This is the 6th and evidently final book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series, which is going to then continue as the Novel Detectives spin-off series. Here Annie visits a book fair and encounters a murder while there. In addition, she and her friends have planned to try to solve the original murder of Annie's friend Scarlett when they were in college. Of course, she solves both mysteries, although I did not. I enjoy the characters in this well-written series, and hope the characters continue in the new spin-off series that apparently will focus more on their new detective agency than on the bookstore. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing an ARC.

I have really enjoyed getting to know Annie, Fletcher, Pri, Liam, and crew over the six-book series.

In A Body at the Book Fair, Annie, Fletcher, Pri, and Liam head to Santa Clara for a booksellers’ convention and to infiltrate Silicon Summit Partners. Of course, there’s a dead body, and we get to watch Annie and Fletcher solve the murder while working on their side quest. I love the interaction between Annie and Fletcher as they investigate.

While I am sad to see this series come to an end, I’m glad Annie gets closure and gets to continue doing what she loves most. I’m so happy there is a spin-off coming in 2026.

Thank you, NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Ellie Alexander, for allowing me access to the ARC of this book.

A fun and interesting bookish cozy. I enjoyed it very much. I'm glad Annie was able to get closure to a mystery that has haunted her for years. And while this may be the end of the Mystery Bookcase series, it's certainly not the end of Annie and her crew as they will be back in a new series in 2026. I can't wait to read what they all get up to next.

This is book 6 in the series, and while it does standalone, I recommend reading them all...mostly because they are worth reading. And because you get all the backstory, of course.

Many thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

A Body at the Book Fair is book #6 in the Secret Bookcase Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

Annie and Fletcher head to Santa Clara for the annual book fair. Annie has an ulterior motive in that in puts her in the area to investigate her best friend’s death 10 years ago. Unfortunately, there is a new murder that they get involved in investigating. Will they solve in before there in another death? Will Annie finally find out what happened to Scarlett? This was a satisfying wrap-up to the series. I’m anxious for the spin-off series, “The Novel Detectives.”

We come to the end of this delightful cozy mystery series. Who doesn't like the idea of a secret bookcase and room. Well, Annie is lucky enough to work in a bookstore that has one. Of course, we know where this goes. Some bodies show up there and in other places. In this one, Annie is off to a bookfair to catch up on the newest tech and trending forthcoming books when a hated man who has stolen ideas and programs from others dies while showing off his prototype VR machine. Annie and assorted cohorts who have showed up in the other books help the local police with interviewing and following up some leads. But Annie is really focused on finally finding the last proof that will prove who murdered her best friend years ago. Will she finally get closure or will this be her final chapter?

I have enjoyed these characters a lot. Annie in particular has gone through a lot and really changed. The murder of her best friend years ago really scarred her, made her drop her dreams of becoming a P.I. and hampered her from moving on with her life. She has made great friends now, finally is following through with her dreams of being a P.I. without losing her beloved bookstore and even found a partner of the heart. In fact, there is no reason to be sad this series is ending because everyone is back as a new stage starts when the Novel Detectives open the doors to their business.

While you can read this book without reading the others, to see how far Annie has come and to understand everything that has gone into finding Annie's best friend's murderer you really should start at the beginning and follow through.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is the ending of solving our heroine’s BFF’s murder, what’s been in the background of all six books. I really admire the author having a vision & completing a storyline promptly. She really is one of the best cozy authors out there. There’s not a single series or book of hers I’ve read that wasn’t fantastic.

Now for this book, Annie is headed to a book fair for work but is also taking this time to try to finally solve her late best friend’s murder. All the books have had that side mystery over arching the series & now it’s finally wrapped up. This is a brilliant ending! For starters, Alexander’s characters are some of the most well-drawn and relatable. I was very invested in the solving of Scarlet’s murder, it is something that is always in the back of Annie’s mind & the traders. To get there was very satisfying. All while also trying to solve another murder, involving an electrocution due to new book tech. Luckily she has Liam, Pri & Fletcher to help her out!

I am beyond excited that the series has ended so well but also that it is not the ending. It leads into her new one The Novel Detectives, the setting being the business that Annie & Fletcher started. I can’t wait for more! I highly recommend all six books & eagerly away more.

