This is another fun entry in the series. I especially enjoyed the Clue inspired premise and mystery. The only real weakness is Annie’s impetuousness. She had a couple of TSTL moments. I hope the Scarlet plot gets resolved soon.

I always know that when I pick up a book by Ellie Alexander that I am going to be entertained and enjoy my time with the characters. Death at the Dinner Party is the third installment in this new series and I am enjoying the setting and the characters. Ms. Alexander is a pro with the small town cozy. She writes in such a way that you immediately fall in love with the town and it becomes almost a minor character in the book. This series has another charming setting that makes the reader want to visit. The characters are progressing nicely and we do get a bit more progress on the mystery that runs in the background of each book. This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to many more books in the series.

Another good instalment in this series. Nice to see some progress with Liam, and the murder mystery was rather clever in a great setting. The food and reading details were very enjoyable, I’d like to move there! I just wish Annie would stop banging on about her criminology training….we've all got it by book three. Also, there was little more on the Scarlet mystery, hopefully more will be revealed in the next book. This is a very pleasant series, and I look forward to the next book. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a chance to review this book.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review

Trying to help her friend who is having financial problems Annie decides to throw a spooky dinner party. An immersive dinner party turns deadly as the food is tampered with arsenic as she becomes prime suspect. The house is full of suspicious legends which might have a clue to the murder. It is one dinner party to die for in this mystery

I enjoyed this third installment in the new series. I really like the characters, especially Annie, and the relationships developing. I will say that since the first book, I’m disappointed not to have spent more time in the bookshop (I guess the series name made me think it would be more bookstore-focused), but the last 2 books have been located elsewhere in town.

This is the third book in the series following the investigative exploits of Annie Murray. The setting is a charming Agatha Christie inspired mystery bookstore in an out of the way small town in north California. Preparations are in hand for Halloween and Penny, the new owner of the Wentworth farm, is hosting a spooky immersive murder mystery themed party. The Halloween atmosphere is enhanced with a storm, thunder, lighting, a power cut and a real murder. Throw into the mix rumours of hidden treasure, secrets passages and a little romance and this story has all the ingredients for an intriguing plot.

The bookshop, the old houses, farms and central characters are nicely developed and the growing relationships between Annie and Liam and also Pri and Penny are a nice touch. The plot is well paced and the list of suspects quickly grows. The is an intriguing subplot in the series relating to the murder 10 years earlier of Annie’s best friend, Scarlet. Each book sees Annie make small advances in her investigations of what is now a cold case and an unexpected find hints of further intrigue to come. Overall an enjoyable cosy mystery, in a delightful setting with some good plot twists.

A stormy night and a murder! This story was full of fun twists and turns. I like how the character relationships are building. The ending was a nice twist. Looking forward to book 4!

Rounded up to 4.5 stars!

I think this one is the best one yet!! It was short and sweet and the perfect cozy mystery in my opinion. I loved the depiction of friendships in this one and the cool treasure hunter vibes. And Liam! *squeals* I cannot wait to see the path that Annie takes! I also hope we get to see Annie solve Scarlet’s case.

Ellie Alexander has done it again! I am completely in love with this series! If I could live in this book world I would do so in a heartbeat!

Death at the Dinner Party is the perfect book to read this fall. You will want to curl up in your favorite reading spot with a cup of fall themed coffee or hot cider. Taking place right before Halloween you are transported to Redwood Grove in the height of fall. What better time for a mystery to occur?! Annie and her friends are back at it again when someone dies at a Clue themed murder mystery party at the newly purchased Wentworth Manor. Penny, Priya’s double Americano, has been working tirelessly to restore this beloved piece of Redwood Groves history but she needs some help. Penny, Pri, Annie and of course Liam help put on this dinner party to bring in some much-needed cash to continue to fix up the manor. But it wouldn’t be a Redwood Grove party if suspicious things didn’t occur. Right from the start you are given several potential suspects and even more reasons why someone would like to get rid of the deceased. Murder, mystery, power outage, a house with a past and a missing family that has become a local lore!

How true is the mysterious disappearance of the once local family, the Wentworth’s? Are there really passages connecting properties around town? Is the property cursed? Is there a real fortune hidden or has it all just made up as time has gone on since the family’s mysterious departure in the 1800’s? What more could readers need?! So many questions to be answered.

