A Very Novel Murder (Novel Detectives Mystery #1), by Ellie Alexander

 

Publication Jan. 20, 2026

If you're a fan of sleuth Annie Murray from the Secret Bookcase mystery series, never fear. The cast seems to not only be back, but Annie and Fletcher Hughes haven't given up their bookshop duties completely. Instead, they've morphed into the Novel Detectives with an office above the bookstore as full-fledged private investigators. This book introduces their first case and, boy, it's a doozy. Just as Fletcher was beginning to chaff a bit waiting on their first official client. June Munrow, an elderly resident of Redwood Grove shows up and hires them to investigate a maybe not cold case but a cool case that Munrow is sure was murder. Not only that, but Caroline, who is dating the bookstore's original owner Hal Christie, shows up with a mystery regarding his ancestry. I won't dive into that one too much as it seems to carry over into the next book, but find it a great addition to his long time quest to prove his ties to Agatha Christie. 

In any case, the maybe murder case focuses on the odd death of champion surfer Kelly Taylor. What's the likelihood of a champion surfer drowning in the bathtub? In any case, Annie and Fletcher are soon off and running to track down suspects and witnesses who might be able to help them learn more. That takes them into a world they're not familiar with and Annie finds herself in danger once again. Secrets and more secrets, not to mention tangled romances and brand sponsorship all rear their heads. 

I won't go into more detail but both long time readers of the previous series and new readers should enjoy this one. It works well as a standalone and the author does a great job catching us up succinctly and quickly early on, so even new readers should quickly feel comfortable. The supporting case is fun and well-defined, especially best-friend Pri (and her endless temporary tatoos) and Liam, Annie's boyfriend. My thanks to #StormPublishing for introducing me to Annie way back when and allowing me to peek in on her progress early as the initial series has morphed into a new one but with the familiar faces we've grown to know.