Annie again gets to use her considerable and various talents, this time making up a story for a murder mystery dinner to help fundraise.
Great descriptions of a creepy house amid a raging storm lend to the atmosphere of the staged murder turning real. A harrowing climax kept me on the edge of my seat.
I have some questions regarding certain characters that intensify with each book, so I'm curious to see how the author addresses those particular plot points in the future books.
Just a random side note- I want the apple bread recipe!

Thank you to Ellie Alexander and NetGalley for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Death at the Dinner Party is a cozy mystery very reminiscent of the game Clue. I enjoyed trying to play detective along with Annie. This story makes you channel your best Sherlock Holmes. If you enjoy mysteries I recommend you give this one a try.

30 Sep 2024

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of DEATH AT THE DINNER PARTY (Book 3 of the Secret Bookcase Mysteries series) by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. Pri and Penny approach Annie with a problem. Their funds for renovating/restoring Wentworth Manor and Farm have run dry. Two men have made low-ball offers to buy the farm acreage, and they are pressuring Penny to sell. Penny doesn’t want to sell the farm; she wants to revive and run the vineyard. Annie’s solution is to host a costumed murder mystery dinner the weekend before Halloween and to hire the Redwood Curtain Players to perform a loose script written by Annie. However, the event goes amiss when the wrong person drops dead during dinner. Instead of an actor feigning dead, Curtis Wright (retired, mid-seventies, Penny’s neighbor, one of the men attempting to buy Wentworth Farm, and generally unpleasant person) really dies from poisoning. Now, Penny’s a person of interest. In order to save the fundraiser and her friend Penny, Annie must deviate from her script and identify a real killer.

I liked this book and am a fan of Ellie Alexander’s other series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring fundraisers, murder mystery theater, small town intrigue, and Clue-type set-ups.

#DeathattheDinnerParty #NetGalley

Imagine helping to host a fund raisier murder mystery dinner party for 50 guests for the unthinkable to happen…a real murder!
Not only is there the dead body of crotchety old man Curtis that most of the town folk disliked, Annie, Pri and Penny had 50 suspects!
A good setting, great characters and a mysterious fortune make this charming crafted story entertaining and fun. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an early copy. This review is my personal opinion.

Another really enjoyable read in Ellie Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series set in Redwood Grove, California! This third instalment centers around a murder mystery themed dinner where one of the guests is unalived by poisoning during the entrée!

I really enjoyed the twists and turns, the cozy small town and getting to know it's lovable characters more. I'm excited to see where this series goes next!

Another really enjoyable book from Ellie Alexander! I love the main character Annie, all of her friends, and the setting on Redwood Grove, Ca.

The action in the third book in the series occurs at a murder mystery dinner which occurs during a "dark and stormy night". Annie has scripted and organized the dinner as fund-raiser for Pri's new friend Penny at an old farmhouse which has a possible dark history and rumor of hidden treasure. However, it is a guest, not an actor who is really murdered. Penny works with her mentor at the police to help find the culprit.

There are enough scenes back at the bookstore with her boss Hal and her friend Fletcher to keep with the title of the series. And a bit more hint of
romance for Annie and Liam (who caters the dinner party). Some allusions to Nancy Drew with hidden passages, inheritance, and personal danger.

Each book in "Secret Bookcase Mystery" series also advances Annie's thoughts about the past and plans for the future, as well as her cold-case
investigation into the murder of her bet friend Scarlet.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a copy of this ebook for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Bookcase series has quickly become my favorite cozy mystery series. I've read all 3, and cannot wait for the fourth.

Annie, Pri, Liam and Penny make for such inviting characters, I want to move to Redwood Grove.

Annie once again steps in to help solve the case. Her friends are there to help just in the nick of time.

This book is more like a cosy mystery than the thrillers I usually read, but was ideal to read in the car while my grandson was at a party. A light read for me with just a touch of romance. I did wonder how the murder was committed in a room full of people but method, motive etc was covered throughout the plot. Secret tunnels, hidden treasure, lucky escapes..... it was a fun read.

This was a great installment in this cozy mystery series! I would definitely recommend reading in order because there is a cold case introduced in book one that continues through the books. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Annie Murray, has organised two highly successful recent events in the small town of Redwood Grove, but this time her skills are being used for a much more intimate event. Her best friend, Pri's girlfriend, Penny, is renovating the Wentworth farmhouse, empty since the 1970s, which is forever linked to a mysterious fire and subsequent disappearance of the Wentworth family and their fabled fortune. Penny's money is running out however, and so, as Halloween draws ever closer, Annie is holding a murder mystery dinner party to raise much needed funds.

