The Loch Ness papers

Paige Shelton

Book - 2019

"Bookseller Delaney Nichols befriends a Loch Ness monster enthusiast; when he stands accused of murder she'll do whatever it takes to learn who the killer is--and whether Nessie herself is really lurking in the Scottish waters. Delaney Nichols is delighted with her life in Edinburgh, working at The Cracked Spine--a shop that specializes in hard-to-find books and artifacts. With a job she loves, and her fast approaching marriage to devastatingly handsome Scottish pub-owner Tom Shannon, Delaney's life could be straight out of a fairy tale--at least it would be, if the pastor meant to perform the wedding ceremony hadn't recently passed away. Outside the church where Delaney is searching for another reverend, she stumbles ac...ross Norval Fraser: an elderly man obsessed with the Loch Ness monster. Always attracted to the interesting and unusual, Delaney befriends Norval. But when his nephew is found dead, the police decide Norval's obsession has moved from monsters to murder. With a wedding to plan, her family arriving soon from Kansas, and the arrival of an over-the-top Texan with a wildly valuable book, Delaney's plate is full to bursting, but she can't abandon her new friend. Determined to help Norval, she sets out to learn the truth. The Loch Ness buries its secrets deeply, but Delaney is determined to dig them up--whether Nessie likes it or not" --

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MYSTERY/Shelton Paige
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Subjects
Genres
Detective and mystery fiction
Detective and mystery stories
Mystery fiction
Published
New York : Minotaur Books 2019.
Language
English
Main Author
Paige Shelton (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Sequel to: Lost books and old bones.
Physical Description
310 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781250127815
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Delaney Nichols, an American living and working in Edinburgh, is in the midst of finalizing plans for her upcoming wedding to a local pub owner when she meets elderly Norval Fraser, a man who has spent a lifetime obsessed with the Loch Ness Monster. Drawn to Norval, Delaney becomes involved in a murder investigation when the two find Norval's great-nephew dead, and Norval is the chief suspect. Believing the possibly mentally ill Norval to be innocent, Delaney investigates other suspects as well as delving into Norval's past, while learning more about the Loch Ness Monster. Complicating matters, Texan Angus Murdoch comes to the Cracked Spine, the bookshop where Delaney works, to return a priceless book of King Arthur tales that he claims his grandfather stole from the shop years ago. Framed with its lovingly described Scottish setting and the fascinating details about both the monster and King Arthur, Shelton's mystery mixes atmosphere, crime, and character effectively.--Sue O'Brien Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

At the start of Shelton's agreeable fourth Scottish Bookshop mystery (after 2018's Lost Books and Old Bones), American Delaney Nichols, who works at the Cracked Spine Bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, is soon to be married. But weddings seldom go off as planned, and Delaney's is fraught with complications. First, the minister dies, leaving Delaney scrambling for a replacement; the tailor shop folds, leaving her dressless; and finally her new friend, Norval Fraser, a sweet, eccentric old man who's obsessed with the Loch Ness monster, is accused of murdering his greedy nephew. Delaney's wedding plans take a back seat as she tries to prove Norval innocent and find the real killer. Delaney's friends and her family, who have traveled to Scotland from Kansas, are amazingly forgiving about being ditched while she investigates the murder. The killer's motivation is a bit of a fizzle, but Shelton stocks her tale with appealing characters and intriguing Nessie lore. Cozy fans will be rewarded. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Bookseller Delaney Nichols is rushing into church to prepare for her wedding when she bumps into an older man leaving. He drops a pack of cards showing the Loch Ness Monster. Delaney returns the cards and feels an immediate connection to Norval Fraser, who is obsessed with Nessie. He invites Delaney to take over his collection of papers about the monster. She's fascinated by his stories, but doesn't trust his great-nephew Gavin. When Gavin is found murdered, the police suspect Norval. Although her family is arriving from Kansas for the wedding, Delaney feels obliged to prove Norval isn't a killer. The delightful characters, immersive Scotland setting, and the mystery of Loch Ness combine for one of the most enjoyable installments in this series. VERDICT The intriguing Scottish bookshop and wedding details will satisfy fans of Amanda Flower's "Magic Garden" mysteries. Readers who relish eccentric characters and bookstores, as seen in Vicki Delany's "Sherlock Holmes" bookshop series, will savor this fourth entry (after Lost Books and Old Bones) in an atmospheric series.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Not even her impending wedding can stop an intrepid sleuth from investigating a murder.Delaney Nichols literally runs into an older gentleman just outside the door of the church she's visiting in hopes of convincing the Rev. Nisa Bellows to officiate at her nuptials. Delaney, an American who works at the Cracked Spine bookstore in Edinburgh (Lost Books and Old Bones, 2018, etc.) collating its enormous and often mysterious collection, plans to marry drop-dead-handsome pub owner Tom Shannon in a week. When Delaney finds a pack of Loch Ness Monster cards after the collision, Nisa says that they probably belong to the man Delaney ran into, Norval Fraser, whose obsession with the monster has led him to amass a huge anecdotal archive. Norval, who thinks Nessie took his father, asks Delaney if she'll accept his paperwork and continue the search herself. Back at the Cracked Spine, larger-than-life Texan Angus Murdoch arrives with a rare and valuable book he claims his grandfather stole from the store 20 years ago. But when owner Edwin MacAlister arrives, he has no recollection of the alleged theft. When he's unable to get in touch with his great-nephew, Gavin, Norval asks Delaney to accompany him to Gavin's apartment, where they find him stabbed to death. The police arrest Norval but have him hospitalized because they're unsure of his mental state. Delaney, who knows that a Ponzi-like scheme Gavin was running had earned him many enemies, is distraught when her wedding dress vanishes in a store closing just as her parents and brother arrive in town for the wedding. She takes her jet-lagged family on a quick trip to Loch Ness, then her taxi-driving friend and landlord takes them sightseeing while she continues her quest to clear up all the mysteries before her wedding day.The material on the eternally enigmatic Loch Ness Monster is a good deal more absorbing than the subpar mystery. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.