I love seeing the budding relationship between Annie and Liam. That “enemies to lover’s” type relationship is perfection. Each book you see both of them growing individually and learning to open their minds and hearts to what life has to offer. I cannot wait to see what happens with the two of them in the next book, A Holiday Homicide, releasing this November. I also enjoyed that there is more information about Scarlet’s murder and connection to the cold case her and Annie were working on before they graduated. Will Annie meet with the mysterious man who has contacted her about the cold case? Will she find out what happened to her best friend and the woman missing in the cold case file? I think we are getting closer and closer to finding it all out in the next book or two. I’m hoping for an entire book dedicated to solving these mysteries! As Annie is getting closer and closer to solving those longtime mystery, she will also soon need to decide what to do next. Join her old professor, Dr. Caldwell at the Redwood Grove police department, take over the Secret Bookcase with Fletcher if and when Hal retires, or live hers and Scarlets dream of opening her own private detective agency. So much still needs to be uncovered in the next few books and I am here for it all. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book to release. This has easily become one of my favorite cozy mystery series that I will reread in the years to come. This series is the perfect series to break up the more intense mystery/thrillers I read. A pallet cleanser of sorts.

Why not 5 stars like? I felt Death at a Dinner Party didn’t have as much oomph as the first two. It mentions a bit of information on Scarlet’s murder but I wish it was just a touch more. I enjoy that this particular mystery is supposed to span several books but it seemed a bit lacking in this book. Lastly, it felt like the book just started and didn’t ease into the plot like the last two did. It was very immediate and almost rushed.

Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and of course Ellie Alexander for this ARC.

Death at the Dinner Party by Ellie Alexander is book 3 in the Secret Bookcase series. It is published on 30 September. Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the advance reader copy. Priya Kapoor, Annie Murray’s friend, has formed a relationship with Penny Shurr, who has bought Wentworth Farm in Redwood Grove. Penny has been renovating the property and to help with that, Annie and Priya are hosting a murder mystery dinner. There is a great sense of mystery about the old farmhouse, so it is a great setting for the dinner. Liam Donovan is catering the event, and the local theatre group are also taking part. Annie is a bookseller and event planner at the local bookstore and loves creating bookish events. A big storm on the night of the dinner causes havoc, but that is not the only catastrophe that happens, and Annie finds herself involved in another murder investigation. I have read all the books in this series and love how the characters are developing. I find I get drawn into their lives in each successive book. Annie and Liam’s relationship is slowly changing as well as some new characters appearing in this book who contrast well with some of the regular characters. The tension between some of the characters builds during the story and you can feel it. This book combines my love of reading crime and my love of bookshops.

Annie is hosting a murder mystery party to support Penny’s restoration of a gorgeous farmhouse rumoured to hide a historic treasure but when someone ends up dead during the evening, she’s got to investigate to save Penny from suspicion.

I enjoyed this! It’s Ellie Alexander so it’s got lovely foodie details and I loved the treasure hunt aspect of this book. Pri and Penny’s relationship is also super sweet as is Annie and Liam’s burgeoning romance. I feel like this series is really innovative in terms of the special events that take place in each book (a murder mystery dinner sounds like an absolute dream to me) but I wish it were more about the day to day of running a mystery-themed bookshop which is what I’m missing from this series compared to the Bakeshop Mysteries. Still very good!!

My endless thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. This book is the third book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery series. I love this cozy mystery series. As the title gives away there is a death at a dinner party and the female main character is there to help investigate. This book has more will they wont they between Annie and Liam. As with the other two books in this series, I did not want to put this book down. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

I enjoyed this book. I think it’s my favorite in the series. The characters are well developed, believable, and unique in their individual personalities. I love the settings in this story: the Secret Bookcase, the house decorated for the murder mystery dinner, the town all dressed in fall/ Halloween finery. The plot was clever. I didn’t guess the murderer. I’m ready to read another book by the great Ellie Alexander.

Annie Murray is organizing a murder mystery dinner party to help a restore an historic home – one that possibly has a curse on it. Angry neighbors and crazy local theater peeps barely get started on the soup provided by the local hot chef when someone drops dead. Annie is immediately on the case.
I am loving this fun, fast-paced series, especially the romance between Annie and the hot chef. Thanks for moving it along!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#DeathattheDinnerParty #NetGalley

This was a cute cozy mystery

I am thankful to have gotten the eARC for free from Netgalley and Storm Publishing so I can leave my voluntary and honest review.

This is the third book in a series called “A Secret Bookcase Mystery ” which I have not read the first two books. However this book can easily be read as a standalone. They reference some things in other books but you aren’t left wondering about info. It did make me want to go back and read the first two as this was a very light and fluffy mystery. Hallmark Movies and Mystery Channel-esque.

It wasn’t a very fast read however and I can’t pinpoint why. I happened to figure out the culprit very early on but I don’t think it particularly stands out. Some of the dialogue falls into the cheesy category at times and it reminds me of more of a YA book. While the protagonists are not teenagers, they very well could be with how they were written.

I gave it 4 stars simply because I enjoyed the ride very much. I didn’t care to knit pick the prose itself like ai usually do.
The book drops on September 30,2024. It’s just in time to break out the Pumpkin Spiced hot beverage and cozy up with the fun mystery.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Absolutely love this series. It's been a delight to watch Annie's growth as a sleuth while getting to know her and the side characters better. Liam Donovan is definitely a keeper...at least if Annie doesn't give him a heart attack with some of the situations she finds herself in. I also love best friend Pri(ya) Kapoor, whose sense of humor seems to shine through even during some seriously tense situations. I'm so glad she and Double Americano, her original nickname for now romantic partner Penny Shurr, have found each other, too.

