Secret Bookcase Series
Plagued by the death of her best friend the day before graduation- Annie’s life took a different trajectory than she had planned. Winding up in the Secret Bookcase bookstore in Redwood Grove may have saved her as she found a new home and purpose in her small town. But having your best friend’s case unsolved— as a crime and mystery enthusiast— began to eat at her.

Opening Novel Detectives- her new private investigative business is just the beginning. Annie has been trying to piece together Scarlets murder for many years now — and in this final installment of this series — she stumbles on more than she anticipated while at a book convention.

Cozy Mysteries are not my normal genre, but this series called out to me. My inner Nancy Drew mixes with my loud and proud bookie self in the FMC of this series, Annie.

This series gives you the best book vibes and references, some cozy mysteries, a little romance, and a lot of friendship.

An engaging tale of bookshop owners who also run a private detective agency. Annie and Fletcher are Novel Detectives. Whilst attending a book fair they manage to so,ve a murder committed at one of the events at the fair, although they were there to try and resolve a cold case. 10 years previously Annie’s friend Scarlett was killed whilst investigating a large firm.
Set in California this book sets a slow pace which ramps up at the end. An enjoyable read and my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

A Body at the Book Fair, the last in Ellie Alexander's A Secret Bookcase Mystery series, provided closure for Annie and her friends. While I missed being in Redwood Grove for most of the story, we still got to see many of the characters we have come to know and love. Two mysteries are swirling around with a murder at a book fair and the resolution to Annie's friend Scarlett's murder. Ellie does a fabulous job intertwining the two and setting up the group for the spinoff series. Highly recommend for fans of her Bakeshop series and cozy mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my copy of A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. It publishes June 16, 2025.
Wow! What a way to finish this 6-book-series! I really appreciated the way things went with this book, and the overall story. I love that we don’t have to say goodbye and can follow the Novel Detectives!
I will say, I found one of the mysteries to be much more riveting than the other, but I think that’s to be expected!
I highly recommend this series if you enjoy a good cozy!

Annie Murray and her offsider, Fletcher, headed for Santa Clara for a book fair, one she was extremely interested in for the Secret Bookcase, Annie's store. She also had an ulterior motive as the fair was near to where her best friend Scarlett had died ten years prior, and her case had never been solved. But when a book industry person died on the first day of the fair, Annie was determined to help the local Detective - and she was happy to have her. Could she solve that murder as well as work her own agenda?

With Fletcher, her boyfriend Liam and Pri having her back, Annie was determined to continue with their plan. But she was scared. She needed to solve the murder for Scarlett's sake, her own sake, and Scarlett's family's sake - but was it possible?

A Body at the Book Fair is the 6th and final episode in A Secret Bookcase Mystery by Ellie Alexander and I was excited to read there'll be a spin-off series - The Novel Detectives - starting with book #1 in 2026. This has been an excellent series - I enjoy the characters, and it was amazing to finally have Scarlett's death solved. Highly recommended (but start at book 1).

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

A body at the Book Fair is the final book in the series. This book wraps up the mystery of Scarlet’s death.

I love all of the characters that have grown throughout the series. Annie and Fletcher are at a book convention (which sounds so delightful) but they are also hoping to solve Scarlet’s murder. There is a lot of action in this book and a nice wrap up to the series.

Fingers crossed the rumor that there is a spin off is real!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

This is the last book in Ellie Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series and unfortunately my least favourite.

We follow our main character Annie to Santa Clara as she attends a book fair convention where a guest speaker ends up being murdered. We also get the conclusion of her friend Scarlet's murder which has been an ongoing mystery throughout the previous books.

This was the only book in this series set outside the small town of Redwood Grove and I found myself missing this setting and it's lovable characters. I also felt that the mystery surrounding Scarlet's murder was rather unbelievable.

Although I was disappointed in this story, I am looking forward to the spinoff series with Annie and Fletcher that the author teased.

This book provided a delightful conclusion to the Secret Bookcase mysteries. I was very excited to learn that Annie and Fletcher's adventures will be continued in the new Novel Detectives series.

