ARC Review: The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton

The Burning Pages
Author: Paige Shelton
Series: A Scottish Bookshop Mystery (Book 7)
Publication: Minotaur Books (April 5, 2022)

Description: Delaney Nichols faces off against an elusive arsonist in the seventh Scottish Bookshop Mystery, The Burning Pages, from beloved author Paige Shelton....

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: An invitation to a Burns Night Dinner leads Delaney and her friend Hamlet into a mystery. First of all, Delany doesn't know why she's been invited at all. She doesn't know any of the group hosting. When she learns that she's been invited to try to begin a reconciliation between her boss Edwin and another member of the group, she and Hamlet quickly leave. 

When she learns that the venue - a small, old cottage tucked into a corner of the city - has burned to the ground and a body discovered in the ruins, she has to investigate for her own peace of mind. Hamlet, who is a potential suspect in the death, knew the man and then Hamlet disappears too.

As Delany tries to unravel the past, both Edwin's and Hamlet's, she learns all sorts of secrets and manages to uncover a murderer.

This is the seventh book in this series and the first that I have read. While I would have liked to know how a girl from Kansas ends up working at a bookstore in Scotland, it wasn't necessary for enjoyment of this story. I liked Delany and enjoyed her investigations.

Favorite Quote:

When in doubt, procrastinate a little, see what the universe sends your way, maybe that check-engine light will actually turn off by itself -- at least that's what Wyatt always used to say to me, usually with a roll of his eyes.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.