This was an unusual story line but definitely very interesting. The Loch Ness monster plays a big role in the story and it was interesting to read all the lore behind the story. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

3.75 stars

Another charming entry in the Scottish Bookshop mystery series. American Delaney Nichols has ended up in Scotland looking for adventure, and her job at antiquarian bookstore The Cracked Spine has provided it.

Delaney's wedding to Scottish pub owner Tom Shannon is imminent, and Delaney's family is expected in from Kansas any day for the festivities. Meanwhile, Delaney becomes involved in the murder of a possibly crooked young financial investor when his eccentric old uncle finds the body, along with Delaney. She has just met the uncle, Norval Fraser, and is moved by his fierce obsession to materials relating to Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. When he is arrested, Delaney realizes she must investigate to find the real culprit.

Several suspects soon emerge, including disgruntled clients of the victim's, a mysterious Texan who keeps turning up, and a few old enemies of the family. Delaney's family and friends are enjoyable to spend time with, and the old bookshop itself is almost another character in the book.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A good cozy mystery.While it features great character development the plot was a little then but a satisfying quick read

I find it unbelievable that "The Loch Ness Papers" is the fourth novel of a series. How does this crap get published? While reading the first chapter I wanted to take a red pencil to all of the adverbs and adjectives. If a person is going to write a novel set in Scotland she aught to use the Scottish word for objects. Several chapters into the book a Scotsman utters the word "sweater." AARG! The word sweater is not used in Scotland; it is a jumper. The book has no narrative flow and is a slog to read. People really buy Shelton's books? Not me.

It's the forth installment of the Delaney Nichols mysteries and very close to her wedding date when their pastor dies suddenly. Delaney runs into Norval Fraser and realizes he's dropped some cards in his haste to escape the rain. She meets with the reverend, Nisa, and gets Norval's address across the street to return the cards. Norval is looking for someone to take over his Loch Ness collection and keep it going, he doesn't want to sell it or give it to someone who will let it sit idle. Delaney also meets Norval's nephew, Gavin.

Unfortunately, the next time she sees Norval, it's at 5:30 AM in front of the bookshop and he's there to ask her to help him contact Gavin, who he can't get a hold of because he's been stabbed to death. Did Norval do it? Was it someone else in Gavin's life? Is it related to the Loch Ness collection? Norval is arrested and put in a care home because his prints are on the knife at the scene.

The other mystery is of Angus, a Texan who has appeared to return a book his grandfather stole from Edwin, Delaney's boss, over 20 years ago. Edwin doesn't remember the book or the grandfather and spends some time with Angus (who also hits on Delaney repeatedly despite her being on the way to the altar) trying to figure it out and decide what to do with the valuable book about King Arthur.

The main side story, is of course, the wedding and Delaney's parents and brother visiting, which she does not let deter her from her sleuthing. There are some other mishaps on the way to the altar that cause extra work along the way, and it's fun to see Edinburgh through tourist eyes with her family.

With cozies, in other wedding books you see the love interest start to become more of a generic figure who's there for encouragement/kisses rather than as a developed character. In this case, Shelton saves that from happening by having the change in vicar, which causes Delaney and Tom to meet with her beforehand and have some pre-marital discussions about their life together; having him finally meet her family also keeps Tom from becoming too much of a background figure.

Good pace and it includes a look at the evidence and the kitsch of Nessie. The Loch Ness Papers is an enjoyable mystery and the Edinburgh setting continues to delight.

The Loch Ness Papers by Paige Shelton is the fourth book in the Scottish Bookshop series and a delightful addition to this series.

Delaney and Tom are getting married and Delaney's family is coming to visit from Kansas. While trying to find a new minister to officiate the wedding, Delaney meets Norval Fraser. He's a Loch Ness monster enthusiast who has been researching the monster for years. Ms. Shelton's descriptive writing draws the reader into Edinburgh and the characters. Having read the previous books in the series, I've come to feel like Edwin, Rosie, Hamlet, Tom and Delaney have all become friends. I love spending time with them and enjoying the sights, history and stories of Scotland and Edinburgh. I also liked that Ms. Shelton included Nessie's history and the possibilities of her existence into the story.

The plot moved swiftly with very few suspects and enough twists to keep me guessing. However, this time I did feel somewhat of a disconnect with Delaney. She got so involved with the murder, Norval and the mystery American that I felt like she neglected her family and her wedding. All in all it was a good read and I'll definitely be looking for more in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a free galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Loch Ness Papers was a perfect blend of cozy mystery and folklore.

Delaney Nichols, a spunky American woman, has made a new life in Edinburgh. She is about to be married to a wonderful man, her family is due to arrive from Kansas, and everything seems to be going according to plan until she meets an elderly man obsessed with the Loch Ness monster.

When the nephew of this man is murdered, Delaney finds herself in the middle of the mystery. The elderly Loch Ness monster enthusiast is accused of the murder, but Delaney is convinced of his innocence. She sets out to clear his name, and at the same time is uncharacteristically drawn to find out everything she can about the Loch Ness monster legends.

This is the fourth book in The Scottish Bookshop Mystery series by Paige Shelton. It works quite well as a stand-alone too. The main characters were likable and quite charming, and the setting was spectacular. The mystery was believable, and the elements of folklore added a nice touch.

I would recommend this series to any fan of small town fiction and cozy mysteries.

The book is a riveting murder thriller.. I enjoyed the setting and the atmosphere of the book. Looking forward to next book by Shelton.

