What a magnificent read! I eagerly turned each page. This is a perfect cozy mystery. It was funny at times. It’s got an eclectic cast of characters. I had fun trying to guess who committed the crime. The author described the town so well. Felt as though I meandering around the town taking in all the sights. I very much enjoyed this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was a really good cozy mystery. The fmc is Annie, whose best friend was murdered back when they were criminal justice students in college together, and the crime was never solved. So I was hooked by the back story right away. Fast forward about 10 years and Annie never returned to criminal justice but instead works at a bookstore, an Agatha Christie inspired bookstore. Hello! This is the bookstore I see in my dreams! During a mystery fest, an old classmate ends up dead, and the crime solving begins. This was the first book in #asecretbookcasemystery series, but I’m definitely hoping for more. There seems to be a potential romance in the future for Annie, but I would have liked a little more info there, because right now Liam doesn’t seem like a redeemable grump, he just seems like a jerk. Time will tell. 4⭐️

This book is cosy crime! The author gives a fullsome description of what that means along with lots of support for romantic fiction in the narrative. I love Agatha Christie and clearly this book has a lot of love for her too. It’s a fun murder mystery rump that doesn’t ask too much of the reader. It’s clearly set up for a long run and has a mystery running through this book that will. I’m sure deepen in the series. For it is clear, there will be more!
It’s light, fun, and not too long, however, it’s not for me.

The Body In The Bookstore, the first book in the A Secret Bookcase Mystery Series

We head to California for this book, to a small town, with a bookshop that could close soon.

Annie is still trying to figure out who murdered her best friend 10 years before, just before college graduation, when 3 old college classmates appear in town for her Mystery weekend.

When one is murdered, Annie finds her old criminal justice professor is now a detective in town, and Annie tries to help her solve the crime.

Each suspect has a very good reason to kill someone, and this one kept me guessing.

I had a suspicion about one character, and I was WAY off.

I would love to give more info, but you just need to read the book.

I’m already excited for book 2!

Release Date: 6/19/2024

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this cozy arc of a new series.
No one expected a book festival and a reunion of college friends would lead to murder, least of all bookseller, Annie.
Business shenanigans, secrets, arguments and red herrings made this book interesting and a fun read. A great way to start a new series and I look forward to reading the next book, as I’m sure Annie is not done investigating. The comments and review of this book is my honest opinion.

This review of The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is courtesy of NetGalley
#TheBodyintheBookstore #NetGalley

Rating 3/5
Publication Date: Jun 19 2024

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is the first book in a new series and the first I've read by Ellie Alexander. It started off uniquely for a cozy series with a reference to murder, not with someone moving to a new location for the first time as many series often do which I liked. The initial murder reference was for the past and gave insight into the main character Annie, who despite working at a bookstore, turns out to have a criminology degree. With Annie's criminology background, as she takes part in the investigation of the dead body, there are occasion tidbits of "dos & don'ts" which is cool. It's written in the first person from Annie's point of view.

For those looking for a hint of romance, as with many cozies, there's a potential love interest (obvious to the reader and Annie's current best friend but not to Annie).

Things that made me lower the rating down from 5 to 3:
* Annie's obsession with her best friend's murder in the past and it being the explanation of many of her character flaws/quirks
* Annie finds the body and is questioned by the detective who turns out to be her former criminology professor and at the end, the detective asks Annie to help investigate without really clearing her as a suspect. I find this unbelievable.
* At one point, Annie's morning actions are being described and suddenly there's a jarring statement that she absolutely cannot function or start the day without making her bed which threw me out of the story
* Annie has a set of 4 suspects, names them, goes and talks to one and later mentally comments that her suspect list hasn't shrunk but grown to 2 of the names!
* While following along with Annie, we get information, she and by extension, us the readers, don't actually solve the mystery and figure out who the killer is. The detective later tells Annie prior to the capture.

Ellie Alexander is one of my favourite cozy mystery authors & the one that first got me into the cozy genre to begin with. So I was gobsmacked when I found out she’s starting a new series. And it’s setting is a book store! And what she did for baking in her other series, she now does for a mystery book store. Alexander creates a completely compelling world to get lost in, with a lead character Annie, who feels as though she could walk off the page.

This series is a tad darker than her previous ones, but in a good way. The mix in of more criminology I found to be a perfect choice. And the murder of his best friend lingering in the background was very unique & something I imagine will be revisited & eventually (hopefully) solved. There’s a really good foundation for a great series here, amazing locale, interesting characters & a solid lead. As always Ellie Alexander, for me, can do no wrong!

