I have loved every book in this series, it feels like a typical cozy mystery but also more. Annie’s job at the local bookstore makes it cute and cozy while her experience with criminal justice and her friend’s murder lend her sleuthing credibility.

I love all of the characters and the cute events that Annie plans for the bookstore which keeps the books fresh in spite of the murders. I especially love the Annie and Liam dynamic! My one gripe would be that this mystery resolved rather suddenly and left me with bookish whiplash. I understand it was from a need to focus on Scarlet’s case, but I ended up feeling that the story was incomplete.

On the whole, I heartily recommend this book and the entire series to all cozy mystery lovers! Thank you to #NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Another fun, fluffy mystery book by Ellie Alexander and an improvement from the previous one.

Annie hosts a gingerbread competition at her work which takes a turn when a popular baking influencer drops dead. This one had a lot more character development, better fleshed out newer characters and didn't feel repetitive. We also get to see progress with Annie's and Liam's relationship.

My biggest gripe with the series was that the Scarlet angle wasn't progressing much other than just referencing it. Here we get some more developments. However, I do feel that we need some closure on that case and it shouldn't be dragged as it may lose its novelty factor.

Overall, a good weekend read. Definitely recommend.

I thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Love a good holiday cozy and this one fitted the bill perfectly, First time reading this series so the back story snippets were helpful. Characters and setting were great, really wish I could work in a bookshop like The Secret Bookcase! Festive, fun, with plenty of mystery and intrigue. I'll be heading back to Redwood Grove to find out what happens next.

This is the 4th installment in the Secret Bookcase series. Annie Murray is helping local bakery owner Sugar by hosting a gingerbread house contest to be judged by an online influencer Lily Hawthorne. Lily turns out not to be as nice as her onscreen persona and is soon found dead in the bookstore. There are several suspects and Annie once again is helping the police and Dr. Caldwell find the killer. Annie is also trying to make a decision on the next steps in her life. Will she pursue a full time position with the police or stay with the bookstore. Annie is also investigating the cold case murder of her friend Scarlett. This is a fast paced mystery and I love Annie and her friends as she helps solve a mystery and makes some big life decisions. Looking forward to the next installment in this series. Highly recommend.

This is a fun entry in the series about bookseller/investigator Annie Murray. I'm thrilled that she's finally made her decision about which career path to follow. It might be a totally unrealistic decision--hehe--but it's a cozy series, after all.

If you mix up the worlds of baking and bookselling and murder, you're bound to get something delicious. I love the sneak peek into the life of an influencer too. And Pri and Fletcher and Hal make such a great cast of supporting characters.

The investigation into Scarlet's murder (in the past) gets more airtime here, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But I'm just not a big fan of over-arching dramatic storylines weaving over an entire mystery series.

Still, Ellie Alexander's such a reliable author. I know I'll get a good story from her pretty much every time!

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy, provided via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I was so invested in Scarlet's murder case far more than the recent murder in the bookstore. I easily guessed the killer and also the method of the murder (which is a first!).

The character development in this book has been phenomenal especially Fletcher and Annie's idea regarding the bookstore— it was simply perfect! 💫

As always ellie never fails to make me fall in love with mystery books even more than before. There's nothing better than curling up a cozy blanket, a cup of hot coffee or chocolate and getting lost in a mystery novel!
This was such a perfect fall read 🍁.

Thank you Storm Publishing and Net Galley for a copy of this arc.

I’m loving this new series from Ellie Alexander! Both the new and old mysteries are intriguing. I did figure out who the murderer was early on, but the journey to the solution was no less enjoyable for me suspecting correctly.

First I enjoyed most of the book. But I think the characters are underdeveloped.. 2nd, I knew who the killer was the instant she was introduced. I’ve read many books with the same killer. I was annoyed & frustrated that the same old trope was being used, it’s so obvious & old. #AHolidayHomicide #NetGalley

As the snow falls and the smell of gingerbread is in the air, Annie and the crew of The Secret Bookcase are hosting a holiday gingerbread contest with the hottest celebrity baker on social media. All seems cheery and bright when the social media darling shows up, but things take a turn when the baker is found dead after a few problems with other patrons and her own assistant. With the help of her sweetheart, Liam, and the rest of The Secret Bookcase team can Annie solve this murder before it's time for a visit from old St. Nick?

