This was another fun and entertaining mystery in Redwood Grove! I'm enjoying these new characters and the slight edge to these books (people who drink cocktails? Occasional light swear words thrown in? Whoohoo!) compared to the usual cozy mysteries. Honestly I felt like the actual mystery in this one took a backstage to the slow burn of the ongoing storylines - Double Americano, Liam + Annie, etc. - but was still fun. I have loved all of Ellie Alexander's mystery series and look forward to more adventures with Annie and the gang!

3.5 stars! This was such a fun and fast-paced murder mystery! I loved the mystic small town and thriller bookstore that operated as the setting for the book. Annie is such a sharp-minded FMC and I loved her determination to uncover the murderer. Whilst trying to solve the main murder mystery, I also appreciated the underlying murder case of her friend Scarlet which is still ongoing. The banter between Annie and Liam was so fun, they’re a slow burn but I loved the progression of their relationship in this book. I did find that it took quite a bit of time to reach the murder and for tension to rise, however, once it picked up I couldn’t stop reading! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

“Shouldn’t you say ‘why now’?”

The author is a master at what she does and this story is a perfect example of that. Redwoood Grove takes on a life of it’s own and you can imagine yourself walking through the streets, smelling the coffee and stopping by Liam’s place for a cold drink and an argument or two. Annie, Pri, Hal and Fletcher, the core ‘family’ in this series are likeable in their own quirky ways that make them unique to this series. And then there was the mystery, entertaining, yet in the end I saw this one coming but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride. I’m already looking forward to book 3!

“Shouldn’t you say ‘why now’?”

The author is a master at what she does and this story is a perfect example of that. Redwoood Grove takes on a life of it’s own and you can imagine yourself walking through the streets, smelling the coffee and stopping by Liam’s place for a cold drink and an argument or two. Annie, Pri, Hal and Fletcher, the core ‘family’ in this series are likeable in their own quirky ways that make them unique to this series. And then there was the mystery, entertaining, yet in the end I saw this one coming but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride. I’m already looking forward to book 3!

I will not be reading this as it's the 2nd book in the series and I had to DNF the first.
Giving 3 stars though because the author has written others I like I just wasn't connecting with this series & its characters.

The perfect sequel to Body in the Bookcase, Annie’s story picks right back up in her small town with Murder at the Movies.
With all of the suspects, secrets, and life changes you crave after the first installment of this series, this book takes you through a thrilling movie premiere in the small town of Redwood Grove, where nothing could ever go wrong —- until it does. Again.

Continuations of the lives of Fletcher, Hal, Pri, Liam, and Annie —with a potential romance blossoming in the background— Redwood Grove is so idillic. I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next!

This is book 2 in the secret bookcase series. This series should be read in order due to the overarching mystery introduced in book 1. I enjoyed revisiting this small town California and these characters. It had a great mystery and I can’t wait to read more in this series!

We return to Redwood Grove for the second book in this series. This town is so charming I wish I was there the entire book. I really enjoyed Annie and Liam’s love story progressing and can’t wait for the next book in the series. This book focused on a movie critic who was murdered who everyone had a motive for. It was a fun time trying to figure out who done it. Annie and her friends and the staff from the Secret Bookcase were there to take on the case. Can’t wait for the next book to come out.

“A Murder at the Movies” is a cozy mystery set in Redwood Grove, home of the Secret Bookcase Mystery book shop. I thoroughly enjoyed this light mystery, that followed the events shortly after the first book, building on the character development and community that Alexander has so deftly created. Redwood Grove is definitely a community that I’d love to visit, whether for the Mystery Fest of book one, the movie festival and premier of this book, or simply to meet the characters and visit the book shop.

I quite liked the development of our core characters and seeing their personalities come to life. I especially enjoy Liam’s character as well as the tension and banter between Annie and Liam. Their blossoming relationship and mindset for crime solving are sure to keep things interesting as the series progresses. I also really enjoy the development of each of the main characters and can’t wait to see what happens between Pri and Double Americano. And you guys, Professor Plum is back (Annie’s cat - this might just be my new favourite pet name)!

I love that the book’s plot was sorted by book’s end, however more enticing information was discovered, though not yet revealed, about her best friend Scarlett’s death (which happened several years earlier), at the end of the book. The result is that I am eagerly awaiting the release of book three even more than I was before.

Believe it or not, I have never been in a themed or single genre bookstore, but you can bet that after reading about this series and seeing others post about genre specific bookstores, I definitely would like to visit. Have you ever been?

Thank you NetGalley and @stormbooks for the advance copy of this book. I actually think I liked “A Murder at the Movies” even more than the first book - and I suspect as I get to know the cast of characters even more I’ll continue to fall for the books even more. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy read!

#bookreview #bookrecommend #netgalley #stormpublishing @ellie_alexander @stormbooks_co #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookgeek #booknerd #femaleauthor #femalewriter #bookreview #mysterybooks #cozymystery #thesecretbookcase #mystery #whodunit

This was another good book in the series. It’s just as good as the first one. It moves fairly quickly and keeps you guessing to the end. I’m looking forward to the next one.

This was such a lovely cozy mystery and was a very easy read. Since this is a cozy mystery, there obviously isn't as much suspense as a suspenseful thriller book, but it was just as entertaining. This is the second book in the series, which is being released on the same day as the first book.

I loved the way that this book started. Trying to set up tension between the characters so it truly will become a who-done-it kind of mystery. Of course, it did take a bit to get to where something murder-y happened, but once we got there, things were pretty steady.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC of Ellie Alexander's second book in the Secret Bookcase series Murder at the Movies.

