Another great installment of A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery. Poor Gemma is just trying to have a book signing with a (cranky) author, when all of a sudden she is dead, right there in the store. Now Gemma has to put her sleuthing to use to decide who is responsible and why. It becomes more personal when someone she knows becomes a suspect.
I like the process Gemma goes through in coming up with suspects and motives. She also gets to work some with the police in this endeavor, although, they are not always happy about it.
I look forward to more in this series. I received a copy from the publisher, the review is my own.

Body on Baker Street is the second book in Vicki Delany’s Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first. I like my cozies to have some substance and believable characters (as opposed to mostly fluff and eccentric, over-the-top types.) Delany delivers exactly that.

Delany’s protagonist, Gemma Doyle, runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop on Baker Street in West London. West London, Cape Cod, that is—though Gemma is in fact English. She co-owns the shop with her uncle Arthur Doyle, and her friend Jayne runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tearoom.

Gemma has a few things in common with the fictional detective for whom the shop is named. She’s extremely observant, highly logical, sharply intelligent, and often impatient with those less mentally acute…at least if they’re on the police force. She is certainly a T(hinking) type on the Myers-Briggs Personality Type scale, favoring thought (logic) over emotion.*

However, Gemma is not as emotionally austere as the classic Holmes. Nor is she a “high-functioning sociopath” like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock. She does reasonably well in social interactions, though she admits to not really understanding small talk. And she cares about and is loyal to her best friend Jayne. Gemma is not as in-your-face arrogant as either the classic Holmes or modern Sherlock, either… although she can be pretty high-handed when it comes to the police, both to their faces and in ignoring the law when it suits her. She’s often impatient when the police draw the wrong conclusions or fail to see or interpret clues correctly. And she’s not shy about putting in her two cents, usually undiplomatically, which invariably leads to conflict between Gemma and her chief nemesis, Detective Louise Estrada. Fortunately, Estrada’s boss is Gemma’s former boyfriend Ryan; he knows the value of her input and sometimes gives her privileged information, though he would rather she not interfere in his investigations.

In other words, Gemma isn’t a caricature or a cardboard cutout; she’s a real character with depth. As the narrator as well as the protagonist, we get to know her pretty well. But since she’s the narrator, we only experience the other characters through Gemma’s observations. And despite her observational prowess, Gemma is curiously blind to some emotional nuances: she doesn’t really understand why some people, Estrada in particular, find her so irritating, for example. Her occasional obtuseness means that in some instances, the reader has a different or better grasp of a particular situation or individual than Gemma herself does. It’s the sort of thing that keeps her human, and keeps the books interesting.

I suspect Delany had a lot of fun writing this installment, and I had a lot of fun reading it. Renalta Van Markoff, author of a highly popular Holmesian pastiche series and inevitable murder victim, is eccentric and very definitely over-the-top—just what I said I don’t like, but it works well in this instance, in part because most of the other characters are believable, and in part because some celebrities really are over-the-top. The book is filled with characters from the writing, publishing, and fan worlds, as well as references to other Holmes pastiches, from Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell series to the BBC’s Sherlock and Sherry Thomas’s A Study in Scarlet Women. And there are references to the real-world Holmesians, fans whose enthusiasm for and devotion to Conan Doyle’s original stories rivals that of Harry Potter fans–including Gemma’s frequent customer, Desmond, who seems to be the chief suspect in Renalta’s death.

The mystery itself is fairly well constructed, with a number of suspects and a variety of motives. I didn’t spot the probable killer until very late in the game, but I did guess something important about the victim pretty early. Outguessing the author is one of the attractions of reading mysteries for me; I don’t want it to be too easy, but I don’t want to be totally in the dark, either. Delany successfully walks the line between the two, in this mystery as in Elementary, She Read. (review)

I’ll be eager to read the next book in the series, The Cat of the Baskervilles. Does the titular cat refer to the bookshop cat, Moriarty, who seems to like everyone except Gemma? I have a sneaking liking for him despite his antagonism toward Gemma. At any rate, the book is due out in February, and I’ll be looking forward to it.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

