A great murder/mystery which I had great fun trying to work out who committed the murder of Scarlett. Loved this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

5/5 stars: This sixth and final entry in Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series, which is a Literary Cozy Mystery that takes place in California and features a bookseller and event organizer for an Agatha Christie-inspired mystery bookshop, who has a criminology degree and has started a PI agency. Having traveled out of town for a book fair and to investigate the powerful investment firm she holds responsible for her best friend's death, she'll find herself turning sleuth after an industry colleague's dies while demonstrating their new virtual reality device. With plenty of suspects, she'll have to work fast to catch the killer before they strike again and not let herself get distracted from finally getting justice for her best friend. With plenty of twists and turns, Alexander has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. I also really appreciated how Alexander wrapped up the overarching cold case murder plot. Heartfelt and humorous, Alexander's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Annie's a great character and it's lovely to see her moving forward in her career and her relationship with Liam, the chef and bar owner. Additionally, I love catching up with her friends and her found family at the Secret Bookcase bookshop, the eclectic townsfolk of Redwood Grove and her adorable cat, Professor Plum. Alexander touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one,The Body in the Bookstore. Alexander's a favorite author and they didn't miss with this series conclusion; I can't wait to jump into the spin-off series – The Novel Detectives. Highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy this light mystery. Family and friends with secrets and red herrings…recipe for a good story. Light and quick. Thanks Netgalley.

A Book Fair Cozy. Yes please. Annie and Fletcher are slowing taking over The Secret Bookcase and building on the business. I loved watching them grow and learn together, even if some of the panels were way too much for a simple book reader like me. Looking at you Virtual Reality bookstores. I’m excited to see the new sister series, however I do hope we get to see more of this series too.

This is the 5th book in the Secret Bookcase series and as usual it is a lovely cosy crime linking books, murder and a hint of romance. Although it is a series it works quite well as a stand alone but once you’ve read one you will want to read them all and any future ones. This is the final book in the series which made me feel disappointed however, there is a delicious surprise at the end.

I found this cozy mystery delightful, and enjoyed the blending of small-town charm, literary flair, and a twisty whodunit! Great pacing and lovable characters, per usual, and I was surprised at the end! The book fair setting adds a fun, bookish backdrop, and protagonist Annie is as clever and relatable as ever. Perfect for fans of light mysteries with heart and a touch of bookish magic.

This book was so good!
I unfortunately didn’t know it was part of a series but I still enjoyed it! I definitely think it could be read as a standalone.

Annie heads to Santa Clara for their annual book fair. She’s hoping to get close with Silicon Summit Partners, a powerful firm who had a hand in her friend Scarlet’s death. But when an industry colleague is murdered at the book fair, Annie decides to investigate. Who could have done it? Can Annie catch the killer before they strike again?

This was a fast paced read that was fun and cozy! If you like how to solve your own murder, I’d definitely recommend this book! I’m really loving cozy mysteries! This is one that I know I’ll read again! I’m also planning on reading the others in the series! I really enjoy the authors writing!

Rating: ✨✨✨ ✨
Publication Date: June 16, 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Ellie and Storm Publishing for the eARC!!

#ABodyattheBookFair #NetGalley

This is the last in Ellie Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series. It works as a standalone, but I would definitely advise reading from the start as there is an ongoing storyline throughout that this book resolves.

I have really enjoyed this series, I like the authors writing style and I love the main characters she has created. However, this is probably my least favourite of the series - it felt quite jumbled, and I felt the murder mystery at the book fair was rushed, with the main focus being given to the resolution of Scarlett's story. Indeed that I felt was quite anticlimactic, and just happened without a lot of depth. I am however very pleased to see that the author will be moving ahead with another series for Annie and Fletcher, I'm happy to know that their story continues.

I was so excited to see the next book in this series was out! I read a lot of cozy mysteries and this is my favorite series and author! This book did not disappoint! 5 stars!

Excellent! Annie and Fletcher are off to the California Booksellers Convention. While there, a demonstration goes awry and a man dies. Murder or accident? Annie and Fletcher are on the case assisting the police. At the same time, Annie has hatched a plan to find the evidence that got Scarlett killed so many years ago and it's hidden in the same town as the Convention. To be honest, it's a wild plan, but it works. Scarlett's case is finally closed. And the Novel Detective agency is up and running! So sad to say goodbye to the Secret Bookcase Mysteries, but I'm delighted that we'll see plenty more of Annie, Fletcher and friends in the new Novel Detectives series ... can't wait!
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

When Annie, Fletcher and the crew come to a book fair she has a plan to finally confront Logan, Scarlett's killer. Witnessing a murder right on stage and having to help the local police solve it is the last thing she expected. This wraps up the mystery of Scarlett's death and promises the new adventures for Novel Detectives. Can't wait to see what cases they get in the future!

