A Three Book Problem by Vicki Delany is the Book 7 in the wonderful Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, one of my absolutely favourites. I can’t believe it’s already on Book 7 (it definitely doesn’t feel like it! and I was very excited to revisit Gemma, Jayne and the rest of their family and friends for another adventure.
Title: A Three Book Problem
Author: Vicki Delany
Series: Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #7
First Published: January 11, 2022
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
It’s a crisp, early October weekend, and business is slowing down as fall descends at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and adjacent Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. Wealthy philanthropist and prominent Sherlockian David Masterson has rented Suffolk Gardens House, where he plans to entertain his friends in a traditional English country house weekend.
As the chosen caterers, Jayne Watson and Gemma Doyle get to work preparing lavish meals and setting up Sherlockian books and props for entertainment. Meanwhile, police detective Ryan Ashburton has taken time away from his duties to assist in the kitchen. It quickly becomes apparent that David’s guests don’t like each other–or their host. Plus, some of them aren’t even acquainted with the adventures of the Great Detective.
Before Gemma can ponder their relationships a poisoned dart sails through the window of the library, presenting Gemma Doyle with a three-book problem.
Another fun whodunnit with Gemma Doyle
As I said in the introduction, I can’t believe that this series is already on Book 7! I’m still not bored of the characters or the situations they find themselves in – author Vicki Delany always seems to be able to keep things fresh. I love that Sherlock Holmes and his stories take a more centre stage in this book – I mean, yes, Gemma runs the Sherlock Holmes bookshop, but this time she and Jayne are working at a book club dedicated to discussing the Holmes canon so I got to indulge my love of the Great Detective even more than usual.
Gemma Doyle is a great amateur detective and consistently is one of my favourite cozy mystery protagonists. She is intelligent and observant, without being too annoying about it and she has a healthy dose of cynism and caution that serves her well. Once in a while she’ll do something impulsive (or, all the time, if you ask Officer Estrada) but most of the time she stays pretty level-headed. Her bluntness and lack of tact may be annoying to some, but I find it hilarious. Her shop, The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium always sounds like a great place to spend an afternoon.
I also like how many of the supporting characters have developed through this series, including Gemma’s boyfriend, Ryan, and Gemma’s best friend and business partner, Jayne. Plus, no adventure would be complete with a mention of Gemma’s Uncle Arthur, who is often globe-trotting for the most trivial reasons.
The murder mystery
The books in this series are always light in tone, descriptive and quick-paced and A Three Book Problem is no exception. I think one of the ways that Delany keeps things fresh with this series is by putting her characters in new settings. While the characters are familiar to the reader, the new setting puts a new perspective on things and makes it all feel slightly new. This time, Gemma and Jayne spend most of the book at Suffolk Garden House, a large ‘country house’ that would be the perfect setting for any Agatha Christie mystery.
And while there is murder afoot, this book isn’t overly-serious, as befits a cozy mystery. Instead, there are some humourous moments and the dialogue never gets bogged down. You get enough information so that you can definitely read this book as a standalone, but as with all long-running series, there’s a more recognition and familiarity if you’ve read more of the series.
As for the murder itself, this is (as always) a spoiler-free zone, so I’ll just say that the murderer was not who I expected. There are some interesting twists and turns to throw the reader off their guard just enough to keep them guessing.
Overall, this was another enjoyable addition to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series and I’m already looking forward to Gemma’s next adventure.
Quote from A Three Book Problem
