The Burning Pages (Scottish Bookshop Mystery, 7), by Paige Shelton

There's a bit of mystic, for lack of a better word, in Delaney's world. On the surface she works in a bookstore but there is, oh, so much more to this bookstore. There are secrets. Secrets meshed with Scottish lore. Somehow it all seems normal. The plot is relatively simple. Delaney is unexpectedly invited to a Robert Burns Night dinner and takes bookshop worker and Robert Burns fan Hamlet along. It's an uncomfortable gathering for Delaney and she and Hamlet leave early. That same night the building she visited for the dinner is burnt down and one of the other attendees is murdered. Hamlet is a suspect. That's where it gets complicated. 

Hamlet is at the center of the story. His true background is shrouded by unknowns, including his parentage. When Delaney finds a birth certificate that might belong to him, she becomes as focused, if not more so, on discovering the truth behind his heritage as she does the murder. In fact, I had gotten so caught up in the mystery surrounding Hamlet that I almost forgot about the murder. You're never quite sure if the two parallel story lines are related or not. I mean, what could Hamlet's birth have to do with building being burned, murder, and old grievances? Are the Robert Burns' excerpts that keep popping into Delaney's mind important? 

While I think it certainly helps if you've read some of the previous books in the series as I have, "The Burning Page" works nicely as a stand-alone. We get to know more about those who love and surround Delaney, including her brother Wyatt who is visiting. I honestly wouldn't call this an easy read, there is a great deal of background history and intertwining of stories, so it does take some thought to follow Delaney's thought processes, both right and wrong, as her mind veers from one mystery to the other. Yes, she does take the wrong turn occasionally. I actually rather like that as it makes her all the more human. 

Bottom line. There is a great deal going on in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe the fact I have some Scottish heritage only added to that? In any case, this has been an interesting series from the very start and I am looking forward to what happens next in Delaney's world. Given that this book focused on one of the supporting characters, perhaps more about them? I'm sure there will be more Scottish literature and lore, so I'm ready. Give it a read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for letting me visit Delaney in Scottland for a time. It was much enjoyed.