Of Books and Bagpipes

Delaney Nichols has settled so comfortably into her new life in Edinburgh that she truly feels it's become more home than her once beloved Kansas. Her job at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specializes in rare manuscripts as well as other sundry valuable historical objects, is everything she had dreamed. Her latest task includes a trip to Castle Doune to retrieve a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, an "Oor Wullie," in a cloak and dagger transaction that Edwin has orchestrated. While taking in the sights Delaney is startled to spot a sandal-clad foot at the other end of the roof. Unfortunately, the foot's owner is dead and, based on the William Wallace costume he's wearing, perfectly matches the description of the man who was supposed to bring the Oor Wullie. As Delaney rushes to call off approaching tourists and find the police, she comes across the Oor Wullie. Instinct tells her to take the pages and hide them under her jacket. It's not until she returns to the Cracked Spine that she realizes just how complicated this story is and endeavors to untangle the tricky plot of why someone wanted this man dead, all before getting herself booked for murder. "The Edinburgh and greater Scotland settings are lovingly woven through the story, which includes details of literature and Scottish history. In this first-person account, Delaney is a bright, sympathetic figure surrounded by well-drawn secondary characters." ---Booklist