loribonesscaswell

Dollycas’s Thoughts

This series is off to an amazing start!

We meet Gemma Doyle, relative of Sir Authur Conan Doyle??? She says no, but her Uncle’s name is Arthur so you just never know. She and her uncle own the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium at 222 Baker Street. The also own half of the tea shop next door run by Gemma’s friend, Jayne. Both shops are very popular with the tourists. While setting the store to rights after a rush of customers, something Gemma is very particular about, she finds what appears to by a valuable magazine, said to contain Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes story. In a way similar to the great sleuth, Gemma deduces who left the magazine and where the person is staying. But by the time she and Jayne arrive all the find is a dead body. Gemma has a little history with one of the detectives but the other detective seems to dislike her immediately and names Gemma the prime suspect. Gemma decides to use her own special skills to clear her name and find the real killer herself.

I will say at first I wasn’t a fan of Gemma. She is very Holmes-like in her manner and that can be off putting. But just like Holmes the more you get to know her the more she grows on you. She can be very driven by things that interest her, forgetful about things that are not her immediate concern, and just can’t help herself when her unique observation skills help her to read a situation and burst out with all the facts as she sees them or give her opinion whether wanted or not. We see through her friend Jayne that being Gemma’s friend is sometimes difficult but she is still a treasured friend. Jayne is definitely Gemma’s Dr. Watson. The author has created these a great characters and a core of supporting cast that I am anxious to get to know even better.

I love the setting. The authors description of not only the wonderful bookshop but of the entire area sounded delightful. A place I would love to visit.

As for the mystery, that is excellent as well. Many viable suspects with motive and means. I thought I had the right person more than once but the plot kept twirling and proving me wrong. That final twist was one heck of a surprise. I never saw it coming.

I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. In fact we had our own Moriarty the cat, along with his brothers Sherlock and Watson. I have loved all the movies and most of the television shows. Because of that I know the author has to be a huge fan and/or has done her research diligently to bring this story to life. From the characters to the merchandise in the bookshop and the mystery itself, it is all a modern day tribute to the grand sleuth.

The first book in a new series always has a lot of expectations. Introduce the characters and make them engaging, give readers a great setting and a top-notch mystery too. Well Vicki Delany has done that and more with this book. She has exceeded all my expectations by far. She has given me a paradise worthy escape! You don’t want to miss this story!