't tell her more. The next morning she receives a call, while enjoying breakfast with her boyfriend Tom, from the bookstore. They rush to The Cracked Spine to find police all over the place, a body has been found and it ends up being one of her new friends but not the one she thought it would be. Why was she at the bookstore and who would want to kill such a vibrant young woman? Follow along as Delaney hunts down clues to help her figure out who the killer could be. Will the secret room remain a secret now that the police know about it? Did one of the other medical students have something to with the girls death and why are they acting funny? Could it have something to do with the weird professor and his interest in an old serial killer? There are so many avenues to look down which made for a fantastic read and a fabulous whodunit. The author manages to weave together a mystery that will have you guessing the whole way through which leaves me excited about going back to the beginning and taking in all that has happened before not to mention what happens next.

Delaney Nichols works in a specialty bookstore in Edinburgh. She has happily settled in Scotland after leaving her home in Kansas but trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. A medical student who she recently met has been found dead just outside the bookshop where she works, and Delaney has decided to investigate who murdered her.

This is the third book in the series Scottish Bookshop Mystery but you don't need to read the previous books to be able to follow the story well. The book has the typical elements of cozy mysteries and was fun and entertaining to read.

Overall, I liked it and recommend it to readers of mysteries and contemporary fiction.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley