In the new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the rain in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has been relentless—and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed . . . As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and … with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixtysomething Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store.
Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It’ll make a great present for Nora’s EMT boyfriend, but the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows it banks. Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, a body lies within the churning water.
Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it’s time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. When another body turns up, it becomes clearer that Danny’s death can’t be blamed on a natural disaster. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue—and onto the trail of a murderer . . .
more
Things are dreary in Miracle Springs with all the rain that has been relentlessly falling for days in end. Nora isn’t letting it get her down though because business has been great. With a lot of her filler pieces selling out its decides a trip to the flea market is in order. She loves to find just the right items to sell in her shop, things that will fit in well with all the books. She ends up buying a lovely bowl from a local potter named Danny, hoping to make it a gift to her boyfriend. While on her way to the store the next day she sees the local footbridge being washed away down stream, all the rain has caused floodwaters. Looking at the debris from the footbridge, Nora sees something among the wreckage that definitely shouldn’t be there. It is a body, she soon realizes that it is Danny, the potter from the flea market. The police think it was an accident but Nora was sure it has to be murder. She gets the ladies together to discuss and come up with a plan to investigate. Finding the clues that they need to prove the death was murder aren’t easy to come by and when another person is killed Nora worries that there will be more deaths to come. Will the ladies be able to come up with the truth or will a murderer get away with the killing of innocent people. I love this series!!! With each new book you truly get a feel for who each of the characters are, flaws and all. It’s not just a cozy mystery but a look into the lives of each of these women and what makes them who they are. I like that each one feels like a real person, someone that you may know from your everyday life.
THE BOOK OF CANDLELIGHT, the third Secret, Book, and Scone Society book, is a worthy addition to the thus far outstanding series. I hope this series continues on for a very long time. Ellery Adams has proved time and time again to be a thoughtful, thought provoking, talented author, writing sophisticated mysteries with complex characters. The Secret, Book, and Scone Society series is the perfect combination of cozy mystery and women’s fiction.
Bookstore owner and bibliotherapist Nora once again finds herself pulled into a murder investigation when she finds local potter Cherokee Danny washed down the rain-engorged river. She, nor the local sheriff, believes his death is accidental, and she seeks to find justice for his family. She and her three cohorts find themselves dealing with another death, a century old journal, Native American folklore, greed, vandalism, and a mystery man in a white shirt.
Nora and her friends Estella, Hester, and June all have secrets but have formed friendships to heal and move forward with their lives. Their camaraderie is my favorite aspect of this series. These are flawed, relatable, strong yet vulnerable women, and I enjoy watching them change over time. Adams introduces readers to a new character, Sheldon, whom I hope we see much more of going forward. He has health problems he must deal with, and I love him all the more for his strength and determination. Nora takes to him immediately, which I find unusual given her cautious, reserved nature, but he makes for an invaluable addition to the cast of characters.
The theme of secrets, always a big part of the series, continues here and plays an integral role in both Danny’s murder and the history of the local inn. All threads in the book are expertly crafted and interesting. The well drawn characters, complex mystery, and strong sense of place kept me glued to the pages and reading well past my bedtime.
THE BOOK OF CANDLELIGHT is superb. I recommend it to any mystery reader or fan of substantial female characters.
I received an ARC of title from the author and Kensington Publishers and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams is the third in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mystery series. It revolves around Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books and her friend Hester, Estella, and June. All women with pasts that they have shared only amongst themselves, creating a special bond. One day a man comes in to the shop and just starts helping. His name is Sheldon and he is a gem: older, a hard-worker, friendly, knowledgeable. Nora offers him and job and he begs off until several days later when she discovers he has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia and often has bad days. She decides she can live with that and has a new employee. Not only does Nora sell books and coffee, she also sells curios, which she buys at the local flea market and at yard sales. She is on one such buying excursion when she stops at a potter’s booth where she buys a bowl from Danny and his wife. The next day as she was trying to get back home from venturing out to the flea market, she looks over a bridge at the river, swollen from the recent rains, and sees a body. She immediately calls the police.
