The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime
Book 10 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series
by Vicki Delany
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 9781639109265
Pub date: Jan 14, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime is a well-written mystery. The setting for this novel is London, England. The core characters from the earlier books have made the trip to London for Pippa, Gemma’s sister’s, wedding. Gemma’s relationship with her sister is a highlight of the novel. There verbal sparring between the two is snappy, but never derogatory. Their interactions add another layer to the two characters. Humor is also woven throughout the book, which is always fun to read. The plot is well-paced with plenty of red herrings. The mystery isn’t an easy one to solve. Gemma’s ex-husband is found dead. He’d stopped Gemma as she left her sister’s wedding reception, telling her he had a book he wanted her to see. They arranged to meet the next morning at the bookstore they co-owned during their marriage. Instead, Paul’s body is found in his office, and Gemma is caught up in another murder. She follows multiple clues that go nowhere before she finally solves the case and puts her deductive skills to the test. The latest book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series is a quick, fun read. 4/5 stars.

Literary Cozy Mystery in which a British MA Holmes-themed bookshop and tea room owner who's visiting England uses her deductive mind to solve her ex-husband's murder and a book's theft.

5/5 stars: This is the tenth entry in Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, which is a Literary Cozy Mystery and features the British owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and co-owner of Mrs Hudson’s Tea Room in Massachusetts who has traveled to England for her sister's wedding finds herself using her deductive mind to investigate her ex-husband's murder and a rare book's theft. As she and her best friend follow his trail, she realizes his mystery is anything but elementary and she'll have to work fast to solve the case before her time in London–or in life–is over. With plenty of twists and turns, Delany has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Delany's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's a joy to catch up with Gemma, her friends and family in London and follow the hi-jinks for uncle, employees and pets get up to back home. I especially get a kick out the very “irregular” Donald, Gemma's quirky Holmes super fan friend. Additionally, it's great to see Gemma's relationship with her detective boyfriend, Ryan continue. Although I miss Gemma's hilarious hate/hate relationship with store cat, Moriarty, there's a great dog in this book, Horace, her father's schnauzer. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Elementary, She Read. I simply adore this series, Delany's captured the essence of Holmes and sprinkles the book with tons of Holmsian Easter eggs. Highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc.

Gemma Doyle heads to London for her sister’s wedding, but her plans take a dark turn when her ex-husband, Paul Erikson, is found dead in his office. Paul had promised to show her a valuable rare book, now missing, and Gemma feels compelled to investigate his mysterious death. Teaming up with her best friend, Jayne Wilson, Gemma follows a tangled trail of Paul’s associates across London and Yorkshire. As secrets unravel, the case grows more complex, and danger looms. Can Gemma and Jayne solve the puzzle before time runs out?

This is the tenth book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, even though I haven’t read any previous instalments in this series. It was easy to pick up the gist of character relationships making it easily understandable as if it was a standalone.

I found this to be an okay mystery, not much suspense or thrill to finding out who the killer was or the motivations behind the murder. Also, for me, the pacing of it was off. I thought some parts were too long and then the ending everything was wrapped up too quickly with so many moving parts. And I was left a little deflated when they just let the murderer get away, very disappointed.

Gemma Doyle and her friends are in London for her sister Pippa’s wedding to rare book dealer Grant. Gemma is surprised to meet her ex-husband Paul Erikson in the hotel lobby. He wants to show her a rare book and they agree to meet at their bookstore, Trafalgar Fine Books, the next day where Gemma finds Paul's strangled body.

Paul had been desperate about his finances so what was he willing to do? Gemma feels she owes something to Paul and vows to find his killer.

This was another fine entry in the Sherlock Holmes bookshop mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own.

The last person Gemma expected to see when she arrived in London for her sister's wedding to Grant was her ex-husband Paul who had fallen on hard times. She really didn't imagine that Paul would be murdered and that she would end up trying to sort out the villain. This is a nice addition to the series but entirely enjoyable as a standalone. Newbies might find the London-West London thing a little confusing at first but it works. Fans might be disappointed that Ryan, Gemma's love interest is in the background for much of this but it was nice to learn more about Grant. Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc. Good characters and a twisty mystery make this a good read.

Gemma and friends are back in the Tenth release for the series. Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity for review. My review opinions are my own.

Gemma is traveling to London for a wedding of a friend when she is drawn into a intriguing murder of her ex husband. He had asked her to meet him to review a priceless book but is murdered before their meeting. With no sign of the book in question and suspicious circumstances of his last weeks Gemma is determined to solve his murder and find the missing book.

This was so well crafted I turned pages to conclusion. This series is always a wonderful experience with great characters, intriguing sleuths and fun atmospheric settings. Well done to the author. I look forward to the next in series.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime, by Vicki Delany, is the tenth book in the series of A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery.
Even though I have read none of the previous books, I could easily understand the relationships among the different characters, so the book can be easily read as a standalone novel.

