What a wonderful telling of a modern day Sherlock Holmes. Gemma is a book store owner, in small town Massachusetts, and the focus of the story is Sherlock Holmes. Gemma has a wonderful way of observing a lot around her, and is brutally honest about it. Obviously this tends to turn off a lot of people, including her ex Ryan, who is also the homicide detective. Did I mention that Gemma keeps finding dead bodies? Her friend Jayne is her somewhat sidekick, or Watson, and together they work on finding the real killer before it is too late. I really enjoyed this one, as it is the first in the series (have also read the third book, and enjoyed that too), and look forward to reading many more in this series and by this author. Highly recommend.

This is the first in a new series and I enjoyed getting to know Gemma Doyle and her friend Jayne. Gemma manages the Sherlock Emporium in Cape Cod. It is a Sherlock Holmes themed book and souvenir shop. The store is owned by Gemma's great-uncle Arthur Doyle, who believes he is a distant relative of the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Gemma moved to the United States from England after ending her marriage and to help her uncle. Her best friend, Jayne, runs a tea room right next door. Gemma is known for her keen sense of observation and deduction and this is what pulls her into the mystery. When Gemma finds a valuable magazine hidden in her shop she uses her talents to figure out who left it there. When they try to talk to the woman, they find her dead in her hotel room. Of course Gemma becomes the prime suspect, as she has the magazine and found the body. Things are further complicated when her ex-boyfriend shows up as the lead investigator of the case.

The story had a lot of Sherlock Holmes trivia, but this did not overpower the mystery. It was nice getting to know some of the characters in the town and I hope we see more of them in future books. The police were not as free with information as I have seen in other cozies, which was a nice change. Gemma and Jayne play off each other well. It looks like Gemma and Ryan may be rekindling their romance in future books, but only time will tell. I had no idea who the perpetrator was in this story until it was revealed at the end, but it was a fitting ending. I think this is a nice beginning to a new cozy mystery series and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Elementary, She Read is the first book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series by Vicki Delany. Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, co owns and manages her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod. The shop--located at 222 Baker Street--specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body. The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman's suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it's a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

Elementary, She Read is a fun and entertaining read. While managing a Sherlock Holmes themed book shop Gemma thinks much like the fictional detective. She is intelligent, but like most Sherlock based characters is lacking in social graces, which makes her life both highly entertaining and occasionally cringe worthy. I liked the spirit and execution of the character. I also enjoyed the flighty nature of her great uncle, and her enduring friendship with the forthright Jayne. The mystery is well built, with several layers and twists, some of which were completely unexpected and others that were emotional satisfying. I really enjoy the read, and want to read more about Gemma, and her fellow residents of West London.

Elementary, She Read is a solid beginning to a series, and I am interested in the characters and the town. I think Sherlock fans, of all eras, and cozy or hobby mystery fans will enjoy the read as much as I did. I look forward to seeing where Gemma goes from here.

A fun and well written cozy mystery. Excellent touches of Sherlock Holmes while still maintaining its own identity as a book. Highly recomended

"That high tea was great," the customer with the grand bust said to me. "I'll be telling all my friends about this place."

"What high tea?" I said. "Oh, you mean afternoon tea. You really shouldn't get those mixed up. High tea, sometimes just called tea, is what the working man calls his dinner, and afternoon tea is what you had."

— From Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany

Tea lovers, I just finished a new cozy mystery that I think you'll enjoy as much as I did, and I particularly love the premise of this one. In the small town of West London, Massachusetts, Gemma Doyle runs a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium at 222 Baker St. (221 Baker St. wasn't available). Gemma is English but came to America to help her Great Uncle Arthur run his bookstore, and they also own half of the business next door, Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room.

The bookshop sells all things Sherlock, including not only books but also such items as busts, puzzles, mugs, dish towels, and the occasional rare collectible. A near-priceless issue of a magazine that published the first Sherlock Holmes story lands in the shop under some highly unusual circumstances, and when Gemma—along with her tea-shop-owner friend Jayne—tries to restore the magazine to its rightful owner, the two come across a dead body and find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

Like her store's namesake, Gemma possesses some amazing powers of deduction. It's great fun to watch her do things like introduce herself to a character she's never met before, getting the person's identity correct based simply on her powers of observation. The author gives us plenty of red herrings, the requisite dust-ups with local law enforcement, and, of course, enough cups of tea to make us all want to go browse through the book shop and order "afternoon tea" at Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. The second book in the series hits shelves September 12, and I can't wait!

I have read this book and left a review under Librarian Opinions..

Very fun! I am already in line for the next book. There is a lot of Sherlock info casually mentioned, but no need to be an aficionado yourself to enjoy this series.

This was a really fun read right from the beginning! I've never read anything by this author before, but I definitely think that's going to change. The characters and plot are all well defined and the suspense had me gripped until the very end. I was completely surprised by who the villain turned out to be, and I don't want to give away too much detail that might spoil it for someone else.

Definitely a solid 4 stars from me! If you love a good cozy mystery, don't pass this one up!

Loved loved loved!! Great cozy whodunnit with interesting and well defined characters. Although some reviewers disliked the know it all personality of Gemma, I found her sympathetic and likable. Looking forward to more stories with these characters and clever mysteries. Will buy and recommended to readers looking for a new cozy series. Highly recommended!