Lots is going on beside the murder: June’s house is defaced by a racist slur, the store’s window has a brick thrown through it, a mysterious man in a white t-shirt seems to be stalking the town. Danny’s widow, Marie, is not doing well, and Nora and her friends take that on as a project, too. There is lots going on…another murder, antique books to value, businesses to run. Sheldon is staying at a new bed and breakfast called the Inn of Mists and Roses and its history and its owners are a source of curiosity. Nora waits on a customer who is having problems with his teenaged daughter. Nora has a reputation and somewhat of a biblio-therapist and he offers Nora is daughter’s moped. Nora agrees to consider a loan, in case the daughter wants it back. This is a book with a complicated plot and lots of characters. Nora and her friends and not only caring, but also they are interesting and she has other interesting friendships, as well. Solving the two murders is high on her priority list and it is a very interesting and convoluted crime, which does come together in the end. This is a terrific series and this, in particular is a terrific book. I highly recommend it.
I received a free ARC of The Book of Candlelight from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thebookofcandlelight
“The Book of Candlelight” by Ellery Adams is so much more than your typical cozy mystery. In the third installment of Ellery Adams’ Secret, Book and Scone Society series, our heroines’ worlds expand and we learn more about the denizens of Miracle Springs, NC. Filled with magic, mysticism, and of course, murder, “The Book of Candlelight” explores the pain of letting people in when you know they may disappoint or hurt you and takes the reader on a journey into the past and through to the present day. Hearts break and are mended, love is tested and found. Filled with glorious quotes from classic and modern literature, “The Book of Candlelight” asks a deeper question – why are certain things “taboo?” Friendships, Relationships, Books – all have been ‘banned’ at one time or another. In Miracle Springs, ghosts of the past reach through the mists of time to right wrongs and sets the stage for the next great adventure for the Secret, Book and Scone Society members.
Pick up any of the forty-three cozy mysteries written by Ellery Adams and you will be treated to a novel populated with likable and relatable characters, within a gorgeous and memorable setting, with a well-plotted and engaging narrative, possessing delicious dialogue, strewn with actual clues and several red herrings, and an amazingly-crafted, surprise ending.
Her 43rd cozy mystery, The Book of Candlelight, is set within The Secret, Book, and Scone series, and will be available for purchase on 28 January 2020 and is published by Kensington Books.
The Book of Candlelight, the third novel within The Secret, Book, and Scone Society series, returns us to the idyllic and restorative setting of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, where people come to heal their bodies, minds, and souls. This enchanting novel opens in the early Spring where a deluge refuses to leave and keeps visitors and residents seeking the comforts of dry solace within their residences. The four, precious members of The Secret, Book, and Scone Society are with us once again, as well as three new residents of Miracle Springs: Lou Simmons and Patty Meacham, new proprietors of The Inn of Mist and Roses and Sheldon Vega, who is one amazing and instantly lovable character who brings light, wisdom, understanding, encouragement, humor, and great love and compassion to those in Miracle Springs.
When a local Native American potter is found murdered the ladies of The Secret, Book, and Scone Society set out to catch a killer and before they solve the mystery a second body turns up. This amazingly-plotted cozy is ripe with Native American culture and lore and the pottery aspect of the story reminds me fondly of Ms. Adam’ first book in the Antiques and Collectible series, A Killer Collection.
Ms. Adams continues to delight and I highly recommend The Book of Candlelight without hesitation .
I was provided an advanced reader copy of this novel for a fair and honest review.
This is the best book in the series so far. I love the way each character has developed throughout the series and that they embraced their own flaws and accepted one another. It is really nice to read about a group of women who accept one another for who they really are and not bring one another down. I really enjoyed the new secondary character, Sheldon. He is really a good fit to work in the book store for Nora. I thought Sheldon’s book display of banned books was wonderful. The storyline of this book will bring out a lot of emotions while you are reading the book you may feel anything from joy to sadness to anger. The mystery is well-plotted with several suspects and several twists and turns along the way. I recommend this book as well as the two previous books in the series.
I voluntarily agreed to listen to a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.
Miracle Books, the bookstore in Miracle Springs, is my happy place. So I was delighted to read the third book in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series by Ellery Adams. Titled “The Book of Candlelight”, it is an extremely moving story.
The series focuses on four women – Nora, Hester, June, and Estella – who work and live in Miracle Springs, NC, a tourist town. Each of the women has a life-altering secret that they have shared with the other three, forming an inseparable bond. In this story, the rain in Miracle Springs has been coming down for over a week when Nora. the bookstore owner, bicycles to the flea market and buys a pottery bowl from Cherokee Danny, a local potter. When Danny’s body is found floating in the swollen river the next day, Nora and her friends investigate, refusing to believe it was an accident.
