Of Books and Bagpipes (A Scottish Bookshop Mystery, #2)

by Paige Shelton

Always up fora literary adventure, Delaney Nichols left Kansas to pursue her dream job at the Cracked Spine, a Scottish bookshop specializing in rare manuscripts and other valuable historical objects. So when her boss asks herto retrieve a hard-to-find edition of an Oor Wullie comic, Delaney is only too eager to please. Even though her trip to Castle Doune, outside of Edinburgh, ends up being a lot more than she bargained for. .. While viewing the Highlands from the castle's ramparts, Delaney spots a sandal-clad foot at the other end of the roof—one that belongs to the now-deceased man in charge of bringing her the Oor Wullie. Delaney grabs the pages of the comic book and hides them under her jacket before rushing off to find the police. It's not until she's back in at the Cracked Spine that Delaney realizes just how complicated this story really is. Can she untangle the plot and figure out who the killer is.. .before getting herself booked for murder?

• ISBN13: 9781250136503
• Publish Date: 2 January 2018 (first published 4 April 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Imprint: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Mystereity Reviews]

I enjoyed this mix of intrigue, mystery, long ago secrets and murder. Lots of threads for Delaney to untangle, from an unfortunate incident 50 years ago involving Edwin and his university friends to a murder of a William Wallace reenactor. I loved the sights and sounds of Edinburgh and old castles, it was just like being there. The plot kept a decent pace, and there was a lot for Delaney to figure out and the exciting ending left me with raised eyebrows. With all of the red herrings and plot twists, I think I had a new guess whodunit with each chapter!  There were a few dropped/unexplained plot threads that I found myself thinking about after I finished the book. Who was the dead guy on the boat and how come nothing could be found about him other than the passport? Weird. And whatever happened to the letter? And what was the whole thing with the shot glasses? And was Gordon's explanation of Leith's death true? Or was it the work of the killer? I guess I'll never know. But seriously, if Edwin had come clean about the whole thing from the beginning, we never would've had a whole book to enjoy.

[MurderByDeath]

Definitely not as good as the first one, but if you're looking for a mystery steeped in a Scottish setting, you might be able to overlook a few weaknesses.   As much as I love the setting - Edinburgh, in a bookshop - and I generally like all the characters a lot, the tone of the MC's 'investigating' didn't work for me at all.  Her need to know came across feeling super entitled; even when a thread to the mystery was tenuous at best, she'd just bluntly expect people to divulge their deepest secrets.   And the secrets behind this mystery plot are pretty deep and definitely dark, in spite of the bright cozy feel of the story overall.  The plotting of the mystery was excellent as the author wove a very intricate and detailed plot that went back 50 years.   There's a lot to like here, but I do wish the author could find a better balance for her main character, or at least create a backstory that justifies her invasiveness.  Doing so would elevate these mysteries a clear step above the average.