📚

Read if you like:
* Noodle Shop series by Vivien Chien
* Deep Dish series by Mindy Quigley

4.25 stars
Bookseller and newly licensed PI Annie Murray is excited to attend a booksellers convention with her business partner in a nearby town. While she's there, she hopes to follow up on a strong lead to finally solve the case of her college best friend's death. This book does a good job of balancing the behind the scenes looks at the convention (one of my favorite parts!), a death at the convention, and Scarlet's cold case.

This book wraps up the mystery of what really happened to Scarlet and concludes this series. (There will be a spinoff series coming out next year, though.) The ending is suspenseful, but a bit rushed and requires some suspension of disbelief. However, I like how things are wrapped up, as well as how things are set up for Annie and her friends' "next chapter."

I received an advance review copy of this ebook from Storm Publishing, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander
4.75 stars⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley @netgalley , Storm Publishing @stormbooks_co , and Ellie Alexander @ellie_alexander for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the final book in the Secret Bookcase mystery series and perfect for the summertime. It takes place in June as Annie and Fletcher go to a book fair convention to gather books and items for their bookstore. BUT that's not the only reason they are heading to this convention. Annie is close to solving Scarlet's murder and the people involved are located in the same town as the convention. As the final plans to take down Scarlet's murderer are coming together an unexpected turn occurs: one of the panelists in the convention dies. Now Annie is involved in solving 2 murders in this final book of the series.

I loved the summer aesthetics and descriptions in this book. It made it perfect to read in June. The mystery of the body at the Book fair was well played out and took up most of the story line but I did enjoy the twists and turns of it. I do wish a little more of the story involved the Scarlet mystery. I felt that part was wrapped up super-fast. We've been on edge over the series as Annie dug into Scarlet's murder and I would have liked that to play a bigger part in this final book. However, the story was still wonderful, and I can't wait to read the next series that continues with these characters in the Novel Suspects series when Annie and Fletcher open up their detective agency. Ellie Alexander really is a queen of cozy mysteries and knows how to make you come back for more!

This is the final book in the series. Thank you to the author for this wonderful series. This book merits the moniker "unputdownable". I read it cover to cover in one sitting. This is a exciting sleuth that kept this reader guessing. I loved the series, the savvy likable protagonist and of course the bookshop. The love of books as a theme of this series is a delight for readers. Every detail of this series was perfection.
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author.

Although this is the conclusion to the Secret Bookcase series, the main characters will continue on in a new series. When the gang heads to a book fair, Annie also plans to make her last play to catch the murderer of her friend Scarlet. Meanwhile at the book fair, a presenter who developed a new technology for experiencing books is murdered. I think I was disappointed with this murder as I was eager for the resolution of the Scarlet issue and the characters just enjoying the book fair. As both murders work to their resolution, Annie and her crew make some new friends and work hard while leaving some time for play. I enjoyed the conclusion of this series. Especially since the characters will carry on. #netgalley

I’ve absolutely loved these characters and was so sad at first that this was scheduled to be the last book in the series. But doing a little Nancy Drew digging of my own especially after reading what Annie and Fletcher’s plans were, I asked the author (replying to one of her newsletters) telling her how much I enjoyed the series and guessing/hoping there’d be a spin-off. Which she graciously told me I was right, then the most recent newsletter confirmed the new series was with our fave characters with a new series name. And I can’t wait to dig into it!

Annie had a book convention to go to, but she and her friends had an ulterior motive of that final step it was gonna take to bring justice to her friend Scarlet after ten long years. Justice was totally sweet in an epic showdown with the killer. I loved the side coffee tasing trip that Pri and Liam did. She’s come a long way from being so snarky to him to actually being a good pal now, and I’m sure Annie’s glad she’s got her bestie’s approval of her man. Pri was a hoot after having all that caffeine though as she rambled on and on, a little comic relief during the murder investigation and leading up to the showdown. I’m so glad that instead of goodbye, we just have to tell these characters ‘see ya real soon!”

I voluntarily read and reviewed and ARC of this book provided by Storm Publishing via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

The Secret Book Case is thriving, and Annie and Fletcher are heading out to the California Booksellers Convention.
Annie also plans on continuing her search for her best friend Scarlet's murderer and how to catch them. Hal, former owner of the store, and Annie's dear friend has suggested she take backup for if things get messy. Annie's bff Priya and her boyfriend will be acting as her backup and keeping in contact with the police, Dr. Caldwell.

