Delany is mystified by the invitation to a Burns Night dinner given that her boss Edwin was one of the founders of the club and then left it in a huff but she goes, bringing along her young colleague. All is fine until...the Burns House burns down and the body of Neil is found within. And then Hamlet disappears. I'm a fan of this series, set in Edinburgh, which stars Delany, a Kansan now married to Tom, who owns a pub. Shelton always weaves in bits about an author, this time Burns, which sends me off for more info (a good thing). There are two mysteries here- who killed Neil and what's up with Hamlet, who has an intriguing back story. Know that arson is a recurring issue. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Fans like me will be pleased to spend time with Delany and new readers will enjoy this just fine as a standalone.

I loved this clever murder mystery crafted around a book store and a Robbie Burns dinner. There's a genuine Scottish vibe to the setting, the characters and the story, steeped in layers of Burns lore. Nearly every chapter reveals a new possible murderer and, at times the secondary story line around the backstory of one of the major characters seems nearly as important as the whodunit.
Bookstore mysteries seem to be a very popular subgenre these days, but this one is definitely one of the better ones and, as an added bonus, I learned a whole lot of new facts about Scotland's beloved poet.
Worthwhile reading.

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 (A Scottish Bookshop Mystery #7) 3.5 stars

Delaney Nichols is invited to a Burns Night dinners, celebrating the Scottish poet Robert Burns. As a plus one, she brings Hamlet, a co-worker. However, the dinner hosts had a ulterior motive for inviting Delaney that is disquieting. Later that evening, the location of the dinner is burned down. It is determined that it is a case of arson and murder since they find the body of the one of the dinner guests. Delaney is determined to find the killer and the motive for the crime. At the same time, Delaney finds a mysterious birth certificate and is mystified as to why it is the warehouse archives. Could this be related to her friend Hamlet who has a unknown past?

This mystery showcased Delaney's determination and deductive skills to put together the puzzle of the murder and Hamlet's past. It wasn't a fast paced mystery and it lagged in parts. What I did enjoy was the interaction between familiar characters. I liked this book, but I thought last years entry "Deadly Editions" was better.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I just love the setting and gothic feel of this book. Also, it is fun to have the MC Delaney be a bookseller that is an amateur sleuth.

This is my first book of the series and I can usually toss myself into a series and have no problems, but this book I don't feel like that is the case. I feel like I should have read the first few books so I could connect with the characters because that would have helped with the last two thirds of the book. The beginning of the book felt like an informative murder mystery, but afterwards it felt like a general fiction novel where you need to enjoy the characters mundane life.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Delaney and Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional celebration of Scotland's favorite poet, Robert Burns. After the dinner is over, though, the building where it was held burns to the ground. When Hamlet is accused of setting the fire, Delaney and the rest set out to prove his innocence.

This is book #7 in this series, which I have enjoyed from the very first book. I've never been to Scotland, but the setting is described so well, I have no trouble picturing Edinburgh in my mind. The recurring characters are like old friends by now, and I would love to spend some time with them – and, of course, in the bookshop as well. I learn something from each of these books, which make them even more enjoyable. The mystery itself was good, with several characters who could have committed the crime. I was way off base regarding the culprit's identity, so the motive took me by surprise as well. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I'm giving this an extra .5 stars because I didn't do my research and requested this not realizing it was the seventh book in a series. Fortunately, while I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more with more context, it's a pleasant, somewhat engaging cozy mystery set in a charming Scottish town. My attention wavered during some of the lengthier descriptions and B-plots and, conversely, the writing is blunt in odd places (e.g., "It was not a good place."), but overall the pacing is steady and the mystery unfolds in a comprehensive way.

Delaney moved to Scotland from Kansas to work at The Cracked Spine. She has found love and adopted family there. When invited to a Burns dinner at an ancient cottage that could have belonged to the bard himself, she is shocked to learn it was a surprise effort to effect a reconciliation between Malcolm, one of the diners, and Edwin, the owner of The Cracked Spine. Malcolm had accused Edwin of burning his bookshop decades before. The cottage burns hours after Malcolm stormed out and Delaney and her friend and co-worker Hamlet leave. Unfortunately, a body is found in the ruins and Hamlet is a suspect. Delaney works with her friends and family to clear his name.
Many other mysteries are uncovered along the way including Hamlet's mysterious beginnings and who really burned Malcolm's bookshop.
Delaney is always intrigued by a puzzle and this one has some wild twists and turns. Delaney's husband, Tom, is supportive and visiting brother, Wyatt assists in finding clues.
The mystery is great but the family dynamics is wonderful.

A cozy mystery set in a Scottish Bookstore with Delaney,Hamlet and the rest of the characters.
Delaney and Hamlet are invited to a dinner to celebrate Robert Burns which leads to arson,murder,mystery and twists.
A good mystery enjoyed reading.
Voluntarily reviewed.

One winter's night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She's perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at Burns House itself, a tiny cottage not far from the Cracked Spine bookshop but well hidden. There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney's boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin for burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement. But after the dinner, there’s another fire. The Burns House itself is burned to the ground, and this time there’s a body among the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to discover that he might actually have a plausible motive...

This is a great series that takes place in a wonderful location with a group of interesting characters. I love the descriptions of Scotland and the buildings and architecture. The story is interesting with a twist in the plot that I did not see coming which is an excellent sign of a good author with a great plot. I have read all of the books in this series and each one gets better. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book.

