The Burning Page by Paige Shelton

 The Burning Pages

Book Summary

One winter's night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She's perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at Burns House itself, a tiny cottage not far from the Cracked Spine bookshop but well hidden. There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney's boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin for burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement.

But after the dinner, there’s another fire. The Burns House itself is burned to the ground, and this time there’s a body among the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to discover that he might actually have a plausible motive...

My Thoughts

Delaney Nichols is invited to attend a Burns Night dinner at a local Robert Burns Society to celebrate the poet’s birthday.  Delaney is not sure why she was invited, but she is intrigued.  She invited co-worker, Hamlet to attend with her.  Edwin, Delaney’s boss, learns of the invite and warns Delaney that one of the members could be trying to get to him through her.  During the dinner, it soon becomes apparent that Edwin’s suspicions were correct.  One of the members had accused Edwin of burning down his bookshop twenty years ago.  After giving the members a piece of her mind, Delaney and Hamlet depart.  Later that evening, the building where the dinner was held is ablaze.  When the fire is put out, they find a body inside.  It turns out to be one of the Robert Burns Society members.  Hamlet finds himself at the top of the suspect list.  Delaney with help from her bookish voices sets out to find the evildoer.  Along the way, she might also find answers to help her solve another mystery she stumbled upon the warehouse while going through the files.  Delaney will need to keep her wits about her because it is obvious the wrongdoer likes playing with fire.  

The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton is the seventh A Scottish Bookshop Mystery.  I believe it is best if you start at the beginning of the series rather than at the end.  I thought The Burning Pages was well-written with developed characters.  We have gotten to know Delaney Nichols and her Scottish family.  Delaney’s brother, Wyatt shows up for an unexpected visit to Delaney’s delight.  I love the authors' descriptions of Edinburgh.  She really brings the city alive with her word imagery.  I love that she includes statutes, museums, shops, and monuments.  We also get historical details which adds color and realism.  The whodunit was a fun one to follow and solve.  Delaney dons her sleuthing cap once again to help a friend.  She gets assistance from her friends, family, and her bookish voices.  There is action, intrigue, and drama.  I enjoyed the reveal.  It was interesting learning more about Roberts Burns, his works, and the societies created in his name. The Burning Pages is a tale that will keep you on your toes.  The Burning Pages is a captivating cozy with an intriguing invitation, a burning building, a murdered society member, a compatriot who is a suspect, an unforeseen find, Tam O’Shanter chapeaus, a valuable voice, and pages of poetry. 

The Burning Pages is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other six novels in A Scottish Bookshop Mysteries here.  Check out Paige Shelton's other novels which you can find here on Amazon.  Thank you for visiting today.  I am a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for The Yarn that Binds by Rebecca McKinnon tomorrow.  It is the first book in the Clear Creek Mysteries.  I hope that you have an idyllic day.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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