Having been let go, due to budget cuts, from the Kansas museum she'd worked at, Delaney Nichols needs a new job. Never an adventurer, she surprises herself by applying for a position at a book and rare manuscript shop called The Cracked Spine -- in Edinburgh, Scotland! After a lengthy telephone interview with her soon-to-be employer, she's off to start her new life!

Upon her arrival, she doesn't even have time to settle in before everything goes terribly awry. Her employer's wayward sister is murdered, and a priceless First Folio of Shakespeare's goes missing. Now, instead of cataloging and finding the worth of antiques, she's questioning suspects and searching for answers. Her need to protect her new "Scottish family," help solve a murder, and locate a precious manuscript definitely falls under the category of adventure ... and danger! An amateur detective can never be too careful, and Delaney might just find herself the next victim.

Cozy mysteries are full of convenient events, and The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton filled that category a little too well. Delaney's job and immediate access to the perfect little cottage to rent are just the beginning. What was Edwin, the book shop's proprietor, even thinking when he put his sister in charge of the First Folio? She's been a drug addict pretty much her entire life, so, yeah, that was a good idea, wasn't it? The location of the First Folio when it was initially found is another convenience...or maybe just an oddity.

What bothered me more was actually that the first book in a brand new series started out with the murder being directly related to the main setting. Yes, this is often the case (no pun intended) in cozies, but it was difficult to buy Delaney's protectiveness over people that are strangers to her. I couldn't connect with any sort of emotions that should have been displayed by Edwin at the loss of his sister, or the loss of a friend to his staff that had known her for years, because I didn't know any of the characters yet myself. It would have been better to let the readers get to know this main set of players before hitting us with this particular murder. The only person I really felt I got to know was Delaney's cab driver, Elias, who ended up being her landlord. She spent more time with him than anyone, so theirs was at least a friendship I could easily buy into.

And what was with the "bookish voices" of Delaney's? Ever since she was a girl, she hears the voices of book characters having actual conversations with her. They have a habit of helping her find lost things and yet failed to do so here. Instead, they went quiet when she needed them. It was just a weird thing to me.

This wasn't a terrible book, but it wasn't high on my list of good cozy mysteries by a long shot. If I come across the next books at some point when I'm in the mood, I might grab one, but I won't be searching them out.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and have chosen to leave this objective review.

Kansas girl, Delaney Nichols, decides it's time for a change and accepts a long-distance job in a bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland by way of a phone interview. All she knows is that it's time for a personal change and that the work ... whatever it is ... sounds exciting.
The book shop, The Cracked Spine, is run by Edwin MacAlister. He's a bit mysterious and he apparently has his hands in a variety of book collecting and book dealing. In fact, he has an entire space kept under lock and key for some of his most precious items. His mysteriousness around his actions has Delany wondering if some of his work might be less than proper or legal.

When Edwin's sister, who has had a troubled life, is murdered, Delany takes it on herself to investigate and help he new boss get some closure. But investigating a murder can be dangerous.

I'm typically not a fan of cozy mysteries. In 'cozies,' things tend to happen by convenience ... a lot. And this book is no exception, starting with the very idea of packing up and moving to Scotland essentially on a whim, to deciding to investigate a murder in a foreign country with absolutely no background or experience in in it prior.

But despite generally not being a fan of cozies, I quite enjoyed this book. Of course the location helped (what avid reader wouldn't want to read a mystery set in an old book store?), but the characters are what makes this a delightful read.

Delaney is a bit of a Pollyanna/Mary Tyler Moore character. Wide-eyed and eager. In some ways she's the most boring of all the characters, but she is the 'straight' character to all the wonderful, almost Dickensian, Scots.

The writing is quick and smooth, giving the characters a chance to shine. The mystery is pretty classic for a cozy - although a murder (even an off the page murder) is pretty hard for a cozy.

While I enjoyed the book, and I would gladly read any other books in the series, I am not actively going out and looking for another Scottish Bookshop Mystery.

Looking for a good book? The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton is a fun, fast cozy mystery. If you like cozies, I'd recommend this first book in a series. If you aren't sure, or if you don't like cozy mysteries, this won't change your mind.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

First in a new series, Delaney Nichols moves from Kansas to start a new job in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is excited to work at The Cracked Spine, a rare book shop. She is grateful to her new boss, Edwin.

