I loved this book! The first of a series, The Body in the Bookstore has so many elements to satisfy a reader. First, the appeal to any mystery book lover. Annie Murray works for the largest mystery bookstore on the west coast. A former manor house in Northern California, the descriptions of the store with all things Agatha Christie and a nod to vintage mystery classics instantly charm any mystery reader. Secondly, the town, Redwood Grove, with its charming and/or quirky citizens comes to life with author Ellie Alexander’s characterizations. Thirdly, there is an overarching mystery involving the murder of Annie’s college best friend. It looks like researching this murder will be a theme for the next few books in the series. Fourthly, the murder mystery that was resolved in this book was interesting and kept me guessing. Finally, oks to be another overarching theme of enemies to lovers romance. Not much happened in this first novel, but there is much promise.

For me, an avid mystery and romance reader, but one who appreciates a well- written story, this clicked all the boxes. I will definitely be reading the books that follow in this series.

Annie Murray is a bookseller in Redwood Grove, California at the Secret Bookcase. Sales are slow and Annie is worried. When something a customer says triggers Annie to have an idea. A mystery weekend with authors, scavenger hunts involving the local stores and bars. She manages to convince most of the owners to buy into the weekend. As the day arrives Annie is surprised to run into an old college friend or 2. When one of the friends is murdered in the bookstore, Annie becomes involved in solving the mystery.

This is the start of a new series. I loved the characters both from the bookstore and the other shops. I look forward to learning more about the Secret Bookcase.

This is a cute and fun mystery with some classic cozy tropes along with some unique elements. We’ve got a mystery bookstore with themed rooms that mystery readers will absolutely love, along with a mystery festival with fun events. The sleuth has an interesting backstory, with a degree in criminology and a best friend’s murder that she’s been trying to solve for ten years. Also refreshing is how she actively works with the police, and the police are shown in a very positive and capable light. Alexander’s many fans will enjoy this and be eager for the next, and luckily book 1 and 2 are releasing on the same day!!!

Thank you to the following for trusting me for an honest review with this ARC: NetGalley, Ellie Alexander, and Storm Publishing
The Body in the Bookstore by @ellie_alexander
5/5⭐

Synopsis: Bookseller Annie Muray has come up with a mystery-themed festival to help save the bookshop where she works, other local businesses, and put Redwood Grove on the map. The event takes a shocking turn then a body is discovered behind the shelves in the bookstore, and it turns out to be an old college acquaintance of Annie. Determined for the festival's success Annie helps to piece together the mystery of whodunit.

Review: Ellie Alexander has done it AGAIN!! When an old classmate of Annie's is murdered at the bookshop she works at, will she be able to get the CLUE she needs to solve the murder? As cozy mysteries go this is one of the coziest. The descriptions of the small town, the food and drinks, the mystery book references, and the bookstore all sound incredible. And who wouldn't want to read about a mystery festival where you get to solve the mystery and visit local stores. (If only it was a real thing🙍🏻‍♀️.) This book was so good I devoured it in one sitting. Love the plot and the mystery to be solved. She had me switching my guesses as to who done it several times. It was easy to see where Annie's mind was going while trying to figure out what happened. It is a nice short but fast paced story that will have you wanting more! Be sure to check it out on June 19th, 2024.

You'll enjoy this book if you like:
🔸Cozy mysteries
🔸Agatha Christie
🔸Who Done It/Clue the board game
🔸Books about books/bookstores
🔸Cozy vibes
🔸Found family

#netgalley #netgalleyreview #thebodyinthebookstore #elliealexander #stormpublishing #arcreview #cozymystery #cozy #junereads

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Through some ups and downs I have landed squarely in the middle on this book. I liked the concept a lot, but the writing style was difficult for me to gel with. The main character didn't really do detective work, she just asked people for information and they almost exclusively freely gave it. And the mystery was overall pretty average with some fairly obvious holes in my opinion. But I was charmed by the small town narrative and the bookshop at its heart, so it would be hard for me to call this book truly bad.
I have to say though, Liam was genuinely an unbearable character, with this strange energy from Pri as if she was trying to guilt Annie into 'fixing him'. Annie didn't owe him being fixed and he behaved universally rudely and disrespectfully to her. Doesn't really matter if he has some mysterious yet to be revealed complex backstory, he's rude af. And their later interactions felt pretty contrived.

3.5 stars
This was a breezy and light murder mystery. I really loved the atmosphere created by the author for small towns. The whole book festival for murder mystery seemed like something I would definitely attend.

When one of Annie's ex-classmates gets killed, Annie initiates her own investigation to find the killer. In terms of being a sleuth, there wasn't much other than people confiding very easily to Annie and she thinking that everyone could be a killer without finding any veritable proof. So that part was not so fun because she could at least ask alibis.

My biggest issue was the dialogues. It felt disjointed and I lost track of who is saying what. I had to go back many times to understand the flow of conversation. Also the ultimate killer was nothing of a great mystery. However the vibe created by the author was wonderful and I will definitely read the next one.

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

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE BODY IN THE BOOKSTORE (Book 1 of the Secret Bookcase Mystery series) by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. Annie Murray is a bookseller at The Secret Bookcase Agatha Christie themed boutique bookstore in Redwood Grove, California. The bookstore is failing, so Annie and her coworkers will soon be out of job unless they can entice more business to the shop. Annie imagines and implements a mystery-themed book festival. It seems like it’s old home week when three of Annie’s college classmates show up for the events. However, the mystery-themed festival turns into a real-life whodunit when one classmate dies in the bookstore. College acquaintances continue to be a feature of the events when Annie’s old criminology professor is assigned to be the detective in charge of the investigation. Annie’s best friend in college was murdered the day before graduation, so the walking and talking reminders of Annie’s college days brings her constant background grief to the fore. The murder of the classmate makes Annie wonder if the two deaths are connected. Is there a serial killer stalking her college class, or are the two murders separately motivated?

