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holly_keimig's review
4.0
Another fun installment in this series. I got very excited when I spied a new on on my library's new mystery shelf! In this one a local theater production gets out of hand and Gemma is of course tangled up in it. A fun read. Can't wait for the next one.
kimdavishb's review against another edition
5.0
I have so enjoyed reading each book as they released in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series by Vicki Delaney and have been waiting in anticipation for THE CAT OF THE BASKERVILLES! This third book in the series doesn’t disappoint and kept me glued to the pages as I caught up with protagonist Gemma Doyle. Gemma is such a refreshing, unique heroine. She lives in her own carefully organized world and doesn’t quite understand people who aren’t attuned to details like she is. Especially people like the police whose job it is to see details and solve crimes. This brings plenty of conflict with the investigating detectives when she finds herself in the midst of the murder of a famous actor who is in town to play the lead role in The Hound of the Baskervilles. With the town gearing up for the West London Theater Festival, the pressure is on to solve the case. And when all clues point to Gemma’s best friend’s mother, Leslie, Gemma ignores the detectives’ warnings to not get involved.
Jayne, Gemma’s best friend, runs Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room which is adjacent to Gemma’s shop, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. Jayne is darling and just a bit ditzy but a steadfast sidekick to Gemma’s intellectual investigations. They work well together and their interaction provides humorous fun to the book. Ms. Delaney writes witty banter and her descriptive use of language makes the reader feel and see everything that happens on the page. I loved Gemma’s use of British expressions (she’s a transplant from England) and the comparisons between U.S. English and British English words. It’s quite humorous! The mystery is well thought out with a nice pace while the conclusion was quite surprising -- I never even considered the suspect. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this delightful, charming series!
I received an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jayne, Gemma’s best friend, runs Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room which is adjacent to Gemma’s shop, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. Jayne is darling and just a bit ditzy but a steadfast sidekick to Gemma’s intellectual investigations. They work well together and their interaction provides humorous fun to the book. Ms. Delaney writes witty banter and her descriptive use of language makes the reader feel and see everything that happens on the page. I loved Gemma’s use of British expressions (she’s a transplant from England) and the comparisons between U.S. English and British English words. It’s quite humorous! The mystery is well thought out with a nice pace while the conclusion was quite surprising -- I never even considered the suspect. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this delightful, charming series!
I received an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
sjholmes's review against another edition
4.0
I may have read at least one Sherlock Holmes story before, I honestly don’t know for sure. If I did, it clearly wasn’t memorable. And I know there are movies and shows. For some reason, while I love cozies, I’ve never gotten into it. But I very much enjoyed reading Cat of the Baskervilles.
The main character, Gemma Doyle, has a superb memory of what she has seen and heard. This helps her understand, as she learns more, what the meaning was of the little details she caught. Gemma runs a store dedicated to all things Sherlock, while her best friend, Jayne, runs the adjoining tea room. Both get caught up with the events for their local summer theater’s presentation of the Hound of the Baskervilles. But before the play opens, the famous Sir Nigel is found dead. Was it accident, suicide, or murder? It seems that the local police are looking at Jayne’s mother as a suspect.
While this is very much a stand-alone story that can be enjoyed without reading previous books in the series, I felt like I had missed out entirely on character development. Gemma and Jayne are like-able and charming, but there was not much depth to the characters. Gemma’s uncle is absent and out of the country, but so often referred to. And as a cat lover, the feline character was barely part of the story despite the title of the book.
The plot, however, was well constructed. This was still a book I wanted to read through in as few sittings as possible. I hope that going back to the first two books makes up for the holes I have in following this series.
The main character, Gemma Doyle, has a superb memory of what she has seen and heard. This helps her understand, as she learns more, what the meaning was of the little details she caught. Gemma runs a store dedicated to all things Sherlock, while her best friend, Jayne, runs the adjoining tea room. Both get caught up with the events for their local summer theater’s presentation of the Hound of the Baskervilles. But before the play opens, the famous Sir Nigel is found dead. Was it accident, suicide, or murder? It seems that the local police are looking at Jayne’s mother as a suspect.
While this is very much a stand-alone story that can be enjoyed without reading previous books in the series, I felt like I had missed out entirely on character development. Gemma and Jayne are like-able and charming, but there was not much depth to the characters. Gemma’s uncle is absent and out of the country, but so often referred to. And as a cat lover, the feline character was barely part of the story despite the title of the book.
The plot, however, was well constructed. This was still a book I wanted to read through in as few sittings as possible. I hope that going back to the first two books makes up for the holes I have in following this series.
hjhill_55's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
I want to like this more, but there is just something each book where I feel I am not sure I want to pick up the next one. I have, here is book 3. I like the tea shop running friend, and the premise of the very observant bookshop owner… but it’s perhaps just something with the main character rubbing me the wrong way.
I also have a bad habit of not reading the description for cozies, and at 20% with no dead body, because I really expected it to happen sooner, I found myself stressing about who the victim was. Then, just kidding I guessed correctly just not the circumstance.
I also have a bad habit of not reading the description for cozies, and at 20% with no dead body, because I really expected it to happen sooner, I found myself stressing about who the victim was. Then, just kidding I guessed correctly just not the circumstance.
lunaeclipse's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series, but really did it have to end the way it did? Can I have the next book now?
scribe391's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Set in West London Cape Cod, when Sir Nigel Bellingham is murdered, amateur detective Gemma Doyle investigates the crime.
Delaney references the multiple versions and popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character: Sherlock Holmes
Delaney references the multiple versions and popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character: Sherlock Holmes
sybrasays's review against another edition
4.0
Another satisfying mystery in the series. I enjoyed it, and I'm starting the 4th in the series soon.