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.

On this second trip to Redwood Grove Hollywood is here! There is a movie premiere and of course tragedy hits. This book kept me guessing until the last chapter. I love how Liam is getting closer and Pri has hopefully found a partner. Looking forward to book 3!

I loved this one too! The characters are becoming familiar and the longing to visit this bookstore is real! A bit of a different setting in this installment. I did figure out the murderer but it was a good reveal. And I love the blossoming romances between Pri and Penny and of course Liam and Annie.

Quotes:

How do you let go of the past? Is it possible, when trauma haunts you like a ghost lingering in the shadows, it’s sorrowful whispers echoing through every memory?

As my longest and most faithful companion, he was the other half of many of my conversations and my four legged confidant.

Come by tomorrow. Coffee in exchange for the tea.

Candy is the antidote to any good horror film, didn’t you know that?

Why did my heart have to tick like a bomb waiting to explode as he came closer?

Liam Donovan was officially under my skin and not in a bad way. We were entering dangerous territory, dancing on the edge of a love/hate relationship that was shifting further and further away from hate. I didn’t know what it meant yet, but I did know that this experience had tethered us together and I was going to have to confront my growing attraction to him soon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for another amazing cozy!

In this second book of the series, Annie Murray is asked to help film director Heather Hathaway with a premier of her new movie, Midnight Alibi. All is coming together nicely until the opening dinner at Liam Donovan's Stag Head Pub. There, entitled critic Martin Parker picks fights with nearly everyone in attendance, Cora Mitchell, lead actress, Sam Brudges, producer, Rufus Wells, vintage film collector, and especially Heather. Martin invited an unexpected "special guest" Izzy, Heather's rival director. Martin is overheard to tell Heather he will tank her movie with his review. He argues with Rufus about the vintage reels on display. Cora, Sam and Izzy also have issues with him.
At the premier, the film is started, but someone has inserted a strobe effect sequence and a body tumbles off the balcony. Of course, it is the universally hated critic. Again, Dr. Caldwell asks for Annie's help. Annie finds plenty of motives from all the movie people. She gets help from her co-workers, Fletcher and bookstore owner, Hal, her barista friend, Priya, and, surprisingly Liam Donovan.
A very surprise ending with an unlikely villain.
The best part of the book is the development of relationships between the characters and the introduction of the "mystery" person Priya had a crush on in the first book.
I am really enjoying this series an look forward to a LOT more books!

Literary Cozy Mystery following a CA Agatha Christie-inspired mystery bookseller and events organizer turns sleuth after a critic dies during the premiere of a Hitchcock-inspired film.

5/5 stars: Alexander's a favorite author and doesn't disappoint with this second entry in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series, which is a Literary Cozy Mystery that takes place is California and features a bookseller and event organizer, with a criminology degree, who works at an Agatha Christie-inspired mystery bookstore. With plenty of twists and turns, Alexander has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. I continue to really enjoy the overarching plot of the cold case murder investigations. Additionally, Alexander's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Annie's a great character and her grief over her best friend's unsolved murder is still something she deals with. I really like Annie friends and colleagues at the Secret Bookcase, Hal and Fletcher, and the eclectic townsfolk of Redwood Grove. And I very much love the “I hate him but boy is he hot” relationship with Liam, the bar owner. And of course one mustn't forget Annie's adorably named cat, Professor Plum. Alexander touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, The Body in the Bookstore.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Readers, something very wonderful is happening. Ellie Alexander is giving us not one but TWO Secret Bookcase Mysteries next week! I'm here to share my absolute delight in the second book in the series, A Murder at the Movies.

Following the success of the Mystery Fest, our favourite bookseller in Redwood Grove, Annie Murphy, is organizing a movie festival, around the premiere of a Hitchcock-inspired thriller indie movie, Midnight Alibi. However, not all goes to plan when a movie critic is killed at the premiere, leaving Annie and her friends to take up the roll of sleuths again and find a killer.

