A Scandal in Scarlet

An auction to rebuild the West London, Massachusetts, History Museum leads to murder. In A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany. Gemma and Jayne offer the cafe as a place to hold the auction. There are many moving parts to the auction and through some maneuvering, Kathy Lamb ousts the previous chairperson and has herself appointed. (A Scandal in Scarlet will be released by Crooked Lane on November 13.)

This does not sit well with some of the volunteers, but Kathy is a whirlwind of planning and she gathers all the pieces together and the auction is being organized without a glitch. That is until the day of the event. Organizer Kathy Lamb is found dead minutes before the fundraising auction is about to occur with a series of miniature teacups on a pink rope.

Gemma wants to investigate, but her relationship with Detective Ryan Ashburton and her adversarial relationship with Detective Louise Estrada holds her back a bit. When all the auction items are confiscated by the police, including a priceless book owned

by her uncle, Gemma decides to quietly investigate. Of course nothing is done quietly in a small town and Ryan catches wind of her efforts. He is not pleased, but his partner Det. Estrada is enraged. She warns Gemma off the case.

There are plenty of suspects including all the back stabbing members of the committee, Kathy's ex-husband and his new wife. An excellent mystery.

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Holmes in Cape Cod

In Elementary, She Read, author Vicky Delany introduce her Holmes-like character Gemma Doyle. Sherlock Holmes would be an annoying person to know (if he were a real person). Some of those annoying traits manifest themselves in Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and partner in Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room in West London, Cape Cod.

Gemma, newly arrived from England, finds a magazine that might or might not be a Sherlock Holmes collectors item tucked away in her store. The person who hid it is found murdered and Gemma and her business partner Jane Wilson investigate.

The search for the owner of the magazine leads them to a wealthy collector's home where they find another body. Being on the scene where two bodies have been discovered even tries the patience of Gemma's former boyfriend Detective Ryan Ashburton.

Despite being warned not to interfere in the investigation, Gemma coaxes Jane into more snooping. There are a host of suspects including a long-time customer, the son of one of the victims and many more. I felt there were times when the author was trying too hard to have her character emulate the prissy Holmes. Maybe that will smooth out in the next book.

For other books by Vicky Delany, click here.