The perfect holiday mystery. It’s a the boom equivalent of sipping a hot chocolate, eating gingerbread as the snow falls on the local Christmas lights!

I’m loving this secret bookcase series and the small town feel to it. It’s probably less cosy, with a more CSI feel to it with the main protagonist being an old criminology student. The characters get your attached and the plot of prompt and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early opportunity.

This cozy mystery series is addictive. I’ve enjoyed all, and this holiday themed addition is one of my favorites of the four so far..

The setting is a Northern California town with a vibrant and caring community. The main character, Annie Murray, came to the town to heal after her best friend was murdered. She works at a mystery bookstore that is in an old estate. She has successfully initiated events to help sustain the bookstore, and this holiday-themed entry into the series features a gingerbread contest. As in all the books, a murder occurs, and Annie helps the police figure out the culprit.

I loved the description of the decorations in the store and the town. In the best sense, this is across between a Hallmark Christmas movie and the old tv series, Murder She Wrote. The overarching theme of solving her best friend’s murder is picking up steam as is her budding romance with Liam, the town’s cafe owner. There is also a hint of an intriguing back story of Liam’s past that (so far), we know nothing about. Annie is also moving forward with starting a private detective agency, and taking over the bookstore, along with a partner.

I always enjoy returning to the charming town of Redwood Grove and trying to solve the murder mystery, along with Annie. However, I really appreciate that some of the ongoing plot lines are moving forward.

Thank you netgalley and Storm Publishing for this arc.
Book 4 in Redwood Grove with Annie and the gang. This time it is Christmas and the Secret Bookcase is hosting a gingerbread competition with an influencer. When Annie once again finds a dead body, will they solve the case and not ruin the holidays?

I am really enjoying this series of cozy mysteries. It is fun to get to keep following along and learning more about the characters. I did find that this one started a little slower than the last 3 with more of a recapping of who people are and what has happened, but given it's book 4 I guess that makes sense. I'm glad we are getting deeper into the Scarlett subplot, really looking forward to Annie eventually getting justice for her.

These just feel like a Hallmark murder and mystery series in the making to me. Can't wait for book 5!

This is another wonderful read in this new series by Ellie Alexander. Annie is going all out to celebrate the holidays in the bookstore by hosting a gingerbread house contest being sponsored by a new local bakery owner and a famous baking influencer. The influencer and bakery owner display amazing concoctions they have made, and over 90 locals have houses to be entered in the judging. With the glorious decorations, samples by local student bakers, and holiday carolers, the atmosphere is wonderful until Annie comes across the social influencer, passed out on the floor and though she tries, fails to resuscitate her. Was it a heart attack or something more sinister? Did the influencer have enemies? Who is missing the holiday spirit? While Annie deals with this, she is also dealing with questions about her professional future, her relationship with Liam and her upcoming meeting with the man who maybe able to shed some light on what happened to her friend Scarlet. Annie and friends are straight out in this holiday page turner. Perfect holiday cozy read. Thank you to #Netgally, #StormPublishing, and the author for the opportunity to read. #AHolidayHomicide #EllieAlexander #ASecretBookcaseMystery #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

This is the 4th book in the series. You could read it as a stand alone, but would miss a good bit of the backstory.
It's almost Christmas and The Secret Bookcase is hosting a Gingerbread competition. Annie Murray and her boss Hal Christie and co-worker Fletcher are excited to have the event in their store. Influencer Lily Hawthorne is livestreaming with her assistant, Becca. There are lots of creative gingerbread constructions from Kindergarteners to seniors. Just as the event gets underway, Lily "accidently" smashes the very detailed gingerbread replica of Redwood Grove by local baker, Sugar Lester. Then, Shane Briggs, labeled a stalker by Becca, gives an expensive pen to Lily. And Kari Harris wants Lily to sign a contract with Queen Mary Flour and is showing up at events.
It should surprise no that Lily is found dead at the event. Becca thinks it is Lily's heart condition, but the police suspect poison.
Annie has another crime on her mind; the ten year old murder of her best friend and fellow criminalist student, Scarlett. She hopes she will finally get some answers when Mark, an employee at the company where Scarlett was investigating.
As Annie and her friends sift through the clues and her relationship with pub owner Liam Donovan deepens, danger lurks but is it from the past or present?
It is always a pleasure to visit Redwood Grove and see how old and new relationships grow and change. As an amateur baker, I enjoyed the descriptions of the gingerbread creations. I also would really like to visit The Secret Bookcase and explore the different rooms while sipping a cup of tea. The book draws you into the little town and makes you want to visit it in the real world.
I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Though I enjoyed the whole book as a whole, the story was so heavily based on social media presence that it bordered on overbearing.

