A Holiday Homicide is the 4th book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series. It takes place in the town of Redwood Grove, CA around Christmas time. The Secret Bookcase Book store is owned by Hal Christie. It is in a restored Englilsh country estate. It is the largest mystery book store on the East Coast. Annie Murray works at the book store. She was once a criminology student when at college. Hal has offered to Annie and her co-worker, Fletcher a change to take over the running of the store. He would like to step back a bit. Annie use to be a student to Dr. Caldwell who is now Redwood's lead detective and has offered Annie a job working for her.

The store is giving it's first event, a gingerbread bake-off. Sugar Lester who owns Sweet Room Bakery wants to partner with them for the event. She has gotten Lily Hawthorne, the biggest baking influencer in the country to come and judge the contest. Sugar has told Annie that working with Lily would give a boost to their businesses. Lily plans to build a very large duplicate of the book store. Annie plans to do the room with the secret room in it. Sugar plans to do a replicate of the town of Redwood itself. They will invite the village to participate in the contest. Fletcher plans to do a replicate of Chaning Cross Station. He is a great admirer of Sherlock Holmes. Liam Donovan owns The Stag Head pub and is Annie's boyfriend.

Lily arrives with her assistant, Becca. Annie helps Becca bring in the pieces of the gingerbread house. Once Becca puts it together it is breathtaking. Lily goes and explores the store and has fallen in love with it. Perfect for her broadcast to all her followers. The store opens to all the participates at 10:00 for them to put their gingerbread houses on exhibition. Shane Briggs is at the head of the line. He said he was there to help LIly. Becca sees him and asks him what he is doing there. She tells Annie that he is a stalker who comes to all events that Lilly is doing. He is a super fan. Liam comes to help and is told about Shane and asks him to watch out for him.

Dayton Coyle is a culinary instructor from Redwood Grove High School. He is bringing his students there. Kari Harris works for Queen Mary Flour Company. She is hoping to get Lily to go into business with them and plans to talk to Lily about it. Priya (Pri) owns Crypic Coffee shop and is Annie's best friend. Penny is her girlfriend who is away on business.

When opening the contest Annie introduces Lily to the audience. Shane has somehow gotten into the store and was at the stage trying to get to Lily. Becca calls for help and Liam and Sugar get to him and take him away from the stage. Annie and Pri go outside to speak to Shane. He told them that he and Lily are really good friends. He said all he wanted to do was to make sure Lily got his gift. It was a Montblanc pen with her name and her logo on the pen. He asked Sugar to make sure that Lily got it. Sugar went and made sure that Lily had it.

Dayton got Lily to try his grandmother's recipe. She tasted it and said she recognized the recipe. He showed her the original. She told him that she would talk to him later about the recipe. Kari shouted to her but Lily paid no attention to her. Lily told her viewers about Sugar's village showing her camera and tripped and fell on Sugar's gingerbread village and it shattered to the floor. Lily made light of the situation that it was an accident. Lily left the stage with Shane's pen behind her ear. When cleaning up the ruined village Becca implied that falling into the village was done on purpose. She didn't like that Sugar's village was so good. Lily did not like being upstaged. Sugar was upset when she heard what Becca said. Becca left to find Lily to make sure she was on schedule. When Lily saw Annie she told her that Sugar was angry at her so she decided to go and judge the local entries.

When Annie was tiding up and putting books back on shelves in the parlor she came across Lily on the floor with her notebook and pink pen by her side. Annie went to check on her and called for help. She asked the other couple who were there to call the police. She did CPR until the medics got there but she was dead. Dr. Caldwell arrives and takes over. She speaks to Annie with questions. Annie tells her that Lily had eaten a piece of cake and her reaction to it. Annie goes back upfront and finds Sugar crying at the counter. They go into another room to talk. Sugar tells Annie she was with Lily and Becca in the children's area doing a photo shooting. Lily did mention she had a headache and chest tightness. Becca had told Sugar that Lily had gone off her medication a few months ago.

This is where the story gets interesting but there is so much going on that it is hard to put on paper. There are so many people who could have killed Lily, I will leave it to the reader to enjoy to the exciting ending.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read this series from the beginning. Have gotten to know the characters who live in the town and look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

This was a cute cozy mystery about Annie who is trying to solve the mystery of the murder of a celebrity during a gingerbread bake-off. This was a cute little mystery, it was somewhat predictable but that’s the charm of these books and makes it a comfort read. I haven’t read the other books in the series so there was some backstory lacking, but that’s not this book's fault. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a fun read during the holiday season. It definitely scratches the itch of what you’d be looking for in a book like this.

Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this book early for an honest review.

