The best thing about this book is the title, as it reminds me of the famous Three Body Problem from Physics. From there it is just another cozy mystery with a long list of unremarkable characters and an irritating, nosy woman who owns a Sherlock Holmes store and is hired to host and cater a Sherlock Holmes weekend where someone is murdered by poison dart. I imagine that there are some fans of this genre who might enjoy this, but I’m afraid I found it a tad banal so I didn’t finish it.
Thanks to Net Gallery for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It's got an interesting mystery with an unusual method of death. The characters are great. #AThreeBookProblem #NetGalley.

This was a good little cozy mystery! I love Sherlock Holmes and that’s really why I wanted to read this book. I had not read the previous books in this series but for me that didn’t affect this book. I really liked Gemma and like Sherlock she was really observant. I thought the mystery was good. This book had a lot of characters and most were not very nice.
I really enjoyed this book and most likely will be going back to read the previous ones.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Being a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, I was excited to review this book. The main character, Gemma Doyle, is no relative of Sir Author Conan Doyle. But she does run a Sherlock Holmes bookshop. She is hired to provide material for a group of Sherlockians gathering at a country home. The host doesn't make it. And Gemma swings in to action.

I found the main character to be very entertaining and refreshing. The mystery wasn't very deep. Not a lot of deductive abilities needed to figure this one out. But it was an amusing read.

Unfortunately the copy that downloaded to my kindle was missing words and letters which made it very hard to read so I had to give up reading after the first chapter. It was a shame as I've read previous books by the author and enjoyed them.

Thank you for the arc.

Complicated convoluted plot .Written from the point of view of Gemma, an Englishwoman living in New England, it is set in a countryhouse weekend devoted to Sherlock Holmes. The book did not grab my interest until the last few chapters and even then was not particularly suspenseful. Lots of chasing around foloowing dead ends .... Still not convinced by the crime and I won't read anything else by this author. I realised part way in that i had read another in the series (which I didn't think was great either)
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of A Three Book Problem by Vicky Delaney in exchange for an honest review. Gemma Doyle runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in Cape Cod. Jayne is her chef in Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room and Ryan is the sous chef and detective. They get a beautiful house for a Sherlock and Watson party. Jayne and Gemma are also catering for a Sherlockian weekend, where a person gets killed by a poison dart. This was a quirky story and I didn't know what was going to happen next. I had not read any in series and now want to read the others.

⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars ~ Rounded up ~ Love the book cover!
This is my sixth Vicki Delany novel; and #7 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. Although I haven’t read this entire series, I have read and loved “Elementary, She Says" ] as well as "The Cat of the Baskervilles" in this series. I also enjoyed "White Sand Blues"] in the Ashley Grant series.
As a mystery book fan, I totally love book shops and one that has an adjacent tea room has got to be the BEST! I actually did a Google search for “Sherlock Holmes Tea Set” and Yes! They are available!
I am ready for a “Sherlock Holmes” theme book discussion with deerstalker hats & magnifying glasses.

Aww there are some twist and turns that I want and expect in a mystery!!!
Ms. Delany once again delivers an enjoyable read 😀
Yep! I am looking forward to her next story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 11, 2022

Gemma Doyle is on hand to solve this latest murder mystery. Gemma, Jayne, and Ryan are the hired hands for a Sherlockian weekend. The host is murdered. Gemma cannot help herself, she puts the pieces together to be on hand to solve the crime. Very enjoyable book series.

Where to begin. First let me say I will not be reviewing the content of A THREE BOOK PROBLEM since the publisher has made it nearly impossible to do so. I am barely into the second chapter and am having a difficult time following the story since the copy I downloaded to my Kindle has so many typo’s I spend half of my time trying to discern what the words are……and there are at least two (or more) of these “missing in action” letters per page.

Some examples: Several sentences begin with “E’ which should be THE as well as the word THIS which appears on the page as IS and AT’S which should be THAT’s. Many words that have a double F such as Staff, Stuff or Stiff only have Sta or Stu or Sti printed on the page. The same applies to words with IF,FI or FL in the word such as RST which is FIRST, BE TTED which is befitted or nger which is FINGER or my personal favorite OORBOARDS which is FLOORBOARDS. Well, you get the idea. And all of this appeared in just the first chapter.

I do realize that the plot is supposed to be about an expert on Sherlock Holmes, but I did not realize that it was I who was supposed to be the detective and was charged with trying to deduce what the missing letters are and exactly was going on in the story. Did anyone proofread this before it was released for download??

TO THE PUBLISHER: Should you wish to check this out for yourself, be my guest. If the appropriate corrections are made and readers are able to read and enjoy the story without the unnecessary distraction currently involved, feel free to forward me a corrected copy for review.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

—Jenn McKinlay, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of Better Late Than Never

"Vicki Delany is one of many great mystery writers and with this book, she has stepped it up a notch.. The first book in her new series displays Gemma Doyle, a wonderfully protagonist that runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, that has quirky characters and appeal of old books flourish. I enjoyed every all the information the story displayed. Using the Cape Cod setting was enchanting and the interesting points that kept me turning pages late into the night. This is book is fast, fun, and full of Sherlockian lore. Kudos for a charming, a smart character as observant as The Amazing Detective himself.”

I have been getting into these Cozy Mysteries lately and loving them. They are so easy to read as well as being fun. And this was just like that.

It is a mystery so has some substance but it is also clever, even exciting and I love it is set in the Sherlock Holmes Library. How good is that!

Great characters, great story, great mystery and great fun. I'm not sure what else to say.

