The Loch Ness Papers Book Review

Book Review

The Loch Ness Papers (Scottish Bookshop # 4)

By Paige Shelton

Published April 2, 2019

Why I chose this book:

After Lost Books and Old Bones, I was thrilled for the next installment in this captivating series. Minotaur Books provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review

Although The Loch Ness Papers picks up where the previous book ended, it could reasonably be read without prior knowledge of the series (you'd just have to understand that you'd missed a bit beforehand, but you wouldn't be confused). Delaney Nichols, the American woman living in Scotland and working in a bookshop, is planning her wedding to a Scottish pub owner. Within this frame, she encounters the town Nessie-enthusiast, Norval, on her way to meet a potential officiant for her ceremony. This leads to a friendship with the elderly Norval who hopes Delaney will take over his research of Nessie. Shortly thereafter, the Norval's nephew is murdered with a Nessie-decorated knife, implicating him. As the murder mystery unfolds, Delaney delves into Nessie sightings, small-town gossip, and the underhanded dealings of the nephew himself. Exquisitely crafted turns of plot, enjoyable side stories, and King Arthur references make for a book I could barely put down. 

I've always liked the idea of the Loch Ness Monster, but I've never really thought it could be true. I enjoy the legends, the mystery, and the falsified "proof" that surrounds her. The concept of truly believing or of having particular convictions about her personality was foreign to me. But reading Shelton's portrayal of believers and non-believers, of those who fear and those who revere Nessie, makes every viewpoint now seem valid. The characters of The Loch Ness Papers, with their deep local roots and proximity to the dark loch, are all portrayed in such depth that this fact-loving reader can well understand how someone might believe. And that is what I so loved about The Loch Ness Papers. More than just a cozy mystery in an exotic locale with a sweet wedding-backstory, this took me outside of myself and allowed me to believe in Nessie, if only for a little while.