I was hooked from chapter one, and it kept getting better. I read this in two evenings, something I rarely do. I felt like I was in the story, part of the action, eating the food and drinking the coffee, and I don’t even like coffee. Redwood Grove is my kind of town; a bookstore in an old manor home, that’s perfect. The mystery was expertly plotted, and although I had a theory about who the killer was, I was completely off base. There were plenty of suspects to choose from, each with a very believable motive. The best part of the story, for me, is the strong friendships and the idea that friends are the family we choose. The relationship between Annie and Hal, who is like a grandfather to her, is so sweet. Grief, and how it can change someone forever, is a powerful theme throughout. There is a secondary mystery that isn’t resolved in this book, but will continue into book two, which luckily also came out today. Give this book a try, you won’t regret it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great start to a new mystery series by one of my favorite mystery authors. Can't wait to see where this series goes.

I loved this book. It's my first by Ellie Alexander but definitely not my last. I love a good old fashioned style murder mystery and this hit the spot. The storyline was so good and kept me engaged. I loved the characters. It was fun and intriguing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! The Body in the Bookstore is a great cozy murder mystery and an excellent start to the Secret Bookcase Mystery series! I was able to read this in one sitting easily. I was hooked right away! It's not a long book, but it has great pacing and the mystery will leave you unable to put this book down!

I really enjoyed all of the characters and the setting a lot. Annie is very likeable and well-written. I'm excited for more of her in future books! The author Ellie Alexander also did a great job bringing Redwood Grove to life. Honestly, the way she describes everything from the small town setting, to the little things like food is incredible. She has a great talent for painting a picture with her words, and the effect here is maximum coziness possible in a whodunnit. It also made the mystery more engaging, and the writing style is a huge reason why this book was so good!

This book is definitely for anyone who wants a great mystery with excellent twists and turns! I'm looking forward to reading more in this series and more books by Ellie Alexander in general!

I was so excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley that I was beside myself. Before getting into this review, I want to take a moment to thank NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for a digital copy of The Body In The Bookstore in return for an honest review. I am so happy to say that I absolutely loved this book. I just have to say that I have loved getting lost in the little town of Redwood Grove, CA. Ellie Alexander has managed to create another destination that I need to see, fictional or otherwise. Oh, and I absolutely can not forget to mention that bookstore. I just can’t even. It sounds like a dream. I get it enough gushing already and get into what the book is about.

In this story, we are following Annie, a college graduate who lost her best friend days before they were set to graduate. Scarlet, her bestie, was murdered, and sadly, the murderer was never found. The super frustrating thing about it is that both of the girls went to school for Criminal Justice (I think), and Annie is not able to figure out who killed her friend even after all these years of searching. Annie never went into her degree field; instead, she ended up in a little town in CA as a bookseller/event coordinator. She works in the cutest little bookshop that specializes in mysteries and only mysteries. The owner, Hal, is super adorable and leaves the day-to-day stuff to Annie and Fletcher. Hal is convinced that he is the grandson of Agatha Christie and has many thoughts on how that is even possible. Fletcher is the other bookseller in the shop, and he is a Sherlock-obsessed individual who can tell you anything and everything about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He even does talks on the author and the beloved Sherlock series.

Sadly, the bookstore is in trouble when it comes to finances, and Annie, along with Fletcher, fears that Hal will close the store and sell it. This would be devastating not only for Hal and Fletcher but for Annie as well. In a way, Hal saved Annie after her friend died, and the store brought new life back into her. She loves the store, the people she works with, and what she does. She can not imagine the bookstore not being there anymore. Annie comes up with a wonderful idea one night and talks with Fletcher about it, and he agrees because it is worth a shot to save the store. They approach Hal about the idea, and needless to say, he loves it. Redwood Grove will be hosting its first-ever Mystery-Themed Festival, which will last over a weekend. Annie sets to work on getting the local businesses involved in her idea because this festival will be throughout the town. Each business will have something special in store for their customers (sleuths) having to do with the case they are solving and also just to get into the spirit of things. For example, the local restaurants will serve a dish that is author/story-themed, and the same goes for the local bars and coffee shops. The whole town gets involved, with the exception of one business whose owner is a man named Liam. Liam is the bane of Annie’s existence, or at least that is how she feels about him.

