How have I managed to miss this great series until now? I definitely have some catch-up reading to do although, quite frankly, this worked wonderfully as a standalone. The characters were nicely introduced, as well as their relationships to one another, and, oh, my, I'm in love with the setting. I kept wishing I somehow had the ability to twitch my nose and transport myself to Cambridge in time to catch up with Molly, Kieran, and their families and friends. True, I might want to skip a Guy Fawkes Night celebration but would love to tag along on the tours they were able to get. Heck, I'd settle for seeing the tree grafted from Newton's original apple tree from his childhood home although, well, who wouldn't want to explore an ancient cemetery, listen to tales of headless monks, or learn about Black Shuck, the dog that inspired Doyle's Baskerville hound?
I'm a sucker for character driven books which this one showcases, plus it adds history, books, and lore and the fun of being a virtual tourist. The characters are likable and the plot is well-crafted and moves along smoothly. We even get insight into what makes the suspects tick. I won't detail the mystery (see the blurb) but it's intriguing. In fact, there's more than one mystery, both old and new. As for the new, who killed Thad Devine? It isn't like there isn't a host of suspects. He seemed to have the knack of annoying just about everyone from his lodging mates to professors. There's even some romance, which appears to be one that has slowly built over previous books, and Molly and Keiran seem to make a lovely pair that we'd all say were "perfect together". Speaking of books, after all this is a bookshop mystery, lots of titles and author names pop up, a feast for us bookaholics. And, hey, don't forget the cats! And wait till you hear about Kieran's childhood home, er manor. Ancestral, with family portraits dating back centuries. And, oh, it had a moat. Yep, rather fancy. Molly describes its library as a "window into history", in fact.
Bottom line, I loved it and have added this series to my "must read" list. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for introducing me to Molly and all those about her. I'll definitely be catching up asap and then waiting for the next adventure.
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