I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Poison Pen (Scottish Bookshop Mystery #9) by Paige Shelton from Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.

"…Well-written, clever, and filled with intrigue, red herrings and a quirky cast of characters, The Poison Pen is an amazing cozy that will keep you guessing to the very end..."

I am a fan of Paige Shelton, I have read her Dangerous Type, Alaska Wild and this, the Scottish Bookstore Series, and to be honest she has yet to disappoint me. The Poison Pen, the ninth book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery is definitely no exception.

Our protagonist Delaney, a transplanted American now considered an honorary Scot came to Edinburgh to work in the Cracked Spine Bookstore owned by the well-respected Edwin MacAlister alongside colleagues Rosie, Rosie’s little pup Hector, Joshua, and Hamlet. She has come a long way from book one, now married to the love of her life, Tom, and living in their seaside cottage, she loves her life. Although she works at the Cracked Spine, the bookstore is not where she spends most of her days, she spends them in the mysterious adjoining space they call the warehouse. Edwin is an avid collector of historical artefacts, and the warehouse is where he hides his finds and with Delaney’s previous museum experience, she has become the perfect person to curate his secret collection.

In this installment, Edwin asks Delaney to go on a mission for him to the town of Roslin to the West Rosebud House, the family estate of Edwin’s old friend Jolie Lannister. Jolie, rumored illegitimate heir to the throne, has an artefact for Edwins’s collection. Delaney, not yet used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road enlists the aid of good friend and cab driver Elias. Julia is the sole owner of the estate, West Rosebud House and it has been in her family for over 100 years although a little worse for wear. Upon arriving at the estate, they are met by Jolie’s groundskeeper Homer who is a dear old friend of Elias. When they enter the house, they walk into the middle of an argument going on between Jolie and her attorney, Bowie Berry, who has unexpectedly brought an appraiser, auctioneer Gilles Haig, and his assistant, Alban Dunning, to appraise the contents of the old mansion. Due to the disarray of the home Bowie is claiming that she will become power of attorney as stated by a document they agreed upon ten years earlier. Bowie believes Jolie is becoming a hoarder and has exhibited she is unable to control herself therefore Bowie must step in and take control, in which reviewing the contents of the estate to take an inventory is the first step. With the arrival of Delaney and Elias the argument dissipates and Bowie frustrated walks out.

After everyone has left Jolie takes Delaney and her Elias to the shed where she has been hiding the sword. Upon examining the dirt encrusted object Delaney is convinced this just might be authentic. Interrupted by a ruckus outside they rush out to investigate and stumble across Elias’s friend Homer standing over the dead body of Gilles assistant Alban. When Homer is arrested and taken in for questioning both Delaney and Elias come to his aid. Delaney must find the real killer and soon. When word gets out about the rare sword everyone including the Treasure Trove Unit of the Scottish Government where their co-worker and friend Joshua was just hired wants it, the murder investigation becomes much more complicated. As Delaney investigates, she uncovers pieces of the puzzle which she must put together to before it is too late.

Well-written, clever, and filled with intrigue, red herrings and a quirky cast of characters, The Poison Pen is an amazing cozy that will keep you guessing to the very end. This was an incredibly enjoyable installment in the series, and I cannot wait to read more of Delaney’s adventures. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Poisoned Pen
Book 9 in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series
by Paige Shelton

Publisher’s summary

The Poison Pen, the ninth installment in the Scottish Bookshop series by Paige Shelton, set in a specialty bookstore in Edinburgh called The Cracked Spine.
Edinburgh is mourning recent the death of Queen Elizabeth II when Bookseller Delaney Nichols's boss comes to her with a most unusual assignment. An old friend of his, living in an estate in the village of Roslin, has found what could be a priceless relic on her property, and Delaney is tasked with investigating. Could Jolie possibly have an item of breathtaking Scottish historical significance in her possession? But when Delaney arrives at Jolie's estate, she is greeted by a legal team with a vested interest in the property. Jolie manages to remove the interlopers, but as they're examining the priceless item, they hear a scream, and meet a much less welcome discovery: a body.
As Delaney digs deeper, she discovers Jolie's own fascinating history. Jolie's mother had long claimed that her daughter was the rightful heir to the throne, not Elizabeth II, because of an affair she claimed to have with King Edward VIII. The only evidence, however, is in the form of a purported journal that one of Edward’s secretaries kept. The puzzles become more confusing when a connection is uncovered between this far-fetched story and the murdered man. Delaney will have to read between the lines to put together the pieces...or become history herself.