It's a busy summer Thursday afternoon at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium on Cape Cod. The co-proprietor, Gemma Doyle, receives a phone call from a timid voice inquiring about a possible book signing but Gemma is fully booked for the summer. Until she hears who the author is- Renalta Van Markoff, author of a controversial, and wildly popular pastiche featuring Holmes and Mrs. Hudson. Gemma and her co-owner, Jayne Wilson immediately shift into high gear to accommodate her; no small matter as Renalta wants to appear on Saturday, just two days away. The flamboyant Renalta comes accompanied by an entourage; her mousy and timid assistant, her publisher, a publicist, an assortment of rabid fans and at least one enemy. Excitement is high, at least until Renalta collapses dead on the signing table. Gemma's customer, Donald Morris, a dedicated and somewhat stuffy Sherlockian is the prime suspect. Donald had attacked her verbally in the Q and A session, accusing her of defiling Sherlock's sacred memory. Gemma doesn't think Donald murdered Renalta, but who did? It's up to Gemma and Jayne to find out, using Gemma's incredible powers of observation.

As a former bookseller and Sherlock fan, I really enjoyed the Body on Baker Street. Most of the authors I met at book appearances were gracious and down-to-earth people who were pleased to meet the fans and made no unreasonable demands. Then there were the one or two who were nearly as demanding as Renalta. The fans sometimes, too, could be a little odd. I'm looking forward to the next in the series and I highly recommend it for cozy fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 4 Stars

Body On Baker Street is the second book in the Vicki Delaney Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series.
I think this is a delightful series, and enjoyed this book every bit as much as the first, maybe more so.
While Sherlock Holmes fans will surely delight in this book, I believe it will appeal to any cozy / mystery fan as well.
Well written and fast paced makes Body on Baker Street an easy read. If you like cozys I recommend this series.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

My enjoyment of this series continues with this second book, Body on Baker Street. Gemma still has her Holmesian abrasiveness, eye for detail, and talent for the perfect bon mot, and she had me laughing out loud when she completely lost patience and yet still found a way to force someone to talk to her.

I have to admit that Moriarty the cat would be looking for a new home far far away if I were Gemma. You see, Moriarty likes everyone-- everyone except Gemma. He hates Gemma. Naturally no one else can see what the evil little feline is up to. But plotting pussycat aside, one of the reasons why I enjoy this series so much is its bookshop setting. As Gemma talks about stock being sold or ordered, I want to grab my credit card, hop a plane, and go there to run amok amidst all those goodies. A bonus in Body on Baker Street is the author signing, which gives readers an inside look at how booksellers prepare for these events. While I'm talking about added extras, I should also mention illuminating dialogue about contracts and diva authors. The only thing that didn't warm the cockles of my heart was the fact that I found whodunit to be rather easily deduced, but the rest of the book was so good I didn't care.

There's still no sign of the elderly yet spry Uncle Arthur. I have a feeling that Vicki Delany may be planning a grand entrance for the man. Setting, characters, humor, red herrings... Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series is firing on all cylinders, and I'm looking forward to the next book!

I loved this book, the detail read of the Sherlock Holmes Bookstore and Emporium, make you want to visit a bond browse for a good mystery. This is the second installment in this series and for me it was better than the first.Gamma and Jayne have such a great dynamic and how they use their knowledge of Sherlock Holmes to solve mysteries are delightful. I highly recommend this book to all mystery and Sherlock Holmes fans. If you haven't read the first book, you can easily start with this one.

The follow up to "Elementary She Read" was funny, entertaining, and the murderer was a shocker!

Gemma is busy running her bookshop, "The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium" when she gets a call for an author signing. The signing is for a very famous author, Renalta Van Markoff, and the booking is very last minute. Gemma makes the signing happen and during the event, the author is killed. The murder was set up in such a way that ANYONE who was present during the book signing could have been the murderer; now it's up to Gemma to solve the case. Of course, the local PD, including Ryan Ashburton and Louise Estrada, do not want her help in solving the crime, but Gemma gets involved anyway.

I can't wait to read book #3 in this series!

This review will be published on Goodreads and Amazon on 9/8/2017.

Body on Baker Street is the second book in Vicki Delany’s entertaining Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, which features Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson as a dynamic detective duo. British transplant Gemma Doyle runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium located at 222 Baker Street in West London, Cape Cod, while Jayne Wilson is in charge of the adjoining Mrs Hudson’s Tea Room. Gemma is highly analytical and has an eye for detail, while Jayne is more the friendly face of the pair. Between the two of them, they have the skills, enthusiasm and downright hard-headedness to solve any crime, including the murder that they successfully wrapped up in Elementary, She Read.