Everything is going fine until a massive storm hits, all the power drops out, and a guest dies at the table! Trapped by the storm and fallen trees the guests are none too pleased to find their evening out turning into a murder investigation. Annie and Pri look for clues but with more than a few guests having reason to hate the victim and a vital piece of evidence disappearing they realise no one is safe from their audacious and devious killer, especially them!

Book three in this ever improving series focuses mainly on Annie's life outside the Secret Bookcase Bookstore with her latest venture completely separate from her working life. The whole book was a fun ride with red herrings and actual clues vying for positions of importance. Changes in Annie's personal life were mention but not focused on although that will change in book four, I think. The main protagonists are all nicely fleshed out now and the friendships and burgeoning romances are a pleasant distraction from clue hunting.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Storm Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. I am enjoying this series very much and happily recommend it.

As much as I love Ellie Alexander's writing, the ending felt a bit rushed. I wanted to know more about the history and the possible hidden rooms. I also wanted more of a backstory on the new characters.
Even though this one was a miss, I am eagerly awaiting the next one.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Annie Murray and her best friend, Pri Kapoor, are busy getting ready for a mystery dinner event they are planning for Pri's girlfriend, Penny, to raise money to continue renovating her historic home. The events Annie plans always seem to be planned to the tiniest detail so that nothing goes wrong, but fate always intervenes to take the event from perfect to tragic, and this dinner party is no exception when one of the guests is murdered. Why was this person murdered? Does it have anything to do with the missing fortune of the Wentworth family who owned the house that Penny lives in and many other properties in Redwood Grove before disappearing in the 1800s? Can Annie figure out what happened so that her former teacher and now Redwood Grove police chief, Dr. Caldwell, can make an arrest? Will Annie and Liam address the obvious tension between them? Read this terrific cozy mystery to find out the answers to all these questions. This was another really entertaining, well written book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. I'm already looking forward to reading what happens next for everyone in Redwood Grove.

* I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I love anything that Ellie Alexander writes. They are just such wholesome,fun light mysteries set against picturesque towns with quirky and nuanced characters.

This series is really hooking me - the stakes feel a little higher, the predicaments a little more panicky and the romance that is blossoming is just sooo satisfying.

(Ellie Alexander - break the mold and write a romance novel, please!)

This book was a closed room mystery which is always fun - I kind of wish the entire book was while they were stuck there, but that might no longer be cozy.

All in all really excited to keep reading these!

The premise of this book was promising with the idea of a murder mystery dinner turning sideways and actually becoming a murder mystery. The cozy fall vibes were optimal and the mystery was heightened by the weather and eeriness of its original setting. However, this book ended up disappointing me. I came into this book expecting it to be a one-room concept where everything takes place within the Wentworth home. When it left the building is when I think the story really lost me.

The first half of the book was fine, your standard cozy mystery formula. A good introduction to the characters and a good plot set up. There were a lot of moments at the start that made you want to learn more about the character dynamics and why some actions were motivated.

I think, after the setting left the mansion, it started becoming more description heavy and less character action. There were a lot of explaining of things that I felt didn’t add to the story, nor make build up the cozy atmosphere (i.e. explaining what an ARC is). I semi DNF’d it around the 160page mark and just skimmed to find out what happened because I felt like I was reading so much useless description.

There were also a lot of moments that I felt were awkward, unreasonable, and at times inappropriate. I am by no means against romance subplots in mysteries, but there’s a time and place. For example, the moment between Liam and Annie after freeing Ophelia just felt weird… like someone JUST got murdered and y’all might kiss? Also, I didn’t realize this was a series so the overarching Scarlet subplot that I guess is strung throughout the series felt oddly placed and a bit forced into the story.

Overall, I wanted to like this book but just felt it would have been better as a one-room/building mystery. I do give props to the author for their talent to set the scene for optimal cozy fall vibes, that was very apparent throughout the book. I do appreciate the opportunity to have read it and am thankful to the publisher for sending me a copy.

Cosy murder with our Annie, of Bookseller fame, currently organising a murder mystery dinner party at the infamous Wentworth farmhouse recently bought by one of her friends. The party is to try to raise funds to renovate the old property. Two people are determined to buy the farm and one drops dead over the soup, not quite the 'murder' planned for the event. Plenty of twists and turns, Secret passages, evil doings, everything you can imagine. A fund, light read and back to being a bit too twee again, at times. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy

De.ath at the Dinner Party is the 3rd book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery. It takes place in the town of Ridgewood Groves in northern CA. There are two parts to the story. One is the murder of Curtis and the other is the death of Annie's roommate in college that is carried throughout all three of the books. Annie Murray is the main character who works as a manager at the Secret Bookcase book store. it is owned by Hal. Priya (Pri) Kapoor is the baristra at the Crypik Coffee Shop and best friend of Annie. Penny Shurr owns Westworth Farm that she has been renovating the house and grounds. She is also Pri's girlfriend. Since it has cost more than she realized and has gone through her savings. Annie had suggested that Penny put on a mystery dinner in her house. The dinner is planned the weekend before halloween. They have hired the Redwood Curtin Players to put on the mystery play. Liam Donovan who owns the Stag Head Pub is doing the food. The house is decorated and set up for the mystery dinner for 50 guests. There is a large storm happening.

