The Poison Pen Book 9 of A Scottish Bookshop Mysteries by Paige Shelton

 Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing. 

The Poison Pen
The Scottish Bookshop Mysteries
Paige Shelton
Minotaur Books

Book 9 brings us the voice of the Queen, old rumors of royal shenanigans, and a historical artifact. Delaney is sent to evaluate a possible find on behalf of her employer/friend/mentor Edwin. What she finds is whole lot of stuff, and more stuff, and did I mention there is stuff all around the manor of Edwin's friend, Jolie. There is also a very old very large broadsword in need of some TLC and authentication, which is the true purpose for Delaney's visit to the manor and not the dead body that shows up shortly after. This might be the 9th book  in the series but it does the stand up job of standing by itself. There are bits and pieces of Delaney's past 8 exploits.  If this is your first chance to read a Scottish Bookshop Mystery, then not to worry because it is a stand-alone mystery. The overall story arc has shown how Delaney Nichols has left Iowa where she grew up on a farm and took what sounded to be an amazing opportunity working in a bookshop and archiving priceless antiques. Ah but there has been so much more since she took the job. She has found friends who are like family and a husband who looks good in a kilt (LOL). Delaney has also found murder and intrigue. One of my favorite parts of Delaney’s character are the bookish voices that talk to her when she needs encouragement or is trying to figure out how clues fit together. They often take on the voice of the author of whatever book is centrally featured in the story. As this story involves a priceless relic, a rather large sword to be exact, and it coincides with the passing of the Queen, so the voice is that of Queen Elizabeth. Who wouldn’t want a little royal advice? There are plenty of suspects and plenty of misdirection not to mention the super cool Scottish accents that I can hear in my head while reading the story. This was another great cozy from a great author.