The fourth Secret Bookcase mystery finds Annie helping host a gingerbread baking contest. Even more exciting is that a social media famous baker is going to be in attendance. However, when the baker is found murdered, Annie finds herself investigating yet again.

This series continues to be enjoyable! You don't ~need~ to have read the prior ones in the series, but I'd really recommend it as each book really builds on Annie's life. We get a lot more development both in what Annie wants to do and with the Scarlet case. I was a little confused by the end of this one vis-a-vis the Scarlet case - it was not clear if Mark was responsible for Annie's accident that happens or not. Either way, I really look forward to seeing where this goes next!

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

Another great cozy adventure with Annie in the Secret Bookstore series. Although a participant drops dead during a Gingerbread house competition, the book still seems festive. This was a quick, fun read which works well as a standalone. But, as always for those like me who enjoy reading a series from the beginning, take the time to catch up before you read this one.

I enjoy this mystery series. I like the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing I look forward to more.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun holiday cozy mystery that takes place in a mystery-themed bookshop. Lots of holiday festivities and cheer happening here!

The cover is amazing! It is exactly what I pictured Redwood Grove to look like. This is my favorite of the series so far. The characters are great. I love to see how the characters are growing and how the relationships develop. Annie and Liam have come so far and I have really enjoyed seeing them grow. That kiss-whooooo!

My favorite part of the series is the continuation of Scarlet’s murder. The ending provided so much information, but also revealed new questions. It leaves you wanting more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy in exchange for a review.

This is the fourth book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. The story is set in Northern California at the Secret Bookcase bookstore where Annie works. She has set up a gingerbread house competition to benefit the community and Sugar’s bakery.
Unfortunately, the influencer hired to promote the event and Sugar’s bakery dies. If she was murdered, why?

Annie and her friends investigate to resolve the death’s circumstances. I enjoyed the story but knew early on who the killer was. There is plenty going on in this story but I never waivered on who the culprit was.

I recommend this story. The method of death was ingenuous.

I was given an advanced readers copy and am not required to leave a positive review.

A new series from Ellie Alexander. I always worry if a new series by an author will be too similar to another…no worries here! Annie and her friends own a bookstore in Redwood Grove, CA. Annie is focused on solving the murder of her college roommate from a decade ago. In this book, a baking influencer comes to town for a gingerbread house competition and is murdered. With help from her friend, Annie solves the murder. Looking forward to reading the earlier books.

A Holiday Homicide is book #4 in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

The Secret Bookcase is a wonderful bookstore. Trying to keep it running requires thinking outside the box to get the store publicity and customers. This time it involves a celebrity baker who unfortunately ends up dead. I like how Annie has grown through the series. The friendships are wonderful and the mystery was interesting. I enjoyed this book and recommend it and the whole series.

Thank you to the author, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you to Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and Ellie Alexander for the delightful fourth book I had the joy of reading and reviewing in the Secret Bookcase series: A Holiday Homicide. Annie Murray and her coworkers Hal and Fletcher are surrounded by all types of lovely gingerbread houses, castles, cakes and other yummy treats but in the midst of all the wonderful holiday fun wouldn’t you know it someone gets murdered! On top of that chaos Annie has finally tracked down a person that might be able to give her some answers to help her find out who killed her friend Scarlet ten years ago if the past doesn’t find a way to kill her first.
I absolutely adore this series of Ellie Alexander’s and I eagerly look forward to each new book. She makes every character and setting so real that I start to miss them as soon as I turn the last page. Her next book is due out in February and is already on my highly anticipated list. I recommend this series to everyone who loves cozies, especially if you love ones with found families, cats, enemies to lovers, basically almost every trope lol. I really do love this series and can’t praise it enough run don’t walk! And add it to your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Honestly a 3.9/5(rounded to 4)

As always my review is spoiler-free.

This is my least favourite book in the series so far and I am a sucker for Christmas. So I REALLY did try to like it. But I saw the killer from a mile away. The list of suspects wasn't strong enough to kick you off the trail.

Annie and her posse are growing stronger and stronger as characters (with their wants and arcs) with each book.

It wasn't the main plot that left me wanting more. The mystery of Scarlett's death is what will bring me back to this series. And this book gave me A LOT about Scarlett's case that I did not anticipate which is why I've rated it 3.9. Otherwise, it's a 2/5

Will I recommend this as a stand-alone? Nope. As a series? Yes, but I will mention that Book 4 is not that great. Am I waiting for the next book? Heck yes. I need to know what the heck happened to Scarlett just like Annie.