However, things don't go as planned, and when Annie arrives, someone from the book industry dies. Annie will get involved in this murder while also finding proof of Scarlet's murder.
I adore all the characters in this series. I feel sad to see them go, Annie, Hal, Fletcher, Priya, Liam, and the cat too. It's such a nice, cozy murder mystery you won't want to put down.

Thank you, Netgalley and Storm Publishing, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

Meet Annie Murray and her band of friends. Recently qualified private investigators and operators of the Secret Bookcase bookstore, Annie and Fletcher are attending the annual book fair in Santa Clara with two aims in mind. Firstly, to indulge in all things bookish and secondly to confront the man they believe is responsible for the death of Annie’s best friend. Whilst they are fully prepared for the latter, what they were not prepared for was the death of someone at the Book Fair. Consequently, they find themselves putting their investigative skills into action on two fronts.
A Body at the Book Fair is populated with an eccentric cast of characters. From the Sherlock Holmes loving Fletcher to the coffee-loving Pri, Annie’s love interest Liam and the eclectic mix of conference attendees. Alexander has presented the reader with a devilishly interesting story, the two mysteries creating a twisting plot line, giving the reader two separate mysteries to solve which made it all the more fun.
This modern day cosy mystery is perfect for mystery lovers and bibliophiles alike.

4 ⭐️

I really like the writing style of the author. It felt very inviting and I wish I lived in their world, because that bookstore, the Secret Bookcase (Annie’s beloved Agatha Christie themed mystery bookstore), would be an amazing bookstore.

The book was a nice and cozy mystery read. I didn’t read the other books in the series, but it was easy to catch up, there were recaps with details from prior events and the characters were described in detail.

There was a lot of time spend on the Book Fair and I found that quite interesting. It showed the struggles of small bookstores.

Before I knew I finished the book. It felt a bit rushed because there were two murders to solve in only a couple of days, but nevertheless both mysteries were very interesting.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the final book in the Secret Bookcase mysteries. We find Annie and Fletcher headed off to a book related convention not only to see what is new and upcoming in the book world but to finally solve Annie's friend Scarlett's murder and bring her killer to justice. Liam and Pri will also be tagging along as back up. If this wasn't enough there is a murder at the convention of a Virtual reality tech guy who everyone seems to have a good reason to dislike and/or kill him. There are plenty of suspects and Annie and Fletcher are trying to solve that mystery while preparing to finally get the evidence to solve Scarlett's murder.

I enjoyed the book, but I did feel the ending was rushed in regard to the murder of the tech guy. The conclusion of solving Scarlett's murder was more satisfying and suspenseful. I was sad that the series was coming to an end as I do enjoy dropping in on our friends in Redwood. The good news is that there is a spin off series coming featuring Annie and Fletcher's side gig as private investigators operating out of the bookstore.

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

Annie is looking forward to the annual book fair in Santa Clara, but that’s not the only thing she plans to do while she’s in town. She hopes to finally solve the ten-year-old murder of Scarlet, her college best friend. Before she can begin her queries, though, someone at the book fair is murdered. Now Annie and her professional partner Fletcher have two murders to solve while still conducting bookstore business at the fair.

This is the final book in Ellie Alexander’s Secret Bookcase series, which I have really enjoyed. I like Annie and Fletcher, and the other recurring primary characters from the series. I was happy to see Liam and Pru play significant roles in this story too, even though most of it took place outside of their home base of Redwood Cove.

The book fair murder victim was not well-liked or even respected in the business, so there were plenty of suspects at first, all with similar motives. As Annie and the police continued their investigations, names were crossed off the list, and I thought I had it worked out, but that was not the case. I wasn’t surprised by the identity of the killer, but it wasn’t who I expected either.

If we trusted Annie’s private investigation into Scarlet’s death, we knew who the murderer was, but Annie had to figure out how to prove it. She had a plan, but right from the start, her plan began to fall apart, so she had to think and act on the fly. The confrontation scene was done well, and I could not put the book down until I finished it.

It was good to get closure, but I wish the series would continue. I know there’s a spin-off series coming soon with at least some of the same characters and I’m looking forward to reading it, so maybe that will satisfy the ‘Secret Bookcase’ itch.

