This book was enjoyable - if you're looking for a cozy vibe, I recommend this book. I enjoyed all of the characters and the subsequent options about who would have committed the murder based off of all of the grudges everyone had - lots of pathways to explore here, which made the book fun! I also liked the backdrop of the bookstore and the main character's efforts to bring more business to the store, as well as having a mystery festival - what a great idea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in a new cosy mystery series. This book was a lot of fun. Something that a good cosy should be.

This book focuses on Annie Murray, who works in a mystery themed bookstore called A Secret Bookshelf. The description of the bookstore is delightful and I loved the atmosphere described in the store and the interactions between Annie, Fletcher, and store owner, Hal. The author also creates the wider Redwood Grove township with a great eye of colour and cosiness, and introduces a great cast of characters that perfectly match the mood of this book. I found myself wishing I could visit, especially during the first Redwood Grove mystery themed book festival. If only they held festivals like that nearby.

Being a cosy mystery, readers eagerly anticipate the crime. And the murder mystery in this book is delightfully clever. And Annie has a bit of a secret weapon up her sleeve as she is compelled to investigate.

What's also clever in this book is Annie's history is thrust into the limelight and looks set to become a larger story arc in the series. That caught my interest, since it involves a cold case murder mystery. My whiskers are a'twichin' wondering what is going to come next with that part of the story.

I had so much fun reading this book. I only wish the cat, Professor Plum, made more of an appearance, but that's a small thing. I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to see more of him in future books.

Link for video will be added soon.

It was exciting to receive this first book in a new series from Ellie Alexander since I love her writing. I enjoyed Annie, our amateur sleuth, her passion for the bookstore she works at and her organization of the mystery festival to try to keep it going. The setting is picturesque and the mystery intriguing. Apart from Annie, the only character I connected with was Fletcher. I hope to see more of him in the series. My perception of the book and reality just didn't jibe. It was enjoyable, but not as great as I had hoped.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

My first cozy mystery and definitely won’t be my last!
We follow Annie who works at a local bookstore in the cute, small town of Redwood Grove. The bookshop is struggling so she comes up with an idea to host a mystery festival in the town to help generate more revenue. The festival is turning out to be a success, that is until she discovers a dead body hidden behind a secret bookcase within the bookshop. This story had all the cozy, small town vibes that I love, plus some quirky characters that made the story fun. This is the first in a series and I’m looking forward to the 2nd book.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for selecting me to read and review this cozy mystery.!

Bookseller Annie Murray has settled into the small town of Redwood Grove. With sales in the bookstore falling, together with the community, Annie organizes a mystery-themed book festival. Always in the forefront of Annie's mind is the unsolved murder of her school friend Scarlett some years before. Just as the festival begins, the body of another of Annie's old classmates is found inside the bookstore. She is determined that the festival will be a success so Annie, her friend Priya and Annie's former criminology professor, now Detective, gather together the clues to find the killer.

This is my first book by Ellie Alexander and I enjoyed it very much. Interesting and varied characters and despite the murder, a fun cosy mystery. I will definitely be looking for more stories by this Author.

A charming (but a bit twee) whodunnit mystery. Annie tries to revive the fortunes of an ailing bookshop and plans a murder mystery weekend in the small town where it is based. All goes well especially when a real body is found in the bookstore. Very easy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance copy of this book.

The Body in the Bookstore was written so well. The reader gets the feeling that they are in the small town of Redwood Grove as the book unfolds. The mystery keeps you guessing until the end when the killer is caught. The characters are amazing. Annie and Pri have a great friendship. Cannot wait for Book 2 in the series to see how the story develops and continues. Ellie Alexander has done it again! Pick up this 5 star book -you won’t be disappointed!

A new series set in and around a bookshop and just look at that cover. Books, cakes and a cat. What more could you ask for?

I really enjoyed this first book where we meet Annie Murray and the bookshop where she works called A Secret Bookshelf. There really is a secret bookshelf which opens, when you pull out a particular book, to a small room behind it. This is important as it is very much involved in later events.

A good cosy mystery with many nice characters and a good story. Interestingly the second book in the series A Murder at the Movies is being released the same day as the first book and I found it fun to move straight into reading that one as well!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review THE BODY IN THE BOOKSTORE by Ellie Alexander.

Loved the Character names, especially Annie Murray because of the similarities to the Canadian singer Anne Murray. I loved Hal the bookstore owner. Pri was the only Non White character in the whole story. Everyone else seemed to be White. No other minorities . No one with any form of disability, though I suspect Fletcher has some hearing loss, which would explain his Strong Dislike for the Phone. I had a hard time rating because at first I thought it was a 3 star read for many reasons then I saw how the characters and plotting were written. Very descriptive.

Only problem was the Cliffhanger.

Highly recommended for fans of Cliffhangers.

Full Disclosure: I am NOT a fan of Cliffhangers.

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓.

A new series by one of my favorite cozy mystery authors AND she was dropping book two on the same day?? My reading went into overtime, and I still wasn't satisfied. I need book three now, please!

With all the atmosphere, warmth, and depth that she pours into all of her series, THE BODY IN THE BOOKSTORE grabbed my attention right away. Too often cozies are left out of the mystery genre, denounced as being cutesy "palate cleansers.' The author shatters that stereotype by introducing MC Annie Murphy, who was on the precipice of a life as criminologist. But when her best friend was murdered while investigating a lead on a cold case they were assigned as a final exam, she abandoned those dreams.