My Thoughts
Characters
There is a robust cast of characters. Delaney Nichols is a Kansas transplant living in Scotland. She’s now part of a solid group of friends in Edinburgh and has married one of the local pub owners. But she still struggles a bit with things like driving direction/feeling like she’s driving on the wrong side of the road. She’s also successfully solved several local murders.
Jolie Lannister is a close friend of Delaney’s boss. A hoarder, she lives in the old family estate, which has seen better days. She’s a flamboyant character and fun to read.
Bowie Berry is Jolie’s attorney. She’s pushy, over-bearing, annoying, and may or may not have her client’s best interest at heart.
Elias is Delaney’s co-investigator in this book. A cab driver, he and his wife have become close friends of Delaney. He becomes involved when an old friend is accused of murder.
The rest of the characters are well-rounded and a solid group of friends.

Mystery
An old sword goes missing. What is its history? Is it as old as Delaney suspects? Is it worth killing for? Is Jolie the illegitimate daughter of Edward VIII, as her mother claimed? And why did someone have to die? It’s a twisty path to the truth.

Overall thoughts
The Poisoned Pen is a quick read. The characters are well-written, with plenty of conflict to add interest. The mystery isn’t easily solved, and that is a good thing. The only issue I had was with one of the characters and how easily he seemed to have gotten an important job. I don’t want to give away any more because of spoilers. 
4/5 stars

Publishing Info
Publisher Imprint: Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery/Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
Pub date: 4/9/24
ISBN: 9781250890603

When American expat, Delaney accepted a position as an archivist in Edinburgh, little did she know that she'd also be solving crimes.
When her boss and owner of the Cracked Spine Bookshop, sends her to the neglected stately home of an old friend, Jolie, who may have found a Crusader sword on her property. Delaney arrives to discover that she's not the only guest. Also present are Jolie's assertive attorney and representatives from an auction house.
When one of the auctioneers is murdered on the grounds, Delaney finds herself investigating a murder.
This ninth in the Scottish Bookshop Murder series is a bit scattershot with lots of suspects, a busy plot, unnecessary subplot and an obvious culprit. It all comes together eventually but I'm puzzled by the title. The artifact around which the plot centers is a sword . There's nary a pen in sight.
Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced readers copy.

This is the 3rd or 4th book in the series that I've read and I felt this was the best so far. The characters are well established but Tom seemed to have a stronger presence so his character developed for me even more. There was less of Detective Winters, Rosie, and Hamlet. With the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth's passing in 2022, Delaney is asked to visit the home of Edwin's old acquaintance, Jolie, who has something to show Delaney. When someone ends up dead shortly after, Delaney and her friends take inspiration from Nancy Drew and investigate the mystery. There are also references to British Royal History (apart the Queen's passing) that created a unique angle to the story. Overall this was a good cozy mystery and I look forward to the next installment and getting transported back to Edinburgh.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Paige Shelton for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Poison Pen coming out April 9, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I haven’t read the other books in the series, but this is a series I was really interested in. So I went ahead and read this book anyway. I’m obsessed with Scotland, so the setting was perfect. I love the bookshop vibes. I thought the plot was really interesting. It just felt like research and unlocking the past, which I love. The coziness of the book was so fun. I loved how supportive Delaney’s husband was. I definitely want to check out other books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy Scottish mysteries!

