The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander

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?

Full of lovable, quirky characters and small-town charm, The Body in the Bookstore serves up an irresistible blend of intrigue for fans of cozy crime including Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton.

Annie dropped her plans of becoming a privet investigator when her best friend who she was going to start her agency with is murdered their last year of college. Instead she moves to the small town of Redwood Groove and works at a bookstore. The store is struggling and to make some money they have a book festival which brings tourist and money, but also people from her past… and before you know it, she stumbles upon a dead body.

Annie is likable enough with an interesting back story but…

I wish there was a reason for her to get involved in the investigation. And I don’t like how the investigator just shares everything with the MC because they know each other. There’s nothing at stake here.

The love interest and Annie has this dislike for one and other and they have “banter”. Annie always says he’s so annoying and I can’t really see that he is. Give us a reason for him to be annoying and then have it change over time. I call this a false Darcy and it’s a pet peeve of mine.

One of my favorite things to do when I'm feeling down is to just browse around for a random book that looks fun. I'll give it 20 minutes of my time, and then decide whether to keep going with it. It's a really low stakes way for me to find a new read. So that's what I was doing when I stumbled upon The Body in the Bookstore! I was immediately caught by the synopsis, and the cozy crime aspect was calling my name. Less than 20 minutes later? It was all I could do to pry myself away to get ready for bed.

Annie Murray is my kind of gal. She loves books in all their forms, and has my dream job of working in a cozy little mystery bookshop off the beaten path. She spends her days chatting with customers and making recommendations. When it becomes obvious that the store is struggling and needs an influx of sales, Annie comes up with idea to host a mystery-themed books festival. Little does she know that a real murder mystery is headed her way, and it'll take all her read experience to uncover the culprit!

This was so fun, and honestly much needed for the book slump that I was in. Annie and her friends are adorable, the bookstore setting feels cozy, and the town itself screams small town charm. I thoroughly enjoyed how Alexander just led us along, giving small clues now and then, but doing an excellent job at keeping this reader guessing. I thought I knew for sure who the murderer was, and literally gasped out loud when I was proven wrong. Haha. It was quite the treat.

Now I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in the series so that I can return to Redwood Grove! I can't wait.