I love the title's play on words. The Game is a Footnote is book 8 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series. Having followed the series since it's beginning, I was excited to catch up with Gemma and Jayne.
The mystery is convoluted and doesn't come together until right at the end. I was surprised by the outcome and how the author wove together the strands of many skeins to get a cohesive picture at the end.
I enjoyed having Gemma's sister pop in for a visit and how her visit was important to the final outcome.
I still don't really get what happened with Ashley, Gemma's shop assistant. It was a piece that didn't feel fully resolved at the end.
I listened to the audio book and enjoyed the narrator. I also received an ebook copy for review. Both versions of the book are a delightful addition to the mysteries series.
This book could be read as a standalone, but as with most of my favorite cozy mystery series I recommend reading the entire series so that you understand the characters better and can follow more of the background threads that sneak in book to book.
Thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media. #DreamscapeMedia

I had read the first in this series and this was my return. I really don’t like the set up. I love cozy mysteries and ghost stories, but I hate that this series revolves around a main character whose biggest trait is that she’s British. And because she’s British, she’s like Sherlock Holmes. I found this intensely annoying.

❓️What books publishing in 2023 are you looking forward to❓️

🥳Happy Pub Day to Vicki Delany and The Game is a Footnote!

🤞If you were anticipating the new Sherlock Holmes Bookshop book, your wish has been granted!

🏡While this series hits a lot of cozy TROPES (small business owners, great side characters, excellent cozy companions, small town settings, romance with law enforcement), Delany combines them in a way that elevates the series and makes it extra-special.

🔎If you were wanting more references to the Holmes Canon (The Hound of the Baskervilles), more Pippa and cameos from other side characters, more of the history of West London and connection to broader history not to mention a fantastic murder investigation where tensions continues to ratchet up as the story moves along, then I highly recommend you pick this up ASAP. The audio version read by Kim Hicks is fantastic, her performance elevates the story and tension even further.

📚While almost all cozy mysteries stand alone, if you haven't read this series before, I suggest you start at the beginning with book 1, Elementary, She Read. (You're in for a treat!)

❤️Thank you to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for access to the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this audiobook from netgalley for an honest review.

I think this was a great addition to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries. I wish I had read the one before so I was a little more aware of the Scarlett farm that was so big in this book. But I truly enjoyed the mystery.

The Game is a Footnote by Vicki Delany takes us back to The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and its proprietor, Gemma and her sidekick, Jayne, the genius behind Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room. Gemma and Jayne were at a table with with Jayne’s mother who was relaying a strange story about all the people who now believed there was a ghost inhabiting the Scarlet House, the local historical museum where she volunteered. She told several odd stories, until Gemma put a stop to it and insisted she hear the last story from the person involved. They made an appointment for that evening where another seeminglysensible woman relayed her story of seeing a ghost. Gemma, Jayne, and Jayne’s fiance, Andy, agreed to spend the night in the house to see for themselves. It was a refreshing change for Gemma to investigate something other than murder, despite the fact she didn’t believe it for a moment. Obviously someone was up to something.

As always Gemma ferrets out the culprits and the reasons for the deception, but not before there is a death (murder) and a visit from her sister who works for a very shady department in the British government. It was an interesting case with all of Gemma’s compatriots taking part. Gemma is an interesting transplant from England who often sees things differently, making her difficult to love, as her boyfriend, the police detective points out regularly. There is another minor mystery when Gemma’s employee, Ashleigh, walks away from the bookshop in the middle of the day, not to be heard from for several days, until Gemma finds her. These are well-written characters with a solid core who get along well. The mystery was a convoluted one and solved the murder and the ghosts all in one. If you are looking for a comfortable, entertaining read, look no further.