Annie and Fletcher are ready to take over owners of the Secret Bookcase as well as their new PI agency, Novel Detectives. Annie is newly licensed and the ink is dry on their business license as well. She and Fletcher head to the California Book Convention (or something like that) out of Redwood Grove. The convention is also taking place in the same city as the nefarious business Annie suspects killed her BFF right before their graduation. She has hatched a plot to infiltrate the company and find the evidence she needs to bring Scarlet's killer to justice. She just needs to pluck up the courage to do so. Meanwhile, at one of the book panels she attends, a sketchy Entrepeneur debuts The Headset, which supposedly will transform reading into a VR experience. He, unfortunately, ends up dead in front of the group, electrocuted by his headset. Is this a tragic accident or a murder? Annie starts learning he had plenty of enemies.

Ms. Alexander, while maintaining two different murder investigations, manages to construct an intricate plot where the investigations are seamless. Annie fits right in as a bookseller and PI and becomes colleagues with the local detective looking into the Headset incident. The major supporting cast is also present, her boyfriend Liam and her new BFF Pri, who are helping to close Scarlet's case. While some of it did seem a bit far-fetched, these are some of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. I really enjoy all the atmosphere she is able to create and I adore her characters.

I am so pleased these characters will continue.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

The conclusion to the secret bookcase mysteries continues to be just as well written and entertaining as the previous books. We finally get a conclusion to the mystery of Scarlett’s death alongside a mystery death at the book fair for Annie and our crew to solve. Look forward to more from the author and hopefully check back in with these characters

A Body at the Book Fair is the final book in Ellie Alexander's A Secret Bookcase Mystery and it ties everything up from the other books. Annie and Fletcher are.taking over The Secret Bookcase bookstore and are starting Novel Detectives, a private investigation firm. In this book, Annie and Fletcher are going to a book fair to learn and get ideas for the bookstore. Annie's boyfriend Liam and her best friend Pri are meeting them there. Unfortunately an unpopular speaker is murdered. Annie is also close to finding her college friend Scarlet's killer. This has been an ongoing part of the series and there is an exciting conclusion! Annie and Fletcher are helping Detective Greene, a local police detective, with figuring out the current murder. The suspects include several people at the book fair who were mad at the deceased. They have to sort through secrets and lies.to find the book fair killer. Annie and Liam are working together to plan how Annie is going to get into Silicon Summit Partners which is somehow involved in Scarlet's murder. Annie finds evidence about where some important documents are hidden at the company, assuming they are still there. Fletcher and Pri also help out Annie and Liam. It is an exciting conclusion to this series! It has been fun to get to know these characters and I am happy there will be a spinoff series about Novel Detectives. This is an enjoyable book and series and I look forward to the new series. #ABodyAtTheBookFair #ASecretBookcaseMystery #StormPublishing

ahhhhh i can't believe this is the last book in the series! i have adored this cozy mystery series with annie and her small town bookstore! i absolutely love the characters, the friendships, and the romance. we finally got closure on the overarching mystery regarding her best friend, as well as another mystery at a book convention. this brought all the fun that i've come to appreciate about the series. i'm sad it's the end but i'm happy that we'll get more content from annie and fletcher in their new series!

The final book in this series and at last we solve the mystery of Scarlet's death which has been a constant thread since the first book.

A Body at the Book Fair is an excellent wrap for a very enjoyable series. All of our favourite characters are in it and there is plenty going on. Luckily, although this is the end for the Secret Bookcase Mysteries, there is a promise for a spin off series called The Novel Detectives. I am looking forward to this.

This is the final book in the Secret Bookcase mysteries and I have to admit it was not my favorite one.

Annie and Fletcher head to Santa Clara to attend a bookseller’s convention, with Pri and Liam joining them later. There are two stories in this book – the murder of a speaker at the convention that Annie becomes involved with and the conclusion of Scarlet’s murder.

I enjoyed the story of Fox Andrews’ death and her searching for suspects. With him constantly using people, it is not a surprise that someone finally finishes him off. I found the killer to be unexpected and enjoyed the conclusion of this story.

However, the finale of the Natalie/Scarlet story was pretty unbelievable. I had a tough time believing that the evidence of corruption against Logan, the CEO of Silicon Summit Partners was left in the company. How did Scarlet or Natalie ever think they’d be able to return to the company to retrieve the evidence? Logan allowing Annie access to his building was unbelievable, although I will say Ms. Alexander did a good job building up the suspense at the conclusion of the story.

While I was disappointed in this story, I am looking forward to the spinoff series with Annie and Fletcher.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A nice cozy mystery. This is really two stories in one. I enjoyed the series and character development. On to the new series.

