A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander is book 2 in the Secret Bookcase series. It is published on 19 June. Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the advance review copy. Annie Murray works at a bookshop in Redwood Grove, California. Hal Christie, her boss, is a gentle soul, and Fletcher is a colleague, another great character who loves and knows everything about Sherlock Holmes. Annie gets a call out of the blue aking her help co-ordinate a film premier weekend in her town. It is fascinating all the egos of those attending the film premier, some so pretentious. Not only that, but all the bickering. Through all this Annie, Fletcher and Hal try to help keep the peace. Until there is a murder during the film premiere. Dr Caldwell is the detective in charge and a professor from Annie’s college days when she did criminology. It is certainly interesting to follow the evidence with both of them. An enjoyable read.

Months after bookseller Annie Murray’s successful mystery-themed book festival, she organizes Redwood Grove’s first film festival, the premiere of a Hitchcock-inspired thriller. On the evening of the much-anticipated event, tragedy strikes when a prominent film critic falls to his death from the theatre balcony to the seats below. At first, it appears to be an accident, but after Annie begins investigating on her own, she isn’t so sure.
The film's cast and crew, who were attending the event, appeared to be hiding something and were reluctant to speak. The lead actress in the film was desperately trying to hide her past. A past that appeared to be linked to the dead film critic.
Annie, driven by her insatiable curiosity, is now thrust into the heart of another mystery. But as she races against time to unmask the killer, she finds her own life teetering on the edge of a precipice. She must rely on the help of others, as they navigate a treacherous web of deceit, to find the killer and save the film festival.
Another fantastic, edge-of-the-seat cozy from an exceptional author.

Another great cozy mystery. I don’t normally read two books in a series back to back, but both of these books from the #asecretbookcasemystery are being published on June 19 so I figured, why not? Andrea I’m so glad I did. Everything I enjoyed from the first book, the quirky characters, the rich background, the ideal bookstore, were all back and still as enjoyable as ever. The thing I wanted to see improve (the character of the love interest) absolutely improved! I now find myself rooting for Annie and Liam. I can’t wait to see what happens next! 5⭐️

Well, what can I say?!?

As soon as I saw Ellie had added book 2 of this series to Netgalley I jumped out of bed (it was like 4:30 am) and requested it.

I checked my email every half hour until the email arrived that I was approved.

I saw the approval email and was so excited.

As the book starts, I figured out who the victim would be. I was confident. I was WRONG.

Then, as I read further, several characters easily could have been the killer.

The actual killer was pretty low on my list until closer to the end.

Now, in both book 1 & this one, I really felt like Liam was going to be a bad guy 😂

We also get a very significant clue to Scarlet and her murder at the very end, so I’m hoping book 3 gets here quick!

Thank you Ellie, NetGalley & Storm Publishing. You have a hit series on your shelf!

Books 1 & 2 release on 6/19/2024

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of A MURDER AT THE MOVIES (Book 2 of the Secret Bookcase Mystery series) by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. The success of the book festival brings another business opportunity to town. The director of a new independent horror film contacts Annie to request her assistance in planning the movie’s release in Redwood Grove and other “film fest” type events. When the Hollywood types arrive for the release party, they bring more drama than just that in the film. A highly influential movie critic is murdered during the showing, and the director is arrested. However, that answer is too easy, so the detective in charge, once again, asks Annie to assist her in identifying the killer.

I liked the book and look forward to the next in the series. I am a fan of Ellie Alexander’s other series and am excited for the new books. I recommend this book to fans of Ellie Alexander and to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring small towns, town events, struggling small businesses, destination murder, and boutique bookstores.

#AMurderattheMovies #NetGalley

An excellent follow on to the first book, A Body in the Bookstore. At the end of book 1 Annie is approached to put on a movie premiere and festival. Well, that time has arrived and Hollywood descends on Redwood Grove. The first evening consists of a dinner party and its clear from the get-go that tensions are running high and not everyone gets along. At the screening the next day, one of the evening's guests is murdered and there's no shortage of suspects. Dr Caldwell (Annie's college criminology professor) is again the detective on the case and enlists Annie's help. I'm really enjoying this series so far. It's a fun, quirky little town with lovely characters. It's also nice to see the various relationships and friendships develop, including the one between Annie and Liam. And there's an interesting development at the end of this book that means I'll definitely read the next one! No, its not a cliffhanger (which is something I hate), just something to move the story of Scarlet's case forward!
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and Ellie Alexander for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Ellie Alexander for this ARC.

