Fans of Miranda James and Kate Carlisle, and Sherlockians everywhere will delight at The Cat of the Baskervilles, the clever third Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.When Jayne Wilson’s mother is accused of murder, Jayne and Gemma have to eliminate the impossible to reveal the true killer.Legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives on Cape Cod to star in a stage production of The … to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival. When Sir Nigel, some of the cast, and the director visit the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop at 222 Baker Street, Gemma Doyle realizes that Sir Nigel is not at all suited to the role. He is long past his prime and an old drunk to boot.
The cast, in particular the much younger actor who previously had the role, are not happy, but the show must go on.
Before the play opens, Leslie Wilson, mother of Gemma’s best friend Jayne, arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. The tea is a huge success, but when it’s time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing—only to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead. Along with the dead body, Gemma finds evidence incriminating Leslie Wilson. When the police, in the presence of handsome detective Ryan Ashburton and suspicious detective Louise Estrada, focus their attention on Leslie despite the numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot and it’s again up to the highly perceptive Gemma and the ever-confused but loyal Jayne to clear Jayne’s mother’s name.
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When an opportunity to win a free ARC of the 4th book in Vicki Delany’s ‘A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery’ series was offered up earlier in the week, I got my derriere in gear and ordered the 3rd book, the Cat of the Baskervilles, so I could get current. It was an unplanned read for this month but one I’m glad I found time to squeeze in. Let’s hope I win the chance to get an early ARC of the next book.
Delany’s a wonderful writer with a great balance of humor, levity, sincerity, mystery, trickery, and suspense. In this caper, Gemma wants to protect her friend Jayne’s mother, Leslie, who’s potentially guilty of murdering an actor she once knew. One of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock plays is coming to West London (US, not UK), and there’s a stop at Gemma’s Sherlockian bookshop. Unfortunately, during a tea party before the play opens, the lead actor is found at the bottom of a cliff. Suicide? Accidental from being drunk? Or murder? Gemma of course needs to investigate. Detective Ryan wants her to stay away. His partner wants to kill Gemma… perhaps a future plot, Ms. Delany? LOL
I really enjoy the relationships and side stories in this series. Between the always off-and-gallivanting Uncle Arthur (yes, named after the author), the nasty but lovable feline Moriarty (so aptly named), and the shenanigans in the love lives and interfering neighbors to Gemma and Jayne’s stores, it’s always a great read. This book is a traditional cozy, but at about the 85% mark, the case is closed in a way I wouldn’t expect. Surely, it couldn’t be all fluff for the last few chapters… I knew there was a twist coming, and then BAM, it’s dropped. Kudos to Delany for the nice fun surprise. Is it time for my ARC of #4 to arrive yet? Oh please, reading gods…
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The West London Theater Festival is staging a production of The Hound of the Baskervilles starring legendary stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham. This is great for Gemma’s Sherlock Homes Bookshop. Everyone will be shopping for Sherlock memorabilia. They have also been asked to cater a fundraising tea for the theater. Sir Nigel himself stops by the shop and Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. Gemma can see the aging star is no longer up for the role especially when she observes his cane is also a flask for liquor.
The afternoon of the tea Gemma, Jayne and their crew arrive. Gemma is a little distracted by the home and its library but Jayne gets her back on track and the tea is quite a success. As the guests take their leave Sir Nigel is not to be found. A search is quickly organized and the lost man is found, dead at the bottom of a rocky cliff. Accident, suicide or murder? Jayne’s mother was seen arguing with Nigel so he becomes the prime suspect. Gemma decides to do her own investigation with Jayne and cast a wider net for suspects than the police. West London’s Sherlock and Watson will do all the can to put the real killer behind bars.
I love Gemma but this time I was not entirely happy with her methods. She finds a piece of evidence at the crime scene and removes it. She also tramples all over the area to see if she can help the man who was clearly dead. She has many talents, a keen intellect, and wicked strong observation skills. She is independent, strong-willed and can be very blunt. I know she took the evidence because she thought she was protecting Jayne’s mother, but it just felt beneath her stature to do something so wrong.
Jayne is a great counterbalance to Gemma and the perfect Watson to her Sherlock. She is friendlier and more easygoing than Gemma and is able to smooth over any ruffled feathers. That being said when it comes to her tea shop business she is super dedicated to getting everything just right. From the tea to the scones and finger sandwiches, she knows what she wants and how she wants it. She doesn’t let Gemma run roughshod all over her and I loved seeing this side of her.
The title to the story had me thinking Moriarty, the bookstore cat would play a larger role in the story, but I love that cat even though he clearly hates Gemma.
The story builds slowly as we get to know the new characters and how they fit together. The murder takes about midway into the story which I liked because we get to know the victim and everyone he is involved with to give us insight when looking at the suspects and their motives. The interplay between Gemma and detective Louise Estrada is interesting because the really don’t like each other. Gemma would much rather deal with detective Ryan Ashburton and it is easy to see why. This case had me completely in the dark and was surprised by the final reveal.
As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I get excited each time I pick up a book in this series. Ms. Delany knows how to tell a story. Her characters are unique and complex and are wrapped up in a mystery that kept me guessing.