The writing of the book flows easily, but has a lot of details regarding the competition, which I personally feel could have been avoided. Also the background story of Scarlett feels way too old though I am glad there was finally progress.

I received an advance copy of the book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Christmas is coming, and local bookstore worker Annie Murray is both excited and thrilled to be helping host a gingerbread baking competition at the Secret Bookcase in Redwood Grove. Local baker Sugar has arranged for a very popular influencer to attend, which pretty much guarantees the success of the festive event.

The discovery of a body in the bookstore changes everything, and Annie soon finds herself looking for clues rather than picking her favourite gingerbread house! At the same time she has major decisions to make regarding her future with two job offers, a new and exciting relationship to enjoy, and the chance to finally gain further information regarding the death of her best friend a decade earlier. With so much happening, Annie is glad to have her friends around to help, but with danger stalking her every move, will anyone be able to save her?

Book four in Ellie Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery Series seems to be a pivotal instalment. Added to the murder investigation are job offers, new clues in an old case, and the prospect of a romantic Christmas after too many festive seasons alone. Even with all this going on, there is no confusion, and everything fits together seamlessly. I like Annie, Pri, Liam, and all the main protagonists, and the scenes in the bookshop are always a joy to read. Book five is released just in time for Valentine's Day, and I can't wait to see what will happen next with the intertwining storylines.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Storm Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a great book but has a few spoilers, so I would recommend reading these in order. Recommended. 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

A Secret Bookcase Mystery is quickly becoming a must read series for me. I can’t wait to get my hands on the books when they come out! I devour them in a day. It would be sooner, but life just gets in the way. 😉
There are many twists to this book and that doesn’t include the mystery at hand!
What will Annie do, follow her dreams of the past and work as a criminal detective or buy the bookshop? What is the latest in solving her best friend’s murder? How is her relationship going? So many updates in this book and so many teasers about what is going to happen next!

There is a gingerbread house contest at the bookstore which brings in an influencer baking celebrity to town, but she doesn’t leave town. Now it’s up to Annie and her gain to solve the whodunit.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own

I like this series a lot. You can start at the beginning of jump straight in as it can be read as a stand-alone (although I always prefer to read the entire series).
Once again, we are following Annie. I enjoy her development throughout the series. The cast of side characters is enjoyable and I just love it. Her relationship with Liam is one of the subplots that will give you that warm cozy feeling. The backdrop of the festive bookshop, gardens, and gingerbread contest gives this murder mystery a cozy holiday vibe. I enjoyed the plotting and how the story moved forward, keeping me turning the pages.
I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozy murder mysteries.

When an Instagram-famous baker comes to town to judge the Gingerbread House contest at the Secret Bookcase, she is murdered. Annie uses her investigative background to get to the bottom of the mystery. Fun to see Annie's relationship with Liam blossom. A fun cozy mystery for the holiday season.

A Holiday Homicide is book four of A Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. This is my first book by Alexander. It’s a perfect cozy holiday read. It has all the right touches to bring Christmas mystery right to your doorstep. This is a great book to take a break with and settle in with a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket. It’s set in a fictional small town bookstore in Redwood Grove, CA. The description of the bookstore alone, made me wish it were real and in my hometown.

The mystery revolves around a baking influencer Lily Hawthorne, who’s come to town to judge the gingerbread house contest at the bookstore. She was invited by the local baker appropriately named Sugar, who’s hoping she might bring some attention to her bakery as well as the bookstore. But all is not sugar and spice and everything nice. So murder is not far off. And Annie (the lead character in this series) who works in the bookstore and is trained in criminology, is trying to get to the bottom of who the murderer is and if it is connected to one of her friends.

