Vicki Delany

I loved this one! Gemma Doyle runs a small bookstore that specialized in Sherlock Holmes books, DVDS, and memorabilia. She splits the space with her best friend's tea shop and bakery. During a busy rush, she finds out someone has hidden a valuable magazine among her regular cheapies. Knowing the value, she seeks out the woman who dropped it off to see what's up. Once there, she finds the woman - *gasp!* - murdered, and from there on gets sucked into a whopper of a mystery. Not only is she show more trying to solve the crime to clear her name from a suspicious detective who clearly WANTS her to be guilty, but she soons discovers her own life may be in danger if she doesn't uncover the fiendish foe.

Love the main character, who is so observant it's creepy and scares others off, much like the original Holmes - yet she's forgetful at hell and is absent minded. Not to mention that while she runs a Sherlock themed shop, she's not even a rabid fan of the author and inherited it. Her fun friend Jayne who runs the tea shop next door is a delightful sidekick - especially the twisted way she gears toward deadbeat boyfriends that drives the MC bonkers. A few funny happenings there with the deadbeat artist hanging around. Throw in oddball characters and characterization wins.


The setting is such fun, even if you're not a Sherlock groupie. Gemma is a clear reader, so she has special reserved reading nooks in the store and at home. The shop has a neighborhood cat who runs the place and loves all guests and patrons - with the exception of Gemma, who gets clawed. The tea shop is fun since it makes me crave scones and strawberry pastries, and unlike some cozies and books it takes the tea seriously. No simple bags, but complex blends and steeping know-how.

What sets this apart is it's an actual, bona-fide mystery. Instead of accidental discoveries adding up to coincidental plotting, Gemma uses her brain to evaluate and take apart every angle. She spends much time investigating and revealing her thoughts and observations to the reader mentally in first person point of view. This walk through the crime, suspects and scenes is one of the most impressive I've seen with a mystery, even compared to non-cozies and straight detective procedurals. Her mind is impressive, even if she's forgetful, and this isn't a mystery that takes you by surprise.

I didn't guess the culprit for the author kept them carefully concealed. Kudos because it wasn't impossible to guess if you'd had a mind to. Despite the fact that Gemma stayed on top of her game throughout, even she didn't guess the villain in time before a final confrontation. Saves may be a little coincidental, but that's okay.

Fun pacing, excellent characters, and a nifty writing style made this one a delight to breeze through. I'll definitely check out more of the series when it continues. Probably my favorite mystery so far this year. show less

Readers are faced with a story of wealthy, entitled people and how they can so easily and carelessly destroy lives. It didn't take long for me to see that Winter of Secrets isn't really a case of whodunit, but of why and how.

As usual, Delany's excellent cast made me forget that I don't particularly care for books that prominently feature the rich and shameless. Constable Molly Smith has good instincts, but she's still learning and still making mistakes. These blunders can infuriate her show more mentor, Sergeant John Winters, but for the most part he is able to bite his tongue and count to ten. Why? Because he sees her potential as a police officer. Does Molly know when he's extremely angry? Yes. Does she know when she's done something stupid? Yes. But Winters is smart enough to know when to take a step back and let Molly castigate herself. Of course he's using that time to cool off, but at least he knows to back off! Something else that makes Winters stand out from the crowd is that he is happily married to a highly regarded model. Those two occupations in one marriage just don't seem to belong, do they? But this marriage has been working for years. I find Winters every bit as fascinating as I do Molly.

Molly's mother Lucky always seems to find her way into each investigation as well. This time the outspoken woman is trying to help Lorraine, a teenage girl whose parents care more for booze than they do their own children. Lucky is a former hippie who hasn't lost one atom of her convictions. As a result, she doesn't care for the police, so Molly's choice of career does not set well with her-- and probably never will. But each time Lucky finds her way into these investigations and sees her daughter in action, she gains a bit more understanding. This is a relationship that I enjoy watching. Will mother and daughter ever see eye to eye? Only time will tell.

Delany's story and pacing flow so well, her characters are so interesting, that her books read much too quickly. I always look forward to the next book with a great deal of anticipation, but with a threat looming in Molly's future, I know it won't be long until I begin reading Negative Image. If you haven't read one of Vicki Delany's Smith and Winters mysteries, treat yourself. They read well as standalones, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. I'm enjoying the character development way too much! show less

4.5 rounded up.

I've been excitedly awaiting this one since I found out it was coming out last September! It didn't disappoint! I liked this one the most so far in the series. This whole series has been terrific, but this is my favorite so far!

The characters in this series are great. I really enjoy reading about them and their relationships with one another. Gemma occasionally gets on my nerves, but she's somewhat designed to do that. Jayne is my favorite along with Ryan. :) I just love the show more two of them. The characters are all very well-developed and complex characters. Characters are what keeps me reading a series and these are definitely some of my favorites!

This plot line was a little more complex than it seemed on the surface. I definitely don't always agree with the way Gemma investigates, but what I see as somewhat reckless, she sees as the logical option in the moment. I really had no idea about the villain until it was revealed. I was looking at the right group of people, but I wasn't sure who out of that group was actually the guilty one.

If your a fan of Sherlock Holmes or just a good mystery in general, this series is excellent! Vicky Delany's writing is smooth and easy to read. It's entertaining and each installment in this series is a joy! show less

A quick jolly read, took me the time it did as I was recovering from surgery and kept having to go to sleep.
Perfect cozy with up-to-date content and a good description of place, including a bookstore cat with a malevolent streak.
There’s a wee frisson of romance but Delaney keeps the focus firmly on the mystery. The characters are all likeable and I mean to read more of this series, despite it being in the cozy category(which I normally find too twee) because Gemma Doyle, the main show more character, also has a dislike of twee. She does the usual trope of investigating things the police should be looking into, but in this case her interventions weren’t too unbelievable.
Loved it and smiled throughout. show less