This mystery novel with gothic overtones is set in fascinating Cambridge, England. Molly Kimball lives in Cambridge with her mom and her aunt, and together they manage the Thomas Marlowe bookshop. Molly jumps at the chance to use her library skills to catalog the library at the stately mansion of her boyfriend Kieran. When a murder occurs and a rare manuscript is stolen, Molly gets more than she bargained for as she becomes part of a gothic story herself.

This novel contains a story within a story that adds interest to the main plot. Readers who enjoy a cozy mystery with twists and turns will enjoy the Cambridge university setting with its many bookshops and quirky characters. This novel is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Molly Kimball is an American ex-pat living in Cambridge with her mom and Great-Aunt. They run the family's ancestral bookshop called Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios. Molly has been hired by her boyfriend Kiernan Scott's family to update their family's library catalog. In addition to that, she's taken on the task of uncovering the true identity of the author behind an original manuscript of a Gothic novel called A Fatal Folio. It is especially of interest to Kiernan's cousin, Oliver, a professor at one of the local colleges, who plans to write a book about the manuscript and its author.

While on their way to meet Oliver one night, Molly and her friends stumble upon a man who has been stabbed. It turns out he wasn't a very well liked person, and Oliver is among the top suspects. It isn't long before Molly finds herself in the middle of trying to figure out who committed the murder and if and how it might be tied to the old manuscript.

Although this is the third book in the Cambridge Bookshop mystery series, it was my first. I imagine there is some background information about the regular characters I may have been missing jumping into the series here, but I never felt lost and still felt like I got a good sense of who everyone was. I love the setting--Cambridge and the bookstore. I especially love the library at the Scott's estate. So much history in the books on the shelves and tucked in the nooks and crannies there!

Within the novel, is another story, written as if we are reading A Fatal Folio right alongside Molly. It's an intriguing Gothic tale, and I found myself just as interested in finding out what happened to the characters of that story as I did to the main mystery. It complemented the main storyline and in no way overshadowed it.

Molly is smart and relatable. She has a good relationship with the local law enforcement officials, which I think worked to everyone's advantage. I would enjoy going back and reading the first two books in the series, perhaps seeing how Kiernan and Molly meet and reading about her first impressions of her new life in Cambridge. There are adorable bookstore cats who make multiple appearances. The Fatal Folio is just the kind of cozy mystery I love to cuddle up with. ( )

Molly Kimball is settling well into her new life as a part-owner of a Cambridge bookstore that has been in her family for generations. Her new boyfriend Kieran's noble family has hired her to update the catalog for their family library and Molly is looking forward to seeing what treasures the collection holds.

She does know that the family holds the original manuscript for A Fatal Folio by Selwyn Scott - a pseudonymous member of the family. The story is a gem of Gothic literature and will be featured at the conference on Gothic literature to be held at the home and organized by Kieran's cousin Oliver who is hoping to use the conference to cement his promotion to full professor at his Cambridge college. But complaints by Thad, one of his graduate students, threatens to scuttle his chances.

When Molly, Kieran and some of their friends stumble onto Thad's body while going to a meet-up with Oliver, Molly gets involved in the case. Kieran wants her to help clear his cousin's name but Molly isn't quite so sure of his innocence. And then the manuscript of The Fatal Folio is stolen...

Molly is researching the identity of Selwyn Scott and discovers that there might be a second manuscript by Selwyn Scott. She's hunting for it and for a murderer. She has lots of suspects as she learns that Thad was almost universally disliked.

Interspersed with the modern story is the text of The Fatal Folio which was entertaining. I enjoyed this cozy mystery with its lovely setting and modern and book-loving main character. ( )