A Three Book Problem: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery (ISBN9781643857985) by Vicki Delany
Gemma Doyle (owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium) and Jayne Wilson (owner of Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room) are hired by philanthropist David Masterson to stage and cater a Sherlockian weekend at Suffolk Gardens House, a Twentieth-Century replica of a stately English country estate. Ryan Ashburton, Gemma’s detective boyfriend, joins them to assist in the kitchen.

As the guests arrive, it becomes clear that they are don’t like each other and so the mood, which should be celebratory, is sadly argumentative. Furthermore, not all are Sherlockian experts; some barely know about Sir Arthur Conon Doyle’s Canon and his accomplished detective. Host Masterson meets privately with Gemma and Jayne to discuss that evening’s elegant dinner when he is struck in the neck with a poisoned dart. Murder is now on the menu.

This book is the seventh in a series of mystery novels by Delany and the first in the series for me. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the literary references, beginning with the title of the book, A Three Book Problem, based on Holmes’ “a three-pipe problem.” There is a clear reference to The Sign of Four, a Holmes adventure in which the murders are accomplished by poisoned blow darts. But, who is the murderer? Delany’s cast of characters are worthy of the Sherlockian Canon. Gemma is the amateur Sherlock Holmes, hunting down clues and asking the tough questions. There are many others at the weekend gathering, but I’ll leave the rest of the characters for you to discover as you read this fine novel.

I recommend this book: 4 stars.

Thoroughly enjoyed the mystery. It was fun, with exciting events and brilliant description of period decor and clothes that added to the story's aesthetic.

Delightful read and an enjoyable afternoon spent losing myself in the story and forgetting about reality for a couple of hours.

This was both my first Gemma Doyle mystery and my first Vicki Delany book. I enjoyed reading it on rainy afternoons, a cup (well, more like a mug) of tea in my hand and my two dogs curled up next to me. In other words, this is a true cozy mystery and I am finding myself wanting to go back and read the Gemma/Holmes mysteries books in order to learn more about the recurring characters and the prior cases that were occasionally referenced.

One thing I'd like to point out is that I was confused by the conversation between Gemma and Ryan near the end, after "the stream"--Gemma and Ryan walk to the house together and there's no mention of Louise being with them or meeting them at the house but then Louise is asking questions all of a sudden (and, apparently, Gemma has sat down in the meantime). Also, the writing makes Gemma quite smug occasionally but that's probably a feature and not a bug; I'll know for sure when I get to the previous books in the series.

Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson find themselves, once again, in the middle of a murder. Serving as caterers and staff for a "Sherlock Holmes" themed house party, the ladies quickly realize all is not what it seems in the relationship between the swanky guests. When the host is murdered, Gemma and Jayne must root out a murderer before there's more victims!

What a fun mystery! I like Gemma and her character was, in my opinion, more open and showed more compassion than in the other books. Jayne was featured more in this book and I enjoyed the way their very different personalities played off each other. The descriptions of the period clothing and house decor added to the book. Having Ryan act as house staff and detective added a fun element to the story. The mystery was fast-paced with twists and turns galore! I thought I knew "whodunit" but I was wrong. It's so entertaining to step into the world of Gemma Doyle! I'm ready for another visit!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I warned up to this series slowly but am now a true fan. This story is excellent with interesting and fun characters and if course Sherlock. The dialogue is quick, smart, and fun. Sometimes Gemma seems a bit snooty but then she always does something that makes me love her again.

When Gemma Doyle and her best friend Jayne Hudson are asked to cater a Sherlock Holmes weekend at the majestic Suffolk House, they agree, Both of them have always wanted to see the interior, and this is their chance. But what they don't expect is to find that the people host David Masterson has invited are hostile toward each other. What's more, some of them don't even know anything about Sherlock Holmes, which sets Gemma to wondering. At least she has help from her boyfriend, West London Police Detective Ryan Ashburton, who has taken time off to help them.

But after a tense first night, Jayne and Gemma have plans the next day to meet someone in the library. That is, until that person is killed by a poisoned dart, which struck accurately and fatally. Now Jayne and Gemma are in the middle of another murder investigation, and with a surfeit of suspects, Gemma's got to use her attention to detail to discover a killer before they kill again...

I initially didn't care for the first book in this series, but I am glad that I stuck with it. Each book has gotten better than the last, and the characters are evolving in their lives with each one. It's delightful to become involved with them, living in their world temporarily, and taking in the descriptions of West London, the characters, and their problems. This book, -- a three book problem, as it were -- is from Sherlock Holmes, when he would have a particularly sticky problem, and call it a three pipe problem. The titles are whimsical and anyone familiar with Holmes will understand them. But be aware that even if you are not familiar with Holmes that you will still enjoy the books.

Gemma is off and running once again wondering who would want to kill the person, and so begins her questioning of the guests for the week. Sometimes subtle, sometimes not; she intends to find out who had something to hide and why they wanted this person dead. But it soon becomes apparent that finding a killer isn't as easy as it could be, when everyone seems to not want to talk about it and even shies away from her.

So between the police doing what they need to do and Gemma doing what she's inclined to, we have a mystery that is not easy to solve and a group of people who might have all had a reason to kill. It gives a tantalizing story of greed, lies, blackmail, and murder, and keeps you on your toes while you search for a killer. When the ending comes, it is a surprise indeed, which makes it more than ever a most pleasant read. Highly recommended.

This book was a delight to read. It had me hooked early on in the story. This was the first Gemma Doyle mystery I've read , and I look forward to reading more. Ms. Delaney is a talented author. Gemma Doyle, co-owner of a book and emporium store in New England tries to find out who killed a man who had made many enemies. The book was fast paced and filled with interesting characters. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.