Lost Books and Old Bones: A Scottish Bookshop Mystery (A Scottish Bookshop Mystery, #3)

by Paige Shelton

Delaney Nichols, originally of Kansas but settling happily into her new life as a bookseller in Edinburgh, works at The Cracked Spine in the heart of town. She’s recently befriended a few medical school students after they came into the shop to sell some antique medical tomes. But when one of the students friends is found murdered outside in the alley, Delaney takes it upon herself to help bring the murderer to justice.

During her investigation, Delaney finds some old scalpels in the bookshop’s warehouse - she finds out that they belonged to a long-dead doctor, whose story might be connected to the present-day murder. It’s all Delaney can do to race to solve this crime before time runs out and she ends up in danger herself.

• ISBN10: 1250127793
• ISBN13: 9781250127792
• Publish Date: 1 May 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 November 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a Chapter



It always seems to take me a bit to get into a Scottish Bookshop Mystery. Once I do I really enjoy them. Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton was no different. I think it may be all of the Scottish accents written into the books.

Two of my biggest complaints about the first book in the series are no longer issues. As Lost Books and Old Bones is the third book in the series, Delaney is just Delaney throughout the book instead of Delaney from Kansas in America. I feel like that was how she was introduced every time in the first book and since she was brand new to Scotland it was said a lot. Delaney has also seemed to adjust to life in Scotland. In the first book her mind was forever blown by driving on the opposite side of the road. Now the characters just drive places.

The mystery in Lost Books and Old Bones was pretty good. There was a lot to take into consideration as to how everything may or may not have played out. I think I fell right into Shelton's scheme by suspecting someone else entirely of the crime. I loved that I didn't even suspect the culprit. I had more than one theory and none of them were right.

The thing about cozy mysteries is that they aren't ever really scary. Even during the high tension plot points I was never fearful. Its kind of like a romance you know that you're going to read a happily ever after and that's part of what you're banking on. I love cozies because they don't require much from me emotionally but can still trip me up intelligently.

The characters are the familiar cast with a few new ones introduced. Shelton also explores a little bit of Burke and Hare history, two of Scotland's most notorious serial killers. I really did enjoy the story and characters in this continuation of the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. I have the next book pre-ordered and won't have much of a wait as it is being released in April. Yay for short waits!

[MurderByDeath]

Eh.  Not great, but not bad.  The MC, Delaney was pushy - I'd have gotten really shirty with her had I been one of the other characters.  Very woman-with-a-mission; even though it wasn't of the 'I can do the police's job better' variety, it was still overbearing and unrealistic.   I did like the Burke and Hare theme though, and I thought they mystery itself was well plotted and a little diabolical, even if part of it didn't work.   The murder suspect is accused of killing three patients on the table - the first one is called a botched appendectomy.  So if he isn't the murderer, how did the real murderer kill three of his patents in surgery while making it look like his fault?  If they happened post op, it was never specified. (hide spoiler)   I usually like these for the ambiance (Edinburgh), this history sprinkled throughout and the setting of a bookshop with an attached room of treasures, collected over time by the owner.  I'll keep reading them, unless Delaney continues to be pushy and overbearing.

[Mystereity Reviews]

For me, this one was just...okay. There was virtually no context to introduce the new characters and I just didn't connect with them. It was an great plot, lots of twists and turns and the very creepy Dr Eben. I enjoyed the history (The Burke & Hare story is always fascinating) and of course, the little bookshop and its treasures, both human and inanimate, are a big draw for me but I found it was difficult to hold my interest and I struggled to finish it. Still, this is a great series and there's a lot to love for cozy mystery fans.