Review - The Fatal Folio

Maybe it's me, but every since the book The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, where there was the actual story line alongside a book being read with it's own mystery, there seem to be more books with dual story-telling popping up.  Have you noticed that too??  Share your thoughts in the comments.  This is a new to me series, so keep reading and find out my thoughts.

Author: Elizabeth Penney

Copyright: October 2023 (Minotaur) 288 pgs

Series: 3rd in The Cambridge Bookshop Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery

Main Characters: Molly Kimball, works at family's bookshop

Setting: Modern day, Cambridge, England

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review, Netgalley

Book Blurb: "After moving to Cambridge, England, Molly Kimball has found a lot to love, including—of course—her family’s ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios. And though she’s not quite ready to use the “L” word when it comes to her boyfriend Kieran, she’s definitely fallen for his intimidating family’s library.

His family is paying her handsomely for an updated catalog when Molly discovers the original manuscript of a Gothic novel, A Fatal Folio by the pseudonymous Selwyn Scott. Kieran’s cousin Oliver, a professor specializing in Gothic literature, is eager to publish a paper on the mystery—especially because a troublesome student, Thad, is threatening to file a complaint against him and prevent his long-awaited promotion.

On Guy Fawkes Night, Molly, Kieran, and her friends set out to enjoy the costumes, fireworks, and fun—at least until a stray firework starts a panic, and the group stumbles upon a prone body, their face covered by a mask. It’s Thad, and he’s been stabbed to death.

It soon becomes clear Oliver isn’t the only one with a motive, and Molly must once again put on a few masks of her own to sleuth out Thad’s killer, prove Oliver’s innocence, and discover what Selwyn’s novel might have to do with this most atmospheric mystery…"

My Thoughts: 

This is another story within a story.  There is the discovered novel (A Fatal Folio) contained within this mystery.  

I enjoyed Molly's mother, Nina, and her Aunt Violet.  Her boyfriend Kieran owns a bike shop but his parents are Lord Graham Scott and Lady Asha which intimidates Molly.  I like Kieran so far but feel I didn't get to know him much in this, my first outing without reading the previous books.

There are plenty of suspects and I had an inkling of who the killer was.  There are plenty of atmospheric touches that I really liked.  The killer reveal was quick and over and not very tense.  I found this was an enjoyable read.  

Rating: Good - A fun read with a lot of atmosphere