Even though it didn't go according to the script Annie had penned, I loved the vibe of the Clue styled dinner party. The addition of a torrential rain with lightning storm, not to mention the power outage and flickering lights and candles in the rumored cursed Wentworth farm, the setting of the crime, was perfect. It didn't hurt that chef Liam was on hand to distract Annie from only thoughts of murder, either.

Of course, the real murder quickly is on everyone's mind. One of Ophelia's acting troupe, Jeff, is a suspect. But, why would he have killed Curtis Wright? It soon becomes apparent that Jeff isn't the only one on the suspect list. Nope, not going to detail the plot, that's what blurbs are for, but will say it includes not just thunder and lightning but mysterious footprints, locked doors, hidden treasure, hidden passageways, spiders, condescending males, missing items, money worries, bookish references, and, well, lots more explosive events, including romance. It's interesting being inside Annie's head as she pulls up bits of crime solving tidbits, such as don't act on impulse. Needless to say, Annie doesn't always follow her own (and Dr. Caldwell's) advice. Impulsive, thou name is Annie.

Bottom line. loving this relatively young series and thoroughly enjoyed this episode, even if I did fret about Pri's status briefly as Annie is caught up in her knight in shining armor's actions once again. Author Alexander is also top-notch at not just giving us well fleshed out characters that are interesting in their own right but describing the town of Redwood Grove and the buildings involved themselves. It sounds like a delightful place and I'm looking forward to more time with bookshop owner Hall Christie and Annie's coworker Fletcher, too. Thanks #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for allowing me an early entry into Annie's world. It's definitely never a dull one.

Annie Murray is excited to host a murder mystery–themed dinner party, but soon the evening takes a deadly turn… Good book! This book was a cozy mystery with a bit of a dark side with some really crazy twists! The storyline was very interesting! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, and a great who done it! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

After reading the first two books in Ellie Alexander's new series, A Secret Bookcase Mystery, I was completely hooked! Death at the Dinner Party is the third installment, and I am convinced Ellie will never disappoint when it comes to delivering a small-town cozy mystery.

This book takes us right back to Annie Murry and her small, quaint town of Redwood Grove. A few things have changed since the first book, one being Annie's best friend Priya is now dating "Double Americano". Penny (aka "Double Americano") has purchased the historic Wentworth manor, and unfortunately, it's not in the best condition. It needs to undergo a lot of restoration, and Annie comes up with a brilliant plan to host a dinner party. Annie and her friends agree to work together to host a Clue-style dinner party, where one guest will be "murdered" and the other guests will have to collect clues to solve the mystery. But of course, Redwood Grove wouldn't be Redwood Grove if a real murder didn't go down! When the neigboring (and highly despised) landowner, Curtis Wright, drops dead at the party, several people become suspect. This was not part of the plan, and now it is up to Annie to put her detective skills to use and find out who killed Curtis Wright.

After reading the first two books in this series, this one automatically made it to the top of my TBR list! I am 100% invested in Annie Murray and the Redwood Grove crew, and I wholeheartedly enjoy snuggling up on my couch and reading about their next adventure. I appreciate how the author gives us small recaps throughout the book but also introduces new characters at a steady, even pace. She allows us to get a feel of the characters, a bit of background, and possible motive, which all ties in nicely while reading. It really gets the reader's mind going, and I found myself easily trying to solve this mystery along with our MC, Annie. I also loved how this book, although set in the same small town, is different from the others. Yes, we have a mystery murder with many of the same characters, but each murder is different. I loved how this book incorporated a dinner party, Clue (the game) vibes, underground tunnels, secret hiding spots, missing fortunes, and a family's tragic history/ curse. It was great and different from the first two books, however not too far off to where the lovers of this series would find it hard to appreciate it. I also like how the author seems to give us a victim who is despised by the community in each book- it really adds to the whole whodunit theme. Lastly, I love how Annie and Liam slowly progress from enemies to lovers by the end of each read. Unfortunately, there were a few things that I was disappointed by, with the first being Scarlet. I wish we had touched more on Scarlet's murder. It feels like each book leaves us with a Scarlet cliffhanger that is never addressed in the following book. Next, I felt like the killer was practically revealed to us fairly early on, which made a lot of the following events predictable. I also didn't like how Annie kept mentally reviewing her detective training in the second half- it seemed a tad bit excessive. However, I can appreciate how, with each book, Annie dives deeper into her detective skills and begins to accept and hone it again. Overall, this was another great cozy mystery by Ellie Alexander! 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for another wonderful ARC!