Annie, along with Fletch and Hal are hosting an event that involves a matchmaker and couples finding love at the bookstore. It is a three-day event and everything is going well and then the local philanthropist, George, is found dead in the garden of the estate that the bookstore is on. George was also a favorite and friend to all, or some it seemed. Who would want him dead? Annie is determined to find out who did this. She has also been given some material related to the death of her roommate that has haunted her since it happened. While this book can be read as a standalone, it's better to read it as series due to the overarching developments into the mystery of Annie's roommate Scarlet's death.

This was a story that I sunk right into. I found it interesting that all the suspects were female. I enjoyed the twist of why George was killed and the idea that people show you the sides of themselves that they want you to see. The who and why behind Scarlet's death is also becoming clearer as we get closer to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the chance to read this ARC and give my opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ellie Alexander for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Victim at Valentine's coming out February 10, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read several books by this author. I really love cozy mysteries. This is a lovely series. I think this book is perfect for February! Annie is a fun character and she’s still dealing with her past. I love her relationship with Liam. I will definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

Book 5 in The Secret Bookcase series did not disappoint. Full of even more cozy mystery, mayhem, motives and of course — a small town murder.

A Victim at Valentine’s may be my favorite Secret Bookcase Mystery thus far! Sprinkled with Valentine’s Day romance, Annie is hosting yet another fun event at the bookstore.

As with the other stories in the series, this is written in a way that can be read as a standalone, but the background storyline between the novels begins to take extra twists and turns in this book. I can’t wait for the last installment in the series!

Thank you, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

A Victim at Valentine's is the 5th book in the series, A Secret Bookcase Mystery by Ellie Alexander and I really enjoyed reading it! This was such an enjoyable read, and the Valentine’s Matchmaking via books and adventures, is a brilliant idea by the way! It should be used at local bookstores in real life. It isn’t where I am but maybe where someone else is.

This cozy mystery caught me from page one. I read it in one sitting and couldn’t put it down and had to even sneak it into bed with me without my dogs knowing (they get jealous). This mystery kept drawing me in, and it was so well written. Annie is the main character in a town of Redwood Grove, and has an excellent eye for detail and started noticing that her Valentines Matchmaking plans take a terrible turn with the discovery of a dead body.

Who did it? There are a few likely people who could have done this. This was my first book by Ellie Alexander and I have to read the other 4, because this one, was truly, amazing! If you enjoy a fast-paced cozy mystery with likable characters, and a great storyline and plot, then you must read this book!

Another fun installment in this series, though I was sad to learn that the next book in the series will be the last.

We return to Redwood Grove and the Secret Bookcase for a Valentine's Day matchmaking event. Here multiple suspect characters emerge, even before the grisly discovery. Annie Murray is gearing up for bookish couples to find love over the Valentine weekend and looking forward to spending the day with her own hunky bar owner, Liam. When the town's favorite resident philanthropist is murdered, there is a surprisingly long list of suspects. While couples cozy up in the Secret Bookcase, Annie wants to solve the crime.

I like the friend group in this book, which is what makes it so enjoyable. It is also the fact that Annie, while a bookseller (and soon to be owner), has the right to ask nosy questions and pry into crimes because of her criminology background. There seems to be nothing awkward at all about her sleuthing, even if her BFF and her boyfriend are not in law enforcement and her sounding boards.

I look forward to the next book and hope if it is truly the last that it brings the series to a satisfactory conclusion.

My thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute cozy mystery set in a small Northern California town. It’s the 4th book in this series and I haven’t read the previous books. Perhaps if I had, this book and its characters would have been more interesting to me. Annie is still removing it from the murder of her best friends 10 years earlier. As she was battling with her overwhelming grief, she found her way to this small town and to a lovely bookstore. She’s made good friends and is dating a handsome pub owner. While holding a cross promotion event with a matchmaking entrepreneur, the towns ultra-wealthy philanthropist is murdered. Annie and her bookstore partner, Fletcher are working on their PI licenses to form a detective business in addition to the bookstore. As the body was found on the bookstore grounds, Annie inserts herself into the investigation and the hunt for the killer begins. Lots of quirky characters and a fun murder investigation which implications to the current case and those from the passed.

