Another great mystery from Ellie Alexander and the fact that it's set at Christmas time just adds to the enjoyment.

Book four in the series of which I have read and enjoyed all four. Another brilliant book and a sort of Bake Off meets Agatha Christie. Looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley the chance to ARC this book.

Oh, I am enjoying this series so much! And the covers are so eye-catching and detailed. One of the things I enjoy about cosies is how delightful the covers can be.

Another clever mystery in the series and another chance to spend time in Redwood Grove. The setting for these books is so well described and inviting. I'd love to be able to spend time there in real life. And the mystery book store is back centre stage in this book, which is a treat. It means we get to see more of Hal and Fletcher, who I felt were missing in the previous book of this series. I'm so glad we have them back again.

This is a festive mystery, with bucket loads of gingerbread creations to read about. If you have a sweet tooth, you may be tempted to tuck in to some festive treats while reading this, so maybe don't read if you have easy access to your pantry! And other than the main mystery, there is some advancement in the over-arching cold case mystery introduced in book one. Not as much progress as I'd have liked (I am starting to feel a bit impatient waiting for more), but some progress. I hope we see something more soon. Four books in the series already seems a long time to wait.

Still, this is a fun and enjoyable cosy. If you've already read this series, I'm sure you'll love this book. If you're new to the series, go back and read book one first if you can. It is a series where the character history is important.

I'm looking forward for more!

The plans for a gingerbread house competition at the Secret Bookcase in the small town of Redwood Grove, had Annie Murray excited for the weekend ahead. She, owner Hal Christie and colleague Fletcher had the plans running like clockwork, and the bookshop had never looked better. When everyone arrived, including school children for the junior category, there were lots of happy people wandering around. The arrival of social media influencer, Lily, meant things were due to begin - the wondrous gingerbread houses were set to blow everyone away.

When Annie discovered a body among the bookshelves, she was horrified. The police were soon on scene, as well as Liam, Annie's new beau, and together they tried to work out what had happened. But Annie could sense things were dreadfully wrong within the baking community - would she find the killer, or was she putting herself in terrible danger?

A Holiday Homicide is the 4th in A Secret Bookcase Mystery by Ellie Alexander and I enjoyed it very much. Although I figured out who the victim would be, as well as who the killer was, quite early, the journey to the end was fun and entertaining. I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes Annie and the crew next. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.

A cosy mystery Christmas story, what could be better….Gingerbread and the best bookshop ever!
The secret bookshop plays host to a gingerbread baking competition and Lily a famous baking influencer. It’s not long before Annie finds herself deep in flour and investigating a murders
I really enjoyed the storyline, it was well paced and consuming. I had guessed the murderer but it honestly didn’t take away my enjoyment.
Thank you NetGalley, Ellie Alexander and Storm Publishing for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

It has been awhile, but I have read an earlier book by Ellie Alexander. However, this is the fourth book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery series and I haven't read any other books in this series. This one could easily be read as a stand alone cozy mystery though.

Description:
Annie Murray's festive plans at the Secret Bookcase are thrown into disarray when a celebrity baker drops dead during a gingerbread-baking competition...

As whispers of foul play swirl like snowflakes, Annie soon finds herself tangled in a web of secrets, small-town rivalry, and long-buried mysteries.

With pub-owner and new love Liam by her side and the help of her loyal bookstore colleagues, Annie sets out to solve Redwood Grove’s latest murder mystery. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she discovers that the baking community isn’t as sweet as it seems…

Can Annie unwrap the truth before the killer strikes again? Or will this be one Christmas she won't live to remember?

My Thoughts:
Reading this cozy mystery was an enjoyable experience. I loved the Secret Bookcase book store and its owner Annie Murray. I liked the way she worked to draw the community together. Alexander had me fooled in this one - the killer wasn't who I thought it was. Annie and her bookstore colleagues make a good team. The investigation was fun to follow. Liam and Annie were sweet together. Annie also had a career decision to make and I'm sure she made a great decision.

