This is the first book I have read by Vicky Delaney. I was immediately hooked with the introduction providing background information for Scarlet House. Ms. Delany‘s writing is very descriptive and I can picture myself in the setting. In addition this Sherlock Holmes theme weaves throughout the plot nicely. The characters’ personalities are well flushed out and as they speak I can hear their voices. The only criticism I have is the scenes about Moriarty and the lilies. I wonder if Donald is aware the lilies are poisonous to cats? If so, did he buy the lilies on purpose? Since I haven’t read previous books in the series, I wonder if this is an ongoing scenario with Donald and Moriarty or if this is part of a sub plot that will continue in future books. I just didn’t feel this subplot was tied up very well at the end. However, the ending does bring everything together very nicely (minus Moriarty and Donald). Every detail and characters’ involvement is wrapped up. This book kept me guessing and kept me interested so much that I’m going to go back and read the rest of the series!

Really enjoyed this cozy mystery book! The story was great and I liked guessing along the plot. A cute, fun read that Ienjoyed!

Hello, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley.

The file that came into my Kindle has all of the paragraphs without indentions. Thus, the reading process of this arc is not easy on the eyes or enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I found this poor formatting with several of the cozy mystery tiles from Crooked Lane books.

The only two that were formatted correctly and readable were A Christmas Candy Killing and A Good Day To Pie, both of which I loved. I will post reviews for those books later this Fall on my blog and include the links.

List of Crooked Lane Books that are incorrectly formatted are;

Death by Margins
Dead Men Don’t Decorate
The Game Is A Footnote
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking
Streetcar Named Murder
Snuffed Out
Hidden in the Pines
Canter With A Killer

I enjoy reading Sherlock Holmes! I had the chance to read Body on Baker Street
(A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery #2) by chance at my college's library. The characters and setting from that book is present in The Game is a Footnote. The plot and mystery of this book was fun to read. Mystery fans should give this series a try.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a digital copy of this book for my review. I can't wait to read more of A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series!

Thank you to NetGalley for a pre-release of this book.

This book sounded great from the description, but I didn't realize it was part of a series. I struggled to follow along (especially with the characters and their backstory) as I was reading. No fault of the authors, I should've read the other books in the series first for context.

The Game is a Footnote was a fun read. I have read all of this series. The book starts with a prologue giving you the history of the house in West London, Massachusetts. It then goes to the present time. Gemma Doyle is the main character who owns The Sherlock Holmes Book store along with her Uncle Arthur. She is also part owner of Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room with her best friend, Jayne Wilson. The two shops are on Baker Street. The other character's of he book are the same as from book one as well as additional characters that add to the story.

Emma and Jayne are asked to a meeting of The Historical Society who own the Scarlet House. Strange things are happening there. Leslie Wilson, Jayne's mother who is on the board tells them that things go missing and show up in strange places the next day. One evening the neighbor Craig and Carrie Jones are woken up hearing the animals on the farm making lots of noise in the night. They feel that the house might be haunted. At the meeting at Robyn Kilkpatrick, the board chair's house, along with the rest of the board, Leslie, Wilson, David Chase, Ben Alderson along with Sharon Musgrove, They ask Gemma and Jayne to stay the night there to see what is going on. They agree to do it and along with Jayne's fiancé, Andy Whitehall who is keeping them company stay the night. David and Craig have agreed to stay at the barn. The night they decide to stay there is a bad rain storm. Everything goes well until just after midnight when Gemma hears hears a thump followed by a rustling sound. At the same time they hear a pounding on the door. It is Craig saying there is something happening in the barn and Andy goes with him to check it out. At the house Gemma hears two woman screaming, one of them is Jayne. Who is the other? Jayne calls the police, There does not seem anything out of place in the kitchen except for the rolling pin on the floor. The police arrive along with Stella Johnson, a police woman that Gemma knows. They check everything out and leave. Gemma thinks that someone human was in the house that night or their own purposes but how did they get in?

Because of the events of that night the board calls an emergency meeting and asks Gemma and Jayne to attend again. Cassie and Craig are also asked to attend. Although not invited, Ethan Evanston arrives. He is doing a PHD on the Scarlet House.

When getting back to the store Jayne realizes that she has left her purse at the house and both she and Gemma go back to hopefully get it as house could be locked up. When they arrive the house is locked up but they notice the barn door is open and the pigs are making lots of noise. In the big pen Dave Chase lies dead. They call the police, Ryan Ashburton, lead detective at WLPD and Gemma's boyfriend arrives with his boss, Louise Estrada. This is where the story takes off taking the reader on an adventure of why David was killed and what exactly is happening in the house. To Gemma's surprise her sister, Phillipa arrives at her doorstep from England. She works for the government. She says that she was in Washington with her boss who decided to stay a few days so she decided to come for a visit. Gemma questions the real reason she is there. Her sister's arrival adds more mystery to the story..

