What They Say.....Wanted: A bold adventurer who wants to travel the world from a comfortable and safe spot behind a desk that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes. A humble book and rare manuscript shop seeks a keenly intelligent investigator to assist us in our search for things thought lost, and in our quest to return lost items to their rightful owners.
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.
What I Say.....I really enjoyed the storyline in this book. Initially, it seemed like it would be a light, breezy read but the story had a little depth to it. The characters weren't all cookie cutters, and the reality of addiction and family estrangement was woven realistically throughout the mystery.
The budding romance between Delaney and Tom was intriguing, although I am not sure how attractive a man's knees can actually be - I guess it's a Scottish thing. But I liked that it wasn't instant true love, but rather instant true interest.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the mystery was solved, although not predictably. Some of the characters were bad, some were good, but most were not what they seemed.
The one thing that I didn't like was the Scottish dialect. It kept drawing my attention to the fact that I was reading, rather than letting me immerse myself into the story. I swear I will never read a book written in a foreign dialect again - it is just not for me.
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