She's now a bookseller in a charming small town in California in a bookshop that caters to mysteries. But the store is off the beaten path and is in dire need of a cash infusion before the owner is forced to close its doors. What starts as a wild idea--the whole town participating in a mystery festival--is soon happening thanks to Annie, but when some visitors praise the lifelike body behind the hidden bookcase, Annie knows that wasn't part of her plan.

This was a delightful beginning to a series that I'm already in love with. The characters were so fleshed out, and the exploration of grief and moving on without someone you love was so well done. Watch for this book and A MURDER AT THE MOVIES on June 19 from Storm Publishing.

What a wonderful, exciting book. A cosy mystery that keeps the pages turning until the end. Can’t wait for the next instalment of the series. A talented writer who keeps you guessing until the end.

Small town American bookshop themed cosy with a bunch of likeable characters and an astute investigator. I’m already looking forward to the next one which will hopefully solve a murder from the past.

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is the 1st instalment in "A Secret Bookcase Mystery" series. This series will definitely be on my must read list. Behind the shelves of The Secret Bookcase, where the sun slants through the windows onto rows of classic crime novels, a body lies...

I’m a huge fan of Ellie Alexander's mysteries, so I was thrilled to dive into her new series. The charming setting of Redwood Grove, complete with a mystery bookstore, immediately captivated me. This cleverly crafted tale masterfully weaves together two intriguing mysteries: the murder of Annie's college classmate and the cold case of her best friend Scarlet's murder, which I suspect will be a recurring thread throughout the series. With the aid of her old criminology professor-turned-detective, can Annie unmask the murderer before they turn her festival into a real-life whodunit?

The plot is engaging, and the characters are well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed this series debut and highly recommend it to all my fellow cozy mystery lovers - I can't wait to see what's in store for Annie and Redwood Grove I’m book two.

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

The Body in the Bookstore, the first book in Ellie Alexander’s A Secret Bookcase Cozy Mystery series, introduces readers to Annie Murray, a one-time criminology student, who abandoned her career goals after the murder of her best friend, and took a job working at a bookstore. She has come to love working at the bookstore but it is struggling financially and she decides to throw a mystery-themed book festival to bring visitors to town. The festival succeeds beyond her wildest dreams and she is thrilled – until a body is discovered hidden in a secret bookcase. Her old criminology professor is the detective on the case and she asks Annie for her help – but this murder will bring up more than a few bad memories for Annie. Can she handle those memories and help solve the case?

I really enjoyed this book. Some new series take a book or two to really get going but this book drew me in from the start and I quickly got to know and like the characters. Annie is a great main character – still dealing with the death of her best friend (truthfully I found this to be a bit heavy handed at times), good at criminology but equally good at working at the bookstore. The other characters are equally well done including Hal, the owner of the bookstore, her coworker Fletcher, her best friend Pri, her old criminology professor, and her prickly relationship with Liam Donovan (readers will know where their relationship is going but it’s fun to watch it unfold). The mystery-themed book convention is equally well done – I wish it was real so I could attend it! The mystery is well done with plenty of suspects – I did figure out who the killer was but not the reason for the murder. All in all, a nicely done first book in what looks to be a fun series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Isn’t Secret Bookcase just the coolest name for a mystery bookshop? Just like this author’s other cozy mysteries, this one pulled me in with some awesome characters and wouldn’t let go as the mystery unfolded and suspects pretty much lined the walls. Pri made such an amazing bestie for Annie who’d lost her college bestie eight years ago and had driven herself crazy since the case went cold, so I have a feeling that’ll be the side mystery thread that’s ongoing for however long.

But the main murder was all solved and wrapped up nicely at the end. I loved how Annie and Pri made a good sleuthing team. We met a character that I absolutely couldn’t stand in the beginning but toward the end maybe there’s a heart underneath all that snark. It’ll be interesting to find out. Luckily I’ve got the second book as an ARC to start now since both books release the same day.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Storm Publishing via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Such a beautifully written cozy mystery that was an absolute joy to read. I seriously couldn’t put it down and am now getting ready to read the second one.

I really enjoyed this new series from Ellie Alexander. Annie Murray works at the Secret Bookcase. A beautiful old mystery bookstore. Because of modern influences readership is way down. She and her colleague come up with a plan to save the store from closing by having the town host a mystery themed book festival. The festival is a huge hit. The local businesses are in the black and grateful. Everything is going smoothly until at one of the author readings Annie recognizes an old classmate mate from college, Kayla. Kayla makes a disturbance and is drunk before noon. She causes other issues about town and Annie soon discovers her dead body in the actual secret bookcase in the bookstore. Using her background in criminal justice she helps the police solve the murder.

I am a huge fan of Ellie Alexander's cozy mystery series. I have read most of her books and was so excited when I was approved to read the ARC of this book.

In true Ellie Alexander fashion she introduces you to this picturesque little town that I immediately want to travel to and a mystery bookstore. I loved the background of the event that is happening, that felt very real and bookish. I really enjoyed the backstory that is starting to build about Annie's best friend that was murdered - I'm very excited to see how that will progress through this series. Each character felt very unique and fleshed out and they all had a true purpose to the story. All of Ellie Alexander's stories feel very well thought out and purposeful - this one even more so.

This story in particular felt like a great start and the mystery kept me very engaged through the end of the story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my copy of The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. It publishes June 19, 2024.
Yet another fun first novel in a new series of cozies from Ellie Alexander! I've read several of her books, and this one checks out as another great book in her lineup. I loved Annie's background in criminology, and I found the background mystery to be very promising to continue on in the series.

This was a really good start to a new series. It has a great cast of characters and a nice little mystery.
I was pretty much hooked from page one. I really wanted to go to the book festival too.
I’m looking forward to reading the next one.