Wow! I really enjoyed the 1st book in this series but in my opinion, this 2nd one is better. I'm not sure if it is because now I knew the characters or what, but this one was a little more difficult to put down.

In this book, Annie is organizing a film festival and is in charge with setting up a showing for a premiere of a movie. The premiere's guests are some interesting characters and they are all murder suspects when one of the guests falls to their death. I won't say who the victim is but it wasn't a surprise but in a way, I thought it was going to be one of the other guests. As for who the murderer was, I didn't guess it until towards the end of the book. I think the writer wrote it so that we could all guess at the same time.

There wasn't much investigating at least not in the way that I'm used to. It seemed like clues would present themselves to Annie instead of her seeking these opportunities. She had her suspicions but it didn't feel like she was actively investigating. But then that could be because Annie does have a criminology background so it just comes natural for her.

Let's talk characters, i am enjoying to get to know Annie and her friends more. I am enjoying watching Annie and Liam's friendship grow. Yes, they seem to be frenemies but you can see the spark between them.. Pia and Double Americano also have developed a friendship and I'm loving it. Dr. Caldwell is back on the case and it feels like she is still mentoring Annie and encouraging her to get back into criminology. I do wish there was more of Fletcher and Hal, I would like to get to know them more and for Fletcher to become more involved with the mystery solving. He is such a fun character.

Annie is still thinking about Scarlet's murder in this book and it is obvious that this mystery will continue for awhile. I would love to have a book only on Scarlet and her murder, it would be great to really get to know her. These little bits and pieces are great but a whole book would really be amazing. She has made an impact on Annie's life and the path that Annie took, working in a bookstore instead of crime. But then she is solving crimes and still loving her job at the bookstore so she has the best of both worlds..

I do believe that I this series has drawn me in and I will continue to read it especially since the Scarlet mystery has my attention. I highly recommend this series to cozy mystery readers. The mystery and characters will draw you into their world.

#AMurderattheMovies #NetGalley is the second book in this fun, light cozy mystery by Ellie Alexander.
Annie is a delightful character, she's devoted to her job and her friends, and is excited to have another event in her small town.
The Hollywood stars come with a lot of drama, and when a death shakes up a movie premier, Annie helps to uncover the clues.
I like this series because it's fresh and new. In typical cozies, the police don't like amateur sleuths, but since Annie has a connection to the detective, her assistance is appreciated.
I also love the relationship between Liam and Annie, the author is creating a very real relationship which makes it a joy to read.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this new series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This is the second book in the series, and it is nice to revisit these characters and this delightful town and book shop. With the opening night for a film being held in town, a group of people connected to the movie are introduced to us. Martin the obnoxious reviewer ends up being murdered, and there are plenty of people who would benefit from his death. Although entertaining, there does seem to be an element of writing to a formula in these books, and even though I will seek out the next one, I do hope that there is a little more variation in the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a copy to read and freely review.

Annie and the group at the bookstore are now hosting a movie premiere after the success of their Mystery Fest. It’s touted as a Hitchcock-type horror film, but with more gore. The Hollywood group that come to town includes an obnoxious reviewer, rival directors, and a producer. During the premiere, a body falls from the balcony. Annie’s former professor of criminology, Dr. Caldwell, is the detective in town and enlists Annie’s help.
This is a fun cozy mystery with lots of suspects in a friendly town. I’m looking forward to the next story in this series. As always, I enjoy Ellie Alexander’s books.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

California, friends, friendship, amateur-sleuth, tv-film-industry, promotional-event, small-business, small-town, bookseller, local-law-enforcement, movies, unpleasant-suspect, cozy-mystery, publicity, publicity-hound, friction, grief, murder, investigation*****

I was disappointed in the first book in series (I love the author's other series), but this one proves the adage that books improve with each new in series. Annie Murray works in the Secret Bookcase Bookshop and had dropped out of college where she was a criminology student after an old friend was murdered and her grief became a PTSD nightmare. In this episode she is involved in the madness surrounding a film premier. There is more than one who looks good to be the victim, but the film critic is a real piece of work, so he does indeed get murdered and there is no shortage of suspects.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley.