There is another sub=story with Bunny Leigh an old popstar wintering in a rented house in West London. The town is excited that she is there. She comes to sit in Gemma's store several times but does not buy anything but is watching Ashleigh Gemma's sales clerk.. When Gemma gets back to her store she finds that Ashleigh is missing and the store is left open, She is concerned and with her sister's help she finally finds Ashleigh and the reason for her disappearance. There is lots that happens before this mystery is solved.

Everything comes to an exciting conclusion of who and why David was killed and the reason her sister is there relating to the house. I will leave the ending to the reader to enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

I'd been participating in a book bingo challenge and reading a few things outside my usual genres so I was quite excited to read this book. I really enjoyed it. I don't really connect well with Gemma, but in this one she's more approachable/likeable.

The mystery is a little far fetched, but it gave a chance for an unexpected character to pop up. There was an unrelated secondary storyline that is sort of out of left field. Left me wondering if the author is setting up the next book's story or if the story was a little short and she needed some filler. It wasn't obtrusive.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a fun series, and I had a great time with this cozy mystery. I loved the plot, the twists and turns, and the characters!

Bookstore owner Gemma Doyle doesn’t believe in ghosts but when mysterious things start happening at Scarlet House, a historical re-enactment museum, she agrees to spend the night there with some others to see what is going on. To her surprise, some strange things do happen while there but the possibility of a ghost is quickly eliminated when Gemma and friend and Jayne Wilson stumble across a dead body on the property. Gemma is determined to find out what is happening at Scarlet House but what she discovers will surprise her and all involved.

“The Game is A Footnote” is the delightful eighth book in Vicki Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery cozy mystery series. While Sherlock Holmes is the main theme of this series (including Gemma and her Uncle Arthur’s last name!), you don’t have to be a Sherlock Holmes fan to enjoy this series and book. I do admit it took me a bit of time to warm up to Gemma as a character – I feel the same way about Sherlock Holmes and Gemma is definitely the female version of Holmes – but several books in I find I do like her (although being friends with her might be a bit intimidating!). The mystery of Scarlet House is well done – I won’t say too much except I loved the way Delany handled the plot of the mysterious events. There are plenty of surprises in this book – many handled with a subtle sense of humor – as well as twists and turns – readers will be kept guessing until the end as to who the killer is.

“The Game is A Footnote” is a nicely done cozy mystery.

This is a classic cozy mystery- amateur sleuth, quaint setting, just the right number of potential suspects without being overwhelming.

My main issue is that I was so confused as to where the story is set. Is it the U.S. or England? For those who are familiar with the series, this is a non-issue, but for those who, like me, start the series with this book, it was frustrating. If this is made clear in the beginning,that fact didn't stick in my mind.

I really enjoyed the writing and it was a quick read however, my confusion really took me out of the story, which was really disappointing.

Vicki Delaney is a very talented cozy author and I enjoy every series she writes. She never disappoints!

In the latest installment of the Sherlock Holmes bookstore mystery series, Gemma has been asked to investigate the possibility of ghosts in the newly opened historical museum. Gemma does not want to get involved and certainly does not believe in ghosts, but a friend asks her, so she agrees to an initial meeting. and somehow gets roped in to spending a night in Scarlet House. Two other volunteers were staying out in the barn with the animals. Gemma and her friends are disturbed by screams and the sounds of clattering from the kitchen but when they investigated, there was nothing. The animals in the barns were also restless.

Gemma knows she didn't imagine the noises but doesn't believe in ghosts or hauntings and the only conclusion she has is that someone human was responsible, but she had no idea how they got in and out.

Unfortunately, after a board meeting one of the barn volunteers is found dead in the barn. It appears he fell from the hayloft but was it an accident?

Even though Gemma didn't want to be involved, she finds that she is. And it appears that there may be more going on when her sister pays an unexpected visit.

Another solid installment in the series!

Gemma is ready to settle down, work at her bookstore and relax after months of adventures. Then her best friend's mom asks a favour, spend the night in a haunted building. The historical society wants Gemma to figure out what is going on before they lose more business and go bankrupt. Can she help them without anything else happening? Fast cozy read!

Gemma Doyle runs a Sherlock Holmes themed bookstore in New London, Massachusetts. And like Mr. Holmes, murder and mayhem seems to follow her around. She is asked to check out a possible haunting at a local historic home. This leads to a possible murder. And some shenanigans are definitely going on.

She is visited by her Mycroft-like sister, Pippa. And her clerk disappears when a washed up rock star shows up in town. On top of this, she enjoys an interesting relationship with the local police detective. He loves her dearly, but her meddling in his cases is a challenge.

Although I have read several other series from Vicki Delany, this was my first in her Sherlock Holmes Bookstore series. This prolific author has a wonderful writing style. Her characters are engaging. Like all of her other stories, there are the ever-present bigger than life pets. In this case, two dogs and a cat. I'm not a pet person, so this aspect of her stories has never appealed to me. But I know it's a nice touch for others. All in all, this is a good story and a great series.

