Another Review at MyShelf.Com

There’s a Murder Afoot
Sherlock Holmes Bookshop #5
BY Vicki Delany

Crooked Lane
January 7, 2020/ ISBN 978-1-64385-034-4
Mystery/Cozy/Amateur Sleuth

Reviewed by Laura Hinds


In the fifth installment of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, Vicki Delany shakes things up with a change of setting. Gemma Doyle and friends have left Massachusetts and traveled to London for a Sherlock Holmes in the Modern World Convention.

Mayhem, murder, and mystery recognize no boundaries, and such troubles follow Gemma almost as though she’d packed them in her suitcase. The family and friends are gathered for pre-dinner drinks when Gemma’s dad spots the last person he wants to see. Randy Denhaugh is Gemma’s uncle. Her mother’s brother is the black sheep of the family, having stolen a valuable painting from his own parents.

Randy is murdered, and despite having more than his fair share of enemies, it’s Henry Doyle who becomes the prime suspect. Naturally, Gemma and her friends rally to get to the truth and save Gemma’s father from prison for a crime that he did not commit.

“There’s a Murder Afoot” is another fun read in this smart series. The travels and misadventures in London were intriguing, and the periodic peeks at what’s going on back in West London, Massachusetts, and the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium kept the story grounded in the roots of the series.

As a seasoned cozy mystery reader, I am always thrilled when an author has me convinced that I know who the killer is and how things will play out only to prove me wrong on all counts.

Although this is fine as a stand-alone read, reading the previous four books will enhance the experience for you.

Thank you to Vicki Delany and Crooked Lane Books for another captivating mystery!



Reviews of other titles in this series

Elementary, She Read #1
Body on Baker Street #2
The Cat of the Baskervilles #3
A Scandal in Scarlet #4


Reviewer Notes: Vicki Delany has authored several mystery series including The Lighthouse Library Series written as Eva Gates

Reviewed 2020
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