A Holiday Homicide is the 4th book in the series and the second I've read. The characters and setting are engaging and I felt this could almost be a stand alone. Like she does for Ashland in the Bakeshop Mysteries, Alexander brings the small town of Redwood Grove alive. The premise in this installment is a gingerbread competition held during the Christmas season in the Secret Bookcase bookstore. To boost tourism a famous influencer agrees to judge the competition. So much is not as it seems and a murder threatens to make the holiday a little less happy.
There is a second mystery that is woven through the series, I was impressed with the way the reader is caught up and prepared for book 5. I look forward to to next book. This is a delightful Christmas cozy, highly recommended.

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

The action in the fourth book in the series occurs right before the Christmas holidays. Annie is hosting a gingerbread house competition at the
bookstore and everything is decorated to the hilt and Christmasy foods abound in this delightful novel.

There are some great new characters - a culinary web star and several other of the baker community who may or may not get along with her.

The romance for Annie and Liam is progressing slowly but nicely as Annie is considering her future career plans and possibly getting closer in the investigation of the murder of her best friend Scarlet.

I highly recommend the entire "Secret Bookcase Mystery" series. The plots are interesting and have kept my attention all the way to the end of each book.

I absolutely loved it!! I could not put it down, and even without the cliffhanger ending, I can not wait for the next one!!

Although the secret bookcase sounds idyllic as a shopping destination I am now loathed to visit given the amount of bodies piling up in Redwood Grove!
Full of festive cheer and gruesome deaths with a bit of a bake off touch in the gingerbread competition this is a lovely cosy crime to while away a cold wet evening- but do you dare have coffee and cake when a poisoner is on the loose?!

I cannot seem to get enough of these secret bookcase mysteries. Annie Murray and the whole bunch from the bookstore and the town have stolen my heart away. I love the fact that everyone pitches in to help bring tourism and extra things to the town. So far, out all the books, this one is my favorite.

Annie, making her big decision about choosing between the bookstore and a job in law enforcement finally had me sighing with relief. She chose exactly what she should have, and I am so proud of her for being mature enough to realize what she can do, she can do it all and be fine.

Oh man, this mystery really had a lot of twists in it. For the longest time, I thought I knew who the killer was, bypassing my first instincts as to who it really was. There are a lot of red herrings in this one so look out!

I have really enjoyed reading Ellie Alexander and I am looking forward to reading some of her other series too. This one seems like it is really just starting to heat up and I am so ready for that.

The extra mystery of finally finding out what happened to Scarlett is a very nice touch too. I really like that the author gives you something else to chew on while you wait for the next book. Love it.

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

What’s cozier than a cozy mystery holiday adventure? Fans got more development with Annie’s career, relationship, and past—but newcomers can easily jump in. It’s not a difficult mystery to solve and is more the backdrop to some forward progress that had been lacking. A big leap forward on all the character and backstory fronts and I’m ready for the next installment.

Book 4 of this delightful series celebrates a gingerbread-baking competition being held at Annie’s beloved Secret Bookcase bookstore. A social media influencer is running the contest, along with a disgruntled assistant, and several stalker adjacent followers are in attendance. Someone ends up dead and Annie has plenty of suspects to investigate. Her wonderful friends help out as we are given aromatic descriptions of holiday food and drink.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#AHolidayHomicide #NetGalley

Excellent continuation of this series. Character development is great and the set up for a further book is clear.
I was able to guess the killer early in the book, too many other possibilities but just one obvious choice.
My advance copy still needed editing.

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

This is the 4th book in the Secret Bookcase mystery. I've enjoyed each one in this series so far. The charcters are developing more and more. I feel like I can't say much since some may not have read the first ones in this series. I will say that I really enjoy the direction this book has Annie's life heading and I can't wait to see it develop. This book didn't seem to investigate the present murder as much as Scarlet's murder which I loved. I am so invested in that one. I need to find out what happened to her!

I love the characters in this series and this holiday installment had a definite Christmas feel. As for the mystery, I figured out who and how early on, and was surprised this person wasn't really considered a suspect until the end. But this case was more a side note. The main focus is Annie making major decisions about her future and the tension really ramps up when she finally meets with the mysterious Mark and uncovers shocking revelations in Scarlet's murder. There's still unanswered questions, about Scarlet, Liam, and others that will keep readers coming back to find out more.

Annie returns. This time a gingerbread competition is taking place at the bookstore. She is also thinking about what direction she would like her future to take. Of course there ends up with something for her to investigate.
It is a nice easy read to relax with and I continue to like the main characters.