'Tis the season for holiday cozies! This one is set in the bookstore of every bibliophile's dreams, a historic mansion filled with secret corners and cozy nooks. It's a mystery bookstore, and our main character, intrepid sleuth and bookseller Annie, is hosting a gingerbread house contest featuring all the town's quirky characters, plenty of holiday treats, and a baking influencer - who, soon enough, is found dead between the shelves.

Fortunately, a little murder doesn't put a damper on this town's holiday spirit, and while Annie investigates the mystery there's still plenty of gingerbread, twinkle lights, and holiday cheer. Plenty of warm fuzzies, too, with Annie's supportive friends and coworkers. A festive treat of a read!

Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander is a delightful cozy mystery that brings the festive cheer of the holiday season to the charming town of Redwood Grove. This fourth installment in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series is a perfect blend of murder, mystery, and heartwarming holiday vibes.

Annie Murray is in her element as she helps organize a gingerbread house competition at the Secret Bookcase bookstore. The event promises to be a hit, especially with the involvement of a popular social media baking influencer. But when the influencer is found dead among the bookshelves, Annie's holiday spirit takes a grim turn. Torn between her responsibilities at the bookstore and her knack for solving crimes, Annie once again finds herself at the center of a murder investigation.

The story is packed with twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the very end. Alexander masterfully balances the festive atmosphere of the competition with the suspense of the investigation. The pacing is steady, with moments of tension interspersed with lighter, cozy scenes that make this an ideal holiday read.

Annie's character continues to grow as she grapples with decisions about her career and her budding relationship with Liam. Meanwhile, threads from previous books—like the mystery surrounding the death of her childhood best friend—add depth to the story and keep long-time fans invested.

While the mystery is engaging, the real charm of the series lies in its endearing characters and the warm, bookish setting of the Secret Bookcase. Whether you're new to the series or a returning reader, Holiday Homicide is sure to leave you craving gingerbread cookies and more adventures with Annie and her friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing an advance copy of this book. My review is honest and entirely my own. This cozy mystery is a must-read for fans of festive whodunits, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Annie in the next installment!

The Secret Bookcase is hosting a gingerbread-baking competition to draw people in to the store. When the guest of honor drops dead, though, Dr. Caldwell – Annie’s former criminal justice professor who is now Redwood Grove’s homicide detective – asks for Annie’s help and insights into the crime.

Ellie Alexander is one of my favorite cozy authors, and I have really enjoyed this series. I like all of the events the town stages to attract tourists, and what booklover wouldn’t want to shop in a store with a secret room behind one of the bookcases? Annie has a good network of friends and co-workers, and they’re all more than willing to help her solve the latest mystery.

The murder victim in this story was easy to predict, and there was a long list of suspects to consider. There were plenty of red herrings to throw us off track, and I’ll admit to falling for some of them. I was not able to figure out who the killer was until just before it was revealed in the story, but the motive made sense.

I’ve added the next book in this series, scheduled to be released in February, to my “watch for this book” list, and I can’t wait to read it.

Rounding up 4.5⭐
Inventive holiday cozy featuring the folks we have come to love in the last year. Don't worry if this is your entry into the series, you will still totally enjoy the gingerbread contest and figuring out the murder of a baking influencer. And I bet you will be eager to get into the earlier books as well. The bookstore itself inhabits my dream. A mansion with a secret bookcase! Across all four books underlies the murder of Annie's best friend in college as the two of them investigated a cold case as part of the criminology major. And there is a breakthrough, of sorts, in this book. Now I can't wait until the next book set around Valentine's Day comes out.

This is another really easy to read cozy crime novel in what is turning into a fun series. This time we're back in the bookshop as Annie organises a cooking event with a social media influencer. I'm less keen on the running storyline about Annie's investigation into the unsolved murder of her friend, but I'm hoping that it gets resolved sooner rather than later. Looking forward to the next in the series.

A Holiday Homicide is the 4th book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander and they continue to be intriguing. This book takes place just before Christmas which is fun. The characters are likable and the friendships are warm and wonderful. The cozy mystery kept me guessing plus there is a side story that is interesting. Annie Murray works at The Secret Bookcase Bookstore along with her boss Hal and coworker Fletcher. Annie is dating Liam Donovan who owns the pub nearby. Annie's best friend is Pri who manages the local coffee shop. The bookstore is hosting the First Annual Gingerbread House Contest. They have social influencer Lily Hawthorne in town to announce the winner of the contest and give the store some publicity. There is rivalry, secrets and a death. Annie uses her criminology background to investigate and Liam and her friends have her back, which I love. Annie loves the book store and investigating and has some decisions to make about her future. Annie's college friend Scarlet was killed right before graduation and Annie is looking into her death. There is a lot going on and the mystery kept me guessjng. The book was hard to out down! I really enjoyed it and I look forward to many more books! #AHolidayHomicide #ASecretBookcaseMystery #StormPublishing #EllieAlexander

I rated this book 4.55 stars, rounded up to 5. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ebook.

