Book Review: The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

Never an adventurer, no one was more surprised than Delaney Nichols when she packed her bags and moved halfway across the world to Edinburgh, Scotland to start a job at The Cracked Spine, a bookshop located in the heart of the city. Her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime, albeit a cryptic one, and Delaney can’t wait to take her spot behind the desk.

The Cracked Spine is filled with everything a book lover could want, each item as eclectic as the people who work there; the spirited and lovable Rosie, who always has tiny dog Hector in tow; Hamlet, a nineteen-year-old thespian with a colored past and bright future; and Edwin, who is just as enigmatic and mysterious as Delaney expected. An extra bonus is Tom the bartender from across the street, with his cobalt eyes, and a gentle brogue—and it doesn’t hurt that he looks awfully good in a kilt.

But before she can settle into her new life, a precious artifact goes missing, and Edwin’s sister is brutally murdered. Never did Delaney think that searching for things lost could mean a killer, but if she’s to keep her job, and protect her new friends, she’ll need to learn the truth behind this Scottish tragedy.[summary via Amazon]

The Cracked Spine is the first book in the Scottish Bookshop Mysteries. Meet Delaney Nichols, an American from Kansas, who finds herself travelling to Scotland to take up a job at The Cracked Spine. Delaney is a book lover, and can't wait to start working at the Scottish bookshop. What she isn't expecting is to get thrown in the middle of a murder investigation. This is exactly what happens when Edwin's, her boss, sister is found brutally murdered. Together with her new "bookshop family" Delaney sets out to find the culprit.

Oh, this book!!! It was love at first page. There is everything to love in this debut. The Scottish setting, the kilts, the Scottish accents and the way they pronounce words, and the bookshop! Oh the bookshop. The bookshop is absolutely magical and it is the perfect place for Delaney, a book lover who can "hear" the books. 

The mystique of the bookshop very much reminded me of the television show, Warehouse 13. All is not as it appears with The Cracked Spine, and the bookshop family. I loved the mystery behind the bookshop, and I feel like there is still more secrets to be unfolded in future books.  

I adored Delaney Nichols, and her thirst for books and adventure. She throws herself headlong into the mystery, but she has a great cast of "partners in crime" along the way. Rosie and Hamlet, who work in the bookshop, and her new friends, Elias and Aggie, who she meets right away and help her get settled in Edinburgh. Not to mention her boss, Edwin, who has a lot of secrets, and may end up being the most fascinating of everyone in Edinburgh!

I absolutely loved The Cracked Spine, and if you love books about books, you need to be adding this series to your reading list! I can't wait to continue on with this series and see what kind of fun and mischief Delaney and her new bookshop family get up to next!