This time round, business at the bookshop turns brisk when bestselling author Renalta Van Markoff decides to do a last minute signing of her new book, Hudson House, at the shop. Van Markoff writes a hugely popular Sherlock Holmes pastiche series in which Holmes and Desdemona Hudson (who is very much not a prim housekeeper) are engaged in a passionate relationship. They also find time to solve crimes. Doctor Watson does live with them, but only in the interests of keeping up appearances. Her books being somewhat different from Arthur Conan Doyle’s works, Van Markoff is distinctly unpopular among Sherlockians, including regular bookshop customer Donald Morris. When Renalta Van Markoff dies during the signing, apparently the victim of a poisoning, Donald Morris looks to be the most likely suspect. Not one to risk losing a customer (as well as being a fan of proving the police wrong), Gemma agrees to track down the real killer and prove Donald’s innocence.

Body on Baker Street is another intricately plotted and intriguing mystery from Vicki Delany. Gemma Doyle is on top form as a socially awkward and undeniably stubborn know-it-all with an uncanny ability to derive all manner of facts from the most scant of details. In this second outing she seems more attuned to how people perceive her and her deductive abilities, often taking pains to play down her findings when she susses out some secret about a friend or customer, although she still can’t resist antagonising Detective Estrada. Her insights place her in danger on a number of occasions, but she doesn’t let the threat of physical violence put her off probing into people’s secrets, nor does it deter her from a spot of law breaking when the need arises. It seems that only her tangled romantic history with Detective Ryan Ashburton can put her off her crime-fighting stride.

Renalta Van Markoff being something of a diva, there are a goodly number of likely suspects in her murder for Gemma to investigate in her quest to clear Donald’s name. Among those who might have wanted to poison Van Markoff are a browbeaten personal assistant, a handsome publicist, a disgruntled publisher, a deranged superfan, a jealous fellow writer and a host of Sherlock Holmes devotees worldwide. Of course, a wide suspect pool means that there are a significant number of red herrings for Gemma to sift through and eliminate before she is able to unmask the killer. Body on Baker Street has a nicely twisting plot featuring plenty of dead ends and wrong turns, which should keep readers guessing until Gemma gets to bask in her Poirot-like denouncement at the end of a complex, surprising and often rather amusing investigation.

Yay! Gemma and Jane are back in a delightful cozy that hits the mark for those of us who like Holmes and a British setting for our mysteries. The characters are wonderful- even Renalta, the victim (who is a rotten person)- and the plot zips along. Delany has hit a sweet spot for me in this series, which has a good tone, a good pace, and good friends in these two. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was a nice summer read but it would be terrific at any time of year.

Another great book in a wonderful new series! I can't wait for the next to see what happens next.

Book two in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. Gemma still owns and runs the Sherlock Holmes Emporium and Jane still runs the tea shop. Gemma is contacted last minute with a request to host a popular author of current Homes type books. So last minute that she has like 72 hours or less to prepare. She decides she can pull it off so she agrees to the arrangements despite the short notice. Things are going fine until the actual event when a local man comes in to argue about how wrong she got the Holmes character and the author collapses dead. It quickly becomes apparent that she was murdered and being very like Holmes Gemma cannot help but investigate. She finds some juicy secrets along the way and the murderer was a bit of surprise. Overall this is an excellent cozy mystery that has a cast of characters a reader can love and enough action/suspense to keep you turning the page. I really enjoyed it so it gets 4/5 stars.

If you love Sherlock Holmes this is a series that will leave you purring with delight. In Body on Baker Street readers meet Renalta Van Markoff, the mysterious author of a popular but controversial line of Sherlock Holmes pastiche. The author arrives with her entourage at Gemma and Jayne's Bookshop and Emporium for a quickly planned book signing, but things don't exactly run smoothly and right in the middle of the event Renalta drops dead after taking a drink of water. Sherlock aficionado and bookshop regular Donald Morris leads the suspect list as he had been challenging Renalta about her books, but Gemma soon finds out the author managed to stir up trouble everywhere she went, and she wasn't exactly who she appeared to be.

I enjoyed the mystery and how Gemma deduced who the killer was. Her keen mind and powers of observation are very Sherlockian, and I found myself liking her more in this book than I did in the first in the series. The bookshop is a character all it's own; the author's descriptions of it make you wish such a store existed. I only hope at some point we get to meet Gemma's great uncle Arthur in person...I think he'll be a really fun character. Of course every bookshop needs a resident feline, and in this case it's handsome house panther Moriarty. He and Gemma have sort of a love/hate relationship, although he knows how to turn on the charm when it's warranted.