A Holiday Homicide is the 4th book in a series and I thought it was a good idea to request this without having read the first three. I was influenced by the holiday mystery aspect and I wasn't disappointed! I didn't feel I needed to have read the previous books. The author makes sure to add in enough details to catch you up to the major through plot. Now I need to go back and read the first three and cannot wait for the next one!

The author did a great job of world building within the book store but didn't really showcase the town or the other places in the book. It doesn't take away from the story too much, as 97% of the book takes place in the book store. She did a great job of building the Christmas spirit and I could picture the decorations and good cheer.

I thought the pacing of the book was well done with the right amount of tension throughout. My only issue was I guessed who the murderer would be before the murder even took place. I thought it was a bit obvious throughout despite showcasing other possibilities. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and it kept my attention. I wanted to pick it up and keep reading.

I thought the characters were great and had decent development. It is clearly a series and you could tell the characters would change and grow over the course of the series more than in each individual book. The characters were relatable and spoke like real people.

4.5 stars! I absolutely adored this book! Amazing Christmassy vibes and an ending that leaves you thinking. That ending (Wow!). Plus, what's not to love about a gingerbread-baking competition?

I will include a review of this in my November reading wrap-up on YouTube! Such a great book.

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

A Holiday Homicide is another fantastic installment for the A Secret Bookcase series. Redwood Grove is an idyllic small town, and with Annie Murray and her friends, there's no crime they can't solve.

I'm very much looking forward to the next installment to find out what secrets those friends of hers are hiding though.

The Secret Bookcase Mysteries have quickly become a favorite series of mine.

Another great mystery from Ellie Alexander and the fact that it's set at Christmas time just adds to the enjoyment.

Book four in the series of which I have read and enjoyed all four. Another brilliant book and a sort of Bake Off meets Agatha Christie. Looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley the chance to ARC this book.

Oh, I am enjoying this series so much! And the covers are so eye-catching and detailed. One of the things I enjoy about cosies is how delightful the covers can be.

Another clever mystery in the series and another chance to spend time in Redwood Grove. The setting for these books is so well described and inviting. I'd love to be able to spend time there in real life. And the mystery book store is back centre stage in this book, which is a treat. It means we get to see more of Hal and Fletcher, who I felt were missing in the previous book of this series. I'm so glad we have them back again.

This is a festive mystery, with bucket loads of gingerbread creations to read about. If you have a sweet tooth, you may be tempted to tuck in to some festive treats while reading this, so maybe don't read if you have easy access to your pantry! And other than the main mystery, there is some advancement in the over-arching cold case mystery introduced in book one. Not as much progress as I'd have liked (I am starting to feel a bit impatient waiting for more), but some progress. I hope we see something more soon. Four books in the series already seems a long time to wait.

Still, this is a fun and enjoyable cosy. If you've already read this series, I'm sure you'll love this book. If you're new to the series, go back and read book one first if you can. It is a series where the character history is important.

I'm looking forward for more!

The plans for a gingerbread house competition at the Secret Bookcase in the small town of Redwood Grove, had Annie Murray excited for the weekend ahead. She, owner Hal Christie and colleague Fletcher had the plans running like clockwork, and the bookshop had never looked better. When everyone arrived, including school children for the junior category, there were lots of happy people wandering around. The arrival of social media influencer, Lily, meant things were due to begin - the wondrous gingerbread houses were set to blow everyone away.

When Annie discovered a body among the bookshelves, she was horrified. The police were soon on scene, as well as Liam, Annie's new beau, and together they tried to work out what had happened. But Annie could sense things were dreadfully wrong within the baking community - would she find the killer, or was she putting herself in terrible danger?

A Holiday Homicide is the 4th in A Secret Bookcase Mystery by Ellie Alexander and I enjoyed it very much. Although I figured out who the victim would be, as well as who the killer was, quite early, the journey to the end was fun and entertaining. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes Annie and the crew next. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.