Sherlock Holmes Bookstop Mysteries is my favorite cozy mystery series. When I start each book. it's like visiting an old friend. There are all the things I love: the wonderful Cape Cod setting, delightful characters, and the book shop and tea room. But there is always someething new and fun. Gemma is a likeable, smart, and endering character. In this, the 8th installment, Gemma is asked to investigate strange happenings at the town's historical museum. And of course, upon investigating, one of the volunteers turns up dead. Is there really a ghost haunting the museum or is something else afoot? Although she didn't want to get involve, this time, Gemma finds herself in the middle of another mystery.

This is a delightful addition to this wonderul series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
#TheGameisaFootnote #NetGalley

Gemma and Jayne are on the case to help determine what, or who, is haunting Scarlet House. Gemma doesn’t believe the odd happenings are supernatural and finding a dead body sure hints at something loving being the cause. To solve both the murder and the haunting, they’re going to need proof.

This is one of my favorite cozy series! I love the book store dedicate to all things Sherlock Holmes, the mysteries in each book and the critters. It all comes together to deliver a solid entry every single time, along with a feeling of spending time with friends.

I absolutely love a great cozy mystery and this one hit the nail on the head. Another wonderful addition to the genre.

The Game is a Footnote is #8 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, by Vicki Delany. It is the first one that I've read and I truly enjoyed the characters, and the part each one of them played in this fun mystery.

Gemma is the Bookshop owner and her best friend Jayne owns the Tea shop, together they have a tendency to get involved in things that are happening in West London, Massachusetts! This time Gemma has been asked by the board of Scarlet House, which is now a historical re-enactment museum,to investigate strange goings on at the working Museum! Things are being moved around at night, noises are heard, including what sounds like a screaming woman. The animals in the barn get upset, and start a ruckus, but no clue as to how and why!

When Gemma spends a night at the museum she doesn't feel that the place is haunted, but is she right? The death of the caretaker of the animals (Dave) is found dead, how did he die? was it an accident? The director of the Museum board is acting strange lately to, does she have something to do with whats happening? An old Pop star comes to town, which adds more questions. Then Gemma's sister, Pippa, who lives in England shows up with no warning, and Gemma doesn't really believe her excuse!

So many twists, turns, and possible suspects along the way, make for a very entertaining cozy mystery!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for letting me have an advanced reader copy to enjoy. This review is my honest opinion of "The Game is a Footnote"

Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, has special skills that allow her to discover things about others. She has superb observation skills. It's served her well in helping to solve more than one murder. But now she's been asked to see if Scarlet House is haunted. It seems things have been moving around at night when no one is there. Not really wanting to, but since the asking came from her best friend Jayne's mother Leslie, she agrees to do so. So she finds herself, along with Jayne and Jayne's fiancé Andy, spending the night in the old house. The only other people there are out in the barn: a retired veterinarian who cares for the animals, and volunteer Craig Jones. Gemma, who doesn't believe in ghosts, spends time walking through the house at various hours to see if there is any activity.

But when there's noise in the kitchen, nothing seems to have been disturbed. And when there's noise in the barn, it seems the animals have been spooked by something unknown. Then a body is discovered on the premises and Gemma calls the police, with her boyfriend Detective Ryan Ashburton arriving to check it out.

Now, Gemma is once again in pursuit of a killer, with clues few and far between. She'll need all her wits about her to solve this murder, even if the police don't want her involved.

Then there's a bit of a complication: Gemma's sister Pippa shows up out of the blue, claiming she's taking a bit of a vacation while her employer is in Washington on business. Gemma, ever alert as she is, knows something else is up with Pippa. Pippa is Mycroft Holmes to Gemma's Sherlock, and together they might just be unstoppable...and now the game is afoot...

This is the eighth book in the series, and I have read them all. While in the first book I wasn't fond of Gemma, I have now grown to love her. She's extremely intelligent, loyal to her friends and family, loves animals, her shop, and, of course, Ryan. She's an extraordinary woman, and she doesn't actually accuse anyone without having facts to back it up. She also has a sudden problem with one of her employees, and while she'd like to leave it alone, her curiosity gets the better of her and she needs the answers she's looking for.

But now Pippa has come on the scene, with the story that she's on vacation, but Gemma doesn't believe it one whit. She knohttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/ws there's something going on, and she's determined to figure it out. What she finds out from Pippa isn't what she expects, and she's surprised at it. Watching both Gemma and Pippa together is a lot of fun, and makes your brain work just a little bit harder to try and figure it out before they do.

It's a delightful romp of a book, bringing the staid British together with the emotional Americans, and watching the two combine and deliver conclusions at the end is quite worthwhile. It leaves us wanting more and waiting impatiently for the next in the series. I enjoyed this book so much that I have decided to revisit the great Holmes himself in A Study in Scarlet. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

Fun cozy mystery. Good characters and story. Will definitely read more of this series. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was another book in which Gemma gets pulled into a strange occurrence. This time it is a possible haunting of the local historical museum/house. She is a bit unwillingly involved but has some suspicions. While I normally enjoy this series, I felt this one meandered somewhat through the middle and then the ending was rather bewildering.