Gemma, Ryan, Jayne, Andy and Donald head back to England for Pippa's wedding, only to be wrapped into another investigation when Gemma's ex-husband (who we finally meet!) is found murdered.

This case is Gemma's more interesting yet, as we learn more about her family and, especially Pippa's mysterious job. Another mystery bookstore, suspicious followers, blackmail, and Donald's prowess with an umbrella all come to light in this funny crime solving cozy. The next installment is sure to see another wedding, and another murder. Can't wait!

Another wonderful book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries. This time we see Gemma and friends return to London for her sister's wedding. The relaxing vacation time does not go as planned when Gemma's ex-husband is found dead hours after they run into each other for the first time since they divorced. It is up to Gemma and company to find out who did this dastardly crime. Overall a fantastic book. While I love West London, MA, it is great to get to see the characters in London proper and adds an exciting new setting. I highly recommend this book and the series as a whole.

As always Vicki Delany writes about characters you love to come back too.
While not necessary to read the others in the series I can't see why you wouldnt want too .
Can't wait for more in this cozy series.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this book

I’ve never read a book by this author before but I absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for the ARC! I loved this story, it was extremely well written. Will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author!

Absolutely loved this book! The characters were well written and very likeable. The mystery was very well written with many twists and turns, and I never would have guessed who the actual murderer was.

Will definitely read more from Vicki Delany!

I've read several of Vicki Delany's books out of different series by now and I have to admit, this was not one of my favorites. It was still very good, don't get me wrong. It's just not my cup of tea. Of course, in all fairness, I am coming in at book 10 which might be why I was confused on some issues. I usually don't have that problem with her books as I can always figure out the why of it and the who.

What I didn't understand was why Gemma felt it necessary to investigate the man's death who had done her wrong. Yes, she swears that there were no ill feelings. Okay, I get that, but I was also confused by her ill-timed meeting with him. Yes, she was tired and jetlagged from her flight, but she still didn't act like there was nothing wrong between them.

The part that I did like was that it ended up being a kind of spy/international incident/blackmail type of mystery. I really liked that part. It made me feel like I was in a kind of James Bond mystery. And I really did love all of the characters and the world building was really well done. However, I really did not like the ending. The ending seemed kind of hurried and not getting full justice felt unfinished.

Also, there was so much information at the beginning, almost too much information that by the time you're done wading through it, you get to the end and then it ends like it does, and you're left feeling like you've missed something. Maybe it's just me? Anyway, I still love her books and I will continue to keep reading her other series but just maybe not this one.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and Vicki Delany for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

I will admit, this one's on me.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime is the 10th entry in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. As such, it has to champion the challenge of accounting for all the series' characters, even if that means immediately sidelining them for the whole book.

I, unfortunately, did not realise this was a late entry in a series and therefore was somewhat miffed about both the multitude of unused characters aswell as the apparent undercharacterization throughout the book.

Now, as far as the book itself goes, it was a quick & enjoyable reading experience. Certainly something best suited for a summer vacation, or a lazy sunday afternoon.
As I mentioned, the character work is somewhat lacking, but if you're this deep into a series, that's more than understandable.
The mystery at hand, while not entirely original, is gripping enough to captivate anyone who's into detective novels at all.

Another thing that might suit your fancy but was somewhat irritating to me is the constant mention and/or description of London streets, metro stations etc.
It reads like an attempt at making the city feel like a character itself, but as someone who's only been to London once, most of it I just skipped automatically.

What it's about: Gemma, an expat bookseller and amateur detective, returns to her hometown of London for her sister's wedding. The day after, her ex-husband is murdered, and she feels compelled to find out the culprit.

Pros: Scenic showcase of London, loads of Sherlock Holmes references both in and out of character

Cons: the investigation in the middle sometimes dragged a bit for me, finale felt anticlimactic and a drop in stakes

ARC Review: I definitely recommend it for Sherlock Holmes fans - if your thing is Conan Doyle, get to know Gemma Doyle! As a fun, reference-filled romp through contemporary London, it was lots of fun. As a whodunnit, I'm afraid I didn't find neither the clue-gathering nor the solution particularly satisfying, even if well-constructed. Nevertheless, I picked it up without realising it's part of an ongoing series, but I was perfectly able to follow along, so it has the bonus of working both as a standalone and as a series!

Stars: 3.5/5

In 'The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime' Gemma and her friends are home with her to England for the marriage of her sister and their friend Grant. This addition to Vicki Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries was a real delight. We learned so much more about Gemma's background, and her first marriage. Her quirky intellect was evidenced as she became determined to solve the mystery of the murder of her ex. All of this was balanced with family dynamics, UK law enforcement and a delicate dance of romance with her boyfriend Ryan. I highly recommend this book, and in fact the entire series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley (the review is my own opinion) providing me with an early electronic copy of this book, I was able to accompany Gemma Doyle and her friends on another trip to London. She is in town for her sister Pippa’s wedding and all is going well until she runs into her ex-husband Paul in the wedding venue lobby. He seems much happier to see her than she is to encounter him, but trying to be kind she agrees to meet him the next day at the bookstore that they once owned together. He has asked her to evaluate a rare item that he has found. Her arrival at the bookstore is met with a death that will complicate the rest of her time in her favorite city. Her attempts to solve the crime sends her and her friends on a fast paced tour of the London and the surrounding areas. As always, I very much enjoyed getting to spend time with this group of fictional characters that have almost become friends. The storyline was well done and I had trouble taking a break from reading as I needed to know who the perpetrator was.. Highly recommend to fellow Vicki Delaney fans.

