Have you ever had a dream that became a reality? For me, my formative years began with a nightmare—the murder of my best friend, Scarlet. The day before we were due to walk across the stage in caps and gowns, receive our criminology degrees, and launch into the world, everything changed. Instead of tossing my cap into the air, I huddled inside our tiny apartment with Scarlet’s new kitten, Professor Plum, and sobbed for days.

I couldn’t face the idea of opening a detective agency without Scarlet by my side, so I found respite inside the hallowed halls of the Secret Bookcase, the largest mystery bookshop on the West Coast. It was the perfect place to hide out. Every room in the old English estate was themed after Agatha Christie, from the Sitting Room, which mirrored Miss Marple’s cozy cottage in St. Mary Meade, to the Parlor, an Art Deco library that paid homage to Hercule Poirot, and the Dig Room for our youngest readers, complete with an indoor sandpit and artifacts straight from the pages of Death on the Nile. I spent longer than I’d like to admit (years in fact) curled up inside the bookstore with a steaming mug of tea, poring over case notes and trying to find enough evidence to bring Scarlet’s killer to justice.

Once I’d finally solved her case, I found myself longing to return to criminology, but also not wanting to give up the comfort of the beloved bookstore that had become my second home. If only there were a way to do both… and then, in a strange twist of fate that felt like magic or perhaps divine intervention on Scarlet’s part, my dream suddenly did become a reality.

Here’s what happened: Hal Christie, the longtime owner of the Secret Bookcase, decided to retire just as I passed the California state exam for my private investigator’s license. He suggested that my co-worker and friend, Fletcher Hughes, and I open a detective agency inside the bookshop. It was a brilliant plan. We could continue Hal’s legacy as a third space for the community, host author events and festivals, and take on the occasional client.

Over the last few months, we transformed an old storage area upstairs into the new home of the Novel Detectives, plastered fliers all around the village square, and were eagerly awaiting our first case. I wanted to pinch myself. Scarlet would be so proud.

Yet little did I know that the client who was about to walk into our sweet office with its Sherlock-style murder board, tea cart, and giant arched windows looking out over the English garden was going to deliver a cold case that would test everything I knew about criminology and put Fletcher, me, and everyone I loved in harm’s way. If we could close this cold case and come out the other side unscathed, the Novel Detectives just might have an excellent future.

A VERY NOVEL MURDER
Series Name: A Novel Detectives Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: January 2026
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Opening a detective agency above her beloved bookstore seems like the perfect business plan—until Annie Murray’s first case involves a suspicious death right on her doorstep.

June Munrow, an elderly resident of Annie’s home town, Redwood Grove, is convinced that young Kelly Taylor’s recent drowning wasn’t the tragic accident everyone believes it to be. Despite the police ruling, June is determined to prove there’s more to the story and hires the Novel Detectives to uncover the truth.

As Annie delves into Kelly’s life, she discovers a tangled web of secrets involving Kelly’s complicated relationships, a peculiar landlord, and her mysterious roommate. Everyone connected to Kelly seems to be hiding something, and the deeper Annie digs, the more puzzling the case becomes.

With her trademark blend of curiosity and compassion, can Annie piece together the clues and solve her first official case—before she gets into deep water herself?

Perfect for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton, this charming cozy mystery is brimming with small-town secrets and bookish charm that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

About the author
Ellie Alexander is a bestselling author with nearly 50 published books to her name, including titles with Macmillan, Kensington, and Storm Publishing, as well as a new series forthcoming with Simon & Schuster. She is a voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. Ellie believes that stories have the power to transport and transform us. Her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.

Ellie loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As an advocate for writers, she also teaches and coaches aspiring authors, guiding them through every stage of the process—from the spark of an idea to developing a brand and finding the right path to publication. She’s especially committed to helping writers discover their unique voice and storytelling lens.