In this mystery, Gemma and her friends go to London to attend her sister's wedding. Pipa is getting married during the festivities of Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes. The narrative is well conducted, not necessarily breathtaking, but interesting to be followed.
Gemma meets her former husband in her first night in London, and is invited to go to his bookstore under the excuse of his finding a very interesting book. To her surprise, she finds Paul murdered in the office of the bookstore that used to belonged to them.
The story is then described as Gemma, with the help of her friends and sister, tries to investigate the people connected to Paul's murder, as well as the clues left around the city she used to know so well.
All in all, the book is perfect for those looking for a cozy mystery. I got interested in getting to know about the other titles in the series.

I thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane publishers, and the author, who provided me with this advanced copy in return to my honest evaluation.

In THE INCIDENT OF THE BOOK IN THE NIGHTTIME, Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery book 10 by Vicki Delany, Gemma leave’s her sister’s wedding reception early and runs into her ex-husband, Paul. He still loves Gemma. Paul wants Gemma to come to his bookshop in England to look at a book, possibly a collector’s item. I read on to see what happens. I doubt Gemma will reunite with Paul, but I am curious to find out if the supposed book adventure is a ruse.

I find it interesting that the story takes place in London, England, instead of in West London, Massachusetts, where Gemma’s bookshop is located. Despite the mystery surrounding the death, this book seems slow-moving to me. Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of THE INCIDENT OF THE BOOK IN THE NIGHTTIME.

Gemma and her friends Jayne, Ryan, Andy and Donald are in London to attend Gemma's sister's wedding to their friend Grant. Things are going well until she meets her ex-husband Paul in the hotel lobby. He convinces her to come to his shop to see something he calls "the real deal."

Gemma reluctantly agrees and arrives at the bookstore that was once hers with a couple of friends only to find Paul dead in his office, an obvious victim of murder. Although she doesn't want to investigate, she can't help her curiosity or her powers of observation.

Finding her ex's address book, she sets herself and friends off on a quest to question those who knew him better. She believes that the "real deal" he was talking about is a rare book and is surprised when her distant cousin, known to be financially embarrassed, is on the list.

Gemma has asked just one thing. She doesn't want Gemma to involve the secret government department she represents, but somehow, before things are over, Gemma and her department are intimately involved.

This was another excellent addition to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime is book 10 in Vicki Delany's series, A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery.

Gemma, some of her friends and family have gathered in London to celebrate her sister, Pippa's wedding. As she's leaving the wedding, Gemma runs into her former husband, who convinces her to visit him the next day at the bookstore they used to run together, saying he had something to show her. She assumed he wanted to show her a valuable book, so she brings her new brother-in-law who is a book dealer, and her Sherlock Holmes obsessed friend, Donald. Soon after arriving, they find Paul's body in his office and call the police.

Although this is book 10 in the series, and I had not read any of the previous ones, I had no trouble following the story and relationships, so this book easily reads as a standalone.

I will start by just mentioning a couple of things that I found weird in this book and that is that Gemma talked about Paul, her ex-husband, as though he was a total stranger. Even when mentioning him to family, such as her parents, she called him by first and last name, as though no one would know who he was. I just found it really strange. In addition, Gemma was in a relationship in which her partner was ready to propose and she hadn't told him she had been married before? Not only that but after an extended break up, they are back in a serious relationship and she still hasn't mentioned it? And says there never seemed to be an appropriate time to mention it? That was weird to me.

That aside, I really enjoyed The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime. The mystery was interesting, with hints of possible espionage being involved in Paul's death, as well as possibilities stemming from his lack of money and speculation that he was borrowing from the wrong people.

Donald provided comedic relief throughout the story the way he repeatedly attacked everyone with facts about his favourite fictional sleuth and his author. The reactions of those around him, after spending hours listening to his ramblings, made me laugh throughout the book, as did descriptions of his manner of dressing while in London.

I really enjoyed The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime, the characters were interesting, and the mystery kept me guessing. I recommend it to any lover of a good cozy mystery.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thought this was a nice little mystery. I don’t think I’ve read any of the previous ones in this series. It didn’t seem to affect the story.
I liked Gemma and her crew, who seem happy to follow her. I was a bit surprised by who the bad guy was.

Gemma and friends are in London for Pippa and Grant's wedding. Gemma is approached by her ex husband at the reception. He invites her to the old bookstore because he has something of interest to show her. When she arrives the next day, she finds him dead. Gemma works to figure out what was going on and why someone would kill her ex. A good read that leads the reader through London and keeps you guessing as to where this is all leading. Love these characters and their adventures are always interesting and filled with fun and curious happenings.
I received an advanced copy of the book in return for a review.