Things are going well with getting everything ready for the festival when it comes to creating the clues and the town’s involvement. The authors that Annie reached out to have all confirmed and will be doing signings, readings, and talks. People are beginning to arrive in the small town excited for the festival to start, which is a good thing for sure. Annie, however, is surprised to see three people she has not seen in years, people she thought she would never see again, some old college acquaintances. These people knew her during her college years and time with Scarlet. They are also aware of what happened to her friend. Their coming to town leaves Annie uncomfortable. She becomes even more uncomfortable when one of these acquaintances ends up dead in her bookstore. This gets her mind going on if the killer is the same person who killed her friend all those years ago. Are the murders related? Did they come for her? Are they only killing people from her graduating class? What is going on?

Ellie Alexander did a great job of including Annie’s past into her present (Scarlet’s death), making the reader not only want to know who killed the college acquaintance but also who killed Scarlet 10 years prior. The story was fast-paced and kept me interested and guessing the whole time. I know it is a murder mystery, but the coziness is also there. The friendships between Annie, Hal, Fletcher, Pri, and some others in town, not to mention the setting and all the book talk, transported me right into the story. I loved it, and I am excited to continue in the series. Seriously though, this was such a great cozy mystery and one I would absolutely recommend.

Trigger Warnings:

Murder

Blood

Murdered Friend

Unsolved Murder

Excessive Drinking

Lurking Around At Night Peeking In Windows

Talk Of A Gambling Addiction

The Plot
Annie Murray works at The Secret Bookcase and plans a Mysteryfest weekend in her small town of Redwood Grove. Things don’t go to plan when a face from the past shows up and is murdered.
This was a warm hug of an American cozy mystery novel. I think if you enjoy the Mystery Woman Hallmark movies or Aurora Teagarden mysteries, then you will probably enjoy this. It had many similar features, such as a strong sense of a community feel. The friendships in the novel, again like a Hallmark movie, were one of the novel’s strongest points. Annie, our mystery book enthusiastic amateur sleuth was an amiable character with a cat. Her friendship with Pri and other characters added warmth to the novel. The small town of Redwood Grove gave me all the cozy and cute small town vibes, too.
Annie followed the suspects well, and the plot was pacy for the most part. As well as this, Annie interviewing the different suspects did hold my interest. I have to say, I was glad that other sleuthing methods were also employed.
This book didn’t offer that many surprises. It was obvious who was going to be killed from the outset. Neither was the reveal of the killer at the end a surprise. I was waiting for there to be a twist and for the killer to be someone else. I also think the trope of a hidden body could have been explored a bit more. It felt like this was used for convenience rather than adding to the plot. I liked the fact that we were given a hook into the next book, and I look forward to reading it.

Review not posted publicly.

As someone who loves cozy mysteries I really wanted to enjoy this author as she comes highly recommended. I’m still unsure if it is me or the book, but I am not finishing it at this time. What I have read was slow and repetitive at times. I did look ahead to see who done it when I decided it wasn’t for me and wasn’t interested in finding out the connection of the body to the killer. Others seem to be enjoying it, so maybe I’ll pick it up again another time to see if I appreciate it more then.

Annie Murray, who is working at a local independent bookstore, the Secret Bookcase, after college. But her studies were in criminology, along with her best friend. The day before graduation, her best friend is found murdered and Annie decides not to pursue her original career path.

I enjoyed the out of the box marketing ideas when Annie devises a Mystery Festival to bring an influx of visitors and cash to the store. When one of the customers compliments her on the lifelike prop, Annie realizes that it’s actually a real person that had been murdered!

Annie has the chance to put her education to use in helping with the investigation. There were a few too many coincidences for my preference, but the overall story was engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Ellie Alexander for the eARC.

Annie Murray has a degree in criminology, but after her best friend died just before their graduation, she went to work at Secret BookStore in Redwood Grove, a small town in California. The bookstore owner, Hal, and the workers, Fletcher and Annie, are all affectionate about mystery books. An accident happens during a Festival organized by Annie, Fletcher and others. Annie uses some of her educational skills to help understand how the accident occurred. It is an interesting book.