This book has everything I love from Alexander's books and more. As a second book in the series you already know the characters and dynamic, but we see relationships growing (I hope that pace continues and is quicker than some of her other stories).

The mystery was believable but I felt like this story was missing that wrap up conversation at the end. I still don't know if I'm fully understanding the mechanics of how the victim died and the minutia of the crime. However as a reader you forget about it rather quickly with the nugget at the end that makes me eager for the next book.

Bookseller and event organizer Annie has just been enlisted to launch her town's first film festival. But when an infamous film critic meets his end during the screening of a Hitchcock-inspired thriller, Annie has work cut out for her to find the culprit. Like the first book, this one also has a very memorable crime scene!

I enjoyed the film and literary references and getting to know the recurring characters a bit more. This group is already growing on me, and I look forward to many more adventures with them. I also enjoyed the romantic storylines for both Annie and her best friend Pri.
The behind-the-scenes drama involving the film's stars and creators lent plenty of motives to the large suspect pool. The secrets that drip out and this tightly woven plot with its red herrings will keep you guessing!

This works as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend book one as well. Such an entertaining cozy series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the free book!

Second in a series by a new to me author. I didn’t read book one but I got caught up quickly.
A good small town cozy with an amateur sleuth with a criminology background, plus it has bookish vibes. Annie suffers from ptsd following the murder of her friend so a desire to solve that murder adds another layer. It took too long for us to have a murder to solve, though. It was about a third of the way in by the time Annie’s backstory and the setup was done and anyone died. The murderer was obvious even for a cozy, but I was entertained so I didn’t care. Lots of scene description, quirky supporting characters, and what’s setup to be a will they/won’t they slow burn hits all the vibes of a cozy.
I’m on board and waiting on book 3.

After reading the first book in this series I was delighted that book two was also available. Bookseller Annie Murray finds herself embroiled in another murder after a movie director premieres her film in Redwood Grove. Annie, once again assists her old criminology professor, now a police detective to solve the case.

This was another breezy read that had me glued from to keep reading from start to finish. Refreshingly there’s been developments with bestie Priya finally able to string a sentence with her crush, Annie and pub owner Liam slowly building a bit of a friendship and also an opportunity for Annie to return to the career path she abandoned in the wake of her best friend’s murder.

If I had any quibble it is how the murder drags out then is quickly resolved with too much explainer dialogue instead of planting clues for the reader. Overall these are fun cozy mysteries that are perfect for a rainy day. I’m looking forward to #3 and hope we get more insight into Scarlet’s death.
 
Thanks to Storm and NetGalley for the ARC.

As soon as you finish reading the first book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery Series, be sure to pick up book number two, A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander. Taking place only months after the first book, the running thread in the series is still in mentioned but takes more of a back seat. The cozy mystery has a Hollywood premier being held but with several suspects whose life is now easier because of a death. Not Annie or friends by any means but several of the Hollywood crowd.

This mystery was a bit harder for me to solve than the first book. Though it seems Annie had her suspicions since she thinks about the guilty one quite a bit. The gang is all there to help solve this mystery that a police detective asks for help from Annie. Not sure that would happen in reality, but it makes for a good read. Also all the politically correct issues seem to be covered in this story too. A good mystery with enemies becoming friends.

Grab a bucket of popcorn and settle in for the second book in Ellie Alexander’s Secret Bookcase Mystery Series where Hollywood comes to Redwood Grove for the premiere of a Hitchcockian thriller.

Annie and her friends have another murder to solve, and along the way we learn more about Annie’s past, her best friend Scarlet, and her professor turned police detective Dr. Caldwell, as well as her friends in Redwood Grove.

While it was fun to watch Annie puzzle out the clues and solve the murder, I’m all about getting to know these characters and the town of Redwood Grove.

What a great follow-up to the first book. I hope we don’t have a long wait for book three!

Thank you #NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for allowing me access to the ARC of this book.

I’d love to visit this bookstore if it was real! It sounds like the coolest bookstore ever and yeah, I’d probably be heading for the replica office of Jessica Fletcher that was one of the rooms. This was another amazing mystery which I never really committed a guess on. I loved how Liam was slowly changing in a good way and becoming someone Annie could be interested in. Will Pri finally get to say “I told you so”? Annie and Liam made an awfully good sleuthing team!

The main mystery was all wrapped up nicely at the end, but another thread of the Scarlet murder mystery continued at the very end. Now I’m really hoping that third book comes out soon! It was awesome for the first two books to be published on the same day. I’m finding myself wishing the third one had as well.

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

Annie Murray is organizing a horror movie Hitchcock themed viewing weekend for Hollywood type people when a much hated critic is thrown off a balcony during the premiere. At the request of her former professor who is the new town detective she starts looking into the suspects. The victim was a horrible person so pretty much everyone is a suspect-it's up to Annie and her friends from the Secret Bookcase to find the real killer.
I really like how her relationship with Liam is developing- can't wait to see what secrets he is hiding and where this is going.
This book is as good as the first one- i'm thrilled for a new series from one of my favorite authors.

The second book in this new series which is being released on the same day as the first one. Book one The Body in the Bookstore was a great read so it was easy to move straight into the second story.

In A Murder at the Movies Hollywood comes to the small town of Redwood Grove when a new movie makes its premiere there. The stars of the film have quite an impact on the local people especially when one of them is murdered. Annie Murray and her friend in the police force, Liam, work together to solve the crime.

Another very readable and entertaining cosy mystery. I hope this series continues and look forward to reading more.