Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Ink and Shadows " the 5th instalment in the "The Secret, Book & Scone Society" Mystery series by Ellery Adams. This book can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend you read in order to get the full background.

Ellery Adams, the author of multiple New York Times bestselling mystery series and a perennial B&N bestseller, offers the fourth in a beguiling cozy mystery series featuring librarian-turned-bookseller Nora Pennington with a penchant for bibliotherapy and a sideline in solving crime. While people visit Miracle Springs for healing treatments, it's Nora who helps them find peace by prescribing the perfect book along with a fresh-baked scone. After all, sometimes the key to happiness, friendship--or solving a murder--can simply be found within the pages of the right book...

"Entertaining...packed with mystery, romance, and sisterhood." --Kirkus Reviews New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams is back with the latest in her acclaimed Secret, Book, and Scone Society series. Local bookstore owner Nora Pennington is back on the case in Miracle Springs, North Carolina when an accidental death turns out to be something much more sinister... 

Nora Pennington is known for her window displays, and as Halloween approaches, she decides to showcase fictional heroines like Roald Dahl's Matilda and Madeline Miller's Circe. A family-values group disapproves of the magical themes, though, and wastes no time launching a modern-day witch hunt. Suddenly, former friends and customers are targeting not only Nora and Miracle Books, but a new shopkeeper, Celeste, who's been selling CBD oil products. Nora and her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society are doing their best to put an end to the strife--but then someone puts an end to a life. Though the death is declared an accident, the ruling can't explain the old book page covered with strange symbols and disturbing drawings left under Nora's doormat, a postcard from an anonymous stalker, or multiple cases of vandalism. The only hope is that Nora can be a heroine herself and lead the Secret, Book, and Scone Society in a successful investigation--before more bodies turn up and the secrets from Celeste's past come back to haunt them all . . .

I really enjoy this series, I like how each of the four women have their own unique quality that they bring to the table as well as how they are right there to help each other out as well as a new comer to their community. As a fellow chronic pain suffer I also like how Ms. Adams portrays Sheldon with respect and dignity.

The setting of Miracle Springs sounds beautiful and I would love to visit somewhere like it on vacation and wander into a bookstore like Nora’s. Who wouldn’t want to sit look at all the books, just relax in the peaceful atmosphere.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with two murders to solve. I liked that herbalism, and other natural remedies took part in the story, I also found the symbolism of the statue empowering as Cecilia says broken things are still beautiful.

I highly recommend this series to all my mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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