The body in the bookstore is a cosy mystery set in a small town. packed with plenty of suspects and literary references I was entertained from start to finish. The main character Annie works in a bookshop, that I wish was real it’s so well described- and is dedicated to solving the mysterious death in her small town while reviving the bookshop.
The book left me wanting more from Annie and the cast of characters so I will be looking for book 2 once I finish my review.

I love Ellie Alexander and her books. This is the first in a new series. Ellie helped plan a literary festival in Ashland, Oregon last year, so it was fun to read about Annie planning one for Redwood Grove. I loved all the details about the festival event and the bookish merch included. The mystery was a good one that kept me guessing. I liked the ending and the fact that the second book in the series is being released the same day as this one.

I very much enjoyed this new series and look forward to more books. Annie Murray is a great character and I love her cat's name Professor Plum. I loved the idea of the whole town getting involved in a mystery-themed book festival. I would love to go to something like this for a weekend. I liked all the cast in this book and think that they will be a great help in future books.
Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

super cozy! this is my first read by this author and i would consider reading more by them
fast paced, good plot, likeable characters

Annie runs a bookstore, and when they have a mystery book festival it is not a surprise that a dead body shows up. A good and fun cozy mystery to follow the clues and find the killer. Fun read and would recommend.

An enjoyable cozy mystery. I thought this was very clever. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Annie Murray works at a quaint bookstore and dreams up the idea of a mystery fest weekend in order to drum up more business. After months of planning, everything seems to be going so well but an unexpected visit from a college classmate turns things completely upside down.
Can Annie and her pals figure out what happened and save the bookstore?
Fans of Alexander's other series will enjoy this one too!

Bookseller Annie Murray is thrilled when the mystery-themed book festival she organizes to revive the dwindling fortunes of her workplace and sanctuary seems poised for success. However, events take a shocking turn when a body is discovered hidden behind the shelves, and it’s revealed that the victim is Annie's old college acquaintance.

This book is a classic murder mystery, and I loved the whodunnit aspect. The characters are fun, and the small-town mystery vibes are charming. Unfortunately, I did not finish this book, and it’s not because it’s bad at all. I usually prefer stories with higher stakes, and this one just didn’t meet that preference. If you enjoy a quiet and calm small-town murder mystery, you should definitely give this a try.

The primary reason I didn't finish this book was its pacing. I found it to be a bit too slow for my taste. While the story had intriguing elements, the slow progression made it difficult for me to stay engaged.

Writers are supposed to write about what they know. I guess that's why this book sounds like the blueprint for the real Ashland, Oregon, Mystery Festival being organized by Ellie Alexander. I love the Bakeshop mysteries but this was not Ellie's best work.

Annie Murray is a bookseller turning into a detective when she needs to take the matters to her hands.
The following is coming from someone whose favourite genre is never murder mysteries. I picked this book up, because the setting of a book store and club sounded amazing, I like to challenge myself, and the rave reviews felt genuine.
And they were!
The characterisation and the concept: 5/5
The writing and the plot:4/5

4.5 stars

I love Ellie Alexander’s writing and was so excited to see that she had a new series coming out. I loved the California town, the mystery bookstore and the characters. There is an overarching mystery introduced, so I would recommend reading this series in order.

This is a well written murder mystery. The lead character is a resourceful yet vulnerable person who uses her reason and social skills to wheedle out th3 murderer. There are a good number of twists and turns and plenty of read herrings as the book develops a series of characters comprising a normally sleepy village. All have a back story that leads you to think the6 could have a motive for murder. The one whose back story is not developed as much as others is indeed the killer. There is a fitting denouement although I wondered if it could have been more tension filled. My one complaint is that a number of loose ends were left to be wrapped up in the next book or after. Frustrating!

ELLIE ALEXANDER HAS A NEW SERIES!!!!!

I love a bookish read. Add a mystery, loveable characters, an animal companion, and I am hooked!