Another entertaining tale from Vicki Delany! A fine addition to this series.
“The Cat of the Baskervilles” earns 5/5 Deerstalker Hats…Elementary Fun!
What a delightful twist for fans of Sherlock Holmes to enjoy! In “West London,” Massachusetts, Gemma “Doyle” owns the “Sherlock Holmes” Bookshop and Emporium at 222 “Baker Street” with her shop cat name “Moriarity,” and next door her BFF Jayne Wilson owns the “Mrs. Hudson’s” Tea Room. All delightfully fun references sparking my interest to read more! But, my newbie status was not a handicap, I was engaged from the start with enough references to background without spoilers and revisiting character connections. Delany gives us a quaint town excited about the West London Theater Festival set to perform a favorite Holmes mystery, “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” and an aging British actor Sir Nigel Bellingham is set to star. Not the best casting, Gemma thought, when his drunk state is an embarrassment at a fundraising event catered by Jayne. But is being drunk, flubbing lines, and being an all-around arse a motive for murder? Maybe. But, when Nigel is found dead at the bottom of the cliff and evidence implicates Jayne’s mother Leslie, Gemma and Jayne must take an active role in the investigation to find other suspects and motives.
The Sherlock Holmes’s hooks got me involved, but Delany’s well-written, steady-paced story kept me engaged. She wove an entertaining story with twists and turns that led to a “Wow” ending for which I literally dropped my jaw! Gemma and Jayne, like Holmes and Watson, compliment each other’s personality and investigative style. Gemma is straightforward, detail oriented, sometimes a know-it-all, while Jayne is more flexible, but these opposites work well. Unlike the literary Holmes and Watson characters, Gemma and Jayne find success as amateur detectives often by circumventing law enforcement providing for some entertaining conflicts and predicaments. Beyond the murder mystery and the investigation, Delany does well with her description, but doesn’t rely on a narrative style; the dialogue adds humor and illustrates personality and emotion…very enjoyable! I highly recommend joining Gemma and Jayne.
Things are never dull in the life of our heroine, Gemma Doyle! In The Cat of the Baskervilles by author Vicki Delany, the small theater company in West London, Massachusetts has included The Hound of the Baskervilles in their summer schedule and have engaged British actor, Sir Nigel Bellingham, to play the lead role and famed detective, Sherlock Holmes. Sir Nigel, past his prime and with a pronounced drinking problem, is proving to be a very difficult man to work with, but all that quickly becomes a moot point when he is found dead at the bottom of a cliff after an afternoon tea catered by Jayne and Gemma. Understudy Eddie steps into the role, and is wooing Jayne on the side. Jayne is preoccupied by the fact that her mother Leslie has a secret to hide and is being questioned by the police. Gemma is dealing with her feelings toward former love, Detective Ryan Ashburton, while being pursued by close friend and fellow book aficionado, Grant. There’s quite a bit going on behind the scenes in the theater company, and although suicide or accident is very likely the cause of Sir Nigel’s untimely death, Gemma is not convinced. I really like Gemma, and throughout this series (Cat of the Baskervilles is the third installment), she has become much more relatable and continues to try to, for lack of a better term, mind her own business unless absolutely necessary, which is hard to do for someone whose mind is continually trying to solve every puzzle and problem placed in front of her. I really and truly enjoyed this book and recommend it any and all looking for a well-written cozy! p.s. The resolution of the mystery at the end was a surprise to me, always a plus! A+
Gemma and Jayne are back for the third offering of A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone or as part of the series, so well does the author inject a bit of background on characters and store. The mystery will keep every armchair sleuth on the edge of their seat as we look at another classic Holmes story, this time set for the theater.
Gemma and her uncle own the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, and Gemma’s best friend Jayne is their business partner at the adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. The setting is West London, on Cape Cod. Jayne does most of the baking at Mrs. Hudson’s, so her life begins at four in the morning and ends early in the evening.
Jayne is catering afternoon tea at a fundraiser for the West London Theater with help from her mother, Leslie, and Gemma. Theater people are very different, as they quickly see. Sir Nigel, a big-name actor of the British stage is going to play Sherlock. A much younger man, Eddie, is his understudy who develops a liking for Jayne from the first time he sees her.
Sir Nigel is tipsy when he arrives at the tea. Nigel’s priority is to impress everyone and stay as tipsy as possible. He insults Jayne’s mother loudly, as well as an actress who insults him. Nigel is asked to share a quote from The Hound of the Baskervilles, which he played in for many years in London. He couldn’t finish it, so Eddie finishes it while Sir Nigel sits for a bit. The theater backers begin to leave, and Gemma sees Leslie assert herself with Nigel. Nigel is nowhere to be seen when the van comes to collect the actors for the hotel. Gemma and Grant, a friend and fellow bookseller, take one path to look for him as others search the grounds. Not only does she find a piece of the ruching Leslie had added to the servers’ aprons snagged on a branch, she finds Nigel – at the foot of the cliff, with the ocean tide coming in around him. Even though Gemma pocketed the ruching, Leslie is still a prime suspect.
