A psychic fair comes to town and Donald and Ashleigh talk Gemma into attending a private séance. Upon arrival at the séance, Gemma is not allowed in the room and must sit outside the room, where she eavesdrops on the action inside, obviously.

When a murder occurs in a closed room with Gemma sitting outside, it is quite the mystery. Who would want the psychic dead? Was it something she divulged during the séance or something from her past? With a closed room, the suspect list is pretty small once you discount Donald, Jayne, Bunny, and Ashleigh as suspects. Ms. Delany does a fine job giving us reasons as to why the remaining people could be suspects with only one person being a viable suspect.

Gemma is frustrated in her snooping due to not being in the room and having to rely on the memory of those who were. I think once she found out where everyone was sitting, it helped her figure out the killer. It was interesting that Ryan (Gemma’s detective boyfriend) and his partner Louise are embracing Gemma’s attention to detail and thought process to help them solve crimes. I think Ms. Delany did a fine job introducing characters as suspects and I thought one person in particular stood out, but that could be because I didn’t like them from the beginning.

I think people will enjoy the psychic aspect and the way Donald annoyed vendors at the fair by suggesting a certain book that Gemma carries. I find this a fun series with quirky characters and the way they interact with each other. I find Gemma’s mannerisms and the way she thinks both fun and mildly annoying, but it is what makes her a great character. I love her love/hate relationship with Moriarty the cat--it does seem as though the cat is trying to kill her from time to time. I hope for many more books in this series!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Sign of Four Spirits is the 9th book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. It takes place in the town of West London on Cape Cod. Gemma owns the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium on 222 Baker Street with her Great-Uncle Arthur. She is also co-partner with her best friend, Jayne with Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room that is attached to her book shop at 220 Baker Street, Ashleigh is Gemma's assistant. Her mother, Bunny Leigh is former pop sensation. Gemma's boyfriend is Ryan Ashburton a detective with the West London police. Andy Whitehall is Jayne's fiancé and owner of the restaurant, Blue Water Cafe.

There is a Psychic Fair that is in town and many tourists are there to see it. Donald Morris, he is a devotee of Sherlock Holmes and one of Gemma's good friend. He and Bunny are excited about the fair and plan to go together. At the fair Bunny and Donald set-up a special seance that will be held at Rebecca Stanton home in the evening at 9:00. Bunny wants Ashleigh to attend with her. Ashleigh does not want to go unless Gemma attends with her for support. Gemma brings Jayne with her. Madame Lavalier is the person who will be conducting it with her assistant, Mary Moffat.

Gemma and Jayne arrive at the house. Others there for the seance are Daniel Stanton, Rebecca's step-son and his wife Eleanor who are staying with Rebecca. Rebecca, Donald, Bunny, Ashleigh, Max Greenwood and his wife, Larissa and Miranda, Rebecca's niece who lives over her garage. A rain storm arrived and is a bad one. Mary comes into the Livingroom and gets them and takes them into the library. They sit around the table but Gemma is asked to leave. She sits outside the doors trying to hear what is going on. Madame calls the spirits and they are hearing various voices to their questions. All of a sudden a voice that Madame had not called makes his presence known. All went crazy. Jayne calls for Gemma who comes into the library and turns on the lights. They find Madame dead with a thin object imbedded in her neck, later identified as a antique hat pin. Police are called and Officer Stella Johnson arrives with Ryan and his partner, Louise Estrada, They interview everyone that is attending the seance.

This is where the story takes off. I will leave all the details to the reader to enjoy as there is too much going on to put on paper. The story builds up to an exciting and surprising conclusion,

I have enjoyed this series from the first book, Elementary She Reads. Many of the characters are from the first book which makes up the town as well as the new characters that add to the story. I look forward to the next adventure of Gemma and her friends in the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

This is the ninth book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series, and I have read them all. Unfortunately, I still do not like Gemma, the lead character. She is rude, unkind, arrogant, and snobby. I feel towards her the same way the shop cat Moriarity feels. Still, I like the settings of the bookshop and tearoom, the best friend Jayne, and the plot lines of all the books, which in this case involves a seance during which the psychic ends up dead. In spite of her personality faults, Gemma is a stellar investigator, even though she loves to pontificate constantly about her theories. As usual, I am not able to solve the mystery before she does. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC.

I enjoyed this book, although not as many as previous books in the series. I thought the observations of Gemma were a bit late and minor to the case. I liked the characters though, they are full fleshed out, even the minor ones. The scene of the seance was very real. #TheSignofFourSpirits #NetGalley

It says something about how good this series is that I broke my personal rule of "read pre-release galleys in the two months before publication." I just couldn't wait; this is such a fun series!

The best way to describe this series is this: imagine Sherlock Holmes in the modern day, as a woman, running a Sherlock Holmes bookshop in a small tourist town. Dr. Watson, also a woman, is running the tea room next door. For obvious reasons, our heroines are rarely actually in their shops as people have an inconvenient way of dropping dead around them. This time we explored the world of seances, which, given Gemma (Sherlock's) attitude towards unexplained phenomenon, was a lot of fun. Recommended!