Ellie Alexander is one of my auto-read/buys, but I have not read the previous 3 books in this series.

For this mystery, you can read this as a standalone. However, when Annie speaks of her friend Scarlet as well as her relationship with Liam, things begin to get a little muddy. Not much as the author is very good about giving enough information, but I believe a reader who begins at the beginning wouldn’t have any confusion.

One reason why I hadn’t started this series was that I had heard the mysteries are wrapped up quickly, with no actual chase. Normally I do not like the amateur to put themselves in harm’s way, but I also want to see the journey. In this case, the parts about Scarlet seemed to be the journey, whereas Lily’s murder felt like snapshots. One minute she’s there, and the next Annie is finding her deceased. I would have liked more. More about Lily and Becca, more about celebrity baking, and the fact that recipes are not protected.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Life in Redwood Grove was good, Ann Murray was working at The Secret Bookcase bookstore, an enchanting place with themed rooms, rooms where you could loose yourself in Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie etc or gaze over the beautiful English style garden.
Ann was a criminology student, that is until her best friend Scarlet was murdered and her world fell apart, Ann had never come to terms with loosing her soulmate, even more so because the killer had never been found, something that Ann was determined to rectify.
Ann loved working at the quaint bookstore and along with colleague Fletcher and owner Hal, she did everything that she could to entice customers. Christmas was coming and it was an ideal opportunity, Ann had various events planned but the main one was the live appearance of social media baking influencer, Lily Hawthorne, Lily had thousands of followers and a demonstration in the Secret Bookcase would definitely draw the crowds.
Ann had decided on a ginger bread house competition, Lily would build her own magnificent structure. Lily was a hit, everything was going swimmingly..............until it wasn't, Ann was horrified to find a body in the bookstore and it would take all the detecting skills of Ann and Dr Caudwell, her old criminology lecturer, to solve the murder. Suspects were coming out of the woodwork, each with their own motive but who was the guilty one ?
This is a delightful cosy mystery that had me guessing to the end, I hadn't read the previous books but I easily picked up the story, there is a theme running through the series that will obviously continue into the next book.
I loved the authors description of the bookstore, I loved the diverse characters, I loved how Ann's role is gradually changing and I loved the gentle romance between Ann and bar owner, Liam. I look forward to reading more about The Secret Bookcase.
Thank you so much to Storm publishing and Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is my own opinion.

"A Holiday Homicide (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #4)" by Ellie Alexander is very gingerbread holiday themed at the beginning then picks back up the holiday theme at the end. We get several chapters dedicated to the mystery specific to this book and a good few chapters to the end dedicated to the overall series mystery.

I'm a little bit at the point where I want the overall mystery solved. I have a couple of theories about what's going on there. In this book it seemed like more happened towards that investigation but at the same time it didn't really feel like it got anywhere.

The book specific mystery was around the death of a baking influencer. There were a good couple of suspects. However, I totally called it with this one. It was an interesting story though.

We are back with Annie and the gang as they get ready to host a gingerbread house contest in their bookstore, hosted by a famous influencer and the local baker.

I have already fallen in love with this small town in the previous books, and I love the Christmas vibes and how everyone participated in making gingerbread houses for the contest. And I love Annie, all her friends, and the bookstore itself.

Each book in the series has a murder to solve, while also having a thread throughout them all of a past case involving the death of Annie's roommate Scarlet. I'm not the biggest fan of Scarlet's case but I think it's concluding soon so I can look past it as I enjoy the other cases Annie is involved in, as well as the cast of characters in this adorable small town.

I can't wait to see what happens in this series next, especially with the decisions that Annie and her Fletcher have made with their new endevor!

A cozy mystery book to kick off the holiday season.
Annie is back to solve a murder. A celebrity baker is found dead and of course Annie is back on her detective vibe.
This was an enjoyable read, I wish it was more of Annie and Liam love story but it’s not a romance book so I can’t expect too much.

I love the thrill to finding out who the killer is.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my arc copy.