In The Body in the Bookstore, the first book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery, we meet Annie Murray, former criminology student turned mystery bookseller. To save The Secret Bookcase, she plans a mystery-themed book festival in the small town of Redwood Grove, CA. Everything is going well, until the body of Annie’s college acquaintance is found behind the bookstore’s secret bookcase.

I immediately wanted to hop on a flight to Redwood Grove to take part in the festival and meet Annie, her friends, coworkers, and townspeople. The characters and the setting seemed so real, I felt I was searching for clues and interviewing people of interest right alongside her.

I’m looking forward to book two, A Murder at the Movies.

Thank you #NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for allowing me access to the ARC of this book.

In THE BODY IN THE BOOKSTORE we are introduced to Annie as she comes up with mystery fest to save the Secret Bookcase from going out of buisness. Mystery fest is in full swing, when book lovers following clues open the secret bookcase to find a body. Annie volunteers to take their picture when they complement her for having an actual body in the secret bookcase. It's not long before she sees the body and the police are involved. I enjoyed the characters and the surroundings the author developed for the story. I was drawn into the Redwood Grove community and the characters had no problems holding my interest even though I was able to figure out the murderer.

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is first in a new series. The setting of a book store based inspired by Agatha Christie, and the book loving staff, make for a fun read. The victim in this mystery was so awful that I almost found myself rooting for the killer to get away with it! The sample of the next book in the series has me waiting to see what happens in Redwood Grove next.

Thank you to Bookoutour and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Body in the Bookstore is the first book in a new series by Ellie Alexander.

I have loved every series Ellie has written so far and this one did not disappoint!

Annie Murray works in a bookstore and has an idea to put on a mystery festival to boost revenue at the bookstore and throughout the town.

People she knew in college show at the mystery festival and one of them is found dead in the bookstore. This brings back memories of the death of her best friend. Annie uses her criminology background to assist the detective in solving the case.

I enjoyed all of the characters in the book and I look forward to reading more of their stories.

I truly was hooked and I stayed up way too late because I just needed to finish the book. I definitely will be purchasing the next one in the series when it comes out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, opinions express in this review are completely my own.

This is a cosy mystery that blends small town vibes with a who did it plot. It is about a bookseller Annie who organizes a mystery themed book fest to help bring in more customers. This takes a dark turn when a body is found behind shelves and the victim is someone Annie knows from college. She is determined to save both the fest and her town from the murderer and begins to investigate with the help of her friends and a former professor who had become a detective. This novel has different twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The novel was medium paced and kept me intrigued throughout. Fans of cosy mysteries will enjoy this book and I can’t wait to see where this author goes from here.

Great first book in a new series. I love the idea of a bookstore dedicated to Agatha Christie. The mc was interesting and the mystery kept my attention. I look forward to reading the next installment.

Thank you to Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and Ellie Alexander for the wonderful opportunity to review this new debut series book one. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in the upcoming books because this one knocked me out of my seat!!! Who wouldn’t love to have a Secret Bookcase? Well, that’s exactly what this book has in it! The bookstore has a lovely secret bookcase and unfortunately it has a dead body in it as well. Annie has worked so hard to set up a wonderful mystery event for her town but really didn’t plan on having to solve a murder. Thankfully, she has some great help including her former mentor from her college days that is now a detective. They will need all the help they can get before she ends up being the next victim.
Loved this first book and I am eagerly waiting for the next book five stars hands down.

The Body in the Bookstore is the perfect title for bookstore/murder lovers and there is a book festival. This book hits all the fun tropes that are loved in mystery. Our sleuth is Annie Murray, former criminology major, now a bookseller in a small town still recovering from the murder of her college friend. Now a second death brings it all back but she knows she has to solve this who-dunnit.
Fun with great characters – friends and suspects - in a wonderful small town, I can’t wait to read the next one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#TheBodyintheBookstore #NetGalley