The Game is a Footnote by Vicki Delany

The Game is a Footnote (Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery, #8)

by Vicki Delany

THE BELOVED COZY MYSTERY SERIES: Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson are back on the case when a body is discovered in a haunted Massachusetts museum!

Vicky Delany’s 8th Sherlock Holmes-inspired cozy mystery is perfect for new and longtime fans who love quirky characters, bookstore settings, and classic murder mysteries.

Scarlet House, now a historical re-enactment museum, is the oldest building in West London, Massachusetts. When things start moving around on their own, board members suggest that Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, might be able to get to the bottom of it.  Gemma doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she agrees to ‘eliminate the impossible’. But when Gemma and Jayne stumble across a dead body on the property, they’re forced to consider an all too physical threat.  

Gemma and Jayne suspect foul play as they start to uncover more secrets about the museum. With the museum being a revolving door for potential killers, they have plenty of options for who might be the actual culprit.

Despite Gemma's determination not to get further involved, it would appear that once again, and much to the displeasure of Detective Ryan Ashburton, the game is afoot.

Will Gemma and Jayne be able to solve the mystery behind the haunted museum, or will they be the next to haunt it?

Reviewed by annieb123 on

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Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Game Is a Footnote is the 8th book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop cozy series by Vicki Delany. Released 10th Jan 2023 by Crooked Lane books, it's 315 pages and is available in hardback, ebook and audio formats. Paperback due out late 4th quarter 2023 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

One of the things that a lot of pastiche bookshop/library cozies have in common is title dropping. This series is no exception but it's fine since that's a great way to find new authors to follow up and read. It does add verisimilitude for fictional librarians and bookshop owners to be able to recommend titles to their patrons. I just jot down notes whilst reading and go back at the end and sample the mentioned books. I've found a lot of new favorites that way. That's a little bonus. In addition, this series is a fun read in its own right, and the author is both prolific and more than competent with the technical nuts-n-bolts of writing. The story is engaging and entertaining.

The pacing is good and the story arc is clever and readable. The dialogue is well written for a cozy series, and I never found myself yanked out of my suspension of disbelief. It's full of appealingly eccentric small town characters and a puzzle to figure out alongside the amateur sleuth. This one can easily be read as a standalone. It's an undemanding read and full of 'cozy'. Suitable for all audiences, the language is clean and the violence isn't graphic or on-page.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours and 13 minutes and is capably narrated by series narrator Kim Hicks. She has a restful, classically trained voice with rounded vowels and careful modulation. She's easy to understand and does an unobtrusive job of the narration. Sound and production values are high throughout.

Four stars. For fans of cozy shopfront mysteries like authors Sue Minix. Paige Shelton, and Lynn Cahoon write.

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

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Reading updates

  • 12 March, 2023: Started reading
  • 12 March, 2023: Finished reading
  • 12 March, 2023: Reviewed