Book 9 in the series and I think its the best one yet. A physic fair brings murder, sketchy relatives and the regulars from the bookshop and cafe. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6149732984

The Sign of the Four Spirits by Vicki Delany takes us back to the Cape and to the Sherlock Holmes Book Emporium, where the gang is in the midst of a psychic fair, in which Gemma has no interest but it seems most every one else has, Donald included. He has dressed in his black cloak and is channeling Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to anyone who will listen. The good news is that he was promoting the bookshop, so it was all good. She even had to do an emergency reorder on several books that had sold out. Bad things started happening when Ashleigh requested that she join her at a séance. It was really her mother, Bunny’s idea as she wanted to contact her now-deceased manager to get hints on how to reclaim her dead career. Gemma insisted that Jayne come, too, who agreed, although just as reluctantly. All was well until the medium’s assistant told Gemma that her energy was bad and she would have to wait in the hall. Gemma did just that, although right at the door so she could hear what was going on in the séance. It wasn’t long before the lights came on and it was discovered that the medium had been killed. She had been stabbed in her neck by an old-fashioned hat pin. Soon Ryan and his partner were there to investigate, beginning with Ryan rolling his eyes at her.

Gemma is a good character, more well-read and smarter than most, she also is curious. She doesn’t investigate on purpose, but more because she finds something that interested her and kept following the trail. So it was in this situation, which was more bizarre than most. There had been an even dozen at the séance, including the dead woman. Gemma thought maybe she was excluded because there were no more chairs, but was soon dissuaded of that assumption. People have the oddest reasons for murder. For some it is personal gain and they do it over and over until someone stops them. For others, it is spur of the moment. An old-fashioned hat pin kind of indicated at least some pre-planning. Gemma hung in until she figured it out. Every time she went to Ryan with information, he already had it; he just didn’t connect the dots the way she did. He was past being upset when that happened; he knew there was nothing that could be don’t about it. It was a fast-paced, interesting book, which left enough time for us to keep caught up with all of our friends at and around the Emporium.

Thank you Crooked Lane books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. #Netgalley #CrookedLaneBooks #VickiDelany #TheSignOfFourSpirits

The Sign of Four Spirits is book #9 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series by Vicki Delany.

Gemma finds herself at a seance to support a colleague when things go terribly wrong. It was fun spending more time with Gemma and Jayne. I really enjoy how Ryan asks for Gemma’s observations and how he has to get her back on track when she shares her abundance of knowledge at times. There is a limited number of suspects for the murder but it wasn’t easy to find the killer. It kept me guessing until the end. The ending was great. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Sign of Four Spirits, (A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #9) by Vicki Delany from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

"… as always, the author has given us a well-written, cleverly plotted cozy mystery with a quirky cast of suspects starring in this fun, fast-paced story filled with twists, turns and plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing to the very last chapter … "

In the ninth entry in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, author Vicki Delaney does not disappoint.

When the Psychic Fair rolls into West London, Cape cod, tourism is incredibly busy, especially at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Mrs. Hudson’s Tea room. When Gemma’s shop assistant Ashleigh is roped into attending a seance arranged by her mother, former pop star and town legend Bunny, she is hoping to avoid it. Nervous about the spirit her mother might want to talk to, she believes it will be her dead father she never knew. Gemma, Jayne, and friend Donald Morris attend to offer Ashleigh moral support.

The seance which is held at widowed Rebecca Stanton and her orphaned niece Miranda’s home on an eerie stormy night. They meet eccentric psychic Madame Lavalier and her assistant, Mary Moffat. As the participants begin to arrive the readers are introduced to Daniel Stanton, Rebecca’s belligerent stepson and his new bride Eleanor as well as Max Greenwood and his wife, Larissa who are acting oddly. As Madame Lavalier is barricaded in the dining room while they prepare for the seance her assistant rudely asks Gemma to leave the room to sit outside the door. Annoyed Gemma sits outside the door attempting to listen to the events going on. Holding hands around the table in a pitch-black room, Madame Lavalier begins conjuring spirits to be channeled, each coming through all with a different voice. When a threatening voice that had not been conjured makes his presence known screaming for revenge, a clap of thunder causes everyone to jump, unlinking their hands and throwing the room into chaos.

