Death at the Dinner Party by Ellie Alexander

Available: September 30, 2024

Rated: 5 stars

In a picturesque village in northern California, there is a stately old mansion on the edge of town. Surrounded by lush English gardens, the mansion is filled to the brim with books, old hardwood floors creaking under your feet as you wander from one cozy nook to another, exploring the shelves. Pick up a new release or find a rare copy of an old favorite and slip into the secret bookcase with your find so you don't have to wait until you get home to start reading. This is Annie Murray's life! OK, so she doesn't get to just wander around the bookstore all day, she actually works there. But she gets to watch other people enjoy themselves, which is almost as good.

In the third Secret Bookcase Mystery, Annie's is helping her friend Pri and Pri's girlfriend Penny host a murder mystery dinner to raise money to complete the renovations on the old Wentworth farm. Unfortunately there are several people who want to purchase the farm from Penny and are trying to make sure the dinner is not a success. When one of those people falls face-first into his soup, there's no telling who might have killed the man who had far more enemies than friends. Can Annie and Pri nail the killer before he strikes again?

Death at the Dinner Party is my favorite of the series so far! I love murder mystery dinners, I love closed-room mysteries, I love old gothic mansions with secret passages and ghostly visitors. This is a perfect fall cozy, complete with dark and stormy nights, hints of Halloween, and lots of pumpkin spice! I can almost smell the woodsmoke and falling leaves.

If you enjoy bookstore mysteries, this is a fun series. If you are looking for mysteries that take place in the fall, look no further! For cozy fans, this is a great series to add to your TBR.

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