Review: The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams

Posted February 14, 2025 by Lola in Mystery, Review / 4 Comments

The Vanishing Type (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #5)
by Ellery Adams
narrated by Cris Dukehart

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
In this fifth installment of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series, bookshop owner, bibliotherapist, and occasional sleuth Nora Pennington must enlist the help of her brilliant, brassy librarian friend Bobbie to unravel the connection between The Scarlet Letter, an obscure 19th century writer, and a dead hiker…

While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet—until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal.

His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town’s new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery—someone has mutilated all her store’s copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne’s name is mentioned.

The coincidence disturbs Nora, who’s one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn’t even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester’s past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it’s not just Hester’s relationship at stake, but her life . .

My Review

I wanted a comfort read and decided to get back to this series. This is the fifth book in the series and I am still really enjoying it. This book shakes things up for all 4 members of the Secret, Book, & Scone Society and there’s plenty going. There’s another mystery, more secrets and some exciting reveals.

One of my favorite parts of this book is how it combines the cozy elements with more heavy, serious and realistic topics. The 4 members of the Secret, Book, & Scone Society all have things they’re dealing with in this book. This book could be a tough and sad in parts, but I think that’s also part of it’s power, showing their struggles and how they’re dealing with things. I really felt for the characters with what they’re going through and wanted to keep reading and see how everything got resolved. There are plenty of uplifting and hopeful moments as well.

There’s another mystery again and there aren’t many clues to start with. It slowly progressed and I started to guess. I managed to guess a certain twist right and was thinking in the right direction for the murderer, but wasn’t quite sure who it was until later when the characters figure things out. I like how everything gets wrapped up in the end and the epilogue ends on a hopeful note.

I like reading about these characters and seeing how they’re all there for each other. I also liked seeing how Nora’s romance developed in this one. I was not surprised at the turn things take in this book, although I was a bit surprised a certain scene happened between books. I also liked seeing how Estella and Jack were doing. As well as seeing how Esther and Andrews’s romance progresses. June and Sheldon both have important roles as well. And I just really enjoy reading about all of them as well as some of the new characters introduced in this book.

To summarize: Another great book in this series. I enjoyed returning to Miracle Springs and spending time with these characters again. The blend of cozy themes with heavier realistic topics continues to work for me. The mystery was an intriguing one and it kept me guessing for a while, I managed to predict a certain twist and was thinking in the correct direction for who the murderer was. I enjoy listening to this series and think the narrator is a good one. The characters are likable and realistic and I enjoy reading about them.