📚

Read if you like:
* Bake Shop series by Ellie Alexander
* Witch Way Librarian series by Angela M. Sanders
* Cozy Capers series by Maddie Day

The Body in the Bookstore is a cozy mystery starring bookseller Annie Murray who creates a Mystery Festival in town with the help of several local businesses to aid getting the bookstore, The Secret Bookcase, back in the black. When former classmates of Annie’s start popping up with one of them meeting an untimely demise, Annie decides she must help Detective Caldwell (Annie’s former Criminology professor) solve the case! I absolutely loved the Mystery Festival concept, something I would very much want to attend in real life! I also enjoyed the characters, food and drink descriptions, and nods to great mystery authors! This is for fans who love all things bookish, mysteries, and cozies with great food and drinks! I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

Publishing 6/19/24

Thank you so much to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Ellie Alexander ( @ellie_alexander ), Storm Publishing ( @stormbooks_co ), and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read The Body in the Bookstore early (comes out June 19, 2024).

I’m a HUGE Ellie Alexander fan and this first in the new Secret Bookcase series is a great addition to her other works.

Bookseller Annie Murray, who studied criminology, sets up a literary festival in her small town that brings in lots of tourists-and a murderer of a former college classmate!

Small town, enemies to (hopefully) lovers, and a continuing mystery surrounding the death of her best friend—this is a perfect new cozy from the delightful Ellie Alexander.

I can’t wait to read more of Annie’s adventures.

#TheBodyintheBookstore #NetGalley

I am so excited Ellie Alexander is coming out with a new series! She has such a way of making you want to be in the town the books are set in. I found myself immediately wanting to be in Redwood Grove and cozy up in a mystery bookstore. The premise of a bookseller (who has a sad past she is stuck on) trying to save her beloved bookstore with a mystery festival that brings much needed commerce to the town was so fun! As well as the murder of a former classmate. The suspects had me guessing the entire book of who done it. I am looking forward to learning more about Liam’s past and Scarlett’s murder in the upcoming series.

When I saw that Ellie Alexander was coming out with a new series I was pretty excited. Then I saw that ARCs were available on netgalley and I ran there to request one! I was lucky enough to get accepted and read it as soon as I could!

I really liked the start to this series in this amazing new town of Redwood Grove. There are basically two mysteries going on here with one being older and one newer. The characters are amazing and I loved the festival!

I'm really looking forward to the next one and having another series to keep tabs on.

Excellent read! Redwood grove seems like a cozy town. I love Annie and her drive to save the bookstore. The twists were amazing. I can’t wait to go back to visit and find out more about Liam and if they solve the murder.

Ellie Alexander has started a new mystery series set in Northern California. Annie Murray works at a mystery bookstore and lives in a small cottage with her feline, Professor Plum, in the charming town of Redwood Grove. Annie had originally planned to be a criminologist but the tragic murder of her best friend a few days before her college graduation led her to seek a calmer life in the bookstore. But, the bookstore is in financial peril, so Holly and her workmate Fletcher come up with the idea of a town-wide mystery festival. All is going well until three of her college classmates, none who were close friends, show up for the event. When one of them turns up dead in the bookstore, Annie puts her criminologist hat back on and tries to solve the crime. Well written and suspenseful, it left me looking forward to the next book. I was lucky enough to be given an advanced reader copy by NetGalley but the opinion is my own.

I am already a long time fan of Ellie Alexander so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this first book in her new series. I love that this one revolves around a bookstore and the premise of different mystery themed festivals is a fun idea. Looking forward to that. The location sounds promising and I hope it gets more descriptive in the next book. I am slowly warming to the characters. Annie came off somewhat weak and depressing at first but she got better. The romantic possibility seemed a little off and didn't really work but hopefully that will come around as well. I enjoyed this first and very much look forward to the next one.

Annie Murray, content with her life as a bookseller in the quaint town of Redwood Grove, is shaken when business slows down. Determined to revive her bookstore, she organizes a large mystery book festival with the help of the town's small business owners. However, the joy of the festival is shattered when a young woman, a former classmate of Annie’s, is discovered murdered amongst the mystery shelves of the town's most celebrated bookstore.

Annie moves full speed ahead to save the festival. With the help of her old criminology professor, now a detective, and her numerous friends, she pulls together a list of suspects. Among them are a boutique store owner, a troublesome old college classmate, and a bitter ex-boyfriend.
Once a criminology major in college, Annie becomes deeply involved in the case. She uses all that she has learned about crime investigation from her college courses, and together with her former professor, they race against time to find the killer.

A cozy, edge of the seat mystery that will keep you reading until the end.

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series that is set in a fictional town in northern CA, in a bookshop that is struggling to survive. Employee Annie Murray convinces the town to host a mystery book festival that is very successful, until Annie finds a dead body in the titular secret bookcase. Lots of suspects appear as Annie tries to solve the murder during the festival. Unlike other amateur sleuths, Annie actually has a degree and training in criminology, plus her old college professor is the new detective in town. I did not figure out the correct culprit, but looking back, I should have. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing an ARC.