Excellent book!!! Nothing better than a bookstore cozy!!! Loved the town and this book kept be thoroughly entertained!!! Loved it!!! Cant wait for the rest of the series!!!!

Favorite author, Ellie Alexander is bringing us a great new series, A Secret Bookcase Mystery. In A Body in the Bookstore, the first book in the series, Ms. Alexander introduces us to Anne Murray and the lovely team she works with. Anne graduated from college with a degree in criminology, but the murder of her roommate and best friend changed everything. Years later, Anne is still working in the bookstore and the whole town is thrilled with the mystery festival she instigated, until that is, murder comes to roost again. Anne refuses to allow the arrival of not so good college acquaintances to ruin the festival but when the secret bookcase room becomes the site of a murder, she fears the festival will be destroyed and those not-so-much college friends are among the prime suspects.

My thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read and review this excellent beginning to a new series by the awesome Ellie Alexander, A Secret Bookcase. The Body in the Bookstore does not disappoint even the high expectations of this Ellie Alexander fan.

#NetGalley #StromPublishing #ASecretBookcaseMystery #EllieAlexander

This new series started off with a satisfying mystery. Annie organized a mystery book festival to drum up business for the struggling bookstore she worked at. Things were going well when a body was discovered in the secret bookcase in the store. There were plenty of suspects including some of Annie's visiting old fellow college classmates and local residents.

I liked Annie who is determined to change the fortunes of the struggling bookstore she was working in. She didn't just watch the shop descend into bankruptcy. She also was dealing with the trauma of the murder of her best friend in college. That had shaped a lot of her life for the past decade or so as she continued to try and solve the unsolved case. That wasn't wrapped up in this book and I'm sure will continue to be an element in future stories.

Some of the other characters seemed a little flat but I'm sure they can be fleshed out as the series continues. I don't know if I like the love interest. We will see how that develops over the next books.

Overall, a solid mystery with the elements most look for in a cozy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Another delightful read from Ellie Alexander!

First of all, can we talk about the setting of the bookshop? An old, large house with each room a different theme? And a bookcase leading to an actual secret room? Yes, please!!

Secondly, I love the idea of a book festival and while I would have loved more of a description of what went into planning it, I loved hearing about the different activities put on for the Mystery Fest.

Unfortunately, I'm giving this only 3 stars because, while the story was intriguing, I found a lot of the dialogue to be stilted and formal. This is something I've noticed in her other books but I'm able to look past it because the characters are all so much fun.

All in all, a fun read and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one in the series!

I'm giving an honest review of this book in exchange for an ARC from NetGalley/Storm Publishing.

First, I have to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me a chance to read this book.

I give it 4,5⭐

I can start by saying: Oh my God!
This is such a tribute to murder mysteries! So many Easter eggs, it made me feel so happy I found out loads of them!! And also the direct references to Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and their characters - lovely!!

A Mystery Fest! Who even comes up with such a genius idea like that?!
The plot is quite intricate and the writing is solid! I can only put flaws in it in the ending conversation between Annie and Dr. Caldwell, which doesn't seem natural, but otherwise is very rich!

The best way to tell you my opinion of the book is by saying I've set up my email to receive updates on new books by the author and I immediately went to buy this book and the next and will be waiting for them to arrive home!

The writing is engrossing and the book is engaging. The characters are warm, lovely and mysterious. The setting is enchanting and there is an unsolved murder mystery. I love the small town setting and the description of town , book shop interior and setting. There were several twists. This was a cosy read.

Annie is an event manager and she owns a bookstore called The Secret Bookcase. Leafy Redwood Grove town is her life now. While her friend’s murder mystery still bothers her. She is trying to find clues leading to it. But soon something unfortunate happens to that bothers her even more. During the town's inaugural Mystery Fest, Kayla’s body is found and somehow she sees the connection between two mysteries. The book ended on cliffhanger

Many Thanks to the Publisher and Author.

