The Fatal Folio - A Review

 Review

THE FATAL FOLIO by Elizabeth Penney
The Third Cambridge Bookshop Mystery 

 

Gloom and rain have descended on Cambridge, but Molly Kimball is happily ensconced in Hazelhurst House, the stately home of her boyfriend's parents, cataloging their impressive library. It's there she discovers that not only do they own the original manuscript of the popular Gothic novel The Fatal Folio, one of their ancestors wrote it. As another project Molly decides to see if she can determine just which Scott actually wrote the piece. But her literary pursuits are not the only challenges Molly faces. She and her friends stumble across the body of a student who has just been stabbed. While reeling from his death, and wondering if Kieran's cousin had anything to do with it, the manuscript is stolen. Could the crimes be connected? 

THE FATAL FOLIO is a great addition to this fantastic series. I love how the story is intertwined with that of The Fatal Folio and how we are able to read that story as well. In fact so many things are deftly interwoven in this mystery, the murder, the theft, literary research, the Gothic literary festival, and relationships. Indeed, it's the relationships that make this book, and series, so much more than just a mystery. The love and friendship between a great cast of characters influences everything and makes the reader more invested in the story. 

With Gothic bones THE FATAL FOLIO takes a dreary November and turns it into an atmospheric mystery warmed with the comfort of good friends.