When Gemma runs into the room to investigate as she turns on the lights, she reveals a very dead Madame Lavalier with an antique hat pin imbedded in her spine. Gemma is greeted by her boyfriend Detective Ryan Ashburton and his partner Louise Estrada when the police attend. Despite the animosity in previous books, this time Gemma and Louise are civil to each other considering Gemma’s Sherlockian power of deduction makes her an excellent witness. With twelve suspects and most of them friends Gemma feels compelled to get to the bottom of it and save her friends from false incrimination…or worse.

Being a devoted fan of the author and the series, this book did not disappoint. As always, the author has given us a well-written, cleverly plotted cozy mystery with a quirky cast of suspects starring in this fun, fast-paced story filled with twists, turns and plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing to the very last chapter!

Gemma has never wanted to go to a séance--Never. But when her employee asks her to attend one to support her how can Gemma say no? Asked to leave the room séance room by the supposed psychic due to her negative energy, Gemma parks herself outside the door so as to listen. Soon after hearing some other voices, screams are heard and Gemma rushes into the room and turns on the lights. The psychic is dead with her head on the table. The police are called and the detectives reluctantly ask for Gemma's help. With the help of her best friend, Gemma finds information and clues that assist the police in arresting the murderer.

This is the ninth book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries and I have read about half of them. It is not necessary to read them in order.

Gemma, the main character, runs and part owns a Sherlock Holmes themed bookshop, and when a psychic fair comes to town some of her devoted Holmes fans are determined to go along. Gemma lets herself be talked into attending a séance but when she gets there she is not allowed to participate and has to wait outside.

When someone is murdered in the darkened room, with all the doors and windows locked and Gemma outside the exit, it must mean someone in the room committed the murder. Or does it? Of course Gemma goes into full blown investigative mode and the fun begins.

This is a nicely written series and I enjoy the theme running through it of Sherlock Holmes. Gemma may not be quite at his level but she is smart and she gets answers. Worth reading. Four stars.

Vicki Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop cozy series continues to be one of my favorites. In The Sign of Four Spirits, the author uses Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's interest in the occult to bring a psychic twist to a strong locked room mystery.

However strong the mysteries are, the characters keep bringing me back to this series. Gemma's Uncle Arthur, who's never home, but feels free to volunteer Gemma for various community projects. Her best friend, Jayne Wilson, who is a marvelous baker and will follow Gemma anywhere even though she's never quite sure what's going on. And what about Gemma's employee Ashleigh, who says, "I've learned not to ask too many questions. Gemma comes, Gemma goes. Gemma does strange things." At least Gemma is in the store often enough to keep bestselling items ordered and delivered!

I highly recommend this series if you like bookshops, Sherlock Holmes, strong mysteries, and plenty of quirky, lovable characters. I'm looking forward to Gemma's next investigation.

Gemma and her bookshop are busy. A psychic fair is in town and Arthur Conan Doyle was know to believe in the spirits and faeries. Former teen star, Bunny, wants to have a séance to see if she could go back on tour. However, on a dark and story night when the séance is held, the mystic is killed. This is a closed door killer with Gemma on the other side of the door. Very few suspects and none that really make sense. This is my favorite so far of this series. #TheSignofFourSpirits #NetGalley

Vicki Delany is such a consistently good author, I know ahead of time l will love her book. This is no exception. The characters, setting and story are top notch. Looking forward to future entries in this series Also appreciate how book title really reflects the essence of the story.. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheSignOfFourSpirits for advanced digital copy.

