Body on Baker Street by Vicki Delany

"Body on Baker Street" is the second book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Gemma Doyle and her partner-in-solving-crimes Jayne are tasked with clearing their friend’s name when he is accused of murdering a famous author. The now-deceased author wrote books based on the concept that Sherlock Holmes and Mrs. Hudson were actually lovers, and true Sherlockian that he is, Donald Morris berates her publicly for the scandalous and ridiculous theory. I loved the concept of an author (in the book) putting the “real” Sherlock Holmes and Mrs. Hudson in romantic suspense books. I found it very creative of author Vicki Delany to come up with the idea for this novel. The victim is an over-the-top drama queen author, but thanks to Gemma’s keen observational eye, she sees the cracks in her persona, and realizes there’s more going on that what appears. There are several twists, turns, and surprises that I don’t want to give away, but for cozy mystery lovers who like well-constructed mysteries, this is definitely a must-read. The characters are well-crafted, fully-formed, and perfect for this series. Ms. Delany added some great red-herrings, so I never saw several things coming, and it was a great ending. It’s a very interesting plot that takes the reader on a fun ride. I’m very much looking forward to more in this series!