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.

A Murder at the movies is a cosy mystery novel by Ellie Alexander.
I really enjoyed this novel. It was easy to follow and had me guessing until the end. I loved the story line and characters. Overall, a good novel that I recommend to other readers.
💖 Thank you to storm publishing, netgalley and the author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Annie finds herself helping with a Hollywood movie premiere in Redwood Grove. From the moment the movie people arrive, things are unsettled. The movie critic ends up dead at the opening night and suddenly there are plenty of suspects. Annie connects with Liam to help solve the mystery. This book is a transitional book, as many things begin to solidify with the story line. Relationships become clearer. Annie considers an occupation change. The bookstore staff has plans to head to London in the next year. The story is well written and plotted. I enjoyed this second book and am excited for more adventures in the series.

This is the second book in the Secret Bookcase series. The main characters of Annie, Hal, Fletcher, Pri, and Liam all return in this book, however there is enough recapping of the first book that you could read this on its own. I would advise reading The Body in the Bookstore (book #1) first only because there is an ongoing backstory, but this is also explained throughout the book. If I hadn't just finished reading the eARC of the first book, it would have been a nice refresher, but as both books are being released together on June 19th I found it redundant and skimmed over those parts.

Overall, I look forward to the 3rd book in the series as once again the author ended this book on a cliffhanger leaving me wanting more!

Thank you Stone Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

With two book in the same series being released on the same day, I knew I had to push myself to read this book as well. I do recommend reading book one first.

I enjoyed this book. It's a lot of fun, just like the first book. We have a bunch of new characters to enjoy, who drop into Redwood Grove for the premier of a new Indie mystery movie. For a small town, Redwood Grove seems to be getting a big name. My concern with two books themed around festivals is, will each book be based around a festival or big event? I know that organising events is a key skill of the protagonist, Annie, but I do wonder how that will match the small town vibe if continually used.

Anyway, the mystery in this book is clever. It feels like the author decided to make this mystery more dangerous for the protagonist, and that increases the suspense in certain scenes. I enjoyed the investigation. Once more the characters the characters are fun and engaging. They suit the small town vibe well and they are further developed in this book. Annie's friend, Pri, is a great character in the series, and there is something brewing between Annie and Liam, and I'm not talking about the beer he serves in his bar.

There are further developments for the cold case mystery that's close to Annie's heart, but I had mixed feelings when they were introduced. One development in the case borders on criminal negligence in my view, and I was surprise at Annie's carefree attitude to the news. Another was a clever twist in the story, but feel a bit miffed that it's used as a cliffhanger because I now need to wait for the third book to discover more. Must we always be patient?

I am looking forward to book three.

Link to video review will be added soon.

A Murder at the Movies is the second book in the Secret Bookcase mystery series by Ellie Alexander. Somehow Annie Murray gets talked into helping Heather Hathaway, a film director, host the premiere of her independent film in Redwood Grove.

There could not be a more contentious group of people gathered for an event. The movie critic is an arrogant pompous jerk and it comes as no surprise when he ends up dead. Who messed with the film to provide a cover for this act of murder? There is no shortage of suspects among the outsiders involved in the film.

I’m not sure why Annie got involved in solving this murder, other than Dr. Caldwell, her previous criminology professor and current detective in Redwood Grove, asked for her help. It was interesting to learn more about the case that led to Scarlet’s murder. Eventually we will discover who the powerful person was who killed Natalie Thompson (cold case they were studying) and Scarlet. It is strange that Dr. Caldwell asks for Annie’s help because most cozy mysteries the snoop is told to stay out. Maybe having a criminology degree helps.

I liked the story even though it was a little slow-paced. Discovering the identity of Double Americano and seeing how Liam and Annie are working towards something more was enjoyable. It was funny how Liam thought he was teasing Annie about mystery books and Annie took it personally. I am looking forward to more books about Annie, the town, and her friends.

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

Another great installment from Ellie Alexander! Annie, Hal, Fletcher, Pri, and the Redwood Grove gang are back at it again with an immersive mystery. I enjoyed meeting more of the townspeople and their involvement in the first book in the series, but it was also intriguing to meet some (rather unlikeable) Hollywood characters in this mystery. I am most excited for the evolving love stories (team Pri and Double Americano aka Penny!!!) and to see how Liam and Annie develop over time.

The twist at the end is what bumped this up to 4 stars for me. I am so excited to learn more about Scarlet's murder as Annie works to solve it with her new piece of evidence (thank goodness for Professor Plum!).

If you saw my review earlier this week for A Body in the Bookstore and thought you might put it on hold at the library or pick it up on release day, here’s some exciting news: the second book in the series is ALSO coming out on June 19th!

In this installment, Annie is organizing and running the town’s first film festival when one of Hollywood’s most harsh critics ends up murdered. The suspects are dramatic and sneaky, and it seems like everyone has a secret to hide.

Returning to Redwood Grove so soon after finishing the first book gave me everything I love about reading a series - the characters feel even more real, like you're catching up with friends. I thought for sure I knew who the murderer was, but as the ending unfolded I realized I was wrong. I love when a cozy surprises me like that!

I highly recommend putting this and the first book (A Body in the Bookstore) on your TBR!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Super cute mystery! I love anything to do with movies and mysteries! When I open the first page I knew I'd be dragged in by the characters scene and dialogue. I went to an art school when I was younger and we always had to recreate scenes in our head over and over till we got it right. And this scene was perfect right off the bat!! I can actually see the props, the movie set, and all the characters playing their part in my mind as if it was a Hallmark mystery film! I had a feeling I knew who it was but I didn't want to spoil it for myself so I kept my options open. I was definitely surprised! Love this mystery bravo!

I was 26% through the book and there was still no murder. I think that spoiled the thrill and suspense of the book. Finally at 32% mark when the murder takes place, one would hope, the book will rise the tension among readers. But there was nothing. From the way the characters interact or behave you would never guess they witnessed a murder. I was excited for this book but it disappointed me royally.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange of my honest opinion.