A Murder at the Mansion

• Author: Ellie Alexander
• Genre: Cozy Mystery
• Publication Date: July 21, 2026
• Publisher: Storm Publishing
• Series: Novel Detectives Mystery #3

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

In the charming town of Redwood Grove, even the grandest estates have something to hide…

When reclusive heiress Bernadette Garst vanishes from her sprawling mansion, bookshop owner and investigator Annie Murray is summoned to the scene.

Arriving at the legendary Garst property, Annie and her partner Fletcher discover a household riddled with secrets, bitter family rivalries, and suspicious staff members. When Bernadette’s lawyer also goes missing, it’s clear the case is escalating into something far more dangerous.

With her keen eye for detail and a little help from her friends, Annie must piece together the clues hidden within the opulent estate grounds. Can she solve the puzzle before it’s too late?

This cozy mystery sees the Novel Detectives facing their most high-profile case yet. Perfect for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton.

Despite the length of Alexander’s backlist, I only discovered her writing with the first book in this series. I’ve become an avid fan since then, and look forward to each new installation of the Novel Detectives. Hopefully, my schedule allows me to work my way through her other series as well. Let me tell you my thoughts on this book.

Cozy mysteries are always set in quirky little towns, and Redwood Grove has truly become one of my favorites. It is in northern California, where the weather seems to be wonderful and the town is set up so that only a short walk is required to get most anywhere. The setting in this book just feels right for this kind of story, and it is so charming.

Living in such a small town means that everyone knows everyone else’s business, but it also offers a strong sense of community. This is demonstrated really well with the bookstore and private investigator businesses and how they’re connected to the town, but also how the people in the town interact with each other. Annie and Fletcher, who run an investigation business and the bookstore together, have full schedules already. On top of that, Fletcher is also attending a degree program and Annie gets to both work more with Dr. Caldwell, her mentor, but also spend some time with her boyfriend Liam.

Annie and Fletcher are best friends, and I love that there is a platonic relationship between them that is mutually supportive and healthy. These two know each other so well and seem to appreciate each others’ quirks, such as Fletcher’s obsession with Sherlock Holmes. They’ve even managed to make their new venture dovetail into their love of mysteries and books in general. I love that the ravens are still popping up as the animal characters in the series, and it honestly makes me so disappointed that I don’t have a pair of ravens waiting outside for *me,* but I can’t hold that against Alexander.

This book is a great addition to the series, with the story taking place just outside the town to keep things fresh. A grand old family estate with a missing heiress kept things fresh enough to prevent anything from feeling formulaic, and it also introduced us to more than a few new potential suspects. There were very few characters who were actually likable within the Garst family, although it did keep me busy trying to figure out what happened to the missing heiress, Bernