In this 9th book in the 'Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries', bookstore manager/amateur sleuth Gemma Doyle investigates murder at a séance. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

British native Gemma Doyle now lives in the town of West London in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. There she co-owns and manages 'The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium' for her Uncle Arthur, a nonagenarian who likes to travel and indulge in his hobbies.

Gemma and her friend Jayne co-own 'Mrs. Hudson's Tearoom', which adjoins the bookstore, and both establishments do a lively business - especially during tourist season.

Gemma prides herself on having Sherlockian powers of observation, and often embroils herself in murder investigations. This sometimes helps Gemma's boyfriend, Police Detective Ryan Ashburton, who occasionally benefits from Gemma's insights.

The story opens during the summer tourist season, and a psychic fair is about to commence in West London. Gemma's friend Donald Morris, a former Sherlock Holmes scholar, plans to attend the fair, and he'd like Gemma to go as well. Donald is an avid fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who - in addition to writing the Sherlock Holmes stories - penned books about spiritualism, psychics, and paranormal phenomena.

For her part, Gemma thinks all fortune tellers and mediums are frauds, and she refuses to accompany Donald to the psychic fair. So Donald goes with Gemma's bookstore assistant Ashleigh, and Ashleigh's mother Bunny Leigh. The threesome enjoy the fair and arrange to attend a séance the next day. With much prodding, Gemma is convinced to go to the séance as well.

*****
The séance takes place in the library of socialite Rebecca Stanton's luxurious home, and thirteen people attend:

👻 Madame Lavalier - the medium, who claims she can contact people beyond the veil.
👻 Mary Moffat - Madame Lavalier's assistant.
👻 Rebecca Stanton - the hostess, who thinks of the séance as harmless entertainment.
👻 Daniel Stanton and his wife Eleanor - Daniel is Rebecca Stanton's stepson; he's angry that his deceased father left him nothing because Daniel always needs money.
👻 Miranda - Rebecca Stanton's niece, who's a student at Harvard; Rebecca is working at 'Mrs. Hudson's Tearoom' for the summer.
👻 Max and Larissa Greenwood - a rich couple who recently lost their son.
👻 Ashleigh - Gemma's vibrant bookstore assistant; Ashleigh is at the séance at the behest of her mother Bunny Leigh.
👻 Bunny Leigh - Ashleigh's mother, who only recently came into her daughter's life; Bunny would like to revive her old fame as a pop star.
👻 Donald Morris - an avid Sherlock Holmes fan who hopes to speak to the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
👻 Jayne Wilson - Gemma's friend, who came along to accompany her chum.
👻 Gemma - Gemma goes to the séance but is asked to leave the library before the activity begins, because her skepticism will stymie the spirits.

****
The lights go off, the participants join hands, and the séance begins - though Gemma has to sit outside and listen at the door. After a time there's a commotion in the library, and when the lights turn on, Madame Lavalier is dead. The psychic has been stabbed in the back of the neck with a long sharp hat pin.

The police come to investigate, but (of course) Gemma can't stifle her detective instincts and launches her own inquiries. In addition to investigating, Gemma goes about her life, as do the other attendees.

Gemma runs her bookshop, walks her dogs, kibitzes with the bookshop cat Moriarty, and has dates with Ryan.
Daniel Stanton tries to convince his step-mother to fund his online menswear business.
Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood dine at the local yacht club.
Jayne prepares pastries and finger sandwiches for her tea shop, and plans her upcoming wedding to restaurateur Andy Whitehall; and so on.
There's another death before the mystery is solved, but Gemma figures it all out in the end.

This is an enjoyable addition to the Gemma Doyle series.

Thanks to Netgalley, Vicki Delany, and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of the book.

When a psychic fair comes to town, Gemma and her friend/partner Jayne attend a seance as emotional support for a friend. Gemma, of course, is a skeptic so isn’t allowed in the seance. The seance (on a dark and stormy night) is predictable until the medium dies and chaos ensues.
Gemma really is content to give her report to the police and let them do the investigating, but they ask for her insights this time. Of course, she has to help. Another death follows. Are the two deaths related? And what is the motive.
Gemma is becoming more likable with each story. I like the rounding out of her character. This is an enjoyable addition to The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

3 stars. Interesting cozy with a twist: a locked room murder mystery!

Gemma reluctantly runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. When a psychic fair comes to town, she is thrown out of a seance she didn't want to attend. Inside the now locked room, murder ensues and Gemma is thrown into a nifty mystery.

This is my first read in this series so I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The story moves right along and the seance/psychic fair is a fun set up for the characters to interact with and I thought it was well done.

