4.5 stars for this great read! I love this Author's books and this continuation of her Scottish Bookshop mystery series is top notch. This book hits all the marks for me with characters, locations, and storyline. I love reading books set in Scotland and this Author paints a great picture that makes me want to go visit. I can't wait for the next book in this series. I received an ARC and greatly appreciate the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review - many thanks to the Author, publisher, and NetGalley!

The Poison Pen is the ninth book in The Scottish Bookshop Mystery series by Paige Shelton.
Delaney Nichols plays a stellar character in this cozy mystery that's bound to leave readers wanting more.
Delaney works in a specialty bookshop, The Cracked Spine,
in the town of Edinburgh.
Her boss Edwin always has a problem he needs her help with, so when he asks her to visit an old friend, to determine if she's really in possession of a priceless relic, Delaney knows she's in for an interesting visit.
The story revolves around a Crusader Sword, and the people involved have their own motives for finding it, and owning it.
Delaney soon finds herself in a bizarre situation, and the adventure will leave the reader breathless, wondering what is truth and what is fiction.
I loved this book, each story is a lesson in history and I found this one to be quite good.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

Queen Elizabeth II, a sword and Delaney solving the mystery, what more could you want?!

Edwin’s colorful past again comes into play as he involves Delaney in a new mystery. An old friend reaches out, wanting him to come see what they’ve found at their home. Edwin sends Delaney, who not yet comfortable driving, gets a ride from her friend Elias. Upon arrival they meet a long, lost friend of his. While there, they of course, encounter a murder.

Throughout this series, Delaney has had what they call her bookish voices that help to guide her as she solves the mysteries and researches the history of the items that they come across. In this story the ninth of the series her bookish voices are replaced with Queen Elizabeth, who has just recently passed at the start of the story. During the car trips and on tv, several tributes are played that stick with Delaney.

Delaney has fully embraced her new life with her new husband, Tom, and the family that she’s created in her new home of Scotland. This leads to her being affected more deeply by the Queen’s passing than she may have been if she had been living in the States.

At several points in the story, the murder seemed to take a backseat to the mystery surrounding the find. There are a lot of familial ties and types of families explored. I wonder if that means there’s a new family on the horizon for Delaney and husband Tom (maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part).

I like that Delaney has learned a few lessons from her earlier mystery solving, and kept her family up-to-date on her movements. Due to the distance to/from the murder scene, Delaney was away from the bookshop more than she was there.

While there was a resolution to the mystery (I was surprised!) I still felt like a couple of things were left open. Though not enough, where you felt like there was a cliffhanger or anything that took you out of the enjoyment of the story. Just for my own personal satisfaction I felt like there were a couple of minor things that were left unresolved.

I love the way that the current-day relevancy to the recent passing of the Queen and the tie-in with the historical nature of what the Crooked Spine does was woven together.

I am looking forward to what comes next for Delaney and her Crooked Spine family.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.

Happy Reading!