Gemma is the kind of woman who doesn’t make new friends easily, as she is very observant, and very blunt about her observations and resulting deductions and opinions. Being observant is sadly not something we learn in classrooms, and being blunt needs to be tempered with kindness. Jayne is a loyal friend, however, and a sweeter young woman would be hard to find. Sir Nigel has few social graces, and is hateful even to Gerald, who has stood by as his personal assistant for several long years. We also see and learn more about local Sherlockians.
Gemma’s skills of observation are put to the test, even though she has an enemy on the police force who doesn’t want her help. The mystery is very well-written, and all clues point to Leslie except for one little hidden detail that only the police knew. One that, had she known earlier, Gemma would have known who the bad guy was. It is enjoyable to watch the personalities interact as well as Gemma’s detection work. She learns a few secrets about the late actor, but nothing that would point to the murderer. I did not guess who the bad guy was – will only say it was one of the last people I would have thought. I highly recommend it to those who like surprising cozy mysteries served with a bit of classic literature, history, dry humor, and good friendships.
From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and here is my review.
I enjoyed this story. Gemma is a delightful character. She is English, cares deeply for her friends, loves all things Sherlock Holmes, and seems to have many of the same qualities as the great detective. Her friend Jayne is her sidekick who doesn’t always want Gemma’s advice. Sir Nigel is a great actor who has contracted to play Sherlock Holmes in a local theater group. When he is killed and Jayne’s mother looks to be the favored suspect, Gemma starts to ask questions. I was so wrapped up in the story and characters that I was totally suprised when the murderer was revealed. I will read another book by this author.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.
Famous stage and movie star Sir Nigel Bellingham arrives in West London, Massachusetts to star in a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles put on by the West London Theater Festival. Before rehearsals can even start, Sir Nigel plunges to his death from the cliffs. Now it’s a matter of whether it was suicide or murder.
Before the play opens, Leslie Wilson, mother of Gemma’s best friend Jayne, arranges a fundraising afternoon tea to be catered by Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. The tea is a huge success, but when it’s time to leave, Sir Nigel has gone missing, only to be found at the bottom of the rocky cliff, dead. Unfortunately, Gemma not only finds the body, but she also finds evidence incriminating Leslie Wilson. When the police, in the presence of handsome detective Ryan Ashburton and suspicious detective Louise Estrada, focus their attention on Leslie despite the numerous other suspects, the game is once again afoot. Its again up to the highly perceptive Gemma and the ever-confused but loyal Jayne to clear Leslie before she is arrested.
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Series: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery – Book 3
Author: Vicki Delany
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Anyone who enjoys Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, Sherlock Holmes series will devour The Cat of the Baskervilles. Ms. Delany has created a wonderful series in the vein of Mr. Doyle right down to the memorable characters and the methods Sherlock employs to deduce the villain. The setting of West London, Mass is picture perfect, and theatre is a fitting setting for murder and mystery.
In today’s world of formulaic stories, it is nice to come across one that is outside of the general cozy genre and which emphasizes the clues and deductions over simple romance and tired plots. The age of Doyle and Christie is alive and well, and readers will be drawn to stories that contain more than the average book.
Gemma is a great detective who uses reason and observation as her tools. She isn’t the average everyday sleuth. Running her business, The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop, she has an advantage over her Homes obsessed customers and even the police. She can deduce clues and motives faster and better. Often, before the police even realize a crime has been committed Gemma is already investigating.
Other characters such as Jayne and her mother, Leslie have personalities that compliment Gemma’s. Ryan and Grant are great love interests even though the reader will know from the beginning what Gemma’s heart wants.
This is the third book in the series, but it is not necessary to read the previous installments to understand what is going on and who the players are. The story is fun and entertaining as well as though provoking, and can be read in one sitting. The Cat of the Baskervilles Is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Doyle or Christie, and any reader who just wants a good book.
Gemma is very observant, as befits a Sherlock themed book. Ironically, she isn’t a big Sherlock fan, that would be the uncle who gave her the shop. Jayne runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room and is Gemma’s BFF. She makes a good sidekick.
Jayne’s mother gets more of a role in this book – but she is keeping a secret that complicates matters. Police detective Ryan Ashburton is the standard potential love interest who keeps his distance because of issues with her sleuthing. Ryan’s partner, Louise Estrada, doesn’t trust nor like Gemma, at all, and makes it clear at every opportunity.
The setting of West London on Cape Cod is quaint. Much of this book takes place at the mansion where the fundraising tea takes place, giving a great backdrop for the murder.
The plot is driven by the concept of never knowing what a person’s history is, what has happened in ones past. This concept is highlighted well in this story. The plot takes that and gives us a tangled web of secrets.
The climax was a classic rounding up of all the suspects and revealing the killer. Not the nail biting confrontations I love, but it is a standard mystery reveal. The wrap up answers all questions.
For those days when I want a good contemporary cozy mystery this is an excellent choice. I like Gemma, the mysteries are well developed, and have a good cast of characters in an interesting town. If you haven’t given this series a try, I heartily recommend you begin.
Once again Ms. Delaney has a winner. The characters are believable, and the story’s plot keeps you reading. I recommend this book and look forward to those that will follow.