Paige Shelton

The Poison Pen is the ninth book in the A Scottish Bookshop Mystery series by Paige Shelton.

Edwin, the owner of a Scottish bookstore, asks Delaney Nichols to visit with his old-time friend, Jolie Lannister. Jolie has found what she feels might be a legendary Crusader Sword that she wants to turn over to Edwin. When Delaney arrives at Jolie’s estate, she finds Jolie is in a discussion with her lawyer, Bowie Berry, and Giles Haig, an auctioneer and his assistant. Jolie is a hoarder, and Berry plans on using that to prove Jolie’s competency. Haig is there to evaluate Josie’s estate. Jolie sends Berry and Haig on their way and takes Delaney to a nearby shed to show her the sword. If the sword is a Crusader Sword, it belongs in a museum, as Scottish law says it is illegal for private citizens to own historical items. As they are returning to the house, they come across Homer, Jolie’s gardener, standing over the dead body of Haig’s assistant. Homer was holding the knife that had killed the assistant. Jolie asks Delaney to investigate the death, and she contacts Inspector Winters to help with the investigation.

When Jolie was a child, a story that was going around was that Jolie was a “love child” of Edward VIII. An aide to Edward VIII reportedly wrote a journal supporting this story. Still, the journal has gone missing, and Delaney wonders whether this might have anything to do with the murder of Haig’s assistant.
I love this series; the books are well-written and plotted. The characters are well-developed, believable, and engaging.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this engaging series.… (meer)

The Poison Pen by Paige Shelton is the ninth A Scottish Bookshop Mystery. It can be read as a standalone as the author provides the background information needed for new readers (or those who have missed a book or two). We get to meet an old friend of Edwin’s who is amusing and eccentric. Jolie adds humor to the story. It was interesting learning about Crusader swords. I like how the author incorporates streets and buildings from Edinburgh. Jolie’s mother claimed that her daughter was the legitimate heir to the throne. History of the monarchy was included. You can tell the author did her research for this installment. I liked that Elias was more involved in this story. Delaney finds the mystery interesting. She searches for clues and asks questions. Delaney digs into the past and finds some intriguing information. Delaney will need to assemble the pieces if she is to identify the killer. I liked the whodunit, but I did not find it a challenge to solve. There was a detail that stuck out and it came up more than once. I enjoyed the reveal. I did, though, find the pacing in The Poison Pen to be too leisurely (needed more action). The Poison Pen is a Scottish cozy with a Crusader sword, a humorous hoarder, book talk, ancestry anecdotes, and a new Treasure Trove director.… (meer)