Upon arrival, she meets her new coworkers and friends. This feels right at home.

A new artifact goes missing, and Edwin's sister, Jenny, is murdered! There appears to be a coincidence between the two. Delaney starts tracking down clues to see what truly happened.

4 Stars

This is the first book in the Scottish Bookshop mystery series by Paige Shelton.

Basic premise: Delaney Nichols takes a job at a bookshop in Scotland. Before she even gets the chance to meet all her new co-workers, they discover that a rare folio by Shakespeare has gone missing and the last person to see it was her boss’s deadbeat sister, who turns up murdered.

I thought this was a good book but Edwin, Delaney’s boss, was stupid. I mean, why give your rare Shakespeare folio to your sister who is a drug addict and then wonder why it went missing. We all knew what happened to it. The ending of this was a little bit of a let down too since Edwin was so nonchalant about what happened to the folio. It felt like all this build up was for nothing.

I did enjoy the mystery whodunit element and the flirtation between Delaney and bartender/pub owner Tom was a fun and needed addition. The characters in this did standout particularly well and it was easy to keep straight who was who.

Since this is book one in a series, it had a lot to do. It had to introduce us to a ton of people, recurring or not plus throw us into a mystery we’d be willing to suspend disbelief enough to follow. I think it did both particularly well. Although, some of the motivations were a little iffy for me. I don’t really understand why Delaney felt like she had to move all the way to Scotland for a job in a bookstore not to mention my previous reservations about Edwin and the folio.

I am intrigued enough to want to continue with the series and see what unfolds further. And I think that is mainly due to Tom and Delaney’s budding relationship.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton is one of my “bad blogger” book reviews. I requested it and then just never got around to it. I wish I could say this was a lost gem but it was really kind of middle of the road for me.

My biggest struggle was the amount of repetition of information. A few things will be ingrained on my braid every time I think of The Cracked Spine: 1) Delaney if the American from Kansas (every time she’s introduced to a new person in Edinburgh!! which is everybody she talks to for the first time) and 2) Delaney’s brain struggles with the concept of driving on the opposite side of the road. There’s a lot of driving.

It also seemed like the characters were all obnoxiously vague. Lots of people enjoy talking. I was expecting a lot more from The Cracked Spine and so much of it missed the mark for me.

Disclaimer: Since I’ve read and written this review I’ve read the novella The Christmas Tartan which will have its own review later on. I immensely enjoyed that book so I’m continuing with the series! I truly believe that The Cracked Spine suffered from over-information that can often happen in the first book of a new series.

Narration: The narration was pretty good. The Scottish accents were quite nice to hear rather than read!

I really enjoyed this! The description drew me in--who wouldn't want the chance to pick up, travel half-way around the world, and get paid to live and work in Edinburgh, surrounded by history, mystery, and beautiful books?! Delaney has that chance, and finds more than she bargained for--including friends, a surrogate family, and a handsome Scot who looks good in a kilt. (Like me, she's a sucker for a man who can raise one eyebrow--and is smart enough to send flowers.) Not to mention a priceless manuscript, and a tragic murder.
Great cast of characters, and the author does a good job of inserting bits of the Scottish brogue without making the dialogue difficult to read. I really want to visit Edinburgh now, but the author describes both the beauty and dangers of the big, old city. I feel like there were still some questions to be answered, even after the central mystery was solved. I can't wait to see what adventures develop next, and what happens with these characters. I've already ordered the next book in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Cracked Spine" by Paige Shelton. The characters are engaging (especially Delaney, Edwin, and Tom) and the mystery plots are engaging. I learned a great deal also – about old manuscripts, auctions for old manuscripts, restoring old manuscripts, and so forth.

The setting is a book and rare manuscript shop (The Cracked Spine) in Edinburgh, Scotland. The bookshop and city are both described so well that I can clearly picture them in my mind. My only regret about the book is that I can't visit Delaney and the others in The Cracked Spine.

I highly recommend "The Cracked Spine" by Paige Shelton to all fans of cozy mysteries, especially those who are also fans of cozies set in the UK. I can't wait to read the next book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series!