I liked the book and look forward to the next in the series. I am a fan of Ellie Alexander’s other series and am excited for the new books. I recommend this book to fans of Ellie Alexander and to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring small towns, town events, struggling small businesses, and boutique bookstores.

#TheBodyintheBookstore #NetGalley

I loved the setting and each of the characters. Whilst the ending went in a different direction, I found it great and I only wanted more afterwards. I can't wait to see more of her work.

The setting is a niche Agatha Christie inspired mystery bookstore in an out of the way small town in north California. Declining customer numbers, low sales and pressure to sell puts the shop’s future is in jeopardy. Annie Murray is the stores bookseller and events coordinator and has to concoct a plan and act quickly to save the store. Whatever she plans has to be epic and nothing that has been done before. With the help of her close friends a plan is developed for an immersive mystery book festival. The festival starts well and Annie remains positive despite the arrival of an old college acquaintance, Kayla, whose drunken behaviour threatens to mar the event. Kayla is later found stabbed in a secret bookcase and Annie is drawn into helping in the investigation.

The bookshop, townscape and central characters are nicely developed. The plot is well paced and the list of suspects, each with a strong motive, quickly grows. My only criticism is that DrCaldwell, the Detective leading the murder enquiry, is not very convincing. She interviews witnesses together in front of members of the public and shares what should be case confidential information with Annie and her friends. Overall though, an enjoyable cosy mystery with some good plot twists.

The Body in the Bookstore is an adorable new series cozy mystery. This book gives all the good feels that a mystery and book lover enjoys! A small town, a woman who LOVES books, a boss she adores, a mystery fest weekend and a good ole fashion murder. This book has several compelling suspects from people in the past and new acquaintances. This author did an amazing job of keeping readers guessing who the murderer might be. Everyone seems to have a motive but no one sticks out right away. The Body in the Bookstore is the perfect book for a cozy weekend at home with a good cup of tea or glass of wine! I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgallery, Storm Publishing and of course Ellie Alexander for this deliciously cozy mystery.

The body in the bookstore is a cosy mystery set in a small town. packed with plenty of suspects and literary references I was entertained from start to finish. The main character Annie works in a bookshop, that I wish was real it’s so well described- and is dedicated to solving the mysterious death in her small town while reviving the bookshop.
The book left me wanting more from Annie and the cast of characters so I will be looking for book 2 once I finish my review.

I love Ellie Alexander and her books. This is the first in a new series. Ellie helped plan a literary festival in Ashland, Oregon last year, so it was fun to read about Annie planning one for Redwood Grove. I loved all the details about the festival event and the bookish merch included. The mystery was a good one that kept me guessing. I liked the ending and the fact that the second book in the series is being released the same day as this one.

I very much enjoyed this new series and look forward to more books. Annie Murray is a great character and I love her cat's name Professor Plum. I loved the idea of the whole town getting involved in a mystery-themed book festival. I would love to go to something like this for a weekend. I liked all the cast in this book and think that they will be a great help in future books.
Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

super cozy! this is my first read by this author and i would consider reading more by them
fast paced, good plot, likeable characters

Annie runs a bookstore, and when they have a mystery book festival it is not a surprise that a dead body shows up. A good and fun cozy mystery to follow the clues and find the killer. Fun read and would recommend.

An enjoyable cozy mystery. I thought this was very clever. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Annie Murray works at a quaint bookstore and dreams up the idea of a mystery fest weekend in order to drum up more business. After months of planning, everything seems to be going so well but an unexpected visit from a college classmate turns things completely upside down.
Can Annie and her pals figure out what happened and save the bookstore?
Fans of Alexander's other series will enjoy this one too!

Bookseller Annie Murray is thrilled when the mystery-themed book festival she organizes to revive the dwindling fortunes of her workplace and sanctuary seems poised for success. However, events take a shocking turn when a body is discovered hidden behind the shelves, and it’s revealed that the victim is Annie's old college acquaintance.

This book is a classic murder mystery, and I loved the whodunnit aspect. The characters are fun, and the small-town mystery vibes are charming. Unfortunately, I did not finish this book, and it’s not because it’s bad at all. I usually prefer stories with higher stakes, and this one just didn’t meet that preference. If you enjoy a quiet and calm small-town murder mystery, you should definitely give this a try.

The primary reason I didn't finish this book was its pacing. I found it to be a bit too slow for my taste. While the story had intriguing elements, the slow progression made it difficult for me to stay engaged.

Writers are supposed to write about what they know. I guess that's why this book sounds like the blueprint for the real Ashland, Oregon, Mystery Festival being organized by Ellie Alexander. I love the Bakeshop mysteries but this was not Ellie's best work.

Annie Murray is a bookseller turning into a detective when she needs to take the matters to her hands.
The following is coming from someone whose favourite genre is never murder mysteries. I picked this book up, because the setting of a book store and club sounded amazing, I like to challenge myself, and the rave reviews felt genuine.
And they were!
The characterisation and the concept: 5/5
The writing and the plot:4/5

4.5 stars