The audio book was read by Kim Hooks, and was not nearly as good as the printed book. Hooks resorted to weird voices to differentiate between characters which I don’t care for. I also didn’t like her voice for Gemma, who sounded too old and maybe, too regal. Many of the others were good, except her portrayal of men, which I didn’t care for.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Game is A Footnote by Crooked Lane Books, with the audio from Dreamscape Media, both through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #CrookedLaneBooks #DreamscapeMedia #VickiDelany #TheGameIsAFootnote

This was my first book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery. I really loved this book there was more than one storyline it was an enjoyable cozy mystery. I was able to read this with no issue being my first book. I am a fan of anything with Sherlock Holmes and enjoyed the ties. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to the audiobook. #thegameisafootnote #netgallery

Gemma and Jayne are back on the case when a body is discovered in a haunted museum.
This cozy mystery is book 8 of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, but the first one I read, and now that I have read this one, I will definitely go back to read the rest of the series. It has plenty of red herrings that keep you guessing, a slow pace with an explosive ending and is a fun read. The narration was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Book Title: The Game is a Footnote
Author: Vicki Delany
Series: A Sherlock Homes Bookshop Mystery #8
Narrator: Kim Hicks
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Cozy Thriller
Pub Date: January 10, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars *Note I give very few 5 star ratings!

This is my seventh author, Vicki Delany novel; and #8 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. Although I haven’t read this entire series, I have read and loved many including“ Elementary, She Says" as well as " The Cat of the Baskervilles" in this series. I also totally enjoyed "White Sand Blues" in the Ashley Grant series.

Gemma Doyle is the main character in this story and she 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.

Rumors are flying that Scarlet House, a local museum is haunted...
Gemma reluctantly agrees to help find the ghosts that are roaming Scarlet House but honestly isn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary so doesn’t invited her boyfriend Detective Ryan Ashburn.

Gemma with her best friend Jayne Wilson plus Jayne’s soon to be husband Andy Whitehall spend the night at Scarlet House on ghost hunt exploring. Hmmm things do get interesting.

A couple stories going on that I knew would end up bring connected.
Fun enjoyable read!!

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 delivered another enjoyable read.
Yep! I am looking forward to her next story!

Ms. Delany is the author of four cozy mystery series: In addition to this, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane, The Tea by the Sea series from Kensington Books, and the Year Round Christmas series from Penguin she also writes the Lighthouse Library series under the pen of Eva Gates. I also love that series!)

You may her at www.vickidelany.com , www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor, and twitter: @vickidelany

Vicki is part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com) and Killer Characters (http://www.killercharacters.com)

Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for granting me the pleasure if listening to this fun early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 10, 2023

This was the first book that I have read in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery Series and it was quite easy to jump in with no previous knowledge of the heroine, Gamma Doyle, the owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in West London, Massachusetts. In this episode, Gemma, who is British woman somehow related to Arthur Conan Doyle, biographical facts that are presumably explained in early books in the series, is asked to look into a strange series of supernatural occurrences that have been taking place in a local historical home that provides public tours. I listened to the audio book, which will be released this month.

This is a fun mystery to listen to. The audio-narrator does rousing work differentiating the characters with numerous voices and accents. I would say that there were enough red herrings to make the plot work, although I found the overall story to be peppered with unlikely plot points and characters that suddenly behaved in somewhat unconvincing ways. While I felt only lukewarm towards the mystery in general, I to think that this would be a great book for lovers of the cozier types of cozy mysteries, and I liked the main character.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC review copy of this audiobook.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I have read a few books from this series. And I have enjoyed them. If you love cozy mysteries then you will like these books.
I do think though that so far this was my favorite book from the series. I like the characters in the book and the murder mystery had a little bit of supernatural elements in it, which was fun!

This book was really good! I enjoyed the mystery. I also enjoyed the writing style and the narrator. The narrator was a good match for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

“Scarlet House, now a historical re-enactment museum, is the oldest building in West London, Massachusetts. When things start moving around on their own, board members suggest that Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, might be able to get to the bottom of it.”

I’m not 100% in love with cozy mysteries. They’re either super-obvious, or so farfetched as to leave you annoyed.

