Body in the Bookstore
A Secret Bookcase Mystery
By: Ellie Alexander
ISBN: 9781805084075
Website: elliealexander.co
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Behind the shelves of The Secret Bookcase, where the sun slants through the windows onto rows of classic crime novels, a body lies…
Bookseller Annie Murray is thrilled when the mystery-themed book festival she sets up to revive the dwindling fortunes of her workplace and sanctuary seems poised for success. But events take a shocking turn when a body is discovered hidden behind the shelves, and it’s revealed that the victim is Annie’s old college acquaintance.
Determined to ensure the festival’s success and save the small town of Redwood Grove from a killer, Annie begins piecing together clues with the help of her friends. But as the list of suspects grows longer – a local boutique-owner, an envious old classmate, a bitter ex-boyfriend – Annie is drawn deeper into the case.
With the aid of her old criminology professor-turned-detective, can Annie unmask the murderer before they turn her festival into a real-life whodunit? (Goodreads)
Review:
I must say that to date Ellie Alexander and her storytelling have never failed me. This first book, Body in the Bookstore, in her new series – A Secret Bookcase Mystery series – does not disappoint. Then again, I think back on all the books I have read by this author (specifically the Sloan Krause series) and I realize I have always been totally engaged in the books I read and most often, had difficulty until the end figuring out ‘whodunit’. Which I must admit is the way that I like my cozy mystery reads J
This reader was lead through a wonderfully executed introduction to the residents of Redwood Grove and especially our amateur sleuth, Annie Murray. The town of Redwood Grove is picturesque. Who wouldn’t want to live one hour away from the Pacific Ocean and a couple hours away from a ski hill? I did ponder about the word “amateur” when referring to Annie as she has a degree in criminology. Unfortunately, due to Annie’s best friend being murdered just before their college graduation, Annie’s criminology degree and training are going unused. As we quickly learn, Annie feels a massive amount of guilt over Scarlet’s death. Scarlet was murdered while following up on a lead for their final criminology project which was to examine an unsolved murder. The class was tasked with reviewing the crime scene, suspects, and case notes and extrapolating any new insight. Scarlet and Annie went all in… and it seems got too close to finding out who the murderer was.
Scarlet’s murder haunts Annie to this day as told by the musings of Annie early on in the book:
“…Scarlet’s life had been cut short. The guilt of her unsolved murder clung to me like a persistent shadow. Until I tracked down Scarlet’s killer and ensured they were behind bars for good, I knew that shadow would never dissipate.”
Annie has been working at the Secret Bookcase as a bookseller and event coordinator for eight years, since graduation. The bookstore needs more sales if it is to stay afloat. Annie comes up with the idea of a mystery-themed book festival for the town. A win for everyone. In fact, the event is going along better than anyone’s wildest dreams…until one of Annie’s old college acquaintance (Kayla Minter) is found dead within the shelves of the bookstore! Further involving the past, her past criminology professor, Dr. Caldwell, is the police detective involved with solving the murder of Kayla.
Annie is asked by Dr. Caldwell to keep her eyes and ears open as people are more likely to talk to her than anyone in law enforcement. Annie does that and more. She wants to figure out who killed Kayla and why. As Annie runs through the potential list of suspects, we see her come out of her shell more. By the end of the story, Annie seems more self assured and willing to pursue who killed Scarlet. Time will tell how this part of Annie’s story plays out, though if I was a betting woman, I would say that this will be a recurring theme and part of the plots for all future books in this series. Hopefully Dr. Caldwell will also be a part of this story arc as well.
I loved the name of some of the town’s establishments -> Cryptic Coffee – the local coffee house. Or
Stag Head (owned by Liam Donovan) – a bar in town, which hosts historical trivia nights. And lest we forget – Artifacts -> a clothing boutique.
I got a chuckle out of Annie’s bestie – Pri (full name Priya Kapoor) who works at Cryptic Coffee. Pri has a crush on one customer and she only knows him as “Double Americano with cold foam”. Can’t wait for future books in this series so we get more information on this particular customer!
I found Body in the Bookstore a wonderful addition to the long list of books written by Ellie Alexander. I did not figure out completely ‘whodunit’ until the end. The character development was well told and the townspeople are interesting. It was a read which drew me in and would not let me go until I had read the last page! I cannot wait (and luckily I don’t have to as both books were released together 🙂 ) to start the second book in the series A Murder at the Movies.