This is the sixth, and final, book in the Secret Bookcase series. I have loved reading about Annie’s transition from just being a bookstore employee, to being co-owner of The Secret Bookcase and realizing her dream of becoming a private detective with Fletcher. There is a spinoff series, The Novel Detectives, coming next year and I can’t wait to read it. I hope we don’t lose the characters we’ve grown to love in Redwood Grove, and I hope we get to see the romance between Annie and Liam take the next step. 4 ⭐️

I received an early read of this book and while I didn't realize it was book #6 in a series, I didn't feel like I was lost in the storyline. This would be fine to read as a stand-alone, and a perfect summer read.

The storyline is kind of cutesy, but well-told and once the murderer was revealed, I found that I had considered and then discarded the idea that this person was the one. The motivation was also not what it seems it would be.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Ellie Alexander for the ARC of this book!

Good news and bad news. First the bad news, this is the final book in the secret bookcase series. However, and the good news, we aren't losing the characters as a new series will start with Fletcher and Annie opening their new venture. And, Scarlet's murder, the story that has arced across all five books, has resolved. At the same time, most of our favorite characters attended a fabulous book fair with intriguing merch and murder of a presenter. A fascinating discussion of the economics of publishing highlights the story. Thanks to netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the end of the series and a spinoff is planned. Best for those who have read the other books. Big leaps and a rushed ending to this cozy series. Yes, parts were clunky. But the characters are charming, so I forgave a lot.

A nice wrap up to the Secret Bookcase series. No big surprises if you’ve read the first four books. Do NOT start here or you miss the lead up of the mystery. Would like to see Detective Greene and Annie interact more in the future series.

Annie and Fletcher, along with Pri and Liam, are going to a book conference! Mysteries set at conferences are always kind of fun, a nice change of scenery and lots of new characters/suspects with delightfully suspicious backgrounds and attitudes. But they're not going only to check out new books and bookish technologies. They're also there to solve Scarlet's murder once and for all.

As much as I love conference settings, I really missed Redwood Grove and I missed the bookstore. The conference was interesting and though there were good characters, a lot of them were an awful lot alike and I had a VERY hard time keeping the male suspects straight in my mind. I also couldn't tell which mystery was supposed to be the focus of the book, the conference mystery and the Scarlet mystery were constantly at odds and I didn't really get enough of either one to satisfy me.

The Scarlet mystery was a huge let down for me. She needed like 10 minutes to solve this mystery that has been baffling private investigators and police for over a decade? Not buying it. How the final clue came out was just too convenient and Annie's willingness to risk her life to get into a <i>campus</i> (not just one building but an entire campus) to search for something (she doesn't know what) somewhere (she doesn't know where) in this complex of buildings... when she has only one day at the most... felt ridiculous. This supposedly ruthless criminal mastermind bought her silly story hook, line, and sinker, believed every word she told him and gave her full access to his <i>campus</i>? Nope. Oh and also, this evidence she's been searching for? It's in an envelope. And we never get to see what's inside the envelope, we end the story with no clue was to what the evidence was. Why? Because the criminal mastermind just says "aw shucks, you got me, I did it." So she didn't even need the evidence? All along she just needed to ask this person if they did it?

Then while all that is going down, oh by the way we solved this other murder. I finished this book before I went to sleep last night and I already can't remember who the killer was. I could look to refresh my memory, but it doesn't feel that important.

I do like a mystery that arcs across several cozies in a series. It's something interesting to have in the background, that thing that the main character just can't get past and that comes up again and again, sometimes with an extra clue here or there. But when that mystery gets solved it needs to be either the entire focus of the book where it gets solved, or the resolution of the main mystery in the book needs to also be the resolution to that mystery arc. Having the mystery arc battling with another mystery just (for me) weakens both stories and leaves me feeling pulled in too many directions. I think I would have enjoyed this book a whole lot more if it had focused entirely on Scarlet's death and leave out the other mystery. Maybe then it could have seemed like a legitimate investigation/undercover operation instead of a silly thing where they just accidentally stumble upon the answers.

I've read all of this series and all of Alexander's Bakeshop series and this is hands-down my least favorite of her books. I've been pretty critical of it, but don't take that as a reflection of her work because her books really are good and I highly recommend them (especially the Bakeshop series).

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.