As usual, the author fooled me completely on who did it. The cat is awesome, so three stars. I was given a copy and this is my honest opinion: fans will love it, newbies will have no trouble figuring out who is who and the mystery is wrapped up very neatly. So, not quite an 'otter' read but a good book to while away an afternoon.

The Sign of Four Spirits has all of the elements to make this an amazing cozy mystery!

Paranormal mysteries are great, and in this story, we find Gemma a psychic sleuthing her way to find a killer. As owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, against her better judgement, she finds herself attending a séance.

But things don't go as planned when she's banned from the event. Just as she stands on the other side of the door listening she hears a scream for help. As she bursts through the door, she finds that someone has collapsed on the table; dead.

Fun read and one I highly recommend!
The game is once again afoot for Gemma Doyle, as she hunts a killer. But, this time, is the killer of flesh and blood or had the medium summoned doom from beyond the veil?

Another interesting trip to the Cape to spend time with Gemma and company. While Gemma really wants nothing to do with the Physic Fair in town, she is dragged in my her association with Bunny, Ashleigh's mother and Donald who loves educating folks on Sherlock Holmes connection to the beyond. While the medium conducting the seance, Ashleigh begs Gemma to attend with her and Bunny, throws her out, you know Gemma won't be far as Donald and Jayne are also inside. When disaster does strike the seance, when murder happens, Gemma is the ears of the event. No matter how hard she tries to distance herself, Gemma just can't turn off her mind and it's a good thing as more murder and choas ensue! Thanks to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the chance to read!

A psychic fair has arrived in the town of West London. While Gemma is not interested at all, she agrees to attend a séance held at a private home to support her employee Ashleigh. When entering the room for the séance, Gemma is asked to leave because she is a non-believer. She sits outside the door where she can hear what's happening. She enters the room after she hears an attendee scream. The medium
has been murdered. Which of the attendees is responsible? As Gemma investigates, she discovers connections between the attendees that will lead her to the murderer.
#TheSignofFourSpirits #NetGalley

I've read a few of these Sherlock Holmes Bookshop books and the series seems to get better with each passing book.

I don't usually enjoy mysteries featuring paranormal aspects but I certainly did enjoy this one and its seance.

A very clever plot and, as always, wonderful characters I've come to treasure.

I've never been disappointed with any Vicki Delany/Eva Gates books and this series certainly ranks up there as among her best.

A highly recommended cozy series!!

Another fabulous book by Vicki Delaney/Eva Gates. The first of the Sherlock series for me, but I have added the others to my reading list. Gemma and her friends attend a seance where the medium is murdered. Gemma is an excellent observer and uses this talent to help solve the mystery. Great read!

I am always thrilled to know that a new book written by Vicki Delany will be published. I am also very thankful that she writes 4 books a year from her cozy mystery series.

I must say that I have never been disappointed in any of her books, and I immerse myself into her worlds, and bond with the beloved (and those who aren’t) characters that she so brilliantly describes.

When I read that this book contained a séance, and possibly some paranormal content, I was cautious, because I normally shy away from such themes. I was so pleasantly surprised that this book was written in such a clever way that I “forgot” that I don’t like paranormal themes. It is so easy to get hooked on Vicki’s stories, and this one was no exception. The only downside is that it was such a quick read…now I wait for her next book…

I highly recommend this 9th. book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries, and if you have not read the previous books, I encourage you to try and start from the first book…you will get hooked!

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley, for the opportunity to read this book and post a personal review and review.

Release Date: January 9, 2024
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When a psychic fair arrives on Cape Cod, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, wants nothing to do with it. However she finds herself attending a séance, along with Jayne (her best friend), Ashleigh (her shop clerk) and former pop star Bunny Leigh. Once they arrive, Gemma finds herself banned from the séance. Curiosity piqued, she listens in from outside the room. Gemma hears a cry for help, a scream. Gemma bursts in the door to find a body. The windows are all locked, and Gemma was guarding the only door. Someone in this room is a murderer. But who? The game is once again afoot for Gemma Doyle, as she hunts a killer. But, this time, is the killer of flesh and blood or had the medium summoned doom from beyond the veil?

