4.5 out of 5 stars.

Greetings! I recently read Cat in the Baskervilles, the 3rd installment in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series by Vicki Delany. It was great! I really enjoyed it!

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Synopsis

The show is coming to town on Cape Cod. The West London Theater Festival is putting on a stage production of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Gemma Doyle is excited and participating with her friend Jayne Wilson, whose mother, Leslie, just happens to be volunteering with the company. Leslie arranges a fundraising tea party at the home of the festival organizer, catered by Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. The tea is a rousing success, but Sir Nigel Bellingham, the famous star cast as the lead of Sherlock, goes missing. And Gemma finds him at the bottom of the cliff. Dead.

Before the tea, Sir Nigel had come by the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop, only for Gemma to realize that he’s not at all suited to the role. But as Gemma and Jayne investigate, the list of suspects just grows longer. Long past his prime, Sir Nigel was second to a younger actor who had first been given the role. The festival’s executive director also expressed that he had been hired over her objections. Then there are the slew of people to whom Sir Nigel was rude. They all have motive, but then a scrap of Leslie’s apron caught on a bush by Sir Nigel’s body is found. And the police are set to pounce as she becomes suspect #1.

It’s up to Gemma and Jayne to team up again and clear Jayne’s mother’s name in The Cat of the Baskervilles, the delightful third Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

Review

I’ve been excitedly awaiting this one since I found out it was coming out last September! It didn’t disappoint! I liked this one the most so far in the series. This whole series has been terrific, but this is my favorite so far!

The characters in this series are great. I really enjoy reading about them and their relationships with one another. Gemma occasionally gets on my nerves, but she’s somewhat designed to do that. Jayne is my favorite along with Ryan. 🙂 I just love the two of them. The characters are all very well-developed and complex characters. Characters are what keeps me reading a series and these are definitely some of my favorites!

This plot line was a little more complex than it seemed on the surface. I definitely don’t always agree with the way Gemma investigates, but what I see as somewhat reckless, she sees as the logical option in the moment. I really had no idea about the villain until it was revealed. I was looking at the right group of people, but I wasn’t sure who out of that group was actually the guilty one.

If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes or just a good mystery in general, this series is excellent! Vicky Delany’s writing is smooth and easy to read. It’s entertaining and each installment in this series is a joy!