A cosy mystery Christmas story, what could be better….Gingerbread and the best bookshop ever!
The secret bookshop plays host to a gingerbread baking competition and Lily a famous baking influencer. It’s not long before Annie finds herself deep in flour and investigating a murders
I really enjoyed the storyline, it was well paced and consuming. I had guessed the murderer but it honestly didn’t take away my enjoyment.
Thank you NetGalley, Ellie Alexander and Storm Publishing for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

It has been awhile, but I have read an earlier book by Ellie Alexander. However, this is the fourth book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery series and I haven't read any other books in this series. This one could easily be read as a stand alone cozy mystery though.

Description:
Annie Murray's festive plans at the Secret Bookcase are thrown into disarray when a celebrity baker drops dead during a gingerbread-baking competition...

As whispers of foul play swirl like snowflakes, Annie soon finds herself tangled in a web of secrets, small-town rivalry, and long-buried mysteries.

With pub-owner and new love Liam by her side and the help of her loyal bookstore colleagues, Annie sets out to solve Redwood Grove’s latest murder mystery. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she discovers that the baking community isn’t as sweet as it seems…

Can Annie unwrap the truth before the killer strikes again? Or will this be one Christmas she won't live to remember?

My Thoughts:
Reading this cozy mystery was an enjoyable experience. I loved the Secret Bookcase book store and its owner Annie Murray. I liked the way she worked to draw the community together. Alexander had me fooled in this one - the killer wasn't who I thought it was. Annie and her bookstore colleagues make a good team. The investigation was fun to follow. Liam and Annie were sweet together. Annie also had a career decision to make and I'm sure she made a great decision.

Thanks to Storm Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Ellie Alexander is one of my auto buy authors. I read this book in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my copy of A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. It publishes November 20, 2024.
Yet another installment in this fun series from Ellie Alexander. This ticks all of the boxes for a Christmas cozy, and it keeps adding onto the overall story—my favorite thing for a series!
I really enjoyed this book, the mystery was solid and creative. I loved the way everyone’s lives were progressing, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book!

I enjoyed this cozy mystery as the fourth book in the series. I did not feel as connected to the mystery in this story as I have in the past, with none of the potential suspects fully grabbing my interest. I also thought the main mystery in the story was wrapped up and quickly forgotten in order to move on to the Scarlet's murder plot line so I would have preferred them more interwoven in the future.

I am looking forward to the Novel Detectives story line in future installments of these series and I hope that Scarlet's murder is wrapped up soon. It has been drawn out over several books with minimal movement at this point, so it would be nice for Annie to be able to put that behind her and move forward with her new adventures. I also love reading about Annie and Liam's budding romance, and look forward to more with the two lovebirds throughout the rest of the series!

Another terrific book in the Secret Bookcase series from Ellie Alexander. This Christmas themed book takes us to Redwood Grove, California just in time for a visit from a viral baking influencer who comes to host a gingerbread house contest at the Secret Bookcase Bookstore. Annie Murray is busy putting together all of the pieces of the event so that it goes off smoothly without any problems. That almost happens ...... if not for the unwelcome fan, the pushy businesswoman who wants to cut a deal with the influencer, the gingerbread mishap, and, oh, yeah ... the dead body! Annie finds herself yet again putting her criminology schooling to work to help investigate what happened and try to find a killer. Or, in this case, two killers, since she is still also investigating the decade old murder of her best friend, Scarlet. This was another great book in the series and you got to know the main character, Annie, better, as well as her coworkers, Fletcher and Hal, her best friend, Pri, her love interest, Liam, and her former professor, the lead police detective, Dr. Caldwell. I'd love to spend time in Redwood Grove ... The Secret Bookcase Bookstore sounds like the perfect bookstore to get lost in for hours with wonderful books, staff, fun events, and treats galore. Pri's coffee shop sounds equally delightful and like a must visit location along with the Sweet Room bakery and Stag's Head pub. If it weren't for all the dead bodies that turn up all too often, it would be a perfectly quaint little town to visit!! Luckily, the town has Annie Murray there to help find the killers!

This 4th book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series is another delightful installment, one I feel is the best of the four books so far.

It has a holiday theme, involving a murder at a gingerbread house contest which was held at the bookstore. Lots of baking and social media influencing talk, which was interesting.

As usual, Annie gets involved in solving the murder, along with help from the truly outstanding supporting cast of characters, including Liam, Pri, Hal, and Fletcher.

A highly recommended cozy mystery!!