“The Poison Pen” is the nicely done ninth book in Paige Shelton’s Scottish Bookshop cozy mystery series. This book finds Delaney Nichols helping her boss Edwin investigate what could be a priceless relic found on the property of an old friend of his. Delaney, like others in Edinburgh, is mourning the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II and is surprised (and skeptical) at Jolie’s claim that she is an heir to the throne. While Delaney is interested in Jolie’s claim, she is much more interested when someone is murdered while she and Edwin are visiting Jolie. As Delaney begins to investigate the murder she wonders if the two are connected – what she finds surprises both herself and those around her.

I really enjoy this series and this entry in the series. I love the Scottish setting and The Cracked Spine bookstore – although much of the action in this book took place away from the store. I also love the characters – Delaney has adjusted to living in Scotland but I love the fact that she still worries about driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Jolie is an interesting, if eccentric, addition to the series - I love the way Shelton ties in her storyline with the death of Queen Elizabeth. The main mystery is well done with just the right amount of suspects and a few twists and turns – I thought for sure I knew who the killer was but I was wrong. Well done by Shelton.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I have been provided with a review copy of this title from NetGalley for an impartial review. Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

The Poison Pen by Paige Shelton is the ninth A Scottish Bookshop Mystery. It can be read as a standalone as the author provides the background information needed for new readers (or those who have missed a book or two). We get to meet an old friend of Edwin’s who is amusing and eccentric. Jolie adds humor to the story. It was interesting learning about Crusader swords. I like how the author incorporates streets and buildings from Edinburgh. Jolie’s mother claimed that her daughter was the legitimate heir to the throne. History of the monarchy was included. You can tell the author did her research for this installment. I liked that Elias was more involved in this story. Delaney finds the mystery interesting. She searches for clues and asks questions. Delaney digs into the past and finds some intriguing information. Delaney will need to assemble the pieces if she is to identify the killer. I liked the whodunit, but I did not find it a challenge to solve. There was a detail that stuck out and it came up more than once. I enjoyed the reveal. I did, though, find the pacing in The Poison Pen to be too leisurely (needed more action). The Poison Pen is a Scottish cozy with a Crusader sword, a humorous hoarder, book talk, ancestry anecdotes, and a new Treasure Trove director.

Delaney Nichols is asked by her boss Edwin to go to the estate of Jolie Lannister to examine something that was found by the groundskeeper that could possibly be an ancient artifact. When Delaney and her friend Elias arrive there are three other people at the estate and Jolie is not happy that they are there. Later after the three unwanted guests leave one of them is found dead on the estate grounds. As Delaney tries to discover who killed the man and why she finds more and more secrets and that she is being lied to by many. Lots of pieces to the growing puzzle.

Scottish Bookshop Series #9 can definitely be read without having read the earlier books. In this episode a priceless relic is found on the property of one of Edwin's clients. When Delaney goes to authenticate the relic she also finds a body. How are the two connected? Can the client be trusted or was she involved? The connections of the characters form puzzles involving the ownership of the relic. So many mysteries to solve. Good characters and mystery to be solved.
Thanks to NetGalley#ThePoisonPen#MinotaurBooks for the EARC

Paige Shelton offers another amazing chapter in her Scottish Bookshop series. Book nine is very well done and holds your interest to the very end. While the entire country is still mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth, Delaney Nichol’s boss, Edwin, sends her on a visit to an old friend of his to evaluate an antiquity that was recently discovered on her estate. Since American Delaney is not yet comfortable driving in Scotland, she asks her cab driver friend, Elias, to accompany her. They arrive to find other visitors who are addressing what appears to be a hoarding situation by Jolie, elderly owner of the estate. Delaney and Elias help her convinced the interlopers to leave and settle in to discuss the object of interest. During their evaluation, a murder occurs on the estate and the caretaker is suspected of the deed. It is up to a Delaney and all her friends to solve the crime. The twists and turns are accompanied by lovely descriptions of the Scottish locations. I very much enjoyed this book and am already awaiting the next one! Thanks go to NetGalley for the advance copy but the opinion is my own.

