Another great entry in the A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. We are treated to an eventful tea and silent auction at Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room when the auctioneer is found murdered in the storage room. Accusations fly while angry and shocked auction goers are held for questioning. Gemma and Jayne get into the usual scrapes while on the hunt for a killer and trying their best to keep the police from finding out about their investigation. Detective Ryan Ashburton returns with a side of romance to add to the mystery. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This is Vicki Delany's fourth book in A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery. A Scandal in Scarlet has Gemma Doyle solving the mysterious death of the recently appointed museum board chair Kathy Lamb. Some liked her, many didn't. In order to catch the rightful killer Gemma along with her best friend Jayne will follow the clues to conclude this mystery.

If you have not read any of Delany's other novels in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery, I suggest you do (this is my first novel from Delany). By A Scandal in Scarlet the main characters are already established and/or introduced. Though a brief introduction is given, in order to understand their connections (for instance Gemma and the police) you might want to be familiar with the characters.

Gemma is definitely an acquired taste. I found some of her actions or words a little off putting at times then other times they were funny and entertaining. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will find the little connections to the original stories cute and entertaining (never thought of naming a cat Moriarty but now I need to go adopt one just so I can). There are many nods, not just in the names of characters or the subject matter of the bookstore, peppered throughout the novel.

For a weekend cozy mystery this novel hit all the spots. An enjoyable read with a little sleuthing.

This is the fourth book in the series.
Although the whodunit was well written and engaging, this series is a pass for me, as the protagonist is utterly unlikeable and condescending in her manner.
It's shame as this is a good premise for a series but not one I will keep reading.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

A great series for any reader! A Sherlock Holmes Bookstore! At a fundraiser for West London Library which suspiciously burned, the chair of the museum board is found murdered. Throwing bookstore owner Gemma into the plot is the fact that the murder weapon is an item she sells in the bookstore. A number of suspects and Gemma is determined to investigate. Could Kathy's murder be a link to one which happened seven years prior?

This was a beautifully crafted cozy mystery which kept me engaged until the last page. I love the characters and look forward to the next installment. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to author/publisher for giving me a copy of the book to read and review.

This is my first book of this author and i thoroughly enjoyed it. The book store setting in itself is awesome to top it off its a sherlock speciality bookstore. There is no way it could go wrong with mystery lovers.

Liked the way how all the characters blended in and could all have been killers. Emphasizes that sometimes the simple solution staring at us is the correct one. Looking forward to reading other books in this series.

Gemma Doyle and her BFF Jayne are more than business partner, they are partners in crime. Literally. Well, at least when it comes to solving crime.

Gemma runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookstore, Jayne runs the tea room next door. When they agree to host a fund raiser for the local museum, the head of the board who is emceeing the event is found murdered in the kitchen. Gemma find herself asking questions and getting involved while Jayne comes along to help keep Gemma out of trouble.

This is the first book in the series I have read and there was no gap. It was a good read. I wasn’t aware that Vicki Delaney is also Eva Gates who writes the Lighthouse Library Mysteries. Guess that’s why I enjoyed this book…I like her writing style. A great book to ad to your reading list!

I adore this series by Vicki Delaney and she knocks it out of the park with a mystery to delight any Sherlock fan. Amidst the mystery you get delightful details of the bookshop and tea room especially the yummy food and book recommendations that I have added to my ever growing to be read pile.

Another great book in the series. I like the lead female character, she is definitely different than most lead females in cozy mysteries. I like how blunt she is when talking with people. I hope there will be many more books in this series. I just wish the cat didn't seem to hate the main character so much. Doesn't make sense. Cats love their owners, lol.

Gemma and Jayne are at it again in A Scandal In Scarlet.
Set in the quaint little town of West London, located on Cape Cod, this has become one of my favorite series.
As the storyline opens, the dynamic duo are hosting a tea and auction for the museum, to help with repair costs after a fire.
When someone is found dead, strangled to death, it sets off Gemma to do a little investigative snooping.
This series is very realistic and the characters are so believable, I feel like I know them all.
I'm not excited to see what's in store next for this colorful crew of characters.

I volunteered to read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Another great story is a perfectly executed series! I love how the author never varies from what made the first book in the series so easy to love. The main character, I love her so much. Trying so hard to help, curiosity getting the best of her, while trying not to offend and give to much away with how her mind works. The mystery was well thought out and was very easy to follow without giving away too much too early.