Pub date: 4/5/22
Genre: cozy mystery
In one sentence: Booksellers Delaney and Hamlet attend Burns Night to celebrate Robert Burns - but a fire at the Burns House that night leads to Hamlet's arrest and Delaney's effort to prove this innocence.

The Burning Pages is book 7 in the series - I previously read book 1, and I appreciated having that introduction to the characters. I think you'd be able to read this one without reading others in the series, but you might not enjoy it as much. I like Delaney as a sleuth, and I enjoyed seeing how invested she was in the bookshop and her friends. There was plenty of mystery - arson! murder! rivalry! - to keep the plot moving.

One thing I struggle with with this series is the Scottish dialect - it keeps me from being fully absorbed in the story because I have to keep remembering what words mean what (for example: ken = know, dae = do). But I still enjoyed the book, and I think readers who love Scotland will especially enjoy it!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 7 in the series, and a interesting book in how it brings us more into Edwin's mysterious past and asks the question of what would happen to the bookshop if he were no longer there. It's an interesting look at a central character in the series, who tend to be on the sidelines, but whose existence the other characters rely on. Add in a little Burns trivia and a locked room mystery and you have a fun read that can stand alone for new readers to the series. This page turner will keep you reading long into the night to finish it!

This is book 7 in a series, but I didn’t have any problem jumping right into the story. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the mystery. Now I need to head to Scotland and search for quaint bookshops!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. This book will be published April 5,2022.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE BURNING PAGES (Book 7 of the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries), by Paige Shelton, in exchange for an honest review. Out of the blue, Delaney Nichols is invited by strangers to attend a dinner in celebration of the poet Robert Burns. Delaney reluctantly agrees to attend on condition that she bring a friend. So, she and her coworker Hamlet go to the dinner where they discover the motive for the invitation. Their night out will drawn them down a path with arson, murder, and even kidnapping.

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book and series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring books and set in Scotland.

This is part of a series. At times it was confusing since I have not read any of the other books in the series This series might be worth getting to know better.

A solid cozy mystery set in Scotland, with Robert Burns playing a strong role in the background. Shelton does a good job of explaining the background of each character so that you don’t need to read previous books in the series to enjoy this one. The mystery had several clues placed along the way and the ending was nicely resolved. I give this between 3-3.5 stars: it just took me a little too long to get pulled in completely.

“The Burning Pages” the 7th instalment in the "Scottish Bookshop Mystery” series by Paige Shelton. I really enjoy this series and have started collecting in hardcover. Delaney Nichols faces off against an elusive arsonist …

I loved visiting Edinburgh, Scotland and the Cracked Spine book shop again. The story is full of quirky characters with fortune tellers, and buskers set amongst a beautiful setting in old Edinburgh. I liked how this time we were exploring Robbie Burns and Hamlets background.

There were several possible suspects, and kept me guessing for quite a while. I was drawn into this story right away and did not want to put it down.

Overall, I found it to be a very entertaining read that made me long to visit Scotland and read more about poet Robbie Burns.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

In this 7th volume in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series, Delaney Nichols is invited to a Burns Night supper under suspicious circumstances. Later that night, the building she went to catches fire--and there's a body found inside. When the co-worker who attended the supper with her becomes the prime suspect, Delaney investigates what really happened that night and discovers more about beloved poet Robert Burns and as well as the roles of other fires long-since burned.

I haven't read any previous books in this series. With many other mystery series, that isn't a problem. Here, I struggled more to track who was who, as there were many names and not many other details to help me. The mystery itself if an intriguing one, and greatly enjoyed the theme of Robert Burns. Some plot elements felt way too contrived, though, such as why she took this particular co-worker to the supper to begin with. The setting of Edinburgh delighted me as I recognized many places I'd visited in a trip there in 2019.

In all, a good read, and I'd be willing to read more in the series.

3.5 stars rounded up for an entertaining mystery set in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is book 7 in the series, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had started with book 1. Previous books probably explained why an American, Delaney Nichols, ended up in Scotland, far away from Kansas. She is now married to a Scot, Tom, a pub owner. She works in a Bookshop.
She is invited to join a Robert Burns book group, even though she doesn't know anyone in the group.
Subsequently, the site of the meeting is burned out and 1 of the members is killed.
This series follows a familiar theme, i.e., an amateur sets out to solve a mystery, doing a better job than the police. I thought that the plot moved along well and the characters were believable. My wife thought that the book was boring and rated it 3 stars. Delaney does solve the murder, and she keeps the police informed of her efforts.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley

An invitation to a Burns Night Dinner leads Delaney and her friend Hamlet into a mystery. First of all, Delany doesn't know why she's been invited at all. She doesn't know any of the group hosting. When she learns that she's been invited to try to begin a reconciliation between her boss Edwin and another member of the group, she and Hamlet quickly leave.

When she learns that the venue - a small, old cottage tucked into a corner of the city - has burned to the ground and a body discovered in the ruins, she has to investigate for her own peace of mind. Hamlet, who is a potential suspect in the death, knew the man and then Hamlet disappears too.

As Delany tries to unravel the past, both Edwin's and Hamlet's, she learns all sorts of secrets and manages to uncover a murderer.

This is the seventh book in this series and the first that I have read. While I would have liked to know how a girl from Kansas ends up working at a bookstore in Scotland, it wasn't necessary for enjoyment of this story. I liked Delany and enjoyed her investigations.