Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 3/7/2017 + 2304 more book reviews

Mystery lovers get a bonus when they read Elementary, She Read. Not only do they get a first-rate mystery that keeps you guessing from page one, they also get excellent crime fiction recommendations.

I've already mentioned that the whodunit is definitely my cup of tea in this first Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery, and I'm happy to report that the Cape Cod setting ranks high, too.

Gemma Doyle isn't your usual heroine for a cozy mystery series. Normally such sleuths are girl-next-door types, but Gemma has an edginess to her, an abrasiveness. She's an introvert. She has a touch of OCD when it comes to how merchandise is presented on the bookshop shelves. She can be completely thoughtless when it comes to restaurant reservations... but she has an absolutely killing eye for detail. This woman isn't supposed to be your average girl-next-door. No, she's much more like Sherlock Holmes himself, and I found myself liking Gemma immensely.

I also liked the other main character, Gemma's best friend Jayne, and I'm looking forward to meeting Uncle Arthur in a future book. For an elderly man in his nineties, he spent his entire time on the road in Elementary, She Read. Sounds like quite a guy, doesn't he?

For cat lovers, there's the resident feline, Moriarty, who can't stand Gemma. That's okay-- I can't stand Moriarty. But don't get me going on the subject of allergies and having fur babies in bookshops and libraries. I'd much rather wax poetic about this book and wait impatiently for the next!

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