Fantastic read! I love going back to Redwood Grove to visit with Annie and her friends. The back stories as well as the mystery in the book keep me coming back for more. I can’t wait to read the next book!

So happy to be back at Redwood Grove with Annie and the gang!

Annie Murray is on a roll, A Secret Bookcase is doing well, she is setting up her private detective agency with her dear friend Fletcher, the Novel Detectives and they are now hosting events at their bookshop. However, their good fortune starts to run out when a psychic named Elspeth Prachett forsees a tragedy striking a beloved member of the community, George Richards. Though George holds some deadly secrets in his closet, it is up to Annie, Hal, Fletcher and Dr. Caldwell to find out who wanted to hurt George and how it is all connected with Annie's friend Scarlet's death and the cold case that started it all.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for another great Secret Bookcase read!

This is the fifth book in A Secret Bookcase Mystery series. I've been following this series and enjoy these cozy mysteries set in the sweet town of Redwood Grove in The Secret Bookcase bookshop.

Description:
In the cozy town of Redwood Grove, Annie Murray’s Valentine’s Day plans take a sinister turn when a beloved pillar of the local community is found dead at her Agatha Christie-inspired bookshop.

As Annie assists the lead detective in unraveling the mystery, she quickly identifies a host of likely suspects – from an oddball psychic, to a professional matchmaker, to a rival bookseller – each with a worryingly plausible motive.

With her keen eye for detail, soon Annie suspects there may be connections to the decade-old tragedy of her best friend’s death, which still haunts her. Putting her own Valentine’s Day plans with the irresistible Liam on hold, Annie must solve the crime – before she ends up on a hot date with a killer.

My Thoughts:
In this book there's a murder that occurs during the span of a match-making event held at the bookshop. There were some clues and several suspects. Annie Murray and her friends Fletcher and Hal try to find the answer to who the murderer could be. Some information also turns up about Annie's friend Scarlet, who had disappeared some time ago. The mystery of what happened to Scarlet has been a common thread throughout the series. This was a fun and satisfying cozy mystery and I enjoyed my time spent reading the book. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. Ellie Alexander is a talented author and writes absorbing stories that are easy to read and enjoyable.

Thanks to Storm Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This is the fifth book in the Secret Bookcase Mysteries by Ellie Alexander. I found it well-written and plotted.
A town benefactor turns up dead outside of the bookstore. Annie and friends attempt to figure who did it and why.

Annie and Fletcher are in the process of trying to buy the bookstore from their employer. They also plan to open a detective agency that runs out of the bookstore.

I was given an advanced e-copy and these are my opinions.

4⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of A Victim At Valentine’s.

Annie seems to have everything going her way-she is getting ready to own the bookstore she loves, starting her private detective agency, and she has found love with Liam. But when the body of a well loved philanthropist and member of her town turns up dead in front of the bookstore she is shocked. Then they find out he was murdered. The list of suspects starts growing and she realizes he may have had some skeletons in his closet. All while she is working on solving the murder of her friend from years earlier. She does not realize the danger she may be in.

I love this whole series so much. This book was so good! I loved the plot and how we are also learning more about her friend’s murder as the books go on. This whole series is a must read!

A Victim At Valentines Review:

A Victim At Valentine’s by Ellie Alexander follows the story of Annie, owner of the Agatha Christie inspired bookstore located in Redwood Cove. While Annie is setting up for a Valentine’s Day matchmaking event at her bookstore, the unthinkable happens, one of her friends and coworker unexpectedly dies. Annie is stuck between trying to figure out was it a sudden accidental death or was it a murder on Valentine’s.

While reading this arc I felt as though the story was a little slow paced, as it took a while to get to the plot. This book is more character based than plot based as we were following our female main character, Annie, prepare for a party all while navigating the death of a friend who we lost years prior (whom she has never healed from). We read about how Annie gave up hopes and dreams to solve the case of her friend’s tragic death only to have another friend pass away and for her to want to do the same thing, get justice and figure out the truth.

