Fateful Words (A Scottish Bookshop Mystery)

by Paige Shelton

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Fateful Words is the 8th book in the Scottish Bookshop cozy mystery series by Paige Shelton. Released 4th April 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

All of the Scottish Bookshop mysteries are self contained and as such work well enough as standalones. The characters' interrelationships have developed over the course of the books, so there will be some missing backstory, but the author is adept at giving the necessary information, so readers who choose to pick up this one first won't likely experience any problems with keeping the story straight (but will encounter minor spoilers).

For lovers of very light bookstore cozies, these will be a good fit. This outing sees Delaney leading a walking literary tour in Edinburgh when her boss Edwin is called out of town. A violent death at the hotel the tour attendees are staying in, followed by a disappearance draws her into sleuth mode to save the day.

All in all, it's a diverting, very light, readable cozy mystery with a whimsical ensemble cast. Some of the plot setups and developments are a bit over the top, but I strongly suspect that's a big part of why bookshop cozies are wildly popular. A strong suspension of disbelief is required. The language and content are chaste and perfectly safe for commute or work reading.

Four stars. The author is a talented and capable storyteller, and everyone loves bookstore cozies. With 8 books extant in the series, it would be a nice choice for library acquisition or a long series binge or buddy read.

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