While overall this is a good series this one just - I don't know didn't seem right. Now that's just me and I'm sure others out there will love it.

Death at the Dinner Party, the third in a series by Ellie Alexander is another coup of enticing combined mystery and entertainment.

Annie from The Secret Bookcase in Redwood Cove, California and her friend Pri from Cryptic Coffee had teamed up with Liam Donavan from the Stag’s Head to hold a dinner for 50 people.

It would be held in the Wentworth Mansion on property that Pri’s new girlfriend Penny now owned. The dinner would be a fundraiser to update the mansion.

Some of the Redwood Grove players were going to perform a murder mystery skit after dinner.

But unfortunately one of the dinner guests dropped dead during the dinner, and Annie, who was trained in criminology, thought he was poisoned.

Since the police were detained by downed trees because of a storm raging outside, Annie took charge until the police arrived. She had previously been asked by the chief town detective to join her team.

Annie told all the guests to stay together in the dining room and Annie and Liam put on gloves and moved Curtis’ dead body into the pantry.

The rest of the book has a lot of twists and turns in Ellie’s usual style and you’ll never guess who the killer is. The novel is a delight to read.

I wish I could get into this book. I liked the idea of the book and the characters were well thought out but the story felt a little to slow for me. But will try more of her books.

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

This is the 3rd book in the Secret Bookcase Mysteries. It seems like this series is only getting better and better. I feel like I'm getting to know more about Annie and her friends. I'm really getting attached to these characters.

This book was setting was a dinner mystery where one of the guests ends up being murdered. I enjoyed the setting and the fact that the suspects were all interesting characters to begin with and each had their own motive. I did not guess who the murderer was which made this book more interesting for me. It keep me guessing. I also felt the setting made the mystery more intriguing. I could picture everything so vividly. The author really made me feel like I was there.

One of the things I enjoy about this series is that we get a 2 for 1 with it, not only are we involved in the murder that just happened but we are also involved with Annie investigating her best friend's murder that happened years ago. In each book, we are given more clues about that murder. I need to know what happened to Scarlett!!

I think is a must read for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

Love this series of books! The characters are great, the settings are spectacularly described and the murders are gentle yet intriguing!
nothing not to love about the third installment in the secret bookcase series- looking forward to more!

Thank you to Storm Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Ellie Alexander’s Death at the Dinner Party via NetGalley.

I have devoured the first two books in this series and was delighted to be chosen to read an advance copy of the third installment. I was hoping to get more answers regarding Annie’s best friend’s murder and it seems we are moving in that direction. I love that this series has a romance or two to follow, and it seems slightly darker than Ellie’s other series’, which I think makes it even more intriguing.

I can say definitively that Annie’s experiences are getting better (and more harrowing) with each installment and I’m so eager to read the next one!

Annie helps her friends Pri and Penny plan a murder mystery dinner but when an actual murder takes place, Annie gets to work finding out what happened. A perfect read for the Halloween season. Loving this new series by Ellie Alexander!

Death at the Dinner Party by Ellie Alexander

Another wonderful book by Ellie Alexander! This is the third book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series and it was a very enjoyable read. Ms. Alexander has a wonderful ability to create communities in her books that would be wonderful to live in or at least visit. The towns are cozy, friendly and full of wonderful characters. Redwood Grove, the town in this series, is no exception. I also love that there is an overarching mystery that has carried through all three books and will be continuing in future books. There is a murder to solve in each book, but also a long term mystery that keeps building in each book. The murder was fun to try to figure out and a book with a hidden treasure and rumored tunnels is always fun! I recommend this series and anything else Ellie Alexander writes. I haven’t been disappointed yet!

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read the first two books in this series, which are fun, but this one is my favorite.

Redwood Grove is a charming town filled with quirky establishments employing interesting characters. It’s a perfect setting for a cozy series. Visiting it is like taking a mini literary vacation.

This vacay centers around a murder mystery party, a fundraiser in support of and taking place in an old mansion. The estate was built by one of the community’s founding families and has fallen into disrepair, along with the agricultural land surrounding it, and has become the target of developers who want to buy and subdivide the land for a housing development. The current owner recently purchased the estate and wants to keep it intact while restoring it.