Here we are, the final book in the series as we know it before heading into the spinoff! The focus is split between a murder at the book convention and the ongoing arc involving Scarlet's cold case. Both wrapped up satisfactorily, but I felt there were some lingering points that I wish had been addressed.
The main plot brings up the increasingly relevant and debated subject of technology in reading and writing. There are some interesting ideas here, and I'm sure it's very possible something similar could be a real product someday. Although much of the regular crew is along for the ride, being in an entirely different setting means we're introduced to many new characters. I hope a couple of them could make a guest appearance in the future.
I'm excited to read the new spinoff series and see how Annie and Fletcher balance the bookstore and detective agency.

i discovered ellie alexander's a secret bookcase mystery series this month and read the first 5 books in 2 days. i was absolutely hooked. it had all the things i look for in a cozy mystery; lovable characters, comforting and soothing atmosphere, descriptions of delicious sounding food and drinks, and of course, mystery. i loved annie right away as our protagonist and the found family that she has in redwood grove (being a northern california girl, i love books set in the area). the mysteries were fun and interesting, and i especially loved the overarching mystery of scarlet's death. the underlying mystery and the way that unfolds throughout the series makes it extra compelling, and i appreciated that annie had a background in criminology and an understanding of case solving, which made certain aspects of the series much more believable than other cozies i've read.

i was so excited to get an arc of a body at the book fair and as expected, i read it in one sitting. this one had be longing to be at a book convention; i loved the atmosphere surrounding the book convention, and it being set in the silicon valley made it extra easy for me to imagine everything. personally, i didn't find this new mystery as compelling as i did the other single book mysteries throughout the series, but i was so excited for the mystery surrounding scarlet's death to finally be solved and for annie to get that much needed closure that she deserves. a body at the book fair continued all of the fun characterization and storytelling from the rest of the series and wrapped up this chapter of annie's story in a very lovely and satisfying way. i'm looking forward to reading more ellie alexander books for sure!

A fun, cozy, and satisfying end to a series! I really enjoyed each mystery in this series, as well as the overarching Scarlet mystery, so I was thrilled to solve both in this book. I’m looking forward to the continuation of Annie and Fletcher in the new series!

This was a fun, well-paced read. As a former Scholastic Book Fair Chair and fan, the title immediately drew me in. While I don’t typically gravitate toward mysteries, I loved the setting in a charming bookstore. The Silicon Valley locale also was a draw, as I live there, so I enjoyed trying to suss out the locations described as the story unfolded. The most compelling part of the story was the interconnected friendships among the main characters.

Former criminology student/bookseller Annie Murray had dropped out of college after an old friend was murdered, and her grief became a PTSD nightmare. This has haunted her throughout the other books in the series as she made more friends and developed a working partnership in the bookstore and in investigating murders in their small town. There is a new murder for investigation, and in the dangerous course of that investigation they find answers to the murder that started the detour in Annie's life. Now Annie and Fletcher open a new PI business, Novel Detectives, in an office above the bookstore and there is the promise of a new spin-off series to enjoy.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital galley from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Pub Date Jun 16, 2025
#ABodyattheBookFair #SecretBookcaseMysteriesBk6 by @ellie_alexander @StormPublishing #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial ***** Review #CozyMystery #Murder #coldcase #friend #grieving #closure #suspense #friends #bookseller

Title: A Body at the Book Fair
Series: The Secret Bookcase Mystery #6
Author: Ellie Alexander
Publisher: Storm Publishers
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pub Date: June 16, 2025
My Rating: 4.3 Stars.

I love the Dedication. .. .
This book is for you!
To the super sleuths and armchair detectives –
Here’s to finally solving Scarlett’s cold case.

In this story we readers are back to Redwood Grove. Annie Murray is the new part-owner of the Secret Bookcase bookstore- an Agatha Christie inspired bookstore which is set up in a mansion that pays homage to the ‘queen of mystery’ in every room including the garden.