This one managed to be neither.

Footnote is the 8th in a series, and while a hardcore reader would probably get more out of this book having read the previous seven, I do think it works as a stand-alone.

I liked the nods to the original Conan Doyle works (Mrs. Hudson, Moriarty, the spook of a sibling), I liked meeting the town’s peoples. I liked the blending of both British and American history.

I did find Gemma a bit of a jerk. She’s observant and intelligent, to be sure, but she seems to relish in the observation and deduction of all the BAD things about her neighbours. She’s managed to make friends, and be involved in a romantic relationship, so she must not be wholly horrible, but she’s not someone I’d have over for tea. She’d be too quick to mention to everyone all my failings as a housekeeper.

All in all, I enjoyed this short read.

I think I’ll try Delany’s “Molly Smith” series next.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and publisher for providing a free e-audio version of this book in exchange for my review.

I've read a few in this series previously, but not the full series. However, I felt like I could keep up with the story progression, so starting at this point in the series would probably work well and be just as enjoyable. This was the audio version of the book, so the narrator is a key figure as well. The narration was fairly well done. Some of the other character voices were a bit off, but words were pronounced well and the narrator did try for a Sherlock feel, I believe.

The story, overall, well, it was ok. I didn't love the mystery or the side stories. This is very much a cozy mystery in that it is not graphic or bloody, but it doesn't have that "I want to move to this town and get to know these people because they are so interesting" feel that many cozy's do. Overall, I would probably pick up another in this series - either to catch up on the books I missed, or to look ahead to a new book. Cozy mystery readers would enjoy this one and I would recommend it. Light, engaging mystery that was easy to follow and enjoy.

3 stars for "I liked it"

Vicki Delany’s The Game is a Footnote is a cute cozy mystery that I was able to lose myself in for a few hours. After the holidays’ hustle and bustle, I needed that reprieve.

Gemma Doyle reprised her role as the purveyor of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium (as this is the 8th book in the series), who happens to not only be super well-connected with everyone in town, but is also dating a town detective.

When the local living history/reenactment museum starts having strange and eerie noises and missing items, they are quick to call for help, including Gemma’s help. She offers advice and even gives in to spending the night in the possibly haunted museum, only to be a witness to the noise, whose origin wasn’t determined.

When a local friend, David, turns up dead in the barn at the Scarlet House Museum, will Gemma be able to channel Sherlock Holmes again to solve this gaslight mystery before her boyfriend?

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for this audio ARC!

A charming cozy mystery! I loved the Cape Cod setting and the incorporation of an historic house, objects, and documents into the story. It did take a while to really get into the story as there seemed to be a lot going on—lots of characters and a few storylines that I couldn’t imagine coming together—but by the halfway point I was completely engaged. I did find the characters—especially the protagonist Gemma—quite interesting from the start so that kept me going. There were a few connections that I did not anticipate, and the resolution was fascinating. I didn’t realize that this book is part of a series and I look forward to reading more of the adventures of Gemma and her neighbors in West London; I always welcome the prospect of a new mystery series to dive into! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

This cozy mystery series is set in a town on Cape Cod, Massachusetts called West London and the main character is a young woman, Gemma, who hails from London, England. Her uncle (or maybe great-uncle) has a bookstore that specializes in Sherlock Holmes (books about him, books about the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mugs, puzzles, etc.) and other books set in Victorian times, and now Gemma is running the shop. The story in The Game is a Footnote is set in January, a slow time of year for a touristy area like “the Cape.” Gemma has a reputation for being very observant, like her hero Sherlock Holmes, and is asked to get involved in trying to figure out what happened at a local historic house. The story was a bit far-fetched, but it kept me guessing.

I’ve only read one other book in this Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series so I can recommend this as a standalone. There are references to things that have happened in previous books but they weren’t essential to the current story.