Add in possible buried treasure, a murder mystery party with an actual dead body and a dark and stormy night, and you’re all set for a night of confusion and sleuthing reminiscent of Agatha Christie.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, both recurring and new to the book, and the mystery kept me guessing. The characters were interesting without being caricatures, and the ending was very satisfying.

I’m looking forward to my next trip to Redwood Grove.

I was really excited to get an E-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. 


This is the third Secret Bookcase mystery based around the life of the former criminology student and current bookseller and her life in the quintessentially Californian town of Redwood Grove. If you're after a hard hitting detective novel, you are in the wrong place, this is as cosy as they come, and the book is unashamedly so, the murder is not gruesome, the love interest is not racy, everything is gentle and comforting. 


You could start here if you wanted to in terms of understanding the narrative but you wouldn't see the development and it would be a shame to miss that. 


By far the best thing about these books are the descriptions of the businesses involved in the books, this has built up over the series into a really rich and inviting world. They really capture I want to go the Secret Bookcase for which the series is named. 


The story in this book is very similar in terms of structure to the first two, but the same can be said for every episode of Murder She Wrote and that's no bad thing. It might be wise not to binge the series one after another like I did, for that reason

Overall, another enjoyable experience of escapism and I'm looking forward to the next visit soon.

I love these new series! 3rd installment- we find Annie trying to clear her friend's Peggy's name when Peggy's neighbor is murdered at her fundraiser dinner party. Everyone is acting squirrely- from the hired group of local actors to a local land developer. It's up to Annie and her friends to solve the murder before they themselves fall prey to a ruthless killer.

A great addition to an incredible series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

The third Secret Bookcase mystery finds Annie investigating the death of a man at a murder mystery dinner party. He was not the "victim" and is actually murdered. Her friend Pri's girlfriend, Penny, is a suspect so she is working to clear her name.

I'm really enjoying this series! We didn't get as much movement with the Scarlet long story arc but we did get a little sprinkles of things to come in future books. We are also getting more with Annie and Liam's relationship. I'm excited to see where this series goes next! It is an easy to read cozy series for anyone looking for a new series.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So far, this one has been my absolute favorite. Who hasn't wanted to go and have a good time at a murder mystery dinner party? It sounds like loads of fun to me, well, without the body that is lol. Annie is really flourishing, being able to use her forensics training to help out the police to catch killers. The fact that she is so trusted shows just how gifted she is in this field. I know she has to make a decision as to which she will be choosing either forensics or the bookstore. Even I don't know what I would pick if I was in her shoes.

This mystery has also seemed to be the most fun to date. All of the secrets floating around this little town makes it so very interesting! And speaking of interesting....Annie and Liam, I love those two together. Even as much as they fight it, you can feel the tension between them. They just work so well together even though they got off to such a rocky start. But sometimes, as I know from experience in my own life, those you started off not liking, usually end up being the most invaluable friends.

The red herrings were great, everywhere you looked there was a new clue. This one was just so much fun. I enjoyed myself greatly. I love this series very much and I can hardly wait until the next book. I started this series on a lark, and I am so glad that I did. It's a really refreshing series and it has so many surprises in it to keep it fun. I recommend this book and all the rest of the series.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and to Ellie Alexander for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚

2.75

Such a cute cozy mystery, that is 300 hundred pages perfect for catching up on your reading goal.

The author writing was magical weaving in funny slightly cringey comments that made me simile. Like calling your cat professor plum.

What I appreciate with Ellie was her ability to develop the story and the characters without taking away from the mystery. Although the story wasn’t anything groundbreaking, the escapism that the author provides was my takeaway from this book. The description of the town and the book store she worked in really created this mystery and cozy feel.



𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔

One thing- Annie deserves so much better than Liam I hate him so much- he was such an argumentative character. And just because he starts reading a mystery to impress Annie does not redeem him, I think the author should introduce a new love interest for Annie character in the next book to avoid the misery she would be in if she dated Liam.

Saying this I did start this series mid way through so I have missed lots of character development between Annie and Liam.

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕

Overall the premise of this book was nothing new, it was entertaining to read and follow along with. I enjoyed the little twist at the end of each chapter to keep me going.

The mystery was decent, I wasn’t really reading for the mystery rather the vibes the book gave. And I definitely was giving fall.

