Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're joining Great Escape Book Tours for a spotlight (and THEN some!) starring the second release in a bookish Cozy Mystery series. It's title is crafty, as is the series name, and from the synopsis, I gather the read is quite something too! Ready to see what the devil we're talking about? Great because it really is quite elementary, my dear Wat...I mean, readers. ;) So, if you'd be so kind, gather your tools, the game is afoot...and so is today's title in the spotlight...
A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery, Book 2
by
Vicki Delany
9781683312994
Crooked Lane Books
About the book...
Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson are busy managing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium on Baker Street and adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room in anticipation of the store’s upcoming book signing with the illustrious Renalta Van Markoff, author of the controversial Hudson and Holmes mystery series. But during the author Q&A session, dedicated Sherlockian Donald Morris verbally attacks Renalta and her series for disgracing Sherlock’s legacy, only to be publicly humiliated when the author triumphantly lashes back and gains the upper hand. That is until Renalta collapses on the table―dead.
Donald insists he didn’t do it and pleads to his friends to clear his name. Fortunately, Gemma and Jayne have no shortage of suspects between author’s bullied personal assistant, her frustrated publicist, the hapless publisher, a handsome rare book dealer, an obsessively rabid fan, and a world of other Sherlock enthusiasts with strong objections to Renalta’s depiction of the Great Detective. It’s up to the shrewd sleuthing duo to eliminate the impossible and deduce the truth before the West London police arrest an innocent man in Body on Baker Street, the second Sherlock Homes Bookshop mystery perfect for fans of Miranda James and Kate Carlisle.
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So, caught your attention have I?
Good! Points for me.
Now, it's time for YOU to score some points too as I reveal the "and THEN some" part of today's post...a CHARACTER INTERVIEW!
That's right!
I figured, we get hear from the author generally, but what about the characters themselves. Wouldn't it be FUN to see what's going on in their fictional minds? So, that's what I did and I'm bringing it to you. Ladies and gents, please give a warm welcome to JAYNE WILSON....best friend and co-manager of Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium!
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CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Jayne Wilson
Her Great Uncle Arthur Doyle introduced us. I’d been living in Boston for a few years, trying to build my career as a baker. I was doing okay, but missed Cape Cod too much. I moved back to West London hoping to open a small bakery or catering business of my own. My mom told Arthur Doyle. At that moment the shop at 220 Baker Street, next door to the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, came empty. Arthur suggested I open Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, and the Emporium owners (he and Gemma) would be silent partners.
What made you decide to go into business together?
I couldn’t really afford a proper restaurant on Baker Street of my own so I jumped at Arthur’s offer. As soon as I met Gemma I knew we could be good friends. Some people find her difficult to get along with, and I’ll admit that she can be blunt and her way of noticing everything about everyone can be off putting, but her heart is always in the right place. The best part was that Gemma and Arthur are silent partners in the tea room. I’ve seen Gemma in a kitchen. Believe me, it works out better that way.
What about the sleuthing...was it the constant Sherlock infusion that pulled you in?
Oh, the sleuthing. Funny how I want no part of that whatsoever, but I keep going along with Gemma’s crazy schemes. Don’t ask about the time she wanted me to keep guard while she broke into the police station or climbed a tree to reach the second floor of a popular hotel.
Working where you work, we can assume you're a fan of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Which Holmes tale do you wish you could read again as if it was the first time?
I love Sherlock! I got into him when the Jeremy Brett series was on TV. My parents watched it, and I found myself watching too. Then I wanted to read the originals. My favourite story is The Speckled Band. I would love to read that not knowing what’s going on.
Alright, truth time. Do you think Renalta Van Markoff simply got what was coming to her? I mean, she doesn't sound like she was the nicest of people...
I thought Renalta was absolutely charming. Her fans certainly adored her. Although I gather some people didn’t. Let’s leave it at that. No one deserves to be murdered.
So we don't keep you from your shop and sleuth duties, I'll draw you in for one last question...okay, series of questions. It's a quid pro quo, if you will.. I say FAVORITE, you say the first thing to pop in your mind. Ready? FAVORITE...
...type of tea?
Plain old English Breakfast
...day of the week?
During the tourist season every day blends pretty much into each other. In the winter we’re closed on Mondays so I love Mondays.
...season?
Summer in Cape Cod. I only wish I could remember what that’s like. Now that I own and run my own restaurant I’m lucky if I get outdoors when the sun is still shining.
...place to visit?
West London, Massachusetts! The beaches, the ocean, the history, the charm. And the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium and Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, of course.
...author to read outside of the Sherlockian funfest?
Other than Vicki Delany? He He. I work so hard, when I have time to read I love nothing more than a cozy mystery. Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay are among my favourites.
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About the author...
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than twenty-five books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. Under the name of Eva Gates, she writes the Lighthouse Library cozy series for Penguin Random House. Her latest book is Body on Baker Street, the second in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane.
Vicki is the past president of the Crime Writers of Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards.
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Special thanks to Lori at Great Escapes Book Tours for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as to author Vicki Delany for reaching out to Jayne Wilson for an AWESOME interview. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the series, the publisher, THIS TOUR, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via Crooked Lane Books, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstores shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing. Don't forget to stop by the other blogs on the tour as it makes its way through the blogosphere for loads more where this came from!
BEFORE YOU GO...
DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A PRINT EDITION OF THIS VERY TITLE!
Stop by the TOUR PAGE to access the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win....BUT HURRY! THE END IS NEAR...or rather, it ends soon!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, read it!
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