Audiobook Review: The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander

The Body in the Bookstore
Author: Ellie Alexander
Narrator: Ellen Quay
Series: A Secret Bookcase Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Dreamscape Media (June 19, 2024)
Length: 7 hours and 18 minutes

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Secret Bookcase Cozy Mystery series. Annie Murray works for the bookstore. She was educated in Criminal Justice but the murder of her best friend on their college graduation day changed her course. The murder is unsolved leaving Annie to continually pore over the cold case files in the hopes of finding her friend's killer. 

Meanwhile, ten years have passed, and she has occupied herself working in a mystery bookstore in a small California town. With the bookstore on the edge of going out of business, Annie comes up with the idea of hosting a Murder Mystery weekend. She recruits the rest of the town businesses in the event which includes a treasure hunt to solve a fictional mystery based on town history. 

Most of the town is excited. Only Liam Donovan, who owns the Stag Head, is opposed. This doesn't surprise Annie since she and Liam have been at odds for years. Her friend Pri is convinced that they are really attracted to each other but Annie isn't buying that theory. 

The weekend gets off to a good start but things rapidly go downhill. It seems a variety of Annie's college classmates are attending the event for reasons of their own. When the one Annie remembers as most obnoxious is found murdered inside the secret room in Annie's bookstore, Annie finds herself trying to solve the crime. 

This was an entertaining mystery with lots of clues and red herrings. Ellen Quay did a good job narrating the story. 

I bought this one at Chirp December 31, 2024. You can buy your copy here.