What worked for me:
1. All the characters I love are back in this one and we get to spend more time with Ashleigh and her mother, Bunny and that was fun
2. A decent story with little repetition [thank you so much Ms. Delany for not jumping on that particular bandwagon]. The whole "psychic phenomenon" and fairs and mediums are so popular again, so it was fun to see a story woven around that world.
3. Jayne's scones. Seriously.
4. Unexpected deaths. I was really surprised with first one.
5. I love how Gemma TRULY strives to not be involved in this one. She does what she does on a daily basis [works in her shop, walks her dogs, eats scones with Jayne, and pays attention to every single thing that happens all around her] and her ability to suss things out isn't really HER fault. ;-)

What didn't work for me:
1. The overall mystery. I knew who the killer [but never guessed a lot of what they were about so that was a plus] was pretty early on [all it took was a comment and I knew who they were] and the reveal was a touch flat [though MUCH better than some I have read as of late].
2. The very idea that two detectives rely on a civilian to solve the case [even with what I said above]. In this one it seemed a touch more ridiculous than it normally does and so it bugged me a bit.
3. Pacing. I found the story dragged in the middle and I wished the pacing had been a little better.
Overall, it was just an okay read for me [though I think some of this lies with the not-so-great for me narrator and not the actually story], though I never had a thought of quitting or rushing ahead with the story - I was fully invested even with the things that bugged me [and knowing who the killer was] and I found myself wishing that I didn't have to wait a year for a new one in this series, so in my mind, that is a big plus. It is a really great series for me and I look forward to the next one.

I also received the audiobook for this and this really might be some of the reason the book didn't hit all the marks for me. I am not a fan of this narrator. She is an excellent British narrator [and should she narrate a book set in the UK with only English characters, I would listen to her in an instant], but her "American" voices are just...well, they are awful. None of them even remotely sound like they were born and raised in Cape Cod [or anywhere else in the United States for that matter], and they almost all sound the same and it really makes for a difficult listen. At the same time, I am extremely grateful for any audiobook at all because I have serious eye issues and cannot read read much anymore and rely almost fully on audiobooks, so even though this experience wasn't the best for me [at all], I have to be grateful I even had the opportunity to enjoy [?] this book and I am grateful for that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vicki Delany, Kim Hicks - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for providing both the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery absolutely grabbed from the very get-go and wouldn’t let loose! It was hard to put it down at all and I couldn’t read fast enough at some points. I had a feeling I knew whodunit but of course none of the why or other details that Gemma so awesomely managed to figure out again. I just love when she always gives her rundown at the end after the perp’s been caught and some of the comments made by those listening are usually just priceless, lol.

Once I knew who could be trusted, I enjoyed a couple of new characters and as always, Donald Morris is such a hoot! He’s such a sweetie and so willing to always help. It cracked me up he let Bunny get away with calling him a nickname too. Can’t wait to see what’s in store next time!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book, and my opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my copy of The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany in exchange for an honest review. It publishes January 9, 2024.
Yet another great addition to this series, I just love all of the subtle, and not so subtle nods there are to Sherlock and his great author. I admit, I was concerned that I might have had to skip this one, as I am uncomfortable with the occult and the various practices surrounding it. However, just like a cozy mystery, where the murder is not too gruesome or detailed, the same can be said for the seance that takes place.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Vicki Delany for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Sign of Four Spirits coming out January 9, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I actually have all the books in this series, but this is the first one I’ve read. I’ve read other books by this author and I love the cozy vibes she has. The Sherlock Holmes themed bookshop is a lot of fun to me. I love cozy mysteries centered around bookshops. The seance part was really interesting. I think the mystery with whodunit was a little expected, but overall, I loved this book!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy British mysteries!

