A Three Book Problem: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Welcome back to West London, on Cape Cod! We get to see Gemma and her friend and business partner, Jayne, in a new situation…and where Gemma goes, murder seems to happen. The fascinating, three-dimensional characters are unique and memorable. This mystery invited me in from the start and held my attention throughout. The setting and mystery were intriguing, and determining whodunit was a challenge. It has been five years since Gemma Doyle moved to America and became Great Uncle Arthur’s business partner in the Sherlock Holes Bookshop and Emporium. Since then, Gemma has “helped” with several murder investigations if someone close to her was a suspect. She and Ryan, the lead detective for West London PD, are back together in a loving relationship, so she doesn’t want to be involved in any criminal investigation and risk what they have. Jayne, Gemma, and Ryan are helping at a Sherlock Holmes house party where David, from New York City, planned a gathering of Sherlockians for the weekend. Jayne, Gemma, and Great Uncle Arthur are partners in Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room that adjoins the Emporium. Jayne is an excellent chef and baker. She, Gemma, and Ryan, off from the PD for the weekend, are there for Jayne to cook and serve meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch. Gemma’s primary function will be providing various Sherlock Holmes entertainment for the weekend. She brought several things from her shop, including movies based on Holmes’s cases, games, and periodicals. Ryan will help out wherever needed. A couple guests had no interest in Sherlock Holmes. Most of the seven guests didn’t know each other, and some didn’t like anyone there, including their host! On Saturday, Jayne and Gemma met with David in the library. Before they could get down to business, Gemma saw a flash, David clutched his neck, and fell to the floor. Checking on him, she told Jane to call 911, and Ryan, while she ran outdoors to look for whodunit. It was too late to help David. The shocking means of death was not revealed to the guests, even to his niece and nephew, who were working as the housemaid and butler. I love how well the characters are crafted! Jayne is a genuinely happy woman and since her recent engagement, she absolutely glows. She is kind, loving, and hard-working. Gemma is an interesting woman. She has helped solve murders based primarily on observation and logic. As she says, “...not many people bother to look beneath the surface. They accept face value, which is why they seem to think I’m some sort of mind reader when I tell them the truth that lies beneath.” Plot twists and turns, and the characters and their interactions, kept me eagerly turning pages. I tried to look for the “truth that lies beneath”, but still struggled to find whodunit. In her decision to let the police handle the investigation, if she learned something, she turned the information over to Ryan or his partner, the grumpy Louise Estrada. I was somewhat surprised at the real whodunit and was very pleased with the novel and the ending. I highly recommend this to fans of the author, of well-written cozy mysteries, and mysteries set around popular literary characters such as Holmes and Watson. From a thankful heart: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

A Three Book Problem is the seventh A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. I thought the story was well-written with developed characters and good dialogue. It was nice to check in with Gemma, Jayne, and Ryan. I like the premise of a country house weekend where a murder takes place. I thought, though, that the pacing was slow. The story dragged from beginning to end. The book lacked humor and action. The mystery had a unique method of murder which I loved. The identity of the killer was not a mystery to me. There are obvious clues to help readers solve the crime long before the reveal. The reason why can be figured out as well. It all wraps up at the end without much help from Ryan (who I find frustrating). I believe scenes could have been eliminated that would have helped this story. The book needed a good jolt of caffeine. While this was not my favorite book, it will not stop me from picking up the next A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery. A Three Book Problem has Doyle and Watson on the hunt for a killer at a country estate with a deadly dart, ungrateful guests, scrumptious cuisine, Sherlockian folklore, dedicated detectives, and a crumbling manor house.

amateur-sleuth, murder, murder-investigation, small-business, small-town, friendship, family-dynamics, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, verbal-humor***** Good story! Weird cause of death in the circumstances, but that just added to the other interesting things in the plot. And the characters! They certainly are. From the regulars to the odd ones gathered to (allegedly) celebrate the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes. I have read others in the series, but this does work well as a stand alone. Loved it! I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!