I am a Sherlock Holmes devotee and love anything to do with him, or even based on stories that he has appeared in and was so glad to be able to read this book.

It was extremely well written, majority of the characters were very engaging bar one (will explain further at the end!) and was set in a book store, one of my favourite places to visit. Was a nice, cosy read.

Unfortunately the one character I could not engage with was the main one, Gemma, I found her too abrasive, to the point of downright rudeness. Even when it's pointed out to her how rude she has been, she does the same thing another time. Did not like her at all, I'm afraid to say.

On the whole an enjoyable book.

Ok, so besides being a top-notch cozy mystery and a good Sherlock pastiche, what I really want to point out is how fantastic it is that Delany bases the story in an independent book store! The book, as well as the rest of the series, is chock-a-block full of references to Other Books in the Sherlock and gaslight mystery genres! As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I've read a fair share of them, but I love finding out about ones I've missed. Gemma is a proud owner of her bookstore, and matches readers to their interests, and it's seamlessly integrated into the story. There are other characters who collect rare editions of the books, promoting the ownership of books. We need a lot more of that in today's society! Well done!

I liked this book. The main character Gemma has a fascination with Sherlock Holmes stories. She's smart and is able to detect/observe things in the manner of Holmes. In this story she applies her skills to solving two murders that take place. It's nicely paced and the characters are fun. #AScandalInScarlet #NetGalley

Gemma is not a perfect main character but that's refreshing to read in this series. She has her quirks and her mannerisms can rub people the wrong way, but it also makes her real. This was a fun read, that was hard to put down. The ending was pretty neat, too.

I wish I could vacation to West London and visit Gemma's bookstore and Jane's tearoom! I always enjoy returning to this series, though you could easily start with this book and still understand what is going on. The mystery is well crafted and I love the characters.

This series just keeps getting better and better! One of the best cozy mystery series out there. If you've been curious about them or frustrated with the frankly ridiculous dialogue that tends to populate the genre, I recommend you give Vicki Delany's books a try. Relaxing, engaging, and fun! Reads like an episode of Rosemary & Thyme, tonally.

This cosy mystery is set in a Sherlock Holmes themed bookshop with attached tea shop . It is the fourth in the series, but can stand alone. Gemma Doyle is a quirky character who notices more things than most, so it is a natural fit for her to investigate anything that goes on in her adopted Cape Cod town. This time there was a murder in the back of the tea shop. I enjoyed the clues sprinkled throughout the book as well as the interaction between the characters and the Cape Cod setting. It was an easy enjoyable read. I read an ARC thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books.

Definitely for lovers of Sherlock Holmes. The whole Sherlock environment is very catchy. I could live in an environment like that quite easily. The plot start off a little slow, but gains momentum and speeds up during the unfolding... to a very interesting and totally unexpected conclusion. A very easy read that kept me awake, not wanting to put it down . Lovable, believable characters, with a certain flair for mysteries

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an advance copy of A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany. This is the fourth in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series and my first encounter with the series. The mystery in this book stands alone and can be read without having read the previous ones and is completed within this novel. There appear to be continuing threads of relationships between the protagonist and other secondary characters in the novel and the reader might enjoy reading them in sequence, although that isn’t required.

The book is well plotted, with clues sprinkled throughout the book for the most part. There is one vital clue that is essential, however, which is withheld until the final few pages of the book and allows for the unmasking of the murderer. Throughout the book, I had my belief of who the murderer was, and although I was correct,I had to reach my conclusion based on a combination of information and unsubstantiated suspicion.

Secondary characters in the book are interesting and serve to help advance both the story and deepen the personality of the protagonist for the most part. I would enjoy seeing them developed even more fully in future books within the series. The one “off note” for me was the on again-off again sharing of information between the protagonist and her police department boyfriend. I question whether or not someone in law enforcement would encourage a private individual in the way he does. At the same time, he does not share sensitive information with the protagonist and the way they share investigative information.

Overall I found this book an interesting, enjoyable read and a good summertime or beach read. It is populated with likeable characters in a town that sounds like an interesting place to visit. As a vacation spot, it has many appealing features including a walking community, picturesque streets and buildings and enough activities to please a wide range of individuals. All in all, it sounds attractive enough to make me interested in planning a vacation to the Cape Cod area.