Curtis Wright owns the farm next to Penny's and is interested in buying her orchards. Patrick Zimmerman is a real estate developer who is also interested in buying Penny's farm as well as Curtis's to put up a housing deveopment. Both he and Curtis don't like each other. Curtis arrives early and wants to talk to Jeff, one of the players who is the chef in the play. They have words. Ophelia is the director of the Redwood Curtin Players. The diners arrive inspite of the rain. Trishelle Wilder is one of the guests. She use to live in Redwood years ago.

The diners are seated at the table along with some of the players. Curtis and Patrick each sit at the end of the table. Suddenly a player jumps up and says there is a spider in her wine. (This is not part of the script). Wine is spilled on Trishelle's dress. She goes to the buffet for napkins. Liam and Jeff bring in the soup to serve. One of the players who is suppose to be the victim stands llingup Curtis sudden collapses. He has died from poison similar to the script. Patrick accuses Penny of poisoning Curtis. They call 911 and are told trees are down so it will take the police sometime to get there, Liam suggests that they move the body. It is put in the pantry in the kitchen.

Annie had been a student at college in the class that Dr. Campbell taught and is now the police chief. She has helped her with the solving of murders. She decides to take over until the police arrive. Annie and Liam decide to continue serving the dinner. They will need more chairs so that they can keep everyone in the diningroomO Annie and Pri go into the basement to get them. While there they see footprints in the muddy floor going to the wall. Before they go into the basement they go into the desk to get the key they find a vital in the drawer. It could be the one that the poison is in so they keep it there for the police.

Patrick and Trishelle want their phones which is in the library. While there they hear Ophelia calling from the ladies room. Annie gets Liam to help open the door. She tells them someone locked her in. While in the basement Patrick and Trishelle go outside. When Annie realizes they are missing she goes outside. She finds Trishelle on the porch barefooted but Patrick is not there.

Dr. Campbell arrives and asks Annie to tell her what all has happen. After telling her she takes Dr. Campbell to show her the vital but it is no longer there. She also tells her that Patrick is missing. The construction crew come and fixes the wires so the electricity goes back on. Later Annie finds Patrick at top of basement stairs. He said he had been looking for down wires. He tells her that Curtis was in foreclosure and that he was working with the bank to own the farm which he now did. Because of this he had no reason to kill Curtis. Ophelia was upset with Curtis because he had told her that he would no longer be supporting the theatre.

This is where the story takes off but is too much to put all on paper. I will leave it to the reader to enjoy with Annie and Pri deciding to help solve the murder, secret tunnels, the Wentworth treasure, disappearance of Natalie Thompson. The story takes a surpising ending with who the killer is and why Curtis was killed.

Annie is torn to whether she will be with Dr. Campbell as a police woman or take over the book store that Hal would like to leave to her and Fletcher when he retires. She would like to continue helping Dr. Campbell solve the murders and still be manager of the store.
Also her relationship with Liam and where it is going.

I really enjoyed this series and look forward to the 4th book to find out some of the answers Annie is looking for.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

Arsenic In The Entree..
The third outing in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series and a murder mystery themed dinner party takes a very real and very deadly turn. With arsenic in the entree and the catering gone to pot, Annie needs to act to save the day, not to mention saving her friend Penny from incarceration. With a pacy, frothy plot populated by a cast of eclectic and well drawn characters in a well imagined small town setting, this is another enjoyable and entertaining instalment to this series.

Yet another hit from Ellie Alexander! This is very quickly becoming one of my favorite series, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one!!

Sadly I don’t think I will be a fan of this series. The characters didn’t really come to life, or interest, for me and the plot seemed a little too weak. The rather sickeningly sweet romance was cringing in the she falls for the bloke she hates line and made the storyline and main character worse for it. In the end I didn’t really care who the murderer was or why they’d done it as it all seemed badly put together.

What can go wrong at a simple dinner party to help Penny finance the restoration of the historic Wentworth farmhouse?

Well, plenty goes wrong. A slap, some dirty looks, and yeah, a murder.

The suspect list is pretty long, and this one did have me stumped, lots of moving pieces and people with motive.

I was pleased to see a relationship moving along as well.

There used to be a little more of a hint to the Scarlet story line, and I’m excited to see where that takes us in book 4.