I was happy to discover this series and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the ninth book in the series but the first I read. It was easy to jump in here but I quickly glommed through the backlist as I enjoyed the location, the setting and the people who inhabit this world And the mystery is well plotted and certainly kept me guessing.

Highly recommend

I received an ARC from the publisher via netgalley but the opinion expressed is my own.

bookseller, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, family, family-business, family-dynamics, murder, murder-investigation, hospitality-industry, tour, ex-pat, friendship, false-identities, identity-theft, pet-dog, international-crime-and-mystery, Edinburgh Scotland*****

Did he jump? Was he pushed? Was he dead before he went off the roof onto the pavers?
Why did the hotel keep a room unavailable for guests?
The publisher's blurb is a pretty good hook, but the book is really a winner!
Love this series and this book!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Fateful Words is part of the Scottish Bookstore cozy mystery series. I must tell you that I am quite the fan of the series and this book did not disappoint.

Delaney works at the Cracked Spine Bookstore in Edinburgh Scotland. Her first task in the book is to go to a Scottish antiquities warehouse to show a box of monocles to a dealer. The gentleman sends her back with a new, engraved monocle that is reported to be magical.

Her boss leaves town and it is up to Delaney to give his yearly literary tour to four folks. A tangled web quickly emerges. While going to an Inn a bloody employee appears and a man falls (?) from the roof. The boss' credit card is denied for the stay of the tour, so Delaney uses her own. No one seems to know where her boss is.

The story demands attention to follow the mountain of twists. It is enjoyable. As always, the location is a character unto itself.

Enjoy

This was such a fun and quirky book. I enjoyed the mysteries. I got so wrapped up trying to figure out who the murderer was and how Edwin’s troubles all fitted together. I enjoyed the small history lessons. I look forward to reading more of this series. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Edwin, bookshop owner, philanthropist, and collector extraordinaire, usually hosts the invitation-only yearly Edinburgh tour. But the day it was to begin, Edwin was gone to London on an Emergency with a capital 'e.'

Nothing else would have convinced Delaney to follow Edwin's instructions and lead the tour herself. She, an American recently married to a Scot, loved the city and knew it--and literature--well but not with the depth and breadth that Edwin did. How could she give four people the experience of a lifetime with the little she knew?

Almost immediately, something felt off about the group. Then there was an accidental(?) death and an assault nearby. And the young woman kept disappearing. Just when Delaney started feeling confident, there was another problem, and another.

This was a fun, fast-moving story. I might have done better following the action with a map or drawings, but without them, and given a name like Grassmarket, in my mind the buildings and shops probably looked substantially older and shabbier to me than in real life.

4/5

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the temporary digital preview; any review is voluntary and my own opinion.

#Fateful Words #NetGalley
#AScottishBookshopMysteryBook8
#PaigeShelton #PaigeSheltonAuth
#TourandLiteratureofScotlandReferances
#AmericanSleuthLivesinScotland
#FemaleSleuth
#BookshopBookstoreCozyMysteryClean
#InternationalMysteryandCrimeEdinburghScotland
#AmateurSleuths
#CozyAnimalMysteryYorkie

FATEFUL WORDS is the eighth book in the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries by Paige Shelton. Filled with the wondrous sights of Edinburgh and its famous authors (with a focus on Sir Walter Scott) while puzzling over mysteries to solve, the armchair detective and traveler are in for a treat with this newest release. Kansas transplant to Scotland, protagonist Delaney works at the Cracked Spine bookstore. While this can easily be read as a standalone, it’s been a joy watching as Delaney has grown and changed over the course of the series, which makes me recommend starting at the beginning. The author’s keen descriptive voice brings the charming bookstore and the characters who inhabit the pages to life. With Delaney stepping in to lead her boss’s annual literary tour of Edinburgh—after he mysteriously disappeared—this book contains more of the city than we’ve previously seen… which I adored. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Delaney’s husband, Tom (an Edinburgh native), as he assists her both with the tour and the investigations. The couple are delightful together and their respect and love for each other adds to the charm of the story.

Ms. Shelton creates a multi-faceted mystery, with twists and turns at every corner. First her boss disappears, then a murder takes place at the hotel the tour group is staying at. It doesn’t take long for one of the tour members to disappear and from there, the danger escalates. Weaving in tension amongst the literary tour spots around the city, the story is evenly paced and kept my attention glued to each page. As mysteries mount and clues are hunted down, the list of suspects grew. One of the unique things I like about this series is that Delaney hears bookish voices which throw out quotes from books. Sometimes the quotes help guide her in the investigation or point her in a different direction. The suspenseful conclusion brings even more danger before the reveal, and the author expertly connects the threads together into satisfying, cohesive answers.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another great read in the A Scottish Bookshop mystery. I love the Scottish setting and I love the characters. As well as even though Delaney is the main one walking towards solving the mystery. It is indeed a group effort.

I liked this book OK, but it was not one of my favorite of the Shelton books that I have read. It became a little complicated and a bit of a stretch near the end, though I do enjoy this author and her writing style. She did well in reminding me who the characters were from the first book in the series without making me feel that I had missed out on something if I hadn’t read it. That, I always appreciate in a series book. I will definitely read this author again, but perhaps not this series. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

The storyline this time was unusual. Edwin apparently invites 4 strangers he's only meet via email or mail correspondence to come for an all expenses paid visit which includes him providing personal tours. Due to reasons not immediately disclosed, Delaney covers with the group for him.

