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

by Paige Shelton

Delaney Nichols has eased into her new life in Edinburgh and doesn't miss her old life in Kansas at all. Her job at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specialises in rare manuscripts as well as other sundry valuable historical objects, is going swimmingly. One day, Edwin MacAlister, Delaney's boss, sends her to Castle Doune, an hour outside the city limits. There she is to meet a contact and pick up a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, an "Oor Wullie." While taking in the sights from the castle's ramparts, Delaney sees a sandal-clad foot. That foot is attached to a man in an old-fashioned costume, and he matches the description of man who was supposed to bring the Oor Wullie. He's dead, but there are no visible reasons as to why or how. As Delaney goes to call the police, she spots some papers fluttering around a side wall. When she discovers that it's the Oor Wullie, she can't fight the urge to take it and hide it under her jacket. It's not until she returns to the Cracked Spine that she realises just how complicated this story is; she endeavours to untangle the tricky plot of why someone wanted this man dead, but not before putting herself in danger.

• ISBN10: 1466861223
• ISBN13: 9781466861220
• Publish Date: 4 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: eBook
• 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.