Delaney Nichols is back again and has her sleuthing work cut out for her! The discovery of a historical sword found on the estate of Edwin's friend and one-time girlfriend, sets in motion a deadly search which may make Delaney "history"!

Delaney is an excellent judge of artifacts and people. I enjoyed having Tom, Elias and Aggie and the crew at The Cracked Spine more involved in the case. It's fun to be whisked to Scotland, learning new customs and language. Paige Shelton mixes old history with new history and I found myself wanting to look up Edward VIII (no spoilers!,). Sit back and enjoy an excellent mystery with twists and turns that will keep you reading!

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

When called to the home of an old friend of Edwin's, Delaney is expecting to look at on old sword discovered on the grounds. She doesn't expect to find a body.

As Delaney investigates, she has to deal with a woman who has a problem with telling the truth, a shady lawyer, and a director of the Treasure Trove Unit who has his own agenda.

This is the ninth mystery starring Delaney who is an American transplant to Scotland who loves her job dealing with antiquities at the bookshop Edwin owns. She has a tendency to discover bodies wherever she goes. Over the course of the series, Delaney has made a number of friends who make appearances in this story including Inspector Winters who is her friend in the police.

The story is set shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth which plays into the story both because Delaney occasionally has voices in her head which offer her clues. Usually, the voices are from works of literature. In this one the voices are Elizabeth's from some of her speeches.

I enjoyed the story because I like Delaney and her circle of friends. The mystery had some nice twists and turns too.

Another entertaining and intriguing story from Ms. Shelton. Though the ninth book in the series, Ms. Shelton continues to to bring quick paced plots, strong and engaging characters and more than one mystery to each book.

In each book, Ms. Shelton's descriptive writing allows a reader to "see" Edinburgh and the surrounding area as the story unfolds. I also enjoy seeing the layers of each of the principal characters being pulled back to glimpse more and more of their personalities. From first page to last I was fully engaged and enjoyed every minute being back in Scotland with Delaney, Tom, Rosie, Hamlet, Edwin and Elias.

Edwin MacAlister approaches Delaney with a request to help an old friend, Jolie, evaluate a potentially priceless artifact just found on her property. When Delaney arrives at the friend’s home, she meets Jolie’s lawyer, who is determined to use her power of attorney to take possession of all valuables at the estate. Before the day ends, one of the men working with the attorney is found murdered on the property.

Does the attorney know what Jolie found on her property? Why was the young man killed?
The 9th Scottish Bookstore Mystery is a riveting account around the discovery of a Crusader sword, the drama surrounding its authentication, and the puzzling murder associated with it.

Paige Shelton writes a compelling mystery, updating readers with the familiar characters associated with the Cracked Spine bookshop. The Poison Pen is a vital chapter in this popular series.

Edwin’s friend Jolie claims to have found what may be a Crusader Sword on her property, and Edwin sends Delaney to learn more. While she and Jolie are examining the sword, they hear a scream, and following the direction of the sound, find the body of a man who was alive a very short time ago. While looking into the death, Delaney learns more about Jolie’s history, but could that somehow be connected with the murdered man?

This is the ninth book in this series, which I have enjoyed since the very first book. I have never visited Scotland, but these books make me feel like I’m there, walking the streets of Edinburgh, exploring the surrounding area and soaking up the culture. The characters are like old friends by now, and it was touching to see how each of them was touched by the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The murder victim here seemed to be fairly quiet and unassuming man, so there didn’t seem to be many suspects other than Elias’ friend who worked on the estate and was found standing over the murdered man. Since both Delaney and Elias are convinced of his innocence, they set out to find the real murderer, and that’s where things get complicated. There are clues galore, but they all lead in different directions, making things even more puzzling. I never would have guessed the actual killer, or the motive involved, but it all made sense in the end.

I look forward to continuing this series to see adventures await Delaney, Tom, Edwin and the rest of the staff and friends of The Cracked Spine.

I received an arc of this and it was a good reminder to check where in the series we are before saying yes to arcs. I probably would have passed had I known it was 9 books in but like with most mysteries, you can usually dive in and I rounded the 3.5 stars up since maybe if I were more familiar with the characters I wouldn't have had a few of the issues I did.