Thanks to Storm Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Ellie Alexander is one of my auto buy authors. I read this book in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my copy of A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. It publishes November 20, 2024.
Yet another installment in this fun series from Ellie Alexander. This ticks all of the boxes for a Christmas cozy, and it keeps adding onto the overall story—my favorite thing for a series!
I really enjoyed this book, the mystery was solid and creative. I loved the way everyone’s lives were progressing, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book!

I enjoyed this cozy mystery as the fourth book in the series. I did not feel as connected to the mystery in this story as I have in the past, with none of the potential suspects fully grabbing my interest. I also thought the main mystery in the story was wrapped up and quickly forgotten in order to move on to the Scarlet's murder plot line so I would have preferred them more interwoven in the future.

I am looking forward to the Novel Detectives story line in future installments of these series and I hope that Scarlet's murder is wrapped up soon. It has been drawn out over several books with minimal movement at this point, so it would be nice for Annie to be able to put that behind her and move forward with her new adventures. I also love reading about Annie and Liam's budding romance, and look forward to more with the two lovebirds throughout the rest of the series!

Another terrific book in the Secret Bookcase series from Ellie Alexander. This Christmas themed book takes us to Redwood Grove, California just in time for a visit from a viral baking influencer who comes to host a gingerbread house contest at the Secret Bookcase Bookstore. Annie Murray is busy putting together all of the pieces of the event so that it goes off smoothly without any problems. That almost happens ...... if not for the unwelcome fan, the pushy businesswoman who wants to cut a deal with the influencer, the gingerbread mishap, and, oh, yeah ... the dead body! Annie finds herself yet again putting her criminology schooling to work to help investigate what happened and try to find a killer. Or, in this case, two killers, since she is still also investigating the decade old murder of her best friend, Scarlet. This was another great book in the series and you got to know the main character, Annie, better, as well as her coworkers, Fletcher and Hal, her best friend, Pri, her love interest, Liam, and her former professor, the lead police detective, Dr. Caldwell. I'd love to spend time in Redwood Grove ... The Secret Bookcase Bookstore sounds like the perfect bookstore to get lost in for hours with wonderful books, staff, fun events, and treats galore. Pri's coffee shop sounds equally delightful and like a must visit location along with the Sweet Room bakery and Stag's Head pub. If it weren't for all the dead bodies that turn up all too often, it would be a perfectly quaint little town to visit!! Luckily, the town has Annie Murray there to help find the killers!

This 4th book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series is another delightful installment, one I feel is the best of the four books so far.

It has a holiday theme, involving a murder at a gingerbread house contest which was held at the bookstore. Lots of baking and social media influencing talk, which was interesting.

As usual, Annie gets involved in solving the murder, along with help from the truly outstanding supporting cast of characters, including Liam, Pri, Hal, and Fletcher.

A highly recommended cozy mystery!!

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

It’s Christmas time and the Secret Bookstore is hosting a gingerbread house contest with the bakery. Lily, a baking influencer, arrives to indorse the Sweet Shop, Sugar’s bakery after she pays Lily to help her. Lily is found dead after being poisoned with cyanide from a pen that a friend gave her. This fan really was a fan but Becca, Lily’s personal assistant, made it seem like he was an unstable stalker who made their friendship up. Lily was a fraud and Becca was stealing from her which was why she died. Annie is closer than ever to finding out what happened to Scarlet. Annie meets with Mark who talked to her before she vanished and reveals that she is alive. Annie is also almost hit by a Tesla that she ends up finding out that Mark was driving. I can’t wait for the next book. Such a good cozy mystery series

I loved this book. Its the fourth in the series and by now I love all the characters and care for them deeply. The mystery in this one didn't intrigue me as much as the others but my favorite part about it was the romance development. I don't wish to say more in case I spoil anything. I will just say that this is a must series!!

I was happy to meet up with Annie, Liam, Hal, Fletcher, Priya and the gang in the 4th book in the Secret Bookcase series. This is a lovely festive read, with all things nice with plenty of sugar and spice and warming notes with the mystery of the death of a social media baking star at a gingerbread house making competition! It was very descriptive and I was certainly taken for an enjoyable ride with all the twists and turns that led to an unexpected conclusion.