There’s an another murder running as an undercurrent through this book that seems to be continued from previous books and leaves us with a cliffhanger, after teasing us with new information.

This was enjoyable and light. I’d been wanting to read an Ellie Alexander book and this was a good place to begin. Although I’d recommend starting at the first in the series to enjoy it even more. Ms. Alexander does a good job of filling in the blanks if you haven’t read prior books. But as it’s only book four, might as well work your way through. There’s a nice cast of supporting characters and you’ll feel right at home.
#AHolidayHomicide #netgalley

This series is really starting to grow on me. I was a little on the fence initially but I find myself getting more involved in the characters and premise. The cover art for this series is especially appealing and very "Ellie" to me. I love the holiday theme general atmosphere. Will eagerly await the next installment.

This is the fourth book in the series following the investigative exploits of Annie Murray, bookshop assistant and events manager. The setting is a charming Agatha Christie inspired mystery bookstore in an out of the way small town in north California. A social media influencer has come to the Secret Bookcase for a weekend focussed around a gingerbread baking competition in the run up to Christmas.

The festive atmosphere of the bookshop, the buzz around the competition and the activities of the influencer and her assistant are nicely described. The central characters are well developed and it’s nice to see the growing relationships between Annie and Liam. The plot is well paced with several key suspects and increasingly strong motives gradually exposed. There is an intriguing subplot in the series relating to the murder 10 years earlier of Annie’s best friend, Scarlet. Each book in this series sees Annie make small advances in her investigations of what is now a cold case and a meeting with a potential witness reveals some surprising information.

Overall an enjoyable cosy mystery, in a delightful setting with delightful characters and some good plot twists. I’m looking forward to the next exciting instalment.

A Holiday Homicide by Ellie Alexander is the fourth in a series of mysteries about Annie who works in The Secret Bookcase in Redwood Grove, California but had also studied criminology in college.

The bookstore helps put on a gingerbread house baking contest for Christmas when one of the stars of the show, a baking influencer, is found dead in one of the bookstore’s rooms when Annie is putting away books.

Annie’s boyfriend Liam who owns the restaurant The Stag Head and her friend Pri who owns Cryptic Coffee as well as her boss Hal and her coworker Fletcher and Dr. Caldwell, the head of the police department and Annie’s former criminology professor all were trying to find the killer after the death was determined to be a murder.

Suspects included Lily’s assistant Becca, a town baker named Susan Lily had upset, a woman named Kari who’d wanted a flour endorsement, a high school professor named Dayton who’d supposedly stolen a recipe from Lily and a man named Shane who seemed to stalk her.

Also Annie was deciding whether to stay on at the bookstore or join Dr. Caldwell at the police department. But then she and Fletcher decided to jointly buy the bookstore from Hal and also start a detective agency.

But who was the murderer? You’ll have to read this fascinating book to find out.

In the 4th book of the series, Annie Murray finally decides what to do with her life, and I love it! It is a great decision and should add interesting flavors to future books. The murder here revolves around a gingerbread contest Annie hosts at the bookstore. A baker influencer is the star of the show, but when she dies, Annie and friends are on the case. Lots of Christmas decorations and food and described throughout the story, making it very festive. I really love this series!

Another fun edition to Ellie Alexander’s newest cozy mystery series and its perfect timing for the upcoming holiday season. I’m really enjoying seeing Annie blossoming-she’s uncovered new evidence to her friend’s case and her relationship with Liam is solid. I loved the gingerbread contest event that Annie and the bookstore hosted and how it was super relevant with influencers and that dynamic.

Cant wait to see what happens next with Annie and her new venture and how it ties into her friend’s case.


Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

This has quickly become a favorite series. The author does an excellent job catching you up on what's gone before in just the first chapter with snippets throughout. I honestly didn't much like Annie in the first book but as more of her past was revealed, it became understandable why she acted as she did and, hey, she has improved as the series has gone along. I'm still not quite sure she has the inner core makings of a true investigator but she's definitely got the skills.