We, like the strangers, follow along on the tour with Delaney. I would have liked a bit more tour details, but this isn't a travelogue I suppose. Delaney still manages to fit in a lot of sleuthing and the mystery was satisfying.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love reading about this bookshop in Scotland but this last book is surprisingly dull, it reads like someone's assistant wrote this: taking phrases and scenarios from earlier books. The enjoyable characters from the other books in the series are basically silenced and are only allowed short responses. Very disappointing.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Delaney is excited about giving a tour while her boss is away. But when someone goes missing, Delaney knows she has to figure out whatvis going on. I enjoyed this book.

I received a free copy of,Fateful Words, by Paige Shelton, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the eighth book in the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries. Delaney works at The Cracked Spine Bookstore, ( a great name for bookstore), in Edinburgh. While her boss is away she has to lead his literary tour, when someone is murdered it is up to Delaney to solve the crime. This is a great mystery, in a great city, I was figuring out the clues til the end of the book.

From the start I have been the biggest fan of this series! Paige Sheldon is an autobuy for me but when I see a new book in this series I preorder it immediately. So I have mine on pre order but I was lucky enough to get to review this book earlier thanks to NetGalley!! I cannot say how much I love this book and series. I sat down and didn't book the book down until it was all done. Then regretted how fast I read it because it was done. This series from the start is perfect. American girl moves to Scotland, works in a cool bookstore that has a dog, solves cozy mysteries and deaths, and falls in love with a Scottish man. "Chefs kiss" perfect. Absolutely perfect. You Have to read this series it is everything you could want in one book. No matter which of the series you pick up first. But I would suggest if you are new to start with The Cracked Spine and move down from there, it won't take long because you will devour them.
I just reviewed Fateful Words by Paige Shelton. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

This has been one of my favorite series--Scotland, bookstores, and mysteries. What more could I want? But I feel my interest dwindling over the last couple of books. I still love all of the characters and the world of Edinburgh and books and secret collections and societies! And the writing is still really good. But the plot feels sort of unnecessarily overcomplicated. And missing enough of the personal/emotion element to the crime. So I still liked it, but I find myself yearning for more books like the first few in the series.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fateful Words is the eighth book in this Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. Delaney Nichols works at the Cracked Spine bookstore. When her boss Edwin gets called away on secretive business, he asks Delaney to take over as tour guide of his yearly literary tour around Edinburgh. The first night of the tour, a man who worked at the hotel falls - or is pushed, off the roof of the hotel where Edwin has booked rooms for the tour group to stay. Then one of the four tour group members disappears from the hotel and Delaney suspects this is all somehow connected to Edwin and is determined to follow the convoluted trail of clues to protect him. This was a well written book with plenty of red herrings, likeable characters, and a cute little dog named Hector. 5 Stars!

This eighth installment in Paige Shelton's, "Scottish Bookshop" mystery series is every bit as charming and mysterious as its predecessors. This time, Kansas born Delaney and assistant at The Cracked Spine Bookshop, has been called upon to lead the literary tour which her boss is famous for. He has harried off to parts unknown and asked that Delaney serve as tour guide in his stead. As Delaney escorts a small gathering of bookish visitors through the city, we learn a lot more about the Edinburgh, Scotland setting than through previous installments. Yet, we get to do it from the comfort of our own overstuffed armchairs.

On the first day of the tour, the hotel manager of the establishment where the tour participants are staying takes a swan dive from the roof of the hotel. Did he do it through his own volition or was he forced to at the hands of a murderous perpetrator? Delaney, comes to the aid of the manager's attacked colleague while at the same time, one of the tour participants disappears. Are the two events somehow connected or just coincidentally occurring simultaneously? The bookish voices are keeping Delaney on her toes and forcing her to continuously look over her shoulder. Delaney must figure this out if she's ever to get a wink of sleep.

The writing of this cozy mystery is fun, charming, witty and well done. The scene descriptions are an absolute delight causing this reader to want to hop the next flight over to Scotland. The writing implies the sound of the Scottish brogue and Scots English. And who doesn't enjoy hearing a thick Scottish accent (even if they can't understand a word being said)?!

If cozy mysteries set in charming faraway places are your jam, then this is assuredly the perfect book for you.

I am grateful to Ms. Shelton and her publisher, Minotaur Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 4, 2023
No. of pages: 304
ISBN: 978-1250789532

I enjoyed reading this latest book, #8 in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. The main character was given the task of taking helm of the tour usually done by the bookstore owner. It's a mystery why he was absent. Many goings-on occurred that needed solving. It was a fun trip to Scotland and hanging with the quirky characters in this series while reading this latest book. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a delightful series with wonderful descriptions of Edinburgh. In this episode, she leads her boss's literary tour with trepidation. There's a death, a disappearing guest and many twists and turns.

I can not say enough wonderful things about this series. It literally takes you to Scotland and the Cracked Spine. All the characters are wonderful and it makes me want to visit. This adventure has Delaney outside her comfort zone when she is thrown into giving one of Edwin's famous tours. This one was full of puzzles I enjoyed every minute of it. Delaney is one of my favorite characters ever!
This a must read series for all mystery series!
#FatefulWords#Netgalley

In this entry, Delaney finds herself taking over a small, intimate tour that Edwin leads every year. With Edwin’s swift departure, she fears that perhaps he has fallen seriously ill, so her worries only add to the stress of trying to follow in his footsteps.

With one of the four participants having disappeared and odd things going on at the Inn they’re staying in, Delaney isn’t sure what is going on, but she knows something is definitely off when the Inn’s manager is found dead from jumping off the roof. Can Delay figure out what’s going on? Can she even keep the group safe with all that’s going on? With lots of questions, frights and a few delights along the way, Delaney has her work cut out for her.

I adore this series. It’s always fun to escape to Edinburgh with each entry, even if only for awhile. With an adorable Yorkie and lovable, well developed characters, this is one series you don’t want to miss out on!