I was really looking forward to this book being the second in a new series but found it to be very disappointing. The plot premise was the Same as the first book:
• A new event for the town culminating in another obvious murder.
•The thoroughly unlikeable character is the one who ends up dead.
•Annie and Liam continue their same love/hate relationship. (How many books will have to be read before they get together?)
•Annie plays detective with her former professor again to solve the crime herself.
And finally the overuse of adjectives/adverbs to describe every little thing was too much. This was slow, boring and redundant - sadly, I won’t be reading another in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ellie Alexander has done it again. Hooked me on another of her series. While I wasn't quite sure about Annie Murray when I began the first book, by the end of this second one I found myself genuinely liking her and the cast of regulars. We find out more about Annie's demons, so to speak, in this installment, why she didn't pursue a career in criminology, not to mention a very personal connection to her past. Pri, who emerged as Annie's closest female friend last book has her story fleshed out, too, though we don't learn too much more about the irritating but maddeningly attractive to Annie that is Liam Donovan. Maybe next book? I genuinely liked him as well as Hal, the owner of the bookshop that employs both Annie and Fletcher, the Sherlock Holmes buff, too.

As for the murder, well, there didn't seem to be many who grieved the death of arrogant movie critic Martin. On the other hand, the list of suspects for his shocking murder was long. The Hollywood contingent there for the premiere of their supposedly Hitchcock inspired movie all seem to have reasons to want him dead, some of them even voicing them. Annie tries to be the polite, efficient organizer of the event that she was but, well, her background in criminology pretty much guarantees she is driven to ask questions and try to make sense of it all, all the while encouraged by Detective Caldwell. As we learned last book, Caldwell was Annie's much respected criminology professor in college and Annie still calls her Dr. Caldwell, not detective. She's dangling a tempting opportunity in front of Annie. Will Annie leave the Secret Bookcase to accept it? To be honest, I suspect there's a workable compromise in there because, quite frankly, I not only like Annie's bookish self and this is the Secret Bookshelf series, but she seems, while highly competent as an investigator, to still be fragile from events in her past. I must admit, that's it's interesting to get a professorial look at the art of criminology, which Caldwell, ever the professor provides.

Bottom line, I am thoroughly enjoying this new series. Annie is sometimes a mess but, hey, aren't we all, and the circle of friends she's gathered is equally likable. As noted, I want to know more of Liam's back story, though seeing Pri's character being fleshed out was fun. Redwood Grove seems to be a lovely place, one we all wish we could visit in real life, and I'm curious to see where that vital clue that pops up at the end takes us next. It definitely got Annie's attention, that's for sure. Thanks #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for allowing me to continue to get to know Annie, Liam, Pri, and the town of Redwood Grove. I am looking forward with anticipation to my next visit.

Thank you so much Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and author Ellie Alexander for your fantastic second book in the Secret Bookcase series. I absolutely am in love with this little town and its quirky cast of characters. Annie and her friends from the Secret Bookcase Bookstore are asked to help with setting up a weekend premiere for a new movie. Of course, Annie will have to be in close contact with that handsome and infuriating bar owner Liam that always likes to make her a nervous wreck. When a particularly awful movie critic is killed at the opening night, Annie is asked by her old mentor—now head detective to help keep an eye on things. She quickly finds no one is quite what they appear and knowing too much could be detrimental to her own health.
I’m so happy to recommend this series and will be eagerly waiting for the next one to come out. I’m a huge fan of cozies set in bookstores or little towns etc and so definitely if you enjoy these as well grab your copy quick—you won’t regret it 🥰

Annie and the gang are back in the thick of things. I really love the characters. I loved following the clues to the murderer.The descriptions are always so vivid that I feel as though I’m in the book. It’s an awesome book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.