Elementary She Read is a thoroughly entertaining read that I devoured quickly and easily.
Gemma is incredibly observant - she notices every little thing about everyone who comes into her shop - the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. This sounds a wonderful place, selling not just books but memorabilia as well and there's even a quaint little Tea Shop adjoining the shop.
When Gemma discovers a magazine in her shop that she knows is not hers she tries to find the owner but then this leads to a whole lot of trouble for both her and her friend Tea Shop owner Jayne.
I loved how Gemma's mind worked when trying to solve the murders, she was very methodical, just like Sherlock, but she isn't as serious, she is a fun character that I liked enormously.
The plot was easy to follow, with a few twists, some dodgy suspects, set in a beautiful part of the world, and with a couple of hunky men to distract Gemma, I'm already looking forward to the next in this new series.

Gemma is a Brit, who lives on Cape Cod and owns the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, where she sells all things remotely related to Sherlock. Jayne is her best friend and co-owner with Gemma of Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room next door. When Gemma finds a magazine, tucked into a bookshelf where it doesn’t belong, after her store closes, she has no idea that she will end up as the prime suspect in a murder. Gemma and Jayne try to return the magazine to its owner, who is staying at a local hotel, but find a dead body instead of a Sherlock fan. Then Gemma’s ex-boyfriend shows up as the detective-in-charge of the case and the story really kicks into high gear.

“Elementary, She Read” is a fun, cozy mystery. It is part of a series but is also great as a stand-alone. I found Gemma and Jayne to be delightful as best friends. Jayne is the extrovert to Gemma’s introvert but the two of them play off of each other in an enjoyable way. Ryan is perfect as the hunky ex. In this one, Ryan and Gemma aren’t quite sure what to do with each other or if they still have feelings, which adds a charming layer of complication to this story. The plotline has some surprising twists and moves along at a really good pace. This is a great reading choice for cozy mystery or Sherlock lovers and the length makes it a great day-at-the-beach read. Overall, a great addition to the genre.

A delightful cozy mystery featuring Gemma Doyle, co- owner of Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in West London, Mass. Gemma and her friend Jayne, who runs the tea shop next door, manage to stumble upon not one, but two murders. It's only natural that they become suspects, especially Gemma. And to top it off, the detective investigating is none other than her former boyfriend who justed moved back to town.
Lots of fun and quirky characters.

Elementary, She Read (Book 1)

elementary she reads

Synopsis

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to get over a bad marriage to a cheating husband. In West London she co-owns with her Great Uncle Arthur's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and she also manages the shop on a day-to-day basis. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

Book Review and 3.8 stars

This was a different type of cozy mystery for me, at first I wasn't sure exactly what to think about the book. The story, however, got better as I read through the story. I finally realized what kind of character she was and people treated her the way they did. In addition, the people who were her friends WERE HER FRIENDS. Her former boyfriend is a police detective and I got the feeling she and he had feelings for each other, but their personalities were just so different from one another.

Enjoyed my first story by Vicki. Enjoy the way she told this story and it held my attention

This is a classic cozy but not necessarily for serious Holmes fans. Delany uses Sherlock as touchpoint for Gemma, which means you'll find lots of little references throughout the novel but the mystery is not as twisty as the Holmes books are. That said, that's not what one is looking for in a cozy; this is an easy well written lead. Gemma can be very annoying but that's sort of the point. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a nice start to a new series.

I enjoyed this start to a cozy mystery series. it was entertaining and clever. I loved the character of Gemma, and thought the storyline was great! The Sherlock Holmes connections were an added bonus!

This was another fun cozy mytery series that I discovered through Net Galley. It was funny and quick to read, but was well-plotted and kept me guessing!

Description

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur’s Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. The shop–located at 222 Baker Street–specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also the home of Moriarty the cat. When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.
The highly perceptive Gemma is the police’s first suspect, so she puts her consummate powers of deduction to work to clear her name, investigating a handsome rare books expert, the dead woman’s suspiciously unmoved son, and a whole family of greedy characters desperate to cash in on their inheritance. But when Gemma and Jayne accidentally place themselves at a second murder scene, it’s a race to uncover the truth before the detectives lock them up for good.

Fans of Sherlock Holmes will delight in the sleuthing duo of Gemma and Jayne in Elementary, She Read, the clever and captivating series debut by nationally bestselling author Vicki Delany.

Thank you for my review e-copy!

This fun cozy will plunk you right down in the middle of a community setting with detailed descriptions and a familiar anticipation of a crime about to happen. While it does take a while for the crime and central mystery to occur, the play between Gemma and Jayne is fun, and the characters’ voices are easily distinguishable. Gemma goes full Sherlock and observes a crime scene in great detail and keen observation. Soon her trouble escalates, and because the dialog is so fun, I’m following along, helping her go over the scene for missing clues and enjoying her personality along the way. This is a delight for Sherlock fans and mystery lovers. The store seems so real and the setting so well presented I wish I could stop in to visit. I’m looking forward to the next in this series and more of Gemma, Jayne, and the local detectives.

Just finished reading this and I loved it. This book was spot on. One of the best cozies I have read in the past year. Gemma Doyle ( no relation) was wonderful. Her powers of observation rivaled the great one himself. Although, I figured out the culprit before the end, It took nothing away from my enjoyment of the mystery. I will definitely recommend to my mystery shoppers and will look for other books by Vicki Delaney. I am looking forward to the next one in the series.