The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams Series: Secret Book & Scone Society #3
Published by Kensington Books on January 28, 2020
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Amazon
In the new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the rain in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has been relentless—and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed . . .
Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds new customers for her store, Miracle Books. Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. But the next day, after Miracle River overflows its banks, and Danny’s body is found floating within the churning waters, Nora decides it’s time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue—and onto the trail of a
murderer . . .
“A love letter to reading, with sharp characterizations and a smart central mystery.”
—Entertainment Weekly on The Whispered Word
My Review
I just looked through my blog posts and realized that I had not reviewed the first two books in this series, which is a shame. The first book is called The Secret Book & Scone Society, and honestly, it did what it was supposed to do: it hooked me. I needed to know more about these characters and the vibes are just so cozy. I am going to include the link for the Goodreads description so you can check it out for yourself. The second book in the series is called The Whispered Word, and again, the vibes are so cozy. I should also mention that these are cozy mysteries. The Goodreads links are:
Book 1 The Secret Book & Scone Society
Book 2 The Whispered Word
I gave each of these books a five star. I just loved them so much. I enjoyed The Book Of Candlelight. Where it is third in the series, I will try hard not to give spoilers, but if it can’t be helped, I will mark it for you. In the first two books, we get to know the main characters and the secrets they are hiding. I suppose a *spoiler* would be that the four main characters become best friends. This is one of the things that I like about this series. It is four women going about their day-to-day stuff, healing from their pasts, and sleuthing in their small town of Miracle Springs, a place known to be healing.
It is April when the story begins, and the saying can not be clearer regarding this month: April Showers Bring May Flowers. It has been raining for what seems like forever to Nora; however, it can not be denied that with all of this wet weather, her little bookstore is booming. She is exhausted, and her poor little shop is running out of things and needs a good tidy. Nora is not complaining; however, maybe an extra set of hands would help. Her friends are also running on empty with all that has been going on. With the serious lack of shelf enhancers at Miracle Books, Nora sets off for the weekend flea market, as is her routine each weekend. This time, however, she finds herself in front of Danny and Marie’s table of pottery. Danny is a local Cherokee potter who creates beautiful works of art. Nora decides that she would like to purchase a nice piece of pottery for her boyfriend, Jed. She wants something beautiful and functional to go into his sparse home. She decides on a bowl. Nora heads home with her new purchases back through all the rain as she peddles her bicycle. It is not long before she crashes her bike, and the beautiful bowl she has purchased gets a chip in it. Needless to say, Nora is disappointed but decides she will return to the potter the next morning to see if he can repair it. Nora again wakes to rain but sets off for the flea market, and what she discovers on her way is truly upsetting: Danny’s body is floating in the churning waters of the raging river. The police arrive, but with all the rain, it will be difficult to prove that his death is nothing more than an accident. What evidence that there may have been is surely washed away.
Nora is unsettled by what has happened to Danny, and she soon gets her friends involved in trying to solve his death. Nora learns this death is much more than what meets the eye. She also finds herself getting to know the new innkeepers in town and discovering the link the inn has with some Cherokee descendants. This completely fascinates her and creates even more mysteries to be solved. This, however, is not the only thing that has kept Nora busy. There seems to be a stranger in town giving some of the Secret Book and Scone Society ladies the creeps with his lurking and watching. Not to mention the hate crimes that the dreaded rain has seemed to have brought into town. Nora is not the only victim of these crimes. As the month of April continues, things only seem to get worse for the residents of Miracle Springs. I can not forget to mention the one person that these rains have managed to haul in: Sheldon. A new person in town who does not seem to care what others think and continues to march to the beat of his own drum. Did I mention that he, too, is a book lover? Sheldon finds himself in Miracle Books one day and decides to jump in and give Nora a hand. He is everything that Nora needs and wants in an employee. Sheldon, however, suffers from chronic illnesses and, some days, is not able to come into the shop due to being stuck in bed from ridiculous amounts of pain. Honestly, though I love his character, I find him to be so much fun to read about, and I hope he continues in the series.
Reader, I do not dare to share more about this story and its characters because I fear giving things away. I will say that this story is unlike the previous two in the series because the author dips into bits of the Native American Culture, creating a mystery to be solved that is directly linked to Danny and some of the newer characters that have been introduced. The death of Danny and the Cherokee mystery are not the only mysteries in this book that need to be solved because there are so many more. I enjoyed the backstory that linked some of these mysteries and the mystery around June’s son. I am eager to read the next in the series, and I hope it will be sooner rather than later. Tell me, Reader, have you read any books in this series or by this author? If so, please tell me which ones and how you felt about them. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Murder
- Spousal Death
- Drug Addiction
- Hate Crimes
- Strangled Bird
- Mentions of The Civil War
- Mentions of Racism
- Mentions of Chronic Illnesses