To cut to the chase, this is really two mysteries in one. One that haunts Annie, the other currently. Even worse, in the bookstore where she works with Fletcher and Hal. A celebrity baker drops dead during the big reveal of community made gingerbread houses. Young and healthy. Why? Who'd kill her? As it turns out, more than a few. Quite frankly, I found myself more interested in the old, cold case. Maybe because it mattered so much to Annie or that the victim sounds like a much more likable person than the current one. I definitely wasn't expecting the huge reveal on the cold case near the end, that's for sure. Nor was Annie, quite frankly. It'll be fascinating to see how Annie, with the help of her former criminology professor, now town detective, and friends processes all she is finding out. Pri has her back but it was great to see the relationship between Annie and Liam Donovan getting stronger every book. As for the current case, I had an inkling (I read too many cozies) of whodunit but honestly wasn't sure until the final reveal, just not how it was done. Still thoroughly enoyed the relationships between the characters and seeing Annie's growth as both a human being and amateur sleuth. Her ties to the bookshop are strong, though, so it's a struggle between past plans and her current situation.

Bottom line, as usual, Ellie Alexander has given us a delightful, bewildering, multi-layer mystery to ponder. The characters are people we could all know and mostly like. The setting is a delight and, oh, my, the descriptions of those gingerbread creations was enough to give me a yen for gingerbread. So, kudos to the author. She not only kept my mind whirling as I read but made me hungry for something I normally wouldn't be craving. Thanks #StormPublishing for allowing me this early peek into life with Annie and all those who make the Secret Bookcase shop so memorable. It left me craving the next book, too!

The Secret Bookcase is holding its first annual gingerbread house contest and everyone including Annie, Fletcher and Hal are predicting a sold out crowd. But what they are not expecting is a homicide! Wonderful characters, a few suspects and a surprise career decision for Annie and Fletcher made this cozy, holiday book an entertaining read. Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the early copy. This review is my honest opinion.

This book is another hit in the series by Ellie Alexander. There is the usual care examination of characters as well as the plot development of the background story into the murder of Annie’s best friend. Romance continues although a little to the side in this book with a concentration on friendship and business plans this time. The murder is of an influencer and as per usual there are numerous suspects and Annie does a cracking job of unpicking the strands. A Holliday homicide is an easy read with no blood or gore just a bouncy plot with likable characters and a great heroine in Annie.

This book delivers a festive holiday atmosphere with a gingerbread house decorating contest, friends, new beginnings and just a dash of murder. Sticking to the baking theme that fits our influencer victim, we have a mixture of beauty in the descriptions of the town all festooned for the holidays and darkness as a woman falls victim to greed. The victim may have seemed like a spoiled celebrity more interested in followers than baking, but the book showed us so much more. The life of an influencer is dark with everyone wanting something from you, but darkness should have no place at the holidays. To offset that darkness, the author took us on a journey through a holiday wonderland full of too much sugar and sweetness. We are pulled along as Annie marvels at the outdoor space belonging to the bookshop all lit up like a festive holiday garden complete with lighted deer munching.
The book was a major step for Annie as she took the first step toward realizing her dream. I absolutely love how the author set the stage for this life change and since it was so much fun to read no spoilers here. The gang is all back together and while few of Annie’s friends help solve the case they present as a tight and united unit willing to stand together in light times and dark. Sugar made an interesting addition to the Redwood Grove community.
Speaking of Redwood Grove, a face from the past comes to town to “help” solve the mystery of Scarlet’s death that has been plaguing Annie since book 1. I can’t help but wonder if that is where this story will take us next. Scarlet’s death seems a little darker than the traditional cozy style of Ellie Alexander. However, I am sure she is up to the challenge of giving us Scarlet’s story without loosing Redwood Grove and what makes this a good series.
The last 2 books have been personal favorites in this series. I would recommend the entire series and will be keeping my fingers crossed that it continues. I can’t help but wonder if the hints about Liam’s past could lead to another story for Annie and company. As a final note, I love the slow burn romance between Annie and Liam, it has been fun to watch the banter take them from enemies to a couple.
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.