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The best thing about this book is the sort of travelogue that is detailed as Delaney (main character and bookstore archivist) leads a tour around Edinburgh, Scotland. The reader is treated to a bit of history and some descriptive language about various literary sites in the city. Delaney, as a relatively new Scottish transplant originally from Kansas, is forced to take over for her boss (a wealthy bookstore owner and native Scotsman) in providing a promised tour to four lucky foreigners. Edwin, her boss and the expected tour guide, has been called away for some hidden reason just as the tour is meant to commence.
The tour is interrupted by a variety of events, both suspicious and violent. As the group of travelers visits Edinburgh's historical and literary sites, identity theft, assaults, and murder take place in the background. As she has in the previous books in the series, Delaney manages to insert herself into the investigation of these acts and ends up in peril. By the end of the book, the ends have been sorted, the villain apprehended, and the major players mostly accounted for.
Prior to this book, I have enjoyed the series and looked forward to each new installment. FATEFUL WORDS is the eighth in the series, and it feels a bit phoned-in. The formula for the series has worked in the past because of the manner in which awareness of it has been obscured by Shelton's ability to transport the reader to the Scottish locale. However, this book never really moves beyond the surface level in characterization, plotting, or descriptive language. Consequently, I didn't feel the connection with the characters that I have in the past, and I was less than fully invested in the outcome of the book.
I am hopeful that when book nine in the series is available, Shelton will have returned to providing more depth in both plot and characterization. This one could have used more development.
§ Sharon Mensing, retired educational leader, lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors in Arizona.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, April 2023
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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