Fans of the cozy mystery genre will enjoy the fact that not only is there a cat who lives in the building that houses the bookstore, but that Gemma owns two dogs.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook is narrated by Kim Hicks. The story is told by Gemma and I thought her narration was excellent for Gemma, but I didn’t like the voices/accents she used for the local characters. None of them sounded in the least like the New Englanders I know and love.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to enjoy this one but the author really, REALLY layed on the camp and I was not a fan of the narrative style as well.

Decent if you like cozy mysteries, but it seemed like the conclusion was a bit too far-fetched.


Review copy provided by publisher.

Gemma owns a small bookstore which focuses on Sherlock Holmes and the Victorian era. Ashley is her employee, and she disappears in the middle of her shift. No one saw what happened. At the same time Gemma is also looking into the ghost at Scarlet House. Is the ghost and Ashley’s disappearance connected? Visit West London, Massachusetts where a plethora of interesting community members and the haunting of Scarlet house will be introduced in this whodunit book.

I had no expectations when I started the book. I’ve not read anything by the author nor knew anything about the Sherlock Homes Bookshop Mystery’s. I tried not to figure out who the culprit was, instead I let the book guide me through the story. I enjoyed the book because Gemma is an independent female character that doesn’t pretend to be something she is not. I will be adding more of the books in the series to my listen/read list.

The narrator at first threw me off at first with the accent. I didn’t realize that Gemma was British but once I made the connection it was easier. I listened to the first chapter at regular speed but it was too slow so I sped it up to 1.75, which should not reflect negatively on the narrator since I normally listen to audiobooks at 1.75 to 1.85 speed. The narrator’s voice fit the character and was easy to understand.

Aaaaaannnnnnndddddddd we are back! Hallelujah!!

After the previous book, I had serious doubts about this series, which until said book, had been really amazing. Book 7 was decidedly not. Between formatting, a very weak story, the narrator being really off and again, a very weak story [though I will say that the premise was really good and unique and I was SO happy to see one of the characters from that story in this one, albeit very briefly, that didn't take away from a seriously weak story and some real frustration] and poor writing and I thought that maybe the series had run its length and needed to be over.

And then I got this one from NetGalley [along with the audiobook, though I was hesitant in that area] and figured I would give it a shot, simply because I have loved this series so much.
Ohhhhhh friends, I am SO GLAD I did. THIS is the writing and story-line that I have loved all along and this was, quite simply, how you open a new reading year IMO. It took everything I had to put it down the first day I started and finally, by yesterday [when I finished], I caved and just read/listened until I was finished. And what a finish! WOW.

I was absolutely sure I knew who the killer was. And if I was wrong [ ;-) ], I had an almost certain 2nd choice [they were a red herring, but such a BIG red herring that is was almost certain they were more than such. HA! I was wrong there too]. I was soooo wrong on both counts. VERY. VERY. WRONG. How absolutely glorious.

Gemma is at her absolute best here. She is seriously trying to NOT get involved in something that everyone actually WANTS her to be involved in and when she finally jumps in full force, things escalate very quickly. Jayne is again the perfect side-kick and I loved the addition of several characters [that I will not mention as to not influence those who have yet to read this] that really enhanced the story.

I was lucky to get the audiobook ARC of this book as well and the narrator [Kim Hicks] was back on track as well and I was so glad that I chose to take a chance on the audiobook and request it and then listen to it. I absolutely love how she does Gemma's voice and the only voice I dislike that she does is Detective Estrada - for some reason, that voice grates on my last nerve and I'd love it if that one changed by the next book. I realize that is easier said than done, but it was the only thing I had a full-issue with [well, the whole side story with Ashleigh and her disrespect of Gemma, but that is a whole 'nother conversation] and didn't detract from the story overall [and is very much a personal issue, not a story-line issue]. I look forward to [hopefully] listening to the next one.

On to book nine!!! Well done!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Vicki Delany, Kim Hicks - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media for providing both the ARC and the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.