THE LOCH NESS PAPERS by Paige Shelton is the fourth novel in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. The novel will be published on April 2nd 2019 by Minotaur Books.
Not long after bookseller Delaney Nichols befriends an elderly Loch Ness Monster fanatic, he is accused of stabbing his nephew to death. Despite not knowing Norval Fraser very well, Delaney is determined to prove his innocence. Even though she is busy making the final preparations for her wedding, escorting her American family around Edinburgh, and dealing with an obnoxious Texan, Delaney is still able to make time to assist the police with their investigation and search for evidence of the Loch Ness Monster.
I’m not going to lie…my main reason for requesting THE LOCH NESS PAPERS is because it involved the Loch Ness Monster. I’m a lover (and usually a believer) in all sorts of cryptids, including Nessie. I was not disappointed in the amount of coverage Nessie received in the novel. Shelton shares plenty of Nessie facts and fiction.
THE LOCH NESS PAPERS is the first of the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries that I have read, and there were a few times where I felt that I could have used some additional backstory to catch up. I wasn’t quite sure why the local police were so open to Delaney’s interference in their case or why they asked her to do some investigating for them. Aside from that, I enjoyed the story. The plot was interesting and the characters were quirky. I would definitely read other novels in the series to see what Delaney and the other characters get up to. My only problem with the novel is that I figured out who the killer was starting with his first appearance. No, I didn’t have his motive figured out at first, but I had no doubts when it came to the killer’s identity. Overall, an interesting novel with a fantastic setting and fun characters. Nessie is just an extra bonus.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.