Honestly, I always thought that if Gemma’s ex-husband were to show up, there would be more drama. I was a bit disappointed with this one. For example, I was surprised at the lack of interaction with Ryan as well as the British police department. There are a couple of interactions, but this is mostly just Gemma and Jayne wondering around handling things.

I will say that I was happy to be back in modern day London. I laughed at Pippa and how she used her own wedding. If anyone needed to see the parallel of Pippa and Mycroft, it was at the wedding.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

4 stars

Gemma Doyle, a British transplant to the US, is back in London for her older sister Pippa's lavish wedding. While celebrating, Gemma bumps into her ex-husband, Paul who still runs their old bookstore from when they were married, and tells her they must meet about a mysterious book he's uncovered and needs authenticated. Hesitant but curious, the next day Gemma and her friends stop by the store to see him and discover that he was tragically murdered in the shop the previous evening. Why was Paul killed and did the murderer get their hands on whatever it was he was trying to authenticate?

One of the things I love about most cosy mysteries is that even if you haven't read the previous books in the series the author usually gives you enough backstory to enjoy each book almost as a standalone. This particular book is #10 is the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mysteries and I haven't read any of the previous nine; that did not diminish my enjoyment of this book in the least! The story was captivating and I was drawn into the different characters arcs easily (perhaps as they've already been established over the course of previous books? Who's to say.) I found the pacing and story telling in this to be quite compelling, and it definitely made me want to go back and read the previous books in the SH Bookshop series.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Vicki Delany, and Crooked Lane Books for giving me early access to an eARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

This book was unfortunately not for me, but not because it was a bad book. I didn't realize it was a part of a series (whoops). The mystery was good, but I prefer a good amount of thriller and atmosphere to keep me into the mystery. If you want a good mystery book to curl up with on a rainy day, I would definitely recommend this one. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma Doyle and the crew are in London for Pippa and Grant’s wedding. Lost luggage, shopping for appropriate clothing left Gemma tired after the dinner celebration, as she heads out she walks into her ex husband Paul Erikson, he has a rare book he wants her to see. Reluctantly, the next day she heads to the bookstore she once used to own and finds him dead …
As always the clues are funny and fascinating.

I had a lot of fun reading this book, I am so happy to have given it a try as I didn't know the author at all. This book is well written and the plot is very good! I will certainly read another book by Viciki Delany!! I am giving this book a 4 stars and I warmly recommend it! It's a page turner!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE INCIDENT OF THE BOOK IN THE NIGHTTIME (Book 10 of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series) by Vicki Delany in exchange for an honest review. Gemma Doyle and her friends have gone to London for her sister’s wedding. Gemma is surprised when her ex-husband Paul shows up at one of the wedding events, but she agrees to go to his bookshop the next morning to examine a rare book he wants to show her. However, when Gemma goes to the bookstore the next day, Paul is dead in his office. With detectives metaphorically looming suspiciously over her, Gemma feels compelled to discover whodunnit in order to clear her name.

I liked the book and enjoy the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring bookstores, rare books, shady ex-spouses, and family events.

#TheIncidentoftheBookintheNighttime #NetGalley

“ The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime” the 10th instalment in "A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop" Mystery series by Vicki Delany. It can easily be read as a standalone but I recommend reading in order. This mystery is anything but elementary, and Gemma and Jayne have to use all their wit to get to the bottom of it before their time in London—or in life—is over.

I enjoyed this mystery, thought it flowed well and kept my attention. The setting of London England was a fun departure. Gemma and her friends are there for her sister Pippa’s wedding, what could go wrong …

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with enough twists to keep you interested. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Gemma and her friends are off to London in this 10th in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. They're leaving Massachusetts for Gemma's sister's wedding to Grant. Grant met and fell in love with Pippa on the group's previous London visit. Now they are getting married and expectations are high for a wonderful trip. The wedding is lovely and plans for exploring London the following days are set. But those plans go by the wayside when Gemma finds her ex-husband, Paul in the lobby of the wedding reception hotel. Paul is disheveled and anxious and begs Gemma to come to the bookshop they formerly owned together the next day. He tempts her with talk of a rare find. Gemma's puzzled since she doesn't deal in rare books but curiosity causes her to agree to the meeting.
Paul is nowhere to be found when she and Grant arrive and the shop staff haven't seen him. Gemma's sleuthing antennae lead her upstairs to Paul's office where she finds his dead body. She discovers Paul was in financial trouble and suspects someone else found what Paul wanted her to see. Despite being divorced for years Gemma feels she owes it to Paul to find his killer. All tourist plans are canceled as the group assists her in her search.
This is a quick read that rehashes much of the action from the previous visit. The motive for the murder is a bit of a stretch but that's balanced by a knock-down scene in a private club that finds Donald wielding his umbrella as a weapon to protect Gemma. Not the best in the series but still fun.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.