This series is so fun, though I've noticed that Gemma's unique behaviors have largely fallen by the wayside as the series continues.

In this installment, the whole gang is back in actual London again. I like it better when they're in West London, actually, even though I enjoy books set in the UK. With all the hush-hush of Gemma's sister's job, I feel like the core characters get a bit overshadowed whenever they're with the rest of Gemma's family. Uncle Arthur stays back home in the U.S., and he does manage to add a little stress from afar.

The plotting's good, as usual, and it's an engaging read. I just hope it doesn't start having more possible "international incidents" and things like that. I like the roots of this series and would love to see it return to them more.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Vicki Delany and this is my favorite out of all the series she writes. This is the tenth installment in the series and it finds Gemma, her friends and family back home in London to celebrate her sister's wedding. As things usually go, the trip involves a murder, this time, the murder of Gemma's ex-husband. Ms. Delany is a wonderful writer and her ability to craft an intriguing plot with twists, turns and a bit of suspense along with quirky and endearing characters is what makes me return book after book. I always know when I pick up a cozy mystery by this author that I am in for a treat so I settle in a cozy chair, pour a big glass of iced tea and let myself be carried away to wherever she takes me.

Gemma Doyle and pals are back in London for a new adventure.. Gemma is her ultra-observant self and helps the police with their investigation into the suspicious death of her ex-husband. The plot is twisty and fun and the characters are quirky and delightful. All in all, this is a great read and highly recommended.

The 10th book in this cozy mystery series can be easily enjoyed without reading the previous installments, thanks to ample context setting. The plot features a female business owner with a cop love interest, quirky supporting characters, and a murder mystery that the main character, Gemma Doyle, feels compelled to solve. The ending is somewhat flat, typical of cozy mysteries that prioritize charm over complex plots.

In this series' universe, Sherlock Holmes was real, yet Arthur Conan Doyle exists too. Gemma Doyle, inspired by Sherlock, is observant but cold, while her sister Pippa, a nod to Mycroft Holmes, is involved in espionage. Other characters, like Gemma's boyfriend Ryan and best friend Jayne, add depth, though some, like the Holmes enthusiast Donald and Gemma’s parents, feel unnecessary.

The book’s American tone detracts from its British setting, and while the descriptions are atmospheric, the language and setting begin to feel grating. Despite these flaws, there is potential for a TV adaptation.

I enjoy this book. I love this series. It's good how they fit Sherlock Holmes into the story. I would highly recommend the series and the book.

"The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime (Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries #10 by Vicki Delany has Gemma and gang back in London. Gemma's sister, Pippa, and her friend, Grant, are getting married. Maybe they can have a normal visit. Nope, Gemma's ex-husband has to go and die after requesting Gemma visit him to at their old bookstore. Gemma just has to investigate.

This one was similar in some ways to the last one that was set in London. Mostly in the way that the ones set back in the US are similar. They involve similar people and similar steps that Gemma goes through to solve the mystery. This time I felt I made a crucial clue connection way ahead of Gemma.

The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime
A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany.

We always buy Vicki's books for our library. Our patrons love the series.

What a great gem of a story! I haven't read the other books in this series but I didn't feel this took any enjoyment from reading this as the author did a good job of getting you up to speed with the characters and past events in the rest of the series. All in all an enjoyable read.

A lovely and very cosy whodunnit novel.

Easy to read, the characters are mostly quite loveable and the story unfolds not too linear, hence you won't know whodunnit after the first 50 pages (usually my qualm with whodunnit stories) but it still makes sense in the end.

A very enjoyable story for a relaxing read.

The current state (July 13th) of the ARC is unfortunately that it still needs a proper proofreading, my version has oddities like "egg yoke" in it (and many, many more typos, misplaced commas, etc.). If those would remain for the published story (release date: 14th January 2025) I would have to take two more stars off, unfortunately.

--

Transparency disclaimer: Receiving a free ARC version of this book via NetGalley did not influence my review in any way, shape or form.

In this 10th "Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery" series, Gemma and her friends and family are all in London for sister Pippa's wedding to Grant. Gemma encounters her ex-husband Paul, who tells her he has a book he wants her to see. When she goes to their old bookshop to look at the book, she finds Paul dead. So begins Gemma's next investigation. Gemma continues to be an unlikeable character, bossy, annoying, arrogant. But I do like the other characters in the story, especially BFF Jayne, who needs to stop letting Gemma walk all over her. And I like the Sherlock Holmes angles in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC.