Elementary, She Read, published in 2017, is the first book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. Currently, there are eight books in the series with the ninth book set to be published in early 2024.
Gemma Doyle and her Uncle Arthur own the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in West London, Massachusetts on the Eastern Shore of Cape Cod. Gemma has a Cocker Spaniel named Violet. The bookshop has a black cat named Moriarty. I say the bookshop and not Gemma because Moriarty loves everyone but Gemma, even though Gemma is the one who feeds him. Gemma’s friend Jane Wilson owns Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Shop next door to the bookshop. Ryan Ashburn is a detective with the local police department and also Gemma’s ex-boyfriend.
The mystery begins when a woman comes into the bookshop and hides an old magazine containing a Sherlock Holmes story. If the magazine is authentic, it could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. When Gemma finds the magazine, she and Jane, being the decent human beings they are, attempt to return the magazine to the woman only to discover her dead. The most important thing to know about Gemma is that she’s very observant. Much like Sherlock Holmes, she has incredible deductive reasoning skills. Unfortunately, these skills put a bullseye on her back in the police investigation. Ryan’s partner, Detective Louise Estrada, immediately suspects Gemma of the murder because of how much she seems to know. As Detective Estrada hounds and harasses Gemma with search warrants and interrogations, Gemma and Jane conduct their own investigation. In doing so, they stumble upon another dead body, which only gives Detective Estrada more reason to suspect Gemma. But eventually, Gemma figures out the truth and redeems herself with the police.
I really like Gemma’s personality. She’s very observant about small details but not snooty about it. She’s self-aware enough to tone down voicing her observations, a lesson she learned in what to me was a brutal way. Even so, some people still think she’s too smart for her own good, including Ryan, who broke up with her before the start of the novel.
Over the course of the novel, Ryan and Gemma’s feeling for each other begin to spark again. I know a good cozy mystery series usually includes a romance, but I hope this romance is a slow burn. Ryan really hurt Gemma when he broke up with her, and Gemma needs to protect herself. I hope Ryan does some groveling and gives Gemma a sincere apology before she lets him back into her heart. Otherwise, I don’t see them working out.
Anyway, Elementary, She Read is an interesting mystery with interesting characters. The setting is quaint, and Gemma is a gem of an amateur detective. I’m definitely interested in reading book two.
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