I received a free copy of, A Holiday Homicide, by Ellie Alexander, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 4 of 4 in the, A Secret Bookcase Mystery series. Redwood Grove has another dead body in its town. A celebrity baker has been killed at a gingerbread contest. It is up to Annie Murray to solve the crime. This was a nice holiday cozy mystery.

This is book 4 in the A Secret Bookcase Series.

All eyes in the baking world are watching Redwood Grove this Christmas Season, as an amazing Gingerbread House competition, being held at the bookstore.

Sugar, a local bakery owner invites Lily, a baker influencer to town to judge a gingerbread house competition.

Becca, Lily’s assistant (and friend? business partner?) is very frazzled as they arrive in town.

As the book opens, I did quickly figure out who the victim would be.

But in true Ellie fashion, she gives us so many suspects, each with a strong motive.

Is it the assistant? The teacher? The baker? The over anxious rep from the flour company? The stalker? Oh yeah. We have a stalker in this book.

We see Liam and Annie’s relationship moving forward (how did I ever think he was a murderer? Read my review of book 1 where I considered him a suspect 😂).

Fletcher also surprised me with the new business venture he proposes to Annie, and I gotta say, I LOVE it! Hal is on board, so I’m excited to see how this play out.

We also get more information on Scarlet’s death, and honestly, the twist here about floored me.

Can’t wait for the next book

This is a delightful holiday book! You would wonder how murder and holidays blend together but it works.
With our budding Private Investigator and her very early days budding romance, there is quite a bit going
on at the bookstore as Christmas is right around the corner…. The festivities in the tiny village may prove to
be dangerous, .. possibly fatal…as holiday baking and holiday ‘influencers’ are bound to mix with more of a
mess than oil and vinegar until our budding investigator and the Police, make progress in time to limit the
carnage right before Christmas
You would wonder how this works, but it absolutely is a delightful story with lots of yummy baked goods
being offered, along with a great menu for the holiday party. While not labeled as such, this book would
interest younger readers as well~high schoolers on up. And while this is a series, it’s fine to read this book
as a standalone.
My thanks to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for the download of this book for review purposes.

The 4th book in this series had holiday fun with gingerbread-making contests, fabulous decorations, music, events, and a budding relationship between Annie & Liam. I was happy to see Annie finally make some decisions about her future with the bookstore and crime-solving so she can move past being conflicted. I found it hard to like most of the newly introduced characters and care that much about the murder. While we finally got some movement on solving past crimes, I still feel like it’s time to get all the details and let Annie move on so I hope answers come to light in the next book. It’s ok to have some mysteries in a character's past, but I am disappointed and annoyed with each book that doesn’t move past Scarlet’s death and still doesn't give any real details.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book

A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander.
I read this E-ARC book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fourth in thr Secret bookshelf mystery , which is turning out to be really comfy, cosy and easy to read murder mystery books. Annie Murray is still planning lavish, but always seemingly deadly events in her small town.
The story and characters have developed significantly since the first outing making Redwood Grove and its residence realistic, distinguishable and likable. Ellie Alexander once again nails the brief of coziness with a interesting but never salacious or gory primary mystery, whilst also furthering the whole series arc regarding Annie's friend's Mysterious death.
The gingerbread competition and details around the decorations and festivities made this a really seasonal read which would be really enjoyable in the run-up to Christmas and could be read as a standalone but would be best red with the other books first.
The author is absolutely prolific and is producing these works at a real pace to keep up with the different holidays and I'm absolutely there for that. These are easy and enjoyable reads which will help solve the stresses of a challenging day.
I thoroughly enjoyed it once again

This book put me in the holiday mood! The gingerbread competition sounded amazing. The story was full of surprises. The last few chapters really drew me in and I was holding my breath reading them. I can’t wait to see what happens with the search for Scarlets killer.

I loved returning to the charming town of Redwood Grove and the Secret Bookcase bookstore. In this instalment Annie is hosting a Gingerbread House competition at the bookstore, and things are really sweet until influencer drops dead …

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Annie did..
Overall, I'm thoroughly invested in this series and excited to see where the author takes these endearing characters next!

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 5 to come out!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Storm Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

The perfect holiday cozy! Ellie Alexander has hit it out of the park again. It was great to revisit these characters, the bookstore and the town. I would recommend reading the series in order because there is an overarching cold case and we learn new clues in each book. Highly recommend!

I absolutely adore the idea of adding holiday festive vibes with mystery and thrillers. And from what I understood I think this book is kind of influenced by true crime? I am not 100% sure about this don't quote me but I found it super interesting.

Our protagonist is super smart, I really like her, she does not have the weak qualities that usually ward me off of liking a character, and she gets to solve mysteries with us along the way! We have a killer, we have unsolved murders, we have puzzles, we have mystery.
I loved the pacing of the book and I found the story easy to read.