The book, Body on Baker Street is the second Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery by Vicki Delany. I read the first book in the series, Elementary She Reads, and was impressed with the writing and the story. Body on Baker Street is an excellent follow up to the first book in the series.

Before discovering this series, I did not really realize how popular Sherlock Holmes is and that he has quite the following. I like the concept of the stories revolving around a book shop that is dedicated to one author. The New England setting of New London is perfect.

I was surprised by the ending which is always a plus for me. Lots of suspects and clues! Vicki Delany is a terrific writer. I have always enjoyed her books, particularly the Constable Molly Smith series set in British Columbia.

Highly recommend Body on Baker Street.

Body on Baker Street by author Vicki Delany is the 2nd book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery Series, and my first book by this author. This book has more twists and turns, that kept me reading page after page. I love the quirky people and situations in this book. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next and first book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book.

This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love this series. Gemma runs a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and always gets herself sucked into a murder mystery. Great supporting cast makes this a fun read. I love all the information about the book business and the Sherlock Holmes canon. I always come away with other books and authors to add to my already out of control TBR pile.

This cozy series features Gemma Doyle, the proprietor of a Sherlock Holmes dedicated bookstore who takes a page from the great detective with clever deductions as she tries to clear the name of a customer suspected of murdering an author of a series that alarms his Sherlockian purist sensibilities. Despite a lot of characters and side plots that didn't contribute much to the story, this was a pretty fast moving mystery. Gemma isn't my favorite cozy mystery protagonist as her British reserve and poor people skills make her read as very standoffish and unengaged, and she isn't quite brilliant and innovative enough to redeem those qualities. The clever Sherlock nods will interest casual fans.

I enjoyed this a lot more than the first book. Gemma was still obnoxious, but she seemed a little more aware of her attitude this time, and Jane was quick to scold her. The mystery was great, with some awesome twists. The reveal was surprising and very fitting for a Holmes inspired series.

Gemma Doyle, a Brit relocated to West London, MS, owns the Sherlock Holmes Bookstore and Emporium and the adjoining Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. Her friend Jayne Wilson is her co-owner and runs the tea room. The shops are located at 222 Baker Street and have a permanent inhabitant, Moriarty, the cat.

This is the second entry in this series by Canadian writer Vicki Delany and revolves around a mystery writer who has penned an alternative history for the popular Sherlock Holmes. Renalta Van Markoff, a bestselling author, offers to sign her new book Hudson House at Gemma's store. While the signing is an overwhelming success, the author drops dead. And the adventure begins.

Gemma has a "like me, like me not" relationship with the town's police detective Ryan Ashburton while his partner Louise Estrada is always convinced that Gemma is the guilty party.

Then there's the local Sherlock Holmes expert who is so offended by Van Markoff's alternative fictional life of Sherlock that he threatens her when he says "someone's got to stop her". The author had a personal assistant, publicist and publisher - all three unhappy with her for various reasons. There is no shortage of suspects and that's a plus for readers as Gemma wends her way through their motives and alibis.

This author is masterful at crafting an entertaining story with appropriate twists and reveals.
Gemma sounds like Sherlock when she cites how her observations lead to obvious deductions. Elementary.

Yes, Sherlock Holmes fans will absolutely adore Vicki Delany's take on Sherlock Holmes. The interaction between Moriarty and Gemma is often priceless.

Her characters and relationships are well developed and believable. The dialogue is authentic and the banter just right. The story's pace makes this a "hard to put down" book. Body on Baker Street is fun and interesting to read. But even more important, at least to me, is the fact that I want to read more. Now.

I enjoyed reading this new book of the Sherlock Holmes bookshop mysteries!
Once again we find Gemma Doyle with her Sherlock Holmes themed bookstore, her deductions and way of thinking that drives everyone crazy and another dead body.

During a book sign in the bookshop, bestseller author Renalta Van Markoff drops dead, a friend of Gemma is accused and she seems to think that it's her responsability to find out who the murderer was.
It was a nice, interesting cozy mystery, and i enjoyed reading about Gemma, the female contemporary version of Sherlock, with her best friend Jayne posing for the ever faithful Dr Watson.