Fletcher Hughes, Annie’s colleague decides since there is so many rooms that it is also an ideal setting for their private detective agency “The Novel Detectives’. What better place than in a bookstore. Annie passed the private detective’s exam and now is a licensed Private Investigator in California.
The Book Store was something Annie needed. She had gone into a deep depression when her best friend Scarlet was murdered. Annie and Scarlet were students in criminology and planned to be partners in their own PI Business.

This story is a continuation of [book: A Victim at Valentine’s] as Annie is still trying to bring justice to those who were responsible for Scarlet’s death.
When Annie heads to Santa Clara for the annual California Booksellers Convention, she’s looking forward to meeting fellow booklovers. Additionally she will be close to Silicon Summit Partners; the powerful investment firm she just knows had a hand in Scarlet’s death.

While at the Book Fair, Annie as well as other book Sellers are curious about the ‘Virtual Headset’ Fox Andrews a tech guy is pitching. He claims he has digitized the reading experiences so that readers can actually see what they are reading about.
He has a screen set up for his demo in a packed room. He cued the lights to dim- the light go out-there is a popping sound – then an explosion.
Fox is dead –it appears he has been electrocuted!
Well we knew there would be a murder at the book fair didn’t we?

I know this part of the story was filler and we do find out whodunit but, of course, I was more interested in the Scarlet case coming to an end.

Yes! This is the conclusion to The Secret Bookcase series. Although I was sad I am delighted that in Ms. Alexander’s “A Letter From The Author’ that “The Novel Detectives’ series will launch in 2025.- Detectives Annie and Fletcher and their first case –‘Investigating Agatha Christie and the Perfect Murder’.

Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for granting me this e Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 16, 2025.

I have been a big fan of The Secret Bookcase mysteries. While I am sorry to see the series end, it seems that fans are not going to be left high and dry as there appears to be a spin-off, Novel Detectives, coming in the future. I was a little sad that this final book takes place away from the Secret Bookcase and the town of Redwood Grove, both of which I have come to love. I missed some of the regular characters, the charm of the town and bookstore. While the idea of a book fair is a great setting for a book, I felt it was kind of short-changed as we not only have a murder at the book fair that Annie witnesses but we also have some resolution in the case of Annie's friend Scarlet. I did feel that both cases were rushed and honestly felt the solution to Scarlet's case was very improbable. That being said, I enjoyed this series, I was glad that Priya and Liam were along for our finally and that we got some peace for Scarlet. I will definitely be interested in checking out the spin-off to this series. A big thanks to #Netgally, #StormPublishing, and the author for an opportunity to read. #ABodyattheBookFair #ASecretBookcaseMystery #EllieAlexander #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

Reading this book was bittersweet knowing we were coming to an end with the Secret Bookcase. Annie, Fletcher, Pri, Penny, Liam and Hal were off to solve a final mystery, the one that started it all and then it was curtains for this series. Admittedly, I waffled reading the book because ending are hard even if it is just the end of a book series with a bookstore in the center I can see in my mind.
This book was Scarlet's book or the book in which Annie with help solves her murder and steps back into the life she intended in college. The author knew we knew this story so she through another murder into the make things more interesting and test the resolve of our team. I will note, our victim was killed demoing a headset that would take you into a book through VR which I hope never comes to fruition. I think the point of reading is to allow your own imagination to run wild and build the story for yourself. Maybe your own experiences influence what you see but that makes it fun so while I appreciate the author giving this story a tech angle, I hope it is one we never see. In my mind I can see the secret bookstore and I can see the characters and they are my own vision based on what the author tells. Reading is about getting into the story but being clobbered over the head with tech. I digress too much. This story was fun to read. Annie and Fletcher found a new ally who might need their help in the future and they built their dream. Both cases wrapped up nicely and we got a happening ending but still it is sad to see it go. I won't spoil anything but to say I am doing a happy dance after finishing this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The story is about bookseller -turned detective Annie Murray as she navigates a murder investigation which now takes place at the book fair she's attending while trying to solve her best friend's murder.
With a long line of suspects, a celebrity author with a hidden agenda, a rival with a grudge and crime solving partner Fletcher.
Annie must follow and untangle web of clues while focusing on the real task at hand: Solving Scarlet's murder and bring the killer to justice.

The dynamic between Annie and Fletcher is well written.
A body at the book fair is a well-crafted murder mystery with great characters who add wit to the narrative.
Annie's passion for justice makes this such a great read.