I have always enjoyed books by Ellie Alexander and when I saw she had a new, bookish-themed cozy mystery series (A Secret Bookcase Mystery) I couldn’t order my copies fast enough. How exciting to get in at the start of a series by such a great writer! And I’m here to report that the series is off to a strong start. Cannot wait for more. Today I’m featuring a review of both books one and two in the series: The Body in the Bookstore (1) and A Murder at the Movies (2) which are available now (purchase links below). 

About the Series:

Set in the fictional town of Redwood Grove, California, in an Agatha Christie-themed bookshop. This series is a love letter to the mysteries that shaped Ellie and is inspired by the real-life Mystery Festival she launched in Ashland, OR in 2023. (Ellie’s website) 

My Review:

In book one, The Body in the Bookstore, readers meet Annie Murray – a bookseller at the Secret Bookcase mystery bookshop in a small town in northern California (Redwood Grove). Bookworm Annie is thankful for her work because grief at losing her college best friend, Scarlet, in a now cold case still lingers. Thankfully she has the sanctuary of the bookshop and her love of books as comfort. I would love to visit with Annie and see the Secret Bookcase. Ellie paints a beautiful picture of this shop. 

Annie is excited to launch the town’s first ever Mystery Fest and she has put in many long hours to make it a success. Unfortunately, not long after the event begins, a body is discovered hidden behind the shelves of the bookshop, and it’s revealed that the victim is Annie’s old college acquaintance. It’s clear it isn’t an accident and determined to find justice and save the event, Annie begins piecing together clues with the help of her friends and the aid of her old criminology professor-turned-detective. 

Book two, A Murder at the Movies, picks up a few months after book one, and here Annie is organizing Redwood Grove’s first film festival in partnership with an interesting group of Hollywood folks, including an infamous film critic. Not long into the main event (a premiere of a new Hitchcock-inspired thriller), that same film critic plunges to his death. Some speculate that it was merely an accident, but Annie isn’t so sure and soon enough, all signs point to murder. Annie, along with her professor/detective friend must sort through a long list of suspects to find the truth. 

These are so well done – I could not stop turning the pages, finishing both of them in just a matter of days. The setting is beautiful and felt like true arm-chair travel. I’m adding Redwood Grove to my list of fictional places I’d like to visit. I enjoyed how multi-layered each mystery was and the plot twists kept me guessing until the end of each. I admire how thoughtful Annie is as she works to resolve each case, and I always love it when a sleuth and a detective work together. 

While the murder mystery in each book is resolved, the mystery of Annie’s friend’s murder carries through both, and book two has a cliff-hanger that had me gasping in shock! Thankfully I was able to secure a galley copy from Netgalley of book three, Death at the Dinner Party, scheduled to publish September 30, 2024. 

The characters are great – I’m especially fond of Annie’s Redwood Grove best friend, Pri, and loved the subplot featuring her (no spoilers here!). There’s the hint of a possible romance for Annie that I’m curious to see how it might develop. 

Highly recommend that mystery lovers get their hands on this series–you won’t regret it! 

Ellie is a voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over thirty published novels and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.

She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.

Find out more about Ellie and her books by visiting her website.

Social Media Links:

~ Instagram ~ TikTok ~ YouTube ~ Twitter/X ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~

Podcast: Reality Writes Podcast: stars bestselling mystery author Ellie Alexander and her Tech Guy husband as they reveal the ins and outs of writing.

~ YouTube ~ Apple Podcasts ~ Spotify ~

Purchase Links: 

A Body in the Bookstore: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Bookshop 

A Murder at the Movies: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Bookshop

Coming Soon:

Death at the Dinner Party (Secret Bookcase Mysteries #3)

Releasing September 30, 2024

Preorder Here: Amazon(more formats and retailers coming soon)

Annie Murray is excited to host a murder mystery–themed dinner party, but soon the evening takes a deadly turn…

When her friend Penny confesses she’s struggling to finance the restoration of the historic Wentworth farmhouse, Annie is instantly inspired. The beautiful property has stood empty since the 1970s, but rumors still swirl about the eccentric Wentworth family and their hidden fortune. It’s the perfect setting for a spooky, immersive dinner party, and the evening is a roaring success – until neighboring landowner Curtis Wright drops dead at the dining table…

Annie knows she didn’t add arsenic to the entrée, so who messed with her catering, and why? Everyone in the party had some reason to hate renowned bully Curtis – not least Penny, who was under pressure to sell land to him. Annie realizes she’ll need to clear her friend’s name fast. Soon, she’s in deep, uncovering long-buried family secrets, shady business deals and pitch-black hidden passageways.

But as Annie closes in on the truth, the killer is determined to stop her at all costs. Will justice be served in time, or will Annie get a helping of death with dessert…?