This was so well done – I could not stop reading! I finished the book in just a few days. The setting is beautiful and felt like whodunit. This was my first Ellie Alexander and it will not be my last!!

Ellie's books are like a hot cup of tea, pure cozy but with a slight hint of murder. The scenes she writes about I can picture in my head and makes me want to visit some of the shops mentioned. Highly recommended if you like a cozy murder mystery.

Enjoyed other books by this author but could not get into this one unfortunately enough to enjoy the storyline

I love mysteries with a cold case element. I love how Ellie Alexander writes. I love books set in bookish settings. A new mystery series set in a small touristy town in northern California.

Annie Murray, the main character, works at a struggling independent mystery bookstore. In order to save the bookstore, Annie comes up with the idea of the town hosting a mystery weekend. She is surprised to see some of her old college acquaintances arrive for the event. While things are just getting going with the mystery after all of the hard work and planning, a dead body is found in the very bookstore Annie is trying to save!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this start to a new series. There was a bit of a romantic subplot that I did not like how the author approached it, but not enough to not enjoy the book. I gave this book 4 stars. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thank you netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

Annie Murray works at a bookstore in a small town in Northern California. Owner Hal is like a granddad to her, and obsessed with Agatha Christie. Fletcher her Sherlock obsessed coworker. They come up with a plan to save the bookstore by creating a murder mystery festival. All is going well until a body shows up in a secret bookcase in the store, can Annie help find the killer and will they save the bookstore?

I loved this cozy. The characters are likable, there was a good amount of whodunit. The underlying sub plot involves her late friend Scarlett who was murdered when they were working on their final case for criminology school. Professor Plum is her steadfast pet cat, always ready to listen.

5 stars from me. Looking forward to continuing this series.

I really enjoy Ms. Alexander's book and was glad to see a new series by her. It took me a little bit to warm up to the characters and the setting as I love her Bakeshop Mystery series so much. Overall, I thought it was well-written with a great plot. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

This was such a fun, engaging cozy mystery! Lots of great humor and lovable characters. Exactly what you’d expect from the author of the Bakeshop mysteries!

I read this a while ago, but it was quite different to what I expected. It was a very good read, with lots of intriguing aspects through the whole
storyline. A Bookstore that was trying to get interest for people to visit and created a storyline to encourage people to visit. A style of who done it. But this turns out to be a real murder rather than a false one. It was a very very good story, with lots of characters and mystery surrounding it.

I know they always say don’t judge a book by its cover - but with this one I did. I didn’t expect much, but oh was I wrong! A fun mystery book, easy read and is perfect to get you out of a reading slump. I cannot wait to read more in this series but to me the cover just didn’t do it for me…

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is an engaging and charming cozy mystery that will captivate book lovers and mystery fans alike! Set in a quaint bookstore with a delightful cast of characters, the story follows protagonist and amateur sleuth, Sadie, as she unravels a murder that takes place within the store’s walls. Alexander’s writing is warm and inviting, with a well-crafted plot full of twists and red herrings. The bookstore setting adds a cozy and nostalgic touch, making this a perfect read for those who appreciate literary charm and a good mystery. With its blend of suspense, humor, and endearing characters, The Body in the Bookstore is a delightful addition to the cozy mystery genre!

Annie Murray loves working at the Secret Bookcase bookstore in tiny Redwood Grove, California. But dwindling sales means the business is in danger. Annie's idea to host a mystery-themed book festival brings much needed visitors and shoppers to town. But the first day of the festival is tainted when a real body is found behind the store's hidden bookcase. The victim is Kayla, an old college classmate. Annie's mentor, Dr. Caldwell, has retired from academia and is now a detective in charge of the murder investigation.

This was a fun debut mystery.

The Body in the Bookstore is the first in Ellie Alexander’s newest Secret Bookcase series. The series starts out strong, following out main character, Annie, as she develops a mystery convention in her small town Redwood Grove. Her job at the local bookstore, The Secret Bookcase, makes it more rewarding for her to get together with other local businesses to set up the mystery festival of a lifetime. After a great deal of hard work and planning, Annie is thrilled with the success of the event, until her past catches up with her. Annie finds that old college acquaintances have found their way to her event, leaving her feeling troubled and reliving the trauma of her past. When a body is found during one of the festival activities, Annie takes it into her own hands to discover if there is any link between her past and her present.