This story does have a little romance in it but it's definitely more of a side story than anything which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this as an ARC and I cannot wait until this book is out!

Main Takeaways:
- 1st POV
- Murderer
- Thriller
- Christmas

Recommend? Absolutely

I really enjoyed this - more than I expected! It was a little strange reading it in September but it was a super cute, easy to read cosy Murder mystery that was just what the doctor ordered. I can imagine it will be perfect for people to read when it's cold outside, with a hot chocolate or gingerbread latte all cosy under a blanket. Highly recommend!

This is the 4th book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series - this is also the first one I’ve read. I was hoping the book would be an interconnected standalone like other murder/mystery novels and… I was right! There were flash backs to relationships, murders and experiences and I was able to easily understand the plot. There is plenty of dialogue in this book, making this a quick read.

We follow Annie, bookstore employee and connoisseur of mystery novels, as she solves another murder! It’s a grown up version of Nancy Drew and Great British Bake Off (or Food Network’s Gingerbread Showdown), who wouldn’t love this!

The story moves at a steady pace, with Annie, her partner Liam, and her bookstore friends uncovering secrets. Alexander strikes a perfect balance between the cozy small-town feel and hidden intrigue, making it an engaging read for cozy mystery fans. Tensions rise as the mystery continues, keeping you glued to your seat to finish the storyline!

A Holiday Homicide offers a delightful mix of warm holiday vibes, mystery, and lovable characters, making it a perfect pick for fans of the genre.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for selecting me to read this e-ARC and a special thank you to Ellie Alexander for making such colorful characters, heartwarming interactions and a healthy dash of whodunit!


*If you’re not a fan of a ton of dialogue, this may not be one of your favorite reads. Try it out if you’re open to a cozy mystery!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. Unfortunately, despite my high hopes and love of cozy mysteries I could not make it past 22% read. I found the chapters to be long and daunting. Good, effective character descriptions is important but this book was too much, it felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler in the way of character descriptions. At time I felt like the chapter was one long sentence and found it difficult to find the breaks. While this book will be for others, sadly it is not for me.

Welcome back to Redwood Grove where Annie and her friends delight us with their warm-heartedness and we join them to solve another mystery! The Secret Bookcase is hosting a gingerbread building contest and a famous baking influencer will be joining in to host. However, said influencer winds up dead on the opening day. Annie and Dr Caldwell join forces again to unravel the mystery and solve the crime. Annie also makes great strides in Scarlet's case. And, Annie and Fletcher come up with an amazing new concept for The Secret Bookcase. Once again, this story is filled with love, friendship and support along with an intriguing mystery that needs to be solved. Wonderful!
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would recommend this series. This is a good read and would be a great holiday book.Gingerbread houses and someone murdered. Annie uses her deductive skills to find the murderer.

Annie and The Secret Bookcase bookshop are hosting the first annual Gingerbread House bake off with the social media influencer Lily. Something seems off about Lily, but everyone chalks it up to the nerves of the event. Then Annie finds Lily dead on the floor in one of the book rooms. There seem to be several suspects once the police and Annie start looking. Annie is sure she can help the police, but she can't seem to concentrate as she is gearing herself up for a meeting with a man who may have information about the murder ten years ago of her best friend Scarlet. The next thing Annie knows is that someone tries to run her over as she is walking on the side of the road. Is the attempt linked to one of the murders or is it because of something else...

WOW this book was incredible. The best in the series in my opinion. We get more romance from Liam and Annie. We got more about Scarlet’s murder. And about Annie’s future at the bookstore. I do hope we get more of a glimpse into Liam’s life. I cannot wait for more.

This is the weakest of the four books in the series. I think the reason is that there is too much Annie. This might sound strange since she is the main character, but she just seemed over the top in this book. I hope the Scarlett mystery gets resolved soon.

As the holidays approach, Annie and her friends in Redwood Grove are all a part of a gingerbread competition being held at The Secret Bookcase and hosted by a baking influencer. When a murder happens at the bookshop, just as Annie is firming up plans for her future, she delves into the case to help ensure that Redwood Grove is on the nice list.

Ellie Alexander is the epitome of an author who writes characters that draw you in so much that you are fully invested in what will happen to them next. Annie Murray et al are the perfect example.

One of the things that I love about this series is the overarching mystery of Annie's best friend's murder. The murder continues to haunt her over a decade later, and is expertly weaved into the entirety of the series thus far.

I literally GASPED when I got to the latter part of the book, jabbing at my Kindle to make sure that I was in fact reading it right.

Get this book right away, and be on your *merry* way to read this utterly enthralling book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.