There are many many things to love about this series. There is an element of magical realism in the stories since each woman has a particular ability. Nora is a bibliotherapist – that is, she can select the right books to help a customer with what ever they are going through; Hester bakes comfort scones that combine the right ingredients to evoke a happy memory for the recipient; Estella is skilled at helping women to feel their best through her beauty treatments, and June knits socks that she infuses with comforting scents. I love the world that Ellery Adams has created here – a visit to Miracle Springs is always comforting, like a blanket, and I am always sorry when the story is over, because I want to spend more time there.
This installment introduces a new character, Sheldon Vega, who is described as a “half-Cuban Dumbledore.” Sheldon is a delightful addition to the series and to the bookstore, and I really hope to see more of him in future installments. A new location in Miracle Springs, the Inn of Mist and Roses, also plays a major role in the story, and I loved the descriptions of the place. Themes of family, the past, and the Cherokee heritage further enhance the plot. The mystery is complex and involved and I figured it out only moments before the reveal.
Even though Miracle Springs is a lovely, mystical place, Ellery Adams does not shy away from bringing the “real world” into the plot. Unhappy things occur, people are flawed and in need of healing. I think that is what I appreciate most about this series – that it is about hope that people can heal, and friendships are essential to that healing. Nora’s bibiotherapy is also a high point as the author lists the books that Nora finds for her customers, providing happy memories for readers OR a chance to add to the TBR list.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys stories of female friendship, magical realism, or who loves books, since it is also a love letter to the power of books to heal. While each book can be read as a standalone, it is better to read them in order so as to get the full impact of the journey these women take. I can’t wait to visit Miracle Springs again.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review. The first book in this series by Ellery Adams took a hold of me and wouldn’t let go and the books just keep getting better. I felt so sorry for everyone having to deal with all the rain and muck that I felt a part of the story. Ellery Adams’ writing grabs you by the hand and pulls you right into the book. I, for one, cannot wait for more books to come in this series. Enjoy!
Nora Pennington is the owner of Miracle Books in the small town of Miracle Springs in North Carolina. The town is experiencing days of heavy rain which is good for all the business and inns in town as tourists are stranded until the weather clears. When Nora buys a bowl from a local potter named Danny she is later stunned when she finds his body floating in the overflowed Miracle River. Doubting it was accidental Nora and the women of The Secret, Book and Scone Society do some investigating on their own. Who would want Danny dead? What mysteries and clues lie in the walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses? The characters are very well written and the mystery will have you turning the pages. I love books about hope and the bonds of friendship and you will find that in this book. I highly recommend this book!
I escaped my current winter weather in exchange for a wet spring in Miracle Springs, NC.
It’s not only raining, it is pouring and for days on end. But that is good for bookstore business, right?! You bet. Nora needs to restock her shelves as well as her shelf enhancers! (What’s a shelf enhancer? Read this series to find out; but you need them in your life!).
Nora visits the local flea market to hunt for additional treasures for her bookshop. There she meets “Cherokee Danny” and his wife, Marie. Immediately, Nora is intrigued by them. She is not only interested in the products they sell, but also by the special relationship she observes between them. Soon, Nora becomes quite invested in these two.
The Book of Candlelight is book 3 in this series and it shines so brightly! This book has such an ambience associated with it. Day after day of rain can feel so dreary, make one tired, and even have difficulty seeing what is there in front of them. “Nora didn’t like the way this man melted into the rain. She didn’t like how he seemed to be made of mist.” Nora, June, Estella, and Hester all encounter real problems with heavy consequences. These characters are so real and relatable that I find them inspiring. The reader also meets a handful of new, equally entertaining characters. Sheldon Vega is hands down my favorite. Adams’ description of him makes him come alive and nearly jump off the page! I cannot wait to read more about him in future books. He contributes so much to the group and Miracle Books. For instance, Sheldon is able and teaches Nora to rise above a negative situation and still attempt to have a positive effect on others. Again, so inspiring.
This book illuminates a variety of topics such as banned books, Cherokee folklore, chronic illness, self forgiveness, fractured relationships and it holds them tenderly and with kindness. Many topics cannot be resolved in single situation, or in one book. Instead, we listen, learn, attempt to understand and then true growth can begin.
I look forward to returning to Miracle Springs, NC. At Miracle Books I am amongst my people and find sanctuary from the harsh world. Won’t you join me there?