My biggest problem was why was a book seller called in to help evaluate a crusader sword? I assumed this was something I could have answered had I known the series and it wouldn't have bothered me then (but it did)

Delany and her friend Edwin are called in by Joile Lancaster, an older woman whose mother always claimed was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Edward. Joile's groundskeeper found a potential crusader's sword but when they get to her house, Joile's lawyer, Berry, is there trying to force her to sell everything in the house because 'she's mentally ill and the lawyer is taking control.' Her mental illness? She's a hoarder of antiques.

Delany and Edwin's arrival puts a halt to that and Delany begins an uneasy friendship with the older woman but before that can happen a) we get too much of Delany looking for garbage smells in the house (no seriously you can hoard things without it being garbage and the house needing condemned) which annoyed the heck out of me and b) a young man, Alban is found dead and the groundskeeper might be to blame.

Hoping the help Joile (who was Edwin's long time friend), Delany gets involved with both the investigation and with examining the sword. There's also a new director of the treasury trove department who does some baffling stuff that made no sense (and how Shelton gets around explaining it was weak)

I wish there had been a few more potential suspects. I wish that Delany would do sensible things like at least tell Joile immediately when she learns some things about Berry for instance. So yeah a 3.5 read for me because of some of those things. Also I don't get the title reference at all which is neither here nor there but it was something that made me go hmm.

"The Poison Pen, the ninth installment in the Scottish Bookshop series by Paige Shelton, set in a specialty bookstore in Edinburgh called The Cracked Spine.

Edinburgh is mourning recent the death of Queen Elizabeth II when Bookseller Delaney Nichols's boss comes to her with a most unusual assignment. An old friend of his, living in an estate in the village of Roslin, has found what could be a priceless relic on her property, and Delaney is tasked with investigating. Could Jolie possibly have an item of breathtaking Scottish historical significance in her possession? But when Delaney arrives at Jolie's estate, she is greeted by a legal team with a vested interest in the property. Jolie manages to remove the interlopers, but as they're examining the priceless item, they hear a scream, and meet a much less welcome discovery: a body.

As Delaney digs deeper, she discovers Jolie's own fascinating history. Jolie's mother had long claimed that her daughter was the rightful heir to the throne, not Elizabeth II, because of an affair she claimed to have with King Edward VIII. The only evidence, however, is in the form of a purported journal that one of Edward's secretaries kept. The puzzles become more confusing when a connection is uncovered between this far-fetched story and the murdered man. Delaney will have to read between the lines to put together the pieces...or become history herself."

Oh, pretenders to the throne!?!

I have loved all the books in this series, and this is no exception. I love it when a mystery references modern life, in a way that makes sense-in this case the death of Queen Elizabeth. Even though Scotland is still part of the UK, they don't see the Queen's death quite as England does, but for American transplant Delaney, it strikes a chord with her. So when the opportunity comes to check out an artefact that someone claiming to be related to the Queen needs valued, she's more than willing to leave the confines of the bookshop. Jolie is not your typical elderly person, but she is a stand in for Delaney, and she immediately feels a bind for her. As the case to examine the artifact for authenticity increases, she soon realizes no one is as they seemed, and she'll need all here wits to solve the mystery at hand!

The 9th installment of Shelton’s (very) cosy Scottish Bookshop series involving an estate crumbling into a hoarder’s prize, a quirky (and sometimes cackling) owner with a potential connection to the throne, a scheming lawyer, and the discovery of a priceless, historic item. And of course, a body.

Shelton’s plots are always fun and her characters are people I enjoy reading about (although I know lots of people from Scotland and not a single one behaves or speaks anything like these people do). There is plenty of (accurate) Scottish history embedded in the pages and a lot of the action takes place in my favorite kinds of places (bookshops, museums, archives) so I found it an enjoyable read with no stress or strain. A good palate cleanser from a (far) more serious world.