This is the first book I have read in this series and didn't feel like I was missing out so can be read as a standalone. The pacing is good and the story is clever and readable. It's full of interesting characters and the mystery is good with lots of twists and turns. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the 9th book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. I have read a couple of the books, but I have not read them all and I don’t think it hindered my enjoyment of this one at all. I really like this amateur sleuth and the mystery was interesting even if it wasn’t as twisty as I was hoping for. Gemma isn’t excited to hear there is a psychic convention in town, but it does seem to be boosting their sales. When her assistant and her assistant’s mother invite her to a seance she tries to refuse but ends up going. Despite being kicked out of the room for being a skeptic she listens in and is surprised when everything seems to go wild and the medium is found dead, stabbed in the neck with a hat pin.

Can a ghost be a murderer? Gemma knows that is the wrong question, but the real question of who the murderer is needs to be answered quickly or more people may find themselves in harm's way! This series is a wonderful twist on a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. Gemma notices minute details that few others do and remembers them fully, her stunted social skills are both funny and endearing. The characters are so well thought out so that their flaws become part of the endearing personalities much as in real life. I think that is what draws me back to Baker Street to Gemma and her gang of pals each time a new book is released, but the outstanding plotting is an absolute part of it too! The plot is wonderfully twisted with multiple potential suspects that must be untangled and understood to finally get to the true guilty culprit. This was a wonderful example of a locked room style mystery that was done extremely well. I have to say this may be my favorite mystery in the series so far, but this author never ceases to amaze me by making the next book even better so I'll just say that you should read the entire series to enjoy and decide for yourself!

The Sign of Four Spirits is the 9th book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop cozy series by Vicki Delany. Due out 9th Jan 2023 by Crooked Lane books, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardback, ebook and audio formats. Paperback due out 1st quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

One of the things that a lot of pastiche bookshop/library cozies have in common is title dropping. This series is no exception but it's fine since that's a great way to find new authors to follow up and read. It does add verisimilitude for fictional librarians and bookshop owners to be able to recommend titles to their patrons. That's a nice bonus to an otherwise engaging and fun light read. In addition, this series is good in its own right, and the author is both prolific and more than competent with the technical nuts-n-bolts of writing.

The pacing is good and the story arc is clever and readable. It's full of appealingly eccentric small town characters and the mystery puzzle is well engineered and twisty. This one can easily be read as a standalone. Suitable for all audiences, the language is clean and the violence isn't graphic or on-page.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours and 26 minutes and is capably narrated by series narrator Kim Hicks. She has a restful, classically trained voice with rounded vowels and careful modulation. She's easy to understand and does an unobtrusive job of the narration. Sound and production values are high throughout.

Four stars. Cozy mystery fans of Sue Minix. Paige Shelton, and Lynn Cahoon will enjoy this series. With 9 books extant, and no indication that the series is stopping, this would be an excellent choice for a long binge or buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Vicki Delaney is my favorite cozy mystery author and I couldn’t wait to read this book. I loved the characters, the setting and the mystery. Definitely recommend this story and the series.

In the 9th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery, a psychic fair is taking place. Ashley’s mother Bunny get them all involved in a seance. Gemma goes to the Stanton home for the seance but isn’t allowed in the room. Part way through the seance someone dies.
Gemma doesn’t plan to get involved, but the clues she notices become vital to the case. Gemma spends a couple of nights researching until dawn, which doesn’t sound like being uninvolved to me.
This is a well written mystery. I didn’t clue in to the culprit until reveal.
I listened to the audiobook. I like the voices for Gemma and some of her friends, but the voice for the medium’s assistant was grating.
I enjoy visiting Cape Cod and the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop. I enjoyed reading The Sign of Four Spirits.
Thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for access to this book.

I'm always happy when a new Vicki Delany book comes out and this ninth in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mysteries didn't disappoint. Gemma and Jayne and their friends are so entertaining, and the mysteries so interesting, and each book is so unique. This story of a psychic fair and the family dysfunctions of the supporting characters kept me engaged until the final pages. I also love visiting the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and tearoom on Cape Cod ~ it always makes me want to go to the beach :) I'm already looking forward to the next one! Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance digital copy!