As one would expect from a book about a mystery festival, the number of callouts to mystery genre favorites such as Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie provided for a fun way to connect with the story. This was an important addition to the story because it focused a great deal on Scarlett’s backstory and providing the groundwork for a continuation of the story. That level of groundwork can feel tedious to get through, but the connections with favorites of the genre helped. It was a lot to take in while being introduced to so many characters and places at once.

The mystery itself fell victim to the downfalls of many first books in cozy mystery series in that it was forced. There were so many false leads and in the end, when the culprit was found, their motivation lacked the depth or surprise factor that it could have had. By the time Annie found closure within the case, there were so many unanswered questions left, that I struggled to feel satisfied with the ending.

The descriptions of the festival and the activities provided within the town of Redwood Grove were a delight. There were so many events happening that, while it was distracting from the mystery, it sounded like just the place that every mystery reader would want to go in real life. It would be a dream come true to find a whole town that really jumped into a plan like that with so much vigor.

Overall, this was a quick and easy read and a great start to a strong cozy mystery series

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was great fun. A Murder Mystery Weekend with a real murder! There was an appealing cast of characters and a fast moving narrative. Great conclusion with an opening for a follow on.

I really enjoyed this book!! Such a fun mystery with more in the series to come. I love the way they really focus to support the small town local bookstore vibe. The cliffhanger ending and continued themes through the story left more to come down the road in the next story of the series.
Thank you to Ellie Alexander, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance review copy of this book.

The Body in the Bookstore is the debut of the A Secret Bookcase Mystery series set in Redwood Grove, California and features Annie Murray. Annie is a criminology graduate whose best friend Scarlet, was murdered investigating a cold case for one of their college courses. Still obsessing over her friends unsolved murder a decade ago, Annie now works as a bookseller and event coordinator at the Secret Bookcase - a unique mystery bookshop set in a English mansion.

The bookshop is set off the beaten path so busy is not always booming. In an effort to boost business for her boss Hal Christie, Annie and coworker Fletcher come up with the idea for a Mystery Fest that will involve all of town businesses. An intriguing mystery will have folks searching town for clues with the first one being hidden in the secret bookcase inside the Secret Bookcase.

The festival is off to a good start until a body is found inside the bookcase. Kayla Mintner is an old college classmate and she and Annie were not friendly. As Annie begins looking into who would have wanted Kayla dead she reconnects with her former college professor turned detective Dr. Caldwell.

A fun debut in an interesting setting. It will be interesting to see how Annie's investigation into Scarlet's murder progresses in the next installment.

I received an advanced copy of The Body in the Bookshelf from NetGalley via Storm Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Book 1 of the secret bookcase series. Fun cozy mystery. Engaging primary characters and colorful secondary characters. A body is found in the bookstore and may disrupt her book festival. Fun read.

The Body in the Bookstore is the first in a brand new series from Ellie Alexander. I am a huge fan of Ellie, so I knew that I would enjoy this one. It wasn't as strong as some of her past books, however, I would still recommend and I plan to continue the series.

I know this is loosely based off of Ellie's actual Mystery Fest in Ashland, and what a fun idea it is!! She writes such a good mystery with fabulous characters.

The Body in the Bookstore is a wonderful start to a new Mystery Series. . Diverse and engaging characters, wonderful world-building, and an enticing mystery come together for an entertaining escape.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my free arc of this novel.
I can tell I'm going to be obsessed with this new series by Ellie Alexander. I've read cozies where the characters are beyond over-the-top to the point where they aren't pleasant to read about, and the plot goes beyond the point of my already stretched belief. This book was NOT that. This story introduced a perfectly balanced blend of loveable side characters, a fun and relatable amateur sleuth main character, Annie, and one of the best small towns to read about. I really enjoyed every aspect of this story.
As much as I love the Shakespeare Festival in Alexander's Bakeshop Mystery series, I love the Mystery Festival more! Not to mention, the "enemies" to lovers, slowburn situation that could happen between Annie and Liam is something I'm all in for.

The Body in the Bookstore is the first book in an intriguing new series by Ellie Alexander. The quaint setting and interesting characters made this a charming read.
I loved all the literary and book-themed references and the cosy bookstore setting. When a murder occurred during a mystery-themed festival I was hooked. The victim had plenty of enemies and managed to annoy a lot of people, including Annie, before her death. As Annie had some experience in criminology it seemed only natural that she would feel the urge to investigate for herself. What she discovered about the victim and the motive behind her killing took me completely by surprise.

The secondary, long-time mystery of who killed Annie's best friend has me curious about what she will discover as the series progresses.

I also listened to the audio copy of this book and would recommend it. The narrator does a great job of bringing the characters to life.