I love how Ellie Alexander has a way with words. As somebody who never read any of the other books within the series, Ellie made it easy to go ahead and get a grasp of each individual character all while still staying true to their story. However, I wish that while still getting an in depth review of each character we would’ve also received more about the murders. At times, I felt as though we were so consumed with the individualities of each character that we lost sight of our plot. With that being said, this book is still good for fans of Agatha Christie, and readers in general who enjoy a whodunnit book.

I would like to thank Ellie Alexander and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

I received a copy from NetGalley. I was excited to be reading a mystery novel that takes place in a bookstore, we had it all a book lover would love coffee shop and investigations. The book takes place during the vaelentine holiday with a matching of couples event and later follows the untimely death of a friend. However this story continues the connecting the puzzle pieces of Scarlett’s death. I enjoyed reading this book and at times I was anxious with anticipation of what was going to happen next, it has a mystery feel with some triller.

Another fun cozy mystery. This is part of the Secret Bookcase Mystery series but the first one I've read and I think you can definitely read this as a standalone, although you probably miss out on past characters and interactions, I still found it to be an entertaining and fun mystery.

A body is found at Annie's Agatha Christie inspired bookshop on Valentine's Day. Annie helps to investigate the murder before her, or anyone else ends up in trouble. This is just a nice cozy, that has a mystery with multiple could be suspect and some funny parts to keep it light. I would read more from others in this series!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

A Victim at Valentines is set in the fictional town of Redwood Grave, CA. It takes place mainly in the Secret Bookcase book store. Annie and Fletcher are in the process of buying the bookstore from their boss, Hal. If this were an actual bookstore, I don’t think I would willingly attend their special events. Someone always ends up murdered. Annie and Fletcher are starting a detective agency. Annie also works with the detective in Redwood Grove to solve the murders. The series is a quick read. The characters are relatable. I’m always happy when a new book comes out.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

Over the course of reading this series, I've grown to love these characters. Particularly Fletcher, despite being a bit of a sidekick. My favorite thing about a bookstore is the picturesque atmosphere and Annie, our amateur sleuth who plans events to celebrate the bookstore where she works. In all honesty, I was not interested in the murder or the characters involved at first, but as I read on, I became intrigued. As the story progressed, I was left wondering what would happen next.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a good mystery read and a fast read. It reminded me of the series that was on Hallmark with Philbie and his side kick. Definitely an unexpected ending to the mystery and it appears there are more books yet in the series. Although I did not read the first in this series I was able to pick up on what was happening and picked up on the characters pretty fast.

A cozy mystery I would recommend to others.

A Victim at Valentine's is book #5 in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

Annie Murray has teamed up to bring a matchmaking event to the bookshop. When a beloved case member of the community is found dead, Annie is on the case. Along with the murder, there was some progress on the Scarlet cold case investigation. I was with Annie on the murderer, but not the right reason and the ending totally shocked me. I look forward to seeing how the cold investigation wraps up and Annie and Fletcher prepare for their new adventure.

Thank you to the author, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I love this series! The characters are great. I feel like the characters from this series would get along with the characters from her Bakeshop series. At first, I felt like we did not get enough Liam. That was until we got to the end and then it was all worth it. Each book feels like two mysteries in one. The current murder plus the investigation into who killed her best friend, Scarlet. Each book keeps me wanting more. I got to the end, and it said to look out for the final book in the series. I said “Final? no that can’t be”. I will be sad to see the series end, but I cannot wait to see how this wraps up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Secret Bookcase is staging a matchmaking event for Valentine's Day, but at the start of the festivities a customer is murdered. There's no shortage of suspects, including the victim's various business partners and romantic interests, and bookseller and sometimes-detective Annie is on the case.

Fortunately, Annie has time for plenty of home-cooked meals, fireside chats, and raspberry mochas while solving the mystery, which never really heats up enough to disrupt the matchmaking weekend. The ultimate cozy mystery, emphasis on "cozy". 4.5 stars.

(This is part of a series. It's enjoyable as a standalone, but there's an ongoing mystery in the series as well.)