Finally we have the resolution to the background mystery that has been going on throughout the whole series so far. And that's a definite plus. However as the series has gone on, the mysteries the books have been trying to solve have got less complex because of the need to move the other story on. But until this one it has mostly been satisfying on one front or the other. But in this one I'm not sure either side of the story works - the mystery-of-the-week is very thin, and the background mystery felt a bit anticlimactic too. But I still like the characters and the set up, so I'm hoping that the new spin off series where they're just solving the murder of the week will get back to what I liked about the earlier books.

In this final book in the series, we get to see the completion of the Scarlet story arc, where they finally get justice for her death. And if that's not enough, Annie and Fletcher are also solving a murder at a book fair! They have their work cut out for them in this one. Thankfully, they have Liam and Pria by their sides. As always, the mystery has plenty of twists and turns, and I love coming back to these characters and this world.

While this is the last book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery Series, don't worry, we will still get to see all of our favorite characters in a new series as Annie and Fletcher open their PI firm!

A big fan of this series, I was both excited and a little nervous going into this final installment. And while this book had its bright spots, it didn’t quite deliver the satisfying finale I was hoping for.

Annie and Fletcher are, as always, in fine form. Their teamwork remains one of the series’ greatest strengths, and I enjoyed watching them work together in this new environment. I also enjoyed meeting some new faces in this book. However, I couldn't stop questioning the change of setting, from the cosy charm of Redwood Grove to the bustling world of a book fair. I do applaud the author taking the risk to shift the action to a new location, especially for a final book in the series, but I struggled to engage with it, maybe because the narrative had to split time with resolving the long-running cold case.

Speaking of which, while I was glad to finally get closure on Scarlet’s death, the way it played out strained credibility. Even though it had a fun amateur approach fans of cosies probably relish more than the standard mystery reader, Annie’s plan was a stretch. That said, I’m still glad the cold case was resolved. It’s been hanging over the series for a while, and it deserved an ending.

The silver lining is that there’s a spinoff series on the horizon, which I’m genuinely excited about. It was on my wish list ever since the author announced the end to this series. I'm so happy to see that wish came true! I’m hoping it brings some of the Redwood Grove magic back while giving space to some of the new characters introduced here.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.

As I turn the final pages of "A Body at the Book Fair," I’m filled with a mix of nostalgia and excitement for what’s to come. This series has been such a wonderful journey for me, and I’ve cherished every moment spent in the enchanting world of the Secret Bookcase. While it’s hard to say goodbye to Annie and her adventures, knowing that a new series is on the horizon gives me hope that this isn’t truly the end.

In this gripping conclusion, Annie is finally taking steps toward her dream of launching her own detective agency, but she still carries the weight of unresolved grief over the murder of her best friend, Scarlet. This emotional thread runs deep, making Annie's determination to unearth the truth about Scarlet's death all the more poignant. As she heads to the Santa Clara book fair, I felt her excitement and nervousness—hoping to meet like-minded book lovers while also pursuing the dark secrets that surround her past.

The mystery at the book fair unfolds with all the twists and turns that I love about Ellie Alexander’s writing. When a fellow author is murdered right under Annie's nose, it ratchets up the tension and stakes. The cast of suspects, from a celebrity author with questionable motives to a rival with a chip on his shoulder, kept me guessing until the very end. I loved watching Annie channel her inner detective while her trusty sidekick, Fletcher, played the perfect Watson to her Holmes. Their partnership adds a delightful dynamic, filled with humor and camaraderie.
However, I did feel that the pacing was a bit rushed, especially with two major storylines unfolding simultaneously—the murder at the book fair and Annie's quest for justice for Scarlet. While I’m glad to see both plots converge, I found myself wishing for just a bit more time to savor the moments.

Through it all, Ellie once again captures the essence of the Central Coast, making the setting absolutely come alive. It rekindled my desire to visit places like Redwood Grove—life would be so much richer with a place like the Secret Bookcase nearby!
As I conclude my journey with Annie and the Secret Bookcase, I know I’ll hold these characters and memories close. If you’re new to the series, you’ll find it easy to get swept up in Annie's world—it feels like wrapping yourself in a comforting blanket. I can’t wait to see what Ellie Alexander has in store next; I’m ready for more adventures and mysteries that await in her new series!


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Publisher for this copy.