#thesignoffourspirits is the ninth book in the #sherlockholmesbookshopmystery series. I adore this series. Gemma is brilliant and often sees details that others (including the detectives) miss. Jayne is as always an excellent Watson! Once again I missed all the clues and had no idea as to the events until the reveal. I love that I am always surprised by @vicki.delany choice of killers! Her books are always five stars for me so I highly recommend this series! Start at the beginning if you haven’t read them before, you’ll appreciate the development of the characters!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#thesignoffourspirits #vickidelany #capecod
#sherlockholmes #lockeddoormystery #crookedlanebooks #netgalleyreads #cozymystery #capecodreads #bookreview #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagram #bookworm #booknerd #booktok #bookrecommendations #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookblogger #igreads #goodreads #bookclub #bookreviews #bookblog

The Sign of Four Spirits is the latest Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery and can be read as a standalone with the only hit coming from losing some familiarity with the main characters. A psychic/spiritual fair has arrived in West London and business is good for Gemma Doyle as the town’s Sherlock expert directs fans to Arthur Conan Doyle’s books on spiritualism. A psychic fair is incomplete without a seance and Gemma is rope in to attending one by her young assistant. When the medium is murdered, Gemma’s keen powers of observation and deduction leads her investigation into the case opening up leads for the police in an unpredictable case that only Gemma sees the connections on. Memorable characters and a Sherlockian like female detective lead a well written whodunnit that leaves you guessing. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Another great cozy mystery that I really enjoyed. I loved the characters, they made me laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy inside as I read along solving the mystery.

Honest to goodness, each time I read a new Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany it becomes my fave in the series - The Sign of Four Spirits is the latest installment, and did not disappoint! Gemma and Jayne participate (reluctantly, I might add!) in a seance when a psychic fair comes to West London, and when the medium is murdered in the middle of the event, the game is afoot and Gemma's on the case! New and recurring characters add to the charm of this delightful cozy mystery, and I found it quite entertaining - 5 stars!!!!!

Mysteries with psychics in the plot are not my favorite and sometimes I skip that installment in a series. However I rested assured that this time Gemma would be as skeptic of them as I am. :)

I love these books, and this latest one was awesome. The characters are so enjoyable, ( who wouldn't want to be friends with Gemma???), the plot moved quickly, and had some nice little twists in there. Overall a fun, fast paced, cozy mystery. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommend. Can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This series is one of my favorite cozy series. As per usual this one is fantastic, excellent mystery and setting, not to mention the adorable cover
Absolutely recommend to all cozy lovers

The Sign of Four Spirits a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery was a fun read. Gemma Doyle runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop as she was related to Arthur Conan Doyle and West London is having a Physic Fair. Gemma is invited to a Seance along with her friends Donald a Sherlockian enthusiast and Jayne a baker and former Pop Star Bunny Leigh and store assistant Ashleigh. There are other guests at the Seance and Gemma is told to leave she does go out put stands outside the door listening. There is a storm that night and it is a loud one then there is a scream and Gemma rushes into the room the Medium is dead. So starts the investigation into the murder by Gemma and her friends someone in the room is a murderer and Gemma is just the one to figure it out. I really enjoyed this book it was a puzzle and it was fun to try to figure it out.

To say that Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, is skeptical about then psychic fair that is happening in West London, MA would be an understatement yet she ends up attending a séance related to the fair. When someone is murdered during the séance, Gemma, who has helped her boyfriend and the rest of the police squad solve a few murders, does some investigating. What she discovers will surprise even her.

“The Sign of Four Spirits” is the wonderfully done ninth book in Vicki Delany’s Sherlock Holmes Bookshop cozy mystery series. I have to come to like this series more and more with each book – it took me awhile to warm up to Gemma (a female version of Sherlock Holmes) but now I really do like her (not so sure I’d like her in real life but she’s a delight in this series). I also love her bookstore, including store cat Moriarity (who lives up to his name). I also love the idea of the psychic fair and murder at the séance – this sets up just the right kind of mystery – almost a locked room mystery with just the right amount of suspects. The identity of the killer truly took me off guard although – as Gemma points out – the clues were there all along.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Seances and Sherlock Holmes all in one weekend? Events made for believers in the beyond, like Mr Holmes himself. Gemma a would prefer to stay in her bookshop and sell books to everyone, but when a friend asks for her support at a seance, Gemma goes. Murder occurs and no one in the room filled with attendees saw anything.
Vicki Delany has written another delightful mystery set in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop.

Locked room murder with a twist. How do you commit a murder in a closed room with twelve people present? Find out in The Sign of Four Spirits. A cleverly plotted mystery that is very well written. A seance, a darkened room, and people at the door to the room, yet a murder takes place. How was it done and who is the murderer? Gemma Doyle has exceptional observation and logic skills that she uses to help solvve the mystery. References to Holmes added to the enjoyment of the story. This is a good story without a lot of violence and no harsh language.. I heartily recommend this book and I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.