Book Review: “Fateful Words,” by Paige Shelton

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Hi all – it has been more than a minute. I am sad by how long it has been since I have blogged. For something that brings me joy, it was hard to pick up the “pen” and continue after the past year and change. Unfortunately, I lost my father and a beloved pet within months of each other, and it derailed a lot. Then work picked up, life moved on, and all of the sudden, a year went by. I have missed you all.

I am going to be doing a “backlog” of reviews before adding brand new review content, so bear with me through some of these back catalogue books. I appreciate anyone that has stuck around! without further ado…

Another day, another late ARC. This one is Fateful Words, Paige Shelton’s eighth installation of the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this opportunity!

From the Publisher:

In Fateful Words, the eighth Scottish Bookshop Mystery from beloved author Paige Shelton, bookseller Delaney Nichols stakes her reputation—and her life—when a literary tour turns deadly…

When Edwin, Delaney’s boss at the Cracked Spine bookstore, leaves town on secret business, Delaney is called upon to guide his yearly literary tour around Edinburgh. But on the first night of the tour, at the inn where the tour group is staying, the inn manager falls—or is pushed—off the roof of the inn, and killed. Then, one of the tour members disappears, leaving a trail of puzzles in her wake.

In a race against the clock, Delaney sets out on the expedition of her life, following clues around Edinburgh to get to the bottom of this mystery. Exploring sights from Greyfriars Bobby to the Royal Mile to the Sir Walter Scott Monument, she’ll have to put the pieces together quickly, or the bookstore’s survival could be on the line…as well as her own.

What I loved:

  • The Concept. While I had some issues with the mystery (more on that later), I love the idea that Edwin hosts a small group of people personally invited to Edinburgh for a wacky and wild tour. Edwin is a fascinating character, and Delaney does him credit in her version of the tour. Each of the members of the group are fully fleshed out characters, and when one of them goes missing, I was actually hooked and invested to see what happened to them.
  • The Setting. Having finally made it to Edinburgh for the international book festival in August, I loved being able to mentally follow along the trail. From the Greyfriars Bobby statue (I cried by the way), the Sir Walter Scott monument, and the cobblestoned streets down the Royal Mile, I can now truly appreciate the scene that Shelton sets in each of these books. Fateful Words even more so brings the scene to life, as Delaney explains all of the best sights to Edward’s guests. That is one aspect of this series that never gets old.

What didn’t work as well:

  • The amount of new characters (and MIA fan favorites). While I did enjoy the concept of the little literary tour group, what threw me off was the sheer amount of new people and information we had to absorb in this installment. Between the tour group itself, the hotel staff, and other odds and bobs, not only is it hard to keep track, but I missed our usual cast of characters. The drama is increased by Hamlet and Edwin’s absence, and their absence is keenly felt. Delaney kind of had to carry this one on her own. She has never been my favorite (despite being the protagonist) so this one fell flat for me in that way.
  • Too many mysteries: I know, I know. This is a cozy mystery novel, how can there be too many mysteries? Between the murder, the assault, the missing guest, and the mystery of Edwin’s absence, I had a hard time keeping up with what was actually important, how everything tied together (because of course, they all tie together tangentially), and in the end, why it all mattered. For a cozy read, I felt like I needed sticky notes to keep everything straight in my head.

Final Thoughts:

Paige Shelton’s Scottish Bookshop Mysteries series has always been hit or miss for me because the premise is amazing (a mysterious bookshop in Edinburgh that hides a multitude of treasures, a librarian that solves murders and hears books in her head, what isn’t there to love?) but the “trappings” sometimes fall short. While Fateful Words was not my favorite in the series, I will always keep coming back for more comforting Edinburgh sights. Three waves! Available at Bookshop (in paperback, no less!)

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