The Body in the Bookstore is the first book in a new series. The Secret Bookcase Mystery starts off with our main character, Annie Murray, reviewing her personal files on something she hasn't been able to let go of for a decade. The murder of her college BFF, Scarlet.

As Annie is dragged away from her thoughts by her coworker, Fletcher, for an author's reading event at the bookstore, The Secret Bookcase, she starts to realize things don't look all that great for their place of employment. With the drop in physical book sales, the stores' days may be numbered and Annie knows that something needs to be done to make the store a success again. She gets an idea while talking to the author at the reading. After discussing her idea with Fletcher and their boss, Hal, they all become excited about getting the entire town involved in the three day event of a mystery-themed festival!

And what an exciting event it is!! Things were going even better than Annie ever imagined... Until she discovers a body in the stores' hidden bookcase... The many suspects in this murder include not only people she currently knows from around town but also from her college days. As Annie pieces together the puzzle of the hidden bookcase murder, she can't help but think of Scarlets' murder all those years ago..

This is a fantastic story and I was pulled right into the mystery along with Annie! I absolutely love the setting of the bookstore, which is not just any bookstore, this store is actually an old house with each room themed to display the titles. I found the characters to be well written and relatable and the mystery kept me guessing right up to the very end. I am already excited to read the second book in this series!

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the opportunity to read the ARC of #TheBodyintheBookstore.

A very fun and heartfelt cozy mystery. The characters are fleshed out and not two-dimensional, which got me invested in their stories.
The mystery was intriguing and caught my attention, because there was so much going on. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend.

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is the first book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series. It revolves around our main character, Anne Murray, who is a former criminology student who currently works in a mystery bookstore in the little town of Red Grove, CA. She has been the general manager of the store for the last eight years. As the years have gone by, she has watched the store she loves become less and less profitable. She knows that if things don't get better, the owner, Hal, will have to close. She can't let that happen, and while speaking to an author who is scheduled to do a reading at her store, she comes up with the idea of creating a Mystery Festival weekend, where readers can come and meet authors, and solve a mystery created by Annie during the three-day extravaganza. Everything is going swimmingly during the festival until Annie finds one of her former college acquaintances dead in the secret bookcase in her shop. How did the victim get there, and who killed her? These are the questions that Annie is determined to find the answers to before the real life murder mystery possibly ruins her last chance to save her beloved bookstore.

I loved this book! Annie Murray is a wonderful character. She is smart, compassionate, and determined. She has a great group of friends who are fun and care about her and the town they live in. The mystery was well-paced. I love the setting, The story and the main character were a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to read the next one. Thank you to #NetGalley and #Storm Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of #TheBodyintheBookstore.

I really, really liked this book. A cozy mystery about a book fest with multiple mysteries included? Yes please!!

Annie Murray lives in the small town of Redwood Grove, CA and works at the Secret Bookcase. The store is unfortunately not doing well and Annie conjures up the idea of a mystery fest to attract readers into town with multiple events that boosts tourism dollars and hopefully rekindles people's love of reading. What she doesn't count on is a real murder inside the literal Secret Bookcase. Not only did this happen in her beloved bookstore but the victim is one of her college classmates. Though she wasn't close with this person and actually seems to have active dislike for her, Annie still feels responsible and puts her criminology degree to use by trying to help solve the murder.

This is a unique spin on the cozy genre because while Annie is a bookseller, she actually has a background in investigation and planned to open a PI agency after graduation. Yes in usual cozy fashion it's a small close knit town but I adored all the bookish references and wish this mystery fest was a real thing. It sounds grand and exciting (minus the real dead body).

I am very excited to read the next book in the series. I found myself looking forward to having time to pick this book up again and eagerly read it on my breaks at work and during my lunch.

A very big thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute new cozy mystery series based in an Agatha Christie themed bookstore, and a town where everyone gets involved pretty much for any theme.

I loved the unique setting and cast of characters in this book. The main character left the career path she was on when her close friend was murdered and years later the murderer has not been found. When a body shows up in the bookstore she works at, it is time to figure out what happened. Setting the book during a festival also added to uniqueness of this new series.