At one point of the book we changed the focus on an old case, that Annie best friend was involved in, but after that mention it wasn’t really discussed, now whether this was leading into the next book or touching on the last book, I don’t really know but to me it felt really out of place and unneeded.

Would recommend to anyone in the mood for a cozy mystery, nothing to take home about.

Thank you NetGalley for spending me the arc for a honest review.

I got to start reading this book series as arcs and i fell in love with all the characters and the world that Miss Ellie Alexander has created. This book is my favorite so far out of the series. We have romance and mystery and found family. Three of the best tropes combined together. This series is for sure a more cozy mystery. I love that we have all the subplots through out the books and i am so eager to read all of the books in this series. I would recommend for everyone to read this series right now!!!!

Death at the Dinner Party is the 3rd book in The Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. This is a very enjoyable and unique cozy mystery book and series! Annie Murray works at the Secret Bookcase Bookstore along with her boss Hal and coworker Fletcher. Annie's best friend Pri owns the.local coffee shop and Pri's girlfriend Penny is restoring Wentworth House. Penny is running out of money for repairs so they decide to organize a murder mystery dinner event. Some of the local theater troupe are helping with the performance. Several of the guests don't get along and neighbor Curtis is unlikable. One of the guests ends up dead and some secrets are uncovered including rumors of a Wentworth missing fortune. Annie likes Liam Donovan who owns the pub in town. There isn't as much fun banter between them but there is chemistry and potential romance. Annie and.Pri take some questionable chances while sleuthing but that gives the.book a little excitement. The thing that makes this series so unique is Annie has a Criminology background and the.lead detective, Dr Caldwell was her former professor. This makes the.exchange.of information smooth and interesting. Annie likes working at The Secret Bookcase. Her boss Hal is hinting about retiring. Annie and her deceased friend Scarlett talked about opening a Private Investigation Agency and Annie is thinking about it. Dr Caldwell asked Annie.to join her department and become a police officer/detective. Hopefully Annie will make a decision soon. On top of that she is investigating her friend.Scarlet's murder. Stay tuned for. more exciting tales of Annie and The Secret Bookcase! This book was very enjoyable and it was hard to put down! #MurderAtTheDinnerParty #TheSecretBookcaseMystery #NetGalley #StormPublishing. #CampNetGalley #WeAreBookish

Diving into an Annie Murray mystery feels like coming home!

Annie Murray and her Redwood Grove friends are at it again in this upbeat, fast-paced cozy mystery! Annie's best friend Pri has a new love interest, Penny. Penny has recently moved to the area after purchasing a treasured historical estate. It has been quite the extensive project and funds are running low. In comes Annie to help with fundraising since she is known to organize some amazing events (Read books 1 and 2 to catch up on Annie's event planning ;) ) In record time they throw together an epic murder mystery dinner held at Penny's estate. Before the "mystery" part of the dinner can commence, a real murder takes place. As the details unfold it is evident the estate holds answers that may just solve this case.

I've loved all of the Secret Bookcase mysteries but this one might be my favorite! Once the mystery got started the pace was quick and the anticipation was high. The "locked door" aspect of it lasted longer in this mystery which I really enjoyed. Also, Annie seems to be doing more of the investigative work independently rather than with law enforcement - maybe the next book she will be a P.I. or even join Caldwell's team? Hope to see more Hal and Fletcher in the next book as well.

This was the first book in the series I have read (I know, out of order, bad me!) but it read just fine as a standalone. I loved the Clue vibe it had going and the characters were interesting. Definitely going back to read the others in the series.

Thank you Ellie Alexander ( @ellie_alexander ), Storm Publishing ( @stormbooks_co ), and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read Death at the Dinner Party early (comes out September 30, 2024).

Bookseller Annie Murray helps host a murder mystery dinner party, but the murder turns out to be real! It’s a case of who done it that turns into a treasure hunt.

I could not put this book down! I really love Annie—although I wanted to shake her a few times to make her aware of clues right in front of her. But in the end, she had everything put together just right.

I really like how this new series is coming together and look forward to reading more of Annie’s adventures in Redwood Grove (and maybe beyond).

#DeathattheDinnerParty #NetGalley #ElliieAlexander #StormPublishing