I would die for this bookstore and living museum. I would walk down that pebbled driveway and spend hours wandering and reading and sipping coffee.

Liam?? Enemies to lovers perhaps?

I like the Scarlet story sprinkled throughout. It’s not overbearing but just like in real life it’s always there following Annie around.

Ellie describing this bookstore makes me wanna jump into this book!

I don’t like how secretive every character is. I think some nuggets should be revealed but every time she asks a question it’s evaded and nothing is told to her. Wish we would get more context as to who everyone is a little quicker. Lots of names but no background. And the coincidences of everyone being in this small town?

I like how Annie uses her criminology side of her brain sometimes. It’s her passion and her beginning and to see her use it is great.

And a sneak peak at the next one!

These were my thoughts throughout the book. Ellie really knows how to draw you into the setting and makes you want to stay there. The characters were like able and we were left with a little nugget at the end to get us drawn into the next one! I throughly enjoyed this first book in a new cozy mystery series by one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for this wonderful cozy mystery!

The story revolves around a little bookstore called "The Secret Bookcase" in a small town, Redwood Grove. The business is declining and the only two workers, Annie and Fletcher along with their owner Hal comes up with an interesting idea of hosting a 'Mystery fest' in their town. But things take an unexpected turn when one of Annie's college mates gets murdered in the bookstore. Still grieving the death of her best friend 10 years ago, Annie thinks the murders are connected and decides to put her criminology degree to use and start to investigate.

This is the first book in the well-written cozy mystery series 'The secret bookcase mystery'. It has a perfect blend of coziness of the bookstore and murder mystery vibes. The writing is so vivid that sometimes I felt like I was inside the story. The author succeeded in making us suspecting almost all the characters. The ending was so unexpected and I completely enjoyed how it turned out. I kept guessing who could be the killer and my suspect list keeps on changing after every two pages.

The book ended with a cliffhanger related to Scarlet's (Annie's best friend) death and I am guessing the next book will reveal more about her murder. I'm so excited to know what awaits us in the next book.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm publishing and Ellie Alexander for providing me with an eARC.
i will be posting the review on my Instagram on 02 June 2024.

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is book 1 in the Secret Bookcase series. It is published on 19 June. Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the advance review copy. I am always tempted by books set in book shops or libraries. This bookshop in Redwood Grove, California, sounds like paradise. Annie Murray is the bookseller and event coordinator of the Secret Bookcase bookshop and has been for 8 years. She had completed her Degree in Criminology but the murder of her best friend all those years ago sent her away, and she ended up in Redwood Grove at the bookshop. She is still coming to terms with the death of her friend. In the meantime, she organises a mystery book festival involving the whole community in the town, which sounds like a whole lot of fun. It sounds such an intriguing idea. This cozy crime read was just so enjoyable and I found I was immersed in the story. They are great characters. I really like Annie, and also Fletcher, her work colleague, but also Hal, who owns the bookshop. He is a gentle soul.

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander is the beginning of A Secret Bookcase Mysteries. We get to meet Annie Murray, who loves mysteries, along with her best friend, Pri plus Annie’s coworker, Fletcher and her boss, Hal. There are a variety of shop owners too. Annie is intelligent, has an attention for detail, and a passion for books. Annie is a likeable and relatable protagonist. I hope we get to learn more about her as the series progresses. I love the bookstore, the Secret Bookcase. I could spend hours in there searching for books to add to my TBR pile. I love the items added for Mystery Fest (I want one of the old typewriters). Mystery Fest was a clever idea and a great way to save the bookstore. It is an event that I would love to attend (so would any mystery lover). It was great the way the shop owners of Redwood Grove (well, all but one grump) became involved in the event. The author did a wonderful job of worldbuilding. The mystery was interesting. I like where the victim was found. Annie is an eager sleuth and Pri is happy to assist her. There are clues scattered along the way as well as a red herring or two. The discussions between Annie and Dr. Caldwell were insightful, but they could meander on. I have a feeling that Annie will be working with Dr. Caldwell again in the future. There were repetitive details (the same details repeated two, three, or five times). There was a touch of romance as Annie found herself attracted to a certain pub owner. It had Annie blushing like a teenage girl (and her mind wandering). Annie is told at the end that there is information that may help her solve the murder of her college best friend. We will have to wait for A Murder at the Movies (preview at the end of the book) for more details. The Body in the Bookstore is a charming California cozy with a secret cubby, a killed college acquaintance, a slew of suspects, beatnik storyteller, a bitter ex-boyfriend, a pushy publisher, and a curious criminalist.