A cozy addition to a series set in Scotland. This is a fun mystery with beautifully described details and comfortable characters.

The Loch Ness Papers is the 4th book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. I enjoy this cozy series. It has a nice mix of humor and mystery. The setting is awesome and the characters are fun and quirky. This time around, book enthusiast and seller Delaney Nichols meets and befriends an elderly man who is a local expert on the Loch Ness Monster. Norval Fraser is obsessed with the monster. and has been researching it for decades since the disappearance of his father. Norval firmly believes Nessie took his father. When the old man becomes a suspect in the murder of his great-nephew, Delaney steps in to help prove his innocence.

This book is a fun read. I love the fact that the Loch Ness Monster figures into the story. Who doesn't love Nessie? Norval is an interesting character. I found myself wondering as much about his notes and information on Nessie as I did about the murder mystery. Wouldn't it be so cool to read through someone's notes and observations on a cryptozoological mystery as famous as Nessie?

I enjoyed the plot. The mystery moved along at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and sleuthing. Although the ending wasn't a big surprise for me, I liked this story from start to finish. I will definitely be reading more of this series. I love the characters and the setting.

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This latest installment of the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries trickles along like the rain washing down Edinburgh's gutters. The historical city gets its due and the bookshop denizens are charming as always. Loch Ness's peaty depths are appropriately atmospheric and the monster-hunter elements are sure to attract curious readers.

I enjoyed the Scottish setting and the weather certainly felt real, but otherwise I didn't find this book compelling nor its ending satisfactory. Some promising plot threads simply petered out. A couple of glaring research errors could have been easily cleared up by 5 minutes with Professor Google. Although the author is adept at managing her crowded scenes, the large cast of regulars and the new characters particular to this mystery are a lot to keep track of. The addition of our sleuth's relatives from America adds nothing to the mystery but probably satisfies the series' devoted fans.

I love this series and this book didn't disappoint at all. Although, I've never been a believer in "Nessie', I found this to be quite an enjoyable read.

The characters are growing in complexity as well as relationships with each other. I loved that we got to meet Delaney's family and like the possibility that we might get to know them better in following books.

This is well-written book that is easy-to-read and kept me up way too late!

I'm already ready for the next one in the series!

myths-legends, Scotland, Loch Ness, law-enforcement, books, wedding, family, friendship, murder, cosy-mystery

What do the beautiful Nessie, a father's disappearance from Scotland during WW2, an old man's obsession with Nessie, and an extremely valuable copy of Malory's Le Morte d'Artur have in common?
Enter Delaney Nichols who investigates the personal history of the old man with the Nessie obsession and the murder of his less than honest nephew. Her friends at the bookstore, her soon to be groom, her family from America, and the overworked police inspector work together to make sense of why the life's work of the elderly man might have real bearing on the murder of the nephew.
This entertaining tale is filled with interesting characters, plot twists, red herrings, and Nessie history. Well worth the read! This is the first book I've read in the series, but that didn't detract at all.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and St Martins Press for the priviledge of getting an advanced copy of this story to read and review.

I have really enjoyed the adventures of Delaney as she has made friends and aquired a fiancee, soon to be husband, in Scotland.
In this story while trying to find a vicar to officiate at the wedding Delaney meets a Loch Ness enthusiast. One thing leads to another and Delaney begins to investigate not just a murder, but the truth behind the legend of Nessie.

I have really enjoyed all the books in this series and I look forward to more of Delaney's adventures.

Interesting but not fantastic. It's a nice read, but it's also a typical one with a flat narrative. Much more development all around would have been great.

This is book #4 of a series which features Delaney Nichols. Delaney is from Kansas but on a whim, she applies for a job at a bookstore in Scotland and moves there. As this book begins, she's lived in Edinburgh for a little over a year and her life there has been full of adventure, excitement and, of course, murder. Not that she's murdered anyone herself, but she has stumbled upon several mysteries.

I think this book was my favorite of the series so far. In this book, Delaney meets an odd man named Norval Fraser who is obsessed with the Loch Ness Monster. Norval used to live on the coast of Loch Ness and claims to have seen Nessie with his own eyes. Delaney isn't sure whether he's on to something or is mentally ill, but she's fascinated with his stories either way. Unfortunately for Norval, he becomes a murder suspect pretty early on in the book, and Delaney has to uncover the truth to help him.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that Delaney's family finally came to visit her in Scotland, and she blew them off for an entire week so she could solve this murder. I felt bad for them, but they still had a fun visit.

I am a Paige Shelton fan and a cozy mystery lover. Though I enjoyed the book I didn’t feel that the main character had as much depth. The ending was good but maybe lacked a little suspense. Overall I believe it was good and look forward to going back and reading other books in the series.

The Loch Ness papers was a really fun cozy mystery to curl up with. I love how the author was able to weave different storylines into one mystery book. Everything from a Loch Ness monster hunter to a wedding with relatives on the way. This was truly a cute read.

I'm a huge cozy mystery fan, but this is the first I've read of Paige Shelton and the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. The book was a delight! I loved getting to know Delaney and the wonderful characters at The Cracked Spine. The mystery was engaging, but I also really enjoyed the history aspect with Nessie. Having visited Edinburgh, it was easy to imagine the places and atmosphere that Ms. Shelton was conveying in her writing. I will definitely read her previous books in this series and check out her other cozy mystery series.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.