Gemma Doyle is the owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop in West London, MA. Heading to London for her sister, Pippa’s wedding, Gemma arrives safely, but her luggage doesn’t. To make matters worse, she runs into her seedy ex-boyfriend, Paul, in the hotel after her sister’s reception. He says he has a priceless book to show her and sets up a time to meet with her the next day. When she arrives at the meeting point with Pippa’s husband, they two find the strangled body of Paul. As Gemma searches for the priceless book and uncovers clues about Paul’s death, she realizes that the clues lead her to a high-born relative of her mother. What was Paul involved in that lead to his death?

The plot is well developed, engaging, and full of twists and turns. The characters are likable, realistic, and easy to relate to. The building of the mystery is well done and draws the reader into the story. Readers who like mystery, London, Sherlock Holmes-esque mysteries, and mysteries with well-hidden motives will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections

The Incident of the book in the nighttime by Vicki Delany is the tenth book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series and the first one I have read, and it was excellent. I had no problems not having read the back story, and enjoyed the story so much that I already have got my hands on the first two books in the series. Gemma and her friends have travelled from the USA to London for her sister’s wedding. Her sister has a government job, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that she is something secret squirrel in the government.

Gemma leaves early as she is jet lagged and bumps into her ex-husband in the lobby. They use to own a bookshop in London but he bought her out seven years ago as part of the divorce settlement before she moved to the USA. He tells her he has a rare book to show her and arranges to meet her at the old shop the next day at noon. When Gemma and friends arrive he is dead - murdered.

Gemma decides to assist the police in finding the murderer for old times sake. Sadly the London police don’t need her help and she keeps getting into trouble with them. Of course this doesn’t stop Gemma, and she and her friends and up on an adventure that takes them all over London, out to aristocratic mansions in the English countryside, and even to a fancy nightclub which descends into a brawl. In the process they have to deal with suspects, the British police, secret government agencies and the US Secret Service. I loved it, the story was fast-paced, witty and at times dangerous. When the murderer and the motive was revealed I was very satisfied.

The book was a real page turner and resulted in a late night as I stayed up to get the the end.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing an advanced copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

An exceptional entry in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mysteries, taking place in London while Gemma and friends are there for her sister's wedding. See my complete review on www.reviewingtheevidence.com

I enjoy the interactions from the 2 MC and how they have moved forward in their relationship. I liked visiting Scotland in this book. The mystery kept me guessing. I look forward to more in the series

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma Doyle and her friends are in London for her sister Pippa's wedding. A happy time, right...not so much as Gemma's ex-husband finds her in the lobby of the hotel where the reception is being held and wants to meet her and show her a book. When Gemma and the friends she brings with her go to Paul's used bookstore, they find him murdered. So once again Gemma and her friends find themselves looking for answers and trying to stay off the police radar. But this time they also have Pippa requesting they leave the case alone. Is that because the murder may involve something to do with the secret job Pippa has with the government?

3.5 I think this was the most in the series from an investigation stand point. Gemma and her friends romping around London and other parts of England to help solve a mystery after her sister’s wedding. Gemma continues to not be my fav but she was enjoyable as sharer of home country culture in this book. I missed Ryan in this book as he was off her her father. The mystery didn’t seem super engaging towards the end because of the limited number of people it could be and the ending felt a little blah for a cozy. But I think this is my fav of the series. Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.