This is a wonderful book in a brand-new series!

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Vicki Delany (including the Lighthouse Library series she wrote under the pen name, Eva Gates), so I was excited when I heard there was a new series coming out. This book did not disappoint in the least!

I've already fallen in love with the town of West London and its inhabitants. Gemma, Jayne, Ryan, Louise, and the rest are all well-developed, complex characters and while we don't know everything about them, they come across as realistic and still leave a little mystery to be discovered in other books in this series. I love the way Gemma's mind works. I'm not quite as good at my powers of observation as Gemma is, but a lot of her logic I totally understood. It's always great when I can identify with a heroine in the story.

The plot line moved along at a decent pace. It wasn't slow, but yet not so fast that you didn't understand what was going on. I had absolutely NO idea who the villain was until it was revealed. I can see now in hindsight how someone with astute powers of observation of details could put the clues together, but I didn't do that, so it was a complete surprise to me.

Some of the interpersonal relationships in the story were strained and it'll be interesting to see how those relationships develop and play out throughout the series. I don't want to give away any details of the story though, so if you want to know more, read the book!

The setting sounds absolutely beautiful and I could easily imagine myself there in West London. I love when I can imagine the scene and yet the author hasn't provided too many details. If there's too many details, I feel over saturated and it becomes harder to imagine the setting. Ms. Delany is a master at balancing that mixture of detail and imagination.

A wonderful start to a new series and if you like cozy mysteries or even mysteries in general, I highly recommend it!

** Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions and conclusions expressed are my own. **
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Really enjoyed this one and will be continuing with the series. Heroine is very smart, very detail oriented and the call outs to Sherlock Holmes trivia including books, movies, t.v. shows, is fun. The only thing that wasn't to my liking was the love interest. Luckily it was not a main part of the plot and one I am hoping changes as the series goes on.

**mild spoiler** not about the mystery

The love interest is someone who left her because he could not handle the way her mind worked. Something integral to her as a person. And he not only left her, he did it painfully and in a way that left her blaming herself. I do not care what happens going forward, the guy is a douche. ( )

A quick jolly read, took me the time it did as I was recovering from surgery and kept having to go to sleep.
Perfect cozy with up-to-date content and a good description of place, including a bookstore cat with a malevolent streak.
There’s a wee frisson of romance but Delaney keeps the focus firmly on the mystery. The characters are all likeable and I mean to read more of this series, despite it being in the cozy category(which I normally find too twee) because Gemma Doyle, the main character, also has a dislike of twee. She does the usual trope of investigating things the police should be looking into, but in this case her interventions weren’t too unbelievable.
Loved it and smiled throughout. ( )

cozy mystery. Brainy lady protagonist but no other charchter stood out ( )

Delany writes the Molly Smith mystery series that I enjoy, set in Nelson, a town near where I live. However, I was unfamiliar with this series or I might have tried them sooner. The setting is a bookshop and emporium at 222 Baker Street, West London, Cape Cod run by English expat Gemma Doyle (no relation) who is as smart and introverted as Sherlock himself. I borrowed this one as a trial and am glad to report that I enjoyed it a lot even though I've never been a particular fan of Holmes. There were plenty of Sherlockian references and humour and a hint of possible romance. I look forward to reading more. ( )