I recently read a Lighthouse Library mystery by this author writing under a different pen name. Books and crimes go so well together. The insatiable appetite for all things Holmes can be combined with a tasty morsel in this Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series. I hadn’t read any previously, but what caught my attention is that THERE’S A MURDER AFOOT is set in London. Gemma Doyle is English, and she runs a mystery themed bookshop in West London, Massachusetts. Along with a small party of Americans, she travels back to England for a Holmes Convention, so if you haven’t read the earlier books the already-met cast list is small.

If you enjoy reading about mysteries occurring at conventions, you’ll want to pick up this busily plotted adventure. Gemma is bringing her young man Ryan Ashburton to meet her family, and more relatives show up than expected. Henry Doyle, her father, loves Holmes too, and her mother tolerates the craze. Gemma must collect an award at a ceremony in her Uncle Arthur's name; now mostly retired, he stayed in Massachusetts. Pippa, her slim and swanky sister, does something frightfully important for the Government. An uncle on their mother’s side, Randolph Manning, shows up to cash in on the famous detective too. But no love has been lost between members of his generation, and Gemma quickly decides she’s not going to mend any fences.

I don’t want to even spoil your enjoyment by saying who gets murdered, because there are many conversation threads to read before the inevitable occurs. Then it’s not just a matter of who was in the right place, but Sherlock-like, Gemma must follow up earlier clues and stroll around London, taking in the Isle of Dogs, the Victoria and Albert Museum and various quaint pubs and restaurants. All this occurs in January, so we even get mentions of ice-skating in the moat of the Tower of London. This is a beautifully scenic story which will deserve re-reading at leisure once you’ve footed it through the clues and dramas. Of course, mentions of modern adaptations of Holmes are present, and a bookstore owner is also looking for memorabilia to sell from her store.  All kinds of goodies are sprinkled through the tale.

Vicki Delany is onto a winner here, pleasing a wide swathe of mystery lovers in one book. THERE’S A MURDER AFOOT is highly entertaining and has some pantomime elements, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself booing the villain.