I adored the first book in this series, The Body in the Bookstore. It gives off modern-day Agatha Christie vibes and I just loved it to itty bitty pieces. Naturally with the second book being released with the first, I couldn't resist a double header. Well, let me just say if you liked The Body in the Bookstore you are simply going to love A Murder at the Movies.

With the backdrop of a Hitchcock-inspired thriller, Ellie Alexander delivers a perfect mystery in time for a day of summer reading outside! I've never seen a Hitchcock movie, and maybe I'm not quite ready for that either!, but I was ready to learn about a movie great and try and solve a mystery that left me on the edge of my seat!

With red herrings being thrown at every corner, even the most seasoned mystery reader might have trouble solving this one before Annie. However, with a well-placed clue early on, I was able to pick up the clues, toss the herrings aside, and find the killer, which naturally is always my favourite thing to do!

"Does working out mean reading heavy hardcovers of Sherlock?" I said with one eye narrowed. "That counts. That counts."

Apart from the mystery, the reason I come back to cozies is because of the characters. Ellie Alexander writes characters with layers. No one-dimensional characters here! I love how each book is slowly peeling back some of those layers, especially for Annie and Liam. Meanwhile, all my other favourite characters, Hal, Fletcher and Priya, are here and there is a little bit of adventure in their lives too!

If you are looking for a challenging mystery, with diverse, interesting characters this series is well worth a read! Beware though, Ellie Alexander is going to have you counting down the days until the next one!

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭? 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲?

I dove right into this second installment after gasping over the cliffhanger from book one! Annie Murphy is still reveling in the success of Redwood Grove's first annual mystery festival when she receives a call to host a film festival. She never saw herself as an events planner, but she rolls up her sleeves and rallies the neighboring businesses to make it happen.

Among the guests is an infamous film critic who can ruin a producer and a film before the public even sees it. When he plummets to his death from a balcony in the theater during the screening, the list of suspects is plentiful.

Woven into the mystery of course are threads of the subplot, which is Annie coming one step closer to finding out who killed her best friend years before when they were about to graduate with their criminology degree. I am so ready for book three! Look for this title and the first in the series, THE BODY IN THE BOOKSTORE on June 19, 2024. Thank you to Storm Publishing for my early copy.

A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander is the second in the series that takes place in a small California art town. The main character, Annie, works at an amazing-sounding bookstore but has a side gig as a sort of intern to a local detective. Annie is asked to organize a premiere weekend for a murder mystery film, and the hijinks ensue.

I’ve enjoyed other books by this author quite a bit, but this one didn’t really engage me the way that I expected it to. I did like Annie, she is smart, and has an interesting background ( I probably should have read the first in the series for more on that). She doesn’t go running into danger without letting others know what she is doing. However, she refuses to be friends with the person that will be the love interest apparently because he doesn’t like her favorite reading genre. Annie’s best friend, Pri, is awesome, and I enjoyed their interactions.

There were a good number of suspects, but the final reveal wasn’t too surprising. While there was a somewhat flimsy motivation for the murder, there really was no explanation of how it happened the way that it did, which left me wanting more explanation. Usually, the police try to keep the civilian from investigating, even if they do finally start sharing information and listening to their ideas. Here, the detective actively seeks out Annie, because she studied criminology of some sort. It is a good way to go over theories of the crime from a writing perspective but just seemed like such a far stretch for the police to bring in a student.

Overall, this hit all the cozy vibes for a picturesque town, good friends, yummy food, and interesting premise, it just misses on some of the details. I will likely give the next one a try to see if this is worth continuing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my copy of A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. It publishes June 19, 2024.
A strong second-installment in the Secret Bookcase series from Ellie Alexander, we are back in Redwood Grove, CA for another gathering. This time, a movie premiere! This book is so fun, I loved to learn about movies, directors, and premieres, and getting to imagine being there! I found this to have a strong mystery, and it had me guessing to the very end, but I did get it in the end, however, I doubted myself the whole time! The cliffhanger has me waiting for the third book!

Started June 11, 2024
Finished June 13, 2024
This is book two in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series. I finished book one and then immediately read book two. I’m enjoying this series and will definitely continue!

This book centers around a movie premiere. After the success of the Mystery Fest in book one, Hollywood stars come to the small town of Redwood Grove to premier their latest horror movie, Midnight Alib. Actors, producers and an angry film critic descend on the town. During the premiere a person is killed. Is someone sabotaging the movie premiere? Are one of the Hollywood stars to blame for the murder?

If you are looking for a quick cozy mystery this is for you. I liked how our main character is working with the police. The police chief is the former college professor of our main protagonist Annie, so there is some nice history there. Annie helps out the police with the investigation, but not in an overbearing way. I liked how there is possibly a romance brewing between Annie and another character in the book, I’m interested to see how that pans out.

Thank you Storm Publishing and Ellie Alexander for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander the 2nd instalment in the "A Secret Bookcase Mystery" series. I was really happy to dive into book 2 right away and now I’m anxiously awaiting book 3.

Determined to unravel the mystery, Annie must sift through a tangled web of hidden agendas and deception to expose the killer before they strike again. Can she crack the case and save her film festival – or will she find herself in the spotlight?

I was delighted to return to the charming town of Redwood Grove and the Secret Bookcase bookstore. In this latest instalment, Annie is busy planning a movie premiere, and I loved seeing the growth of side characters like Pri and Liam. The reveal of the mysterious Double Americano's identity was a great surprise! I'm now rooting for Annie and Liam to take their friendship to the next level and eager to uncover Liam's hidden past.

Overall, I'm thoroughly invested in this series and excited to see where the author takes these endearing characters next!

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

Annie and the rest of the staff of the Secret Bookcase are thrilled that the mystery festival was so successful, but they’re all surprised when a Hollywood director wants to hold the premiere of her new movie in Redwood Grove, and wants Annie to organize a Hitchcock-themed film festival featuring her movie. But when a man falls to his death during the premiere, Annie is once again asked by her former criminology professor to assist with the investigation.

This is the second book in a new series by one of my favorite cozy authors, and I really liked the first book, so it wasn’t surprising that this book was just as good. The setting has been established, although readers are getting to know more details about the town of Redwood Grove. The characters who have returned from the first book will likely be the recurring cast of characters throughout the series, which makes me happy. They all work together relatively well, even though there appears to be at least one person who is reluctantly becoming part of the core group. I love Annie’s cat, Professor Plum, who is taking part in the investigation of a previous crime, whether he knows it or not.

The victim in this story was not well-liked, and almost everyone associated with the movie had a secret or two that could be motivation to kill him, so the suspect list was lengthy for most of the book. It wasn’t until shortly before the confrontation scene in the story that I started to put things together, although I didn’t quite work out the motive. The resolution of said confrontation was almost predictable, but it still made me happy.

I will definitely keep an eye out for the third book in the series, which I’m eager to read so I can find out what happens next in several of the story lines that weren’t wrapped up in this book.

Great book overall, I wish i knew it was a book 1 so I could have caught onto certain parts in the story. But I’m smart so I figured it out as I went along.
This was my first mystery book, where we are trying to figure out who the killer is.
I was intrigued by the cover of the book because of my obsession with going to the movies! I just knew this book was for me. And it was. Of course it took some time for the story to build up, remember it is like a puzzle and have to put all the pieces together.
Quick summary of the book is a bookstore employee Annie is given this opportunity to host a huge “Hollywood” movie fulfilled weekend festival in a small town…but in the mist of the movie, someone is MURDERER! Yes murder in the movies ( hint the title).. 🍿🍿🍿 yes get your popcorn because you will be on a ride throughout this book to find out who the killer is.
Is it the director, producer , writer, one of the case members, someone from the bookstore??
WHO IS THE KILLER?