Such an amazing cosy Christmas mystery!
First off, so much Christmas atmosphere – a gingerbread house competition, Christmas decorations, wintery foods and drinks. Everything I want in a Christmas mystery. Plus, it all takes place in an old mansion that has been converted into a bookstore where each room has an Agatha Christie theme! Seriously, a mystery lover’s dream setting. There’s even a hidden room behind a bookshelf!
As always, Alexander’s plot is tight and the pacing is perfect. I haven’t read the others in the series yet, but this stands alone perfectly if you are looking for a perfect Christmas cosy.
Thanks to NetGalley for the complementary eARC.

BOOK: A HOLIDAY HOMICIDE
AUTHOR: ELLIE ALEXANDER
PUB DATE: NOVEMBER 2024
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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The best thing about reading a series is seeing the character development and the changes in their lives. I got this from this new release. It was really nice to read about the upgrade in Annie and Liam's relationship, I was 'shipping' them. I also liked the new venture Annie might be into. I can't wait to see if she'll actually do it!
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As usual, the murder started with another book festival, this time a themed gingerbread houses. I loved reading about this, and I feel like the festivals are creative. This was slightly different. Before the victim died, I already suspected who the culprit was, but I liked that they were three other main suspects who kept me guessing.
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Another thing is that the murder was not the main 'suspense'. Annie really focused on her best friend's, Scarlett's murder which has been a main theme from the beginning of the series. New evidence has been discovered, and I'm really curious as to what happened with her.
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I read this book in a day and it was really nice to experience Annie, her bookshop, friends and small town again. I would definitely continue this series, and you should, too. If you haven't started, you can start from the beginning.
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Ellie Alexander has a knack for creating sleuths you want to be root for with, townsfolk you want to know, and friends you want to hang out with. Event planner Annie Murray has been going from success to success, from planning book launches to dinner parties, from film festivals to book festivals, she has been creating memorable events for the Secret Bookcase store.

In her latest event brainstorm, the bookstore hosts a huge gingerbread competition, just in time for the holidays! But things go awry (as they do) and Annie is quickly drawn back into being an amateur sleuth, something she’s more than qualified for with her criminology degree.

This book zips along at a perfect pace, always keeping my attention and moving everything along. There’s two plots going on – the main murder mystery, and the series-long arc of Annie’s best friend, Scarlet’s, murder when she was in college.

The death of the baking influencer was a good look at influencers, online perceptions, and how fandom can sometimes go a little too far. It’s really relevant in today’s society and reminds readers that what you see online isn’t always what’s going on in reality.

One of the things I love about this series is the supporting characters and how they’ve developed as the series continues. I love the support that Annie’s co-workers give her, and how Annie is able to balance two different career options – working at the bookstore and assisting the police in their investigations.

I also love the developing relationship between Annie and Liam. It’s sweet and the fact that she has him watching Midsomer Murders and Death in Paradise (two of my favourites!) makes me love them as a couple even more. I think there’s still lots to come for these two but I do like the fact that Liam supports Annie’s investigations, and trusts her to be able to handle herself.

While the main murder is solved before the end of the book, Scarlet’s cold case murder is still unsolved, but major developments happen in A Holiday Homicide and I’m hoping we get even more answers in the next book!

* Thank you to the publisher, Storm Publishing, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

This is the 4th release this year in the new cozy series "Secret Bookcase Mystery". Cozy author Ellie Alexander has gone above and beyond for her readers this year and we appreciate all her hard work in releasing this wonderful series. Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for the opportunity for review. My review opinion is my own.

In this holiday theme release our savvy protagnist Annie is participating in a fun gingerbread contest when a murder occurs. Annie is determined to solve another murder with her instincts for finding clues among the suspects. Liam and Annie are now a couple and Liam joins her in investigating. The red herrings abound and soon Annie is on the path of a killer once again.

The Christmas theme is written with all the holiday magic by the author. I love the small .town holiday celebrations and descriptions of holiday treats. This is a wonderful charming addition to this new series .

This book offers up another slice of the sweet and heartwarming chapter in the Secret Bookcase Mysteries. If you liked the previous books in the series about small town America, filled with community spirit, then this might be for you. I was pleased to see all the characters were back and Annie had made progress in her career and her love life.
The bookstore in the book is unique and I liked the way the story paid homage to the great writers, such as Agatha Christie and others. I was unsure about the introduction of a gingerbread competition as I was expecting a theme to be introduced that was more connected to books at Christmas. However, when the main plot got going and the murder suspects started lining up, the storyline became intriguing. It was quite easy to guess the killer in the novel, however there were some red herrings which tried to lead the reader in different directions and added to the richness of the story.