I absolutely love this series! This is the bestbin the series so far! A locked room, literally, cozy mystery murder! It was absolutely fantastic. I loved it!
I just reviewed The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany. #TheSignofFourSpirits #NetGalley
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This was my first foray into this series and I feel maybe I should try book one. It's hard jumping in on book 9. That said, a little too slow moving for me. The murder doesn't even happen until chapter six, and I found the MC wooden and dull. But just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be someone else's. It was, overall, not bad. Just not something I'd go out of my way to pick up.

fun and quirky whodunnit and a perfect installment in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery.

A big Spiritual/Psychic fair comes to the village of West London in Cape Cod, and Gemma finds herself in the thick of it. Not only is she invited to a seance, she is promptly kicked out of it, only to sit outside the library door and then find herself drawn into a murder. 12 suspects, no one in or out, a dark room, and everyone holding hands. Who did it?

Thank you Netgalley for another fun read.

goodness me! this has everything for me - Sherlock Holmes, bookshop, mystery, an enjoyable tale that kept me engaged all the way through. I received this as an advance copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Gemma Doyle is at her deductive best in this newest entry into the series. Filled with a twisty mystery, eccentric characters, and the author's trademark subtle humor, the pages of the book fly by. Settle in with a scone or two and prepare to thoroughly enjoy this seat at the seance that gets the action going. Recommended! .

The Sign of the Four Spirits is the 9th book in this delightful series. I was so happy that netgalley approved me for this ARC as I have read every book in the series!
Gemma Doyle is talked into attending a seance as a favor to a friend but to her surprise. she is banned at the door. A woman is murdered during the seance which means someone in the room is the murderer. Gemma uses her excellent observation to detail and sharp mind to help her detective boyfriend Ryan Ashburton scope out the killer. This was another great addition to this series that had me guessing until the very end.
I rate this 5/5. ***** Excellent!

The Sign of Four Spirits is a continuation of the Sherlock Holmes-themed, Cape Cod based cozy mystery series featuring Gemma Doyle, bookshop owner and amateur sleuth. This mystery incorporates an additional tantalizing hint of a possible supernatural element, as did the previous book in the series. I did not enjoy this book as much as I have the others in this series. The explanation of the mystery at the end seemed a bit far fetched to me, and I wasn't as interested in the new characters she has introduced. That being said, I would recommend this series to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.

I love the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series! Gemma Doyle is a character that I would like to be real. She's so interesting! The mystery moves smoothly and is solid. Lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Gemma reluctantly gets sucked into solving the murder of a pyschic. This is the ninth book in the series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. Thanks # Netgalley and #Crookedlanebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I rather enjoyed this latest book in the Sherlock bookstore series. Gemma has a strong personality which is refreshing compared to most other cozies. She reluctantly gets involved in the murder of a psychic during a seance. She does not pretend to believe in such things. This was a well plotted story that kept you guess and gave you many red herrings. An ejoyable read

I have enjoyed this series from the beginning. This is the 9th book in the series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity for review. I highly recommend this series for all who enjoy cozy mysteries.

One of the elements I enjoy best about this series is Gemma is contentious to others. She speaks her mind and I like a protaganist that is portrayed as a real person and is clear about boundries . In this next in series a pyschic fair is in town and Gemma is clear she wants nothing to do with it from the beginning. When a murder occurs Gemma puts on her smart savvy investigative skils

The characters are all likable and add to the fun of this series. The bookstore is a book lovers dream. The sleuth was well crafted and kept me guessing. I hope this series continues .

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to read this book for my honest opinion. This is the 9th book in this series and I haven’t read the others and had no issue understanding the cast of characters. I did not really like the main character in this book, Gemma seemed kind of mean to me and I was shocked that she as a business owner wouldn’t be prepared for a convention that came to town by buying extra products that are relevant to those visiting the town. The mystery was interesting and I did not know who it was till almost the end of the book.


This is for the publisher only please remove the references to the gy**y word. The Romani people have shared with us that this is a reformatory term that they don’t appreciate.

My first book by Delany, and I love the world she has created. The Sherlock Holmes themed bookstore makes for a fun backdrop. The characters are well developed, and the closed-door murder is classic but well staged. Gemma is a clever gal that sees what the average person misses and makes connections quickly. There is so much to love about this story: the psychic fair, the seance, scam vs supernatural forces. There is even a little romance thrown in, though understated. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters so much that I want to catch up and continue the series!

I really wanted to love this book, but I find the switching between past and present tense nonsensical and offputting, and therefore couldnt get into it, but thats just a me thing.

I didn't realize this was book 9 in a series but I'm thankful it was pretty easy to catch on quickly and learn the characters and dynamics. I thought the psychic fair was fun and I thought our main character was a pretty good sleuth. It took me a minute to figure out the case and the clues were fun to put together.

Vicki Delany's latest novel, "The Sign of Four Spirits", is quite the cozy mystery! Book 9 in her Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, it was a great addition!