The Fatal Folio: The Cambridge Bookshop Series (Cambridge Bookshop, #3)

by Elizabeth Penney

After moving to Cambridge, England, Molly Kimball has found a lot to love, including - of course - her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. And though she’s not quite ready to use the “L” word when it comes to her boyfriend Kieran, she’s definitely fallen for his intimidating family’s library.

His family is paying her handsomely for an updated catalog, when Molly discovers the original manuscript of a Gothic novel, A Fatal Folio. Though purportedly written by an ancestor of Kieran’s, it was published under the pen name Selwyn Scott, and no one has ever been sure of the author behind the pseudonym. Kieran’s cousin, Oliver, offers to pay Molly to help him look into Selwyn’s identity. A professor specialising in Gothic literature, he’s eager to publish a paper on the mystery - especially because a troublesome student, Thad, is threatening to file a complaint against him and prevent his long-awaited promotion.

On Guy Fawkes Night (sometimes known as Bonfire Night), Molly, Kieran, and her friends set out to enjoy the costumes, fireworks, and fun. All goes as planned - at least until a stray firework starts a panic, and the group stumbles upon a prone body, their face covered by a mask. It’s Thad: and he’s been stabbed to death.

It soon becomes clear Oliver isn’t the only one with a motive, and Molly must once again put on a few masks of her own to sleuth out Thad’s killer, prove Oliver’s innocence, and discover what Selwyn’s novel might have to do with this most atmospheric mystery…

• ISBN10: 1250787742
• ISBN13: 9781250787743
• Publish Date: 20 November 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Minotaur Books,US
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250787743

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Fatal Folio is the third Cambridge Bookshop cozy by Elizabeth Penney. Released 24th Oct 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a fun and engaging bookstore cozy set in Cambridge (the one in the UK). This installment follows on from the previous books with MC Molly back again to help untangle an academic adjacent murder and a previously undiscovered Gothic manuscript in her boyfriend's family's ancestral library..

The book is admittedly formulaic, but it is very well written and fun and full of the whimsical amateur cozy vibe which keeps readers of the genre ticking over the pages. I liked Molly's enthusiasm and honesty. There's some romance, but it doesn't overpower the plot. There were a few twists on the way, and the ending is satisfying and complete. The language is squeaky clean without on page violence.

Four stars, entertaining and full of whimsy. With three books extant in the series and a fourth due out in late fourth quarter 2024, it would make a good choice for a series binge or buddy read. With a popular, prolific, competent author and a mainstream publisher, it will likely already be on the acquisition lists for most public libraries and would be worth a search for fans of shopfront light whimsical cozies.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.