This is the fourth book in the series and each book gets better! In this book, Annie is hosting a gingerbread contest at the bookstore. A baking influencer is the big draw, but when Annie finds her dead in the bookstore, there are several suspects and Annie and friends try to puzzle it out. This book has several twists and the murderer is soon revealed. I love the growth in the relationships in the book and the fleshing out of characters like Fletcher and Hal. I look forward to more in the series!
I was given an advance copy of this book in return for a review.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: A quick little mystery

When local bakery owner, Sugar, asks Annie to host a gingerbread competition at the Secret Bookcase Shop, everyone is excited. A famous influencer baker, Lily Hawthorne, is the guest and is supposed to promote their small town, Redwood Grove.
However, things take a different turn when there’s a death on the site and everything indicates it was a murder. Can Annie, with help from friends, solve the case and save the day for her town?
The story comes in Annie’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
I didn’t realize this had an influencer (the official blurb is rather vague). While it’s not my favorite topic, the book tackles the theme well. We see the real and fake sides of social media fame, as well as the threats that come with it.
Set during the Holidays, the book brings the Christmas vibe alive with gingerbread, spiced teas, seasonal flavored coffees, cakes, cupcakes, and more! The weather is cold, which adds to the atmosphere.
The pacing is fast just like the previous books in the series. We get enough backstory about the characters and the overarching subplot for this work as a standalone. Though, note that you’ll find it repetitive if you’ve read the previous books.
Annie makes some major decisions and is excited about the future after a long time. While I like her love story with Liam, she tends to go off-tagent and daydream like a teenager. That doesn’t always work.
The main mystery was easy enough to guess though there are a few suspects to consider. There is a little progress on the Scarlet track. I wish it would start to pick up pace and become a central mystery in one of the upcoming books.
The recurring side characters like Priya, Fletcher, and Hal are adorable as always. I like how they are so supportive and care for Annie. Their thoughtfulness gives the story a warm cozy vibe. Too bad we get to meet Professor Plum only once.

To summarize, A Holiday Homicide is a light mystery with some likable and unlikeable characters. Though it doesn’t have any dark vibes, it does talk about the grief of losing a loved one.
Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is the fourth book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery Series and it’s definitely my favorite. I liked getting to know the characters in the first three books, and getting acquainted with the community of Redwood Grove, but this book started to push forward some of my favorite storylines. There’s been an ongoing cold case that we first learned about in book 1, that finally moves forward in this book. And the new romance between Liam and Annie really takes root in this one as well. I love that there are so many possible tangents for future stories, and I can’t wait to read them all.

This a charming holiday Christmas cozy set in the adorable town of Redwood Grove, CA and is the fourth book in the Secret Bookcase series.

Annie Murray is gearing up for the first holiday gingerbread contest at the Secret Bookcase, with guest star influencer to judge the competition. Unfortunately, soon after the influencer's masterpiece unveiling, she is found dead in the back of the bookstore with no obvious cause of death. There are multiple suspects and Annie decides she must find the killer before this puts a damper on everyone's holiday spirit.

Meanwhile, she is finally going to make a decision about continuing on at the Secret Bookcase and buying out the owner with Fletcher, her friend and fellow employee, or taking Dr. Caldwell's offer to join the police force and put her criminology degree to work. You have to read the book to find out her choice!

This book was so festive and fun to read. It boosted my spirits (even with the murder) and gave me the warm fuzzies at the friendship and spirit of the season.

I highly recommend this fun cozy to put you in a festive mood for the holiday season.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

The latest in the cosy crime series set in an amazing bookstore in the cutest small town. Romance, books, baking and Christmas all come together in this feel good story.

These books keep getting better and better! Ms. Alexander has outdone herself on this one. Although the immediate crime in the book was solved, I'm left with so many questions! What is the secret behind Liam's past? What was Scarlett up to? What are Liam and Hal hiding in regards to the bookstore? Is Annie in imminent danger? Usually I finish a book in this series eager to read another, but satisfied with the outcome. With this one my brain is still reeling! I can't wait for book 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.