The Cracked Spine

In Paige Shelton's The Cracked Spine, the first installment in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery, this remarkable new cozy series debut will take you straight to Scotland. When Delaney Nichols lost her job, she found a job listing to work at a bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, and spoken to the owner, Edwin MacAllister. Upon acceptance, she flew from Wichita Kansas to Scotland to start her new adventurous journey there. When she arrived, she met her fellow new colleagues at the Cracked Spine, a vintage bookstore, and learned about the ins and outs of rare collectible book finds. During her arrival, she learned that Edwin's sister Jenny had been missing and then later found dead. The Metro Police interviewed Edwin and everyone who worked at the bookstore and inquired on her behavior. Everyone was a suspect. While Delaney learned more about the store, she did become smitten by a Scottish pub owner named Tom Fletcher, and then took a tour around Scotland even to where Jenny lived in the dangerous neighborhood. She snooped around and asked Jenny's former neighbors and Edwin's closest friends for clues on Jenny as she solved a complex puzzle. When a fellow colleague turned up missing, Delaney followed her hunch and lead her to where she might find a clue to where it all started in a fierce face-off with the killer.

This was a terrific new cozy series debut that's set in the heart of Scotland. You really get your own virtual tour of Scottish highlands and closes as Delaney learns about the Scotch culture.  The scenic settings were magnificent and mesmerizing at every vivid location to the bookstore and beyond. I did care for Delaney and how she set out for an adventure in her brave new world. I could see a possible love connection between her and Tom and maybe with Inspector Winters to cause a triangle. I loved how she's red-haired and freckled and loved to learn about vintage collectible books and what makes them valuable. This would make you want to play the bagpipes and wear a kilt with non-stop action, intense drama, plenty of mystery and a sense of action.

Will you make a stop at The Cracked Spine today?