A Scandal in Scarlet: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Oh, to be on Cape Cod for a beautiful summer day! Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson have more business at Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and Mrs. Hudson’s Tearoom than ever, and a challenging new mystery to solve. They are each uniquely delightful; Gemma is trying hard to be less blunt and not express her deductions as they come to her. After a late evening at work, Gemma and Violet, Great-Uncle Arthur’s cocker spaniel, are out for a walk when Violet alerts her to fire in the magnificent Scarlet House, built in 1648 and now a historical museum. After calling 911, she pounds on the door to see if anyone is inside, but the door is locked. First responders come quickly so she and Violet can go home. The Scarlet House fire resulted from an accident rather than arson, so the board of directors plan to repair the building immediately. That will take a good amount of money, however, so the board is going to have an auction hosted by Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. Great Uncle Arthur is donating his favorite pristine first edition copy of a Sherlock Holmes tale that is over a century old, and others donate expensive jewelry, gift packages, and more. Between the tea and scones and the start of the auction, however, the auctioneer hasn’t been seen. Gemma goes to the storeroom to see what is keeping Kathy Lamb, who is also chairperson of the museum board. Her ex-husband and his new, older, wealthy wife are present, as is the loudly obnoxious shopkeeper from Beach Fine Arts, Maureen MacGregor, who tried to donate a paint-by-number painting. When Gemma went back to the storeroom, she found Kathy on the floor, strangled, with the “weapon” still in place. Instead of an auction, there is a police investigation. Gemma has no plans to get involved, as Ryan, the man she loves and local lead detective is more important to her than getting in the middle of another murder. Until Maureen, the obnoxious neighbor, comes pleading. Maureen is not a friend, but Gemma is sure she is innocent and chooses to simply ask a few questions here and there. As things often seem to happen, Gemma is suddenly tangled up in a case that gets more intense, with more suspects than Sherlock can wave his pipe at. I do enjoy Gemma and Jayne; they are a fabulous, friendly duo. Jayne has mellowed the very British Gemma, helping change her from someone who bluntly spoke her mind to someone with more tact, especially when trying to creatively get information from people. Ryan still gets frustrated with her, but as the charming man who loves her, he accepts Gemma as she is. He appreciates how hard she is trying to change. All characters are well defined as befitting their roles. This reader was stumped by the mystery! There are so many possible suspects, so many who didn’t like the way Kathy handled things at the museum, and most of the town really disliked the next person killed. There are stunning plot twists, sometimes helping bring the resolution closer…or not. Overall, I was very impressed with the resolutions and surprises! This is a wonderful fourth in the series that can be read as a standalone, but I think you might enjoy reading all of them. I highly recommend A Scandal in Scarlet, with a beautiful summer setting at the Atlantic Ocean that is a fabulous read any time of year! From a grateful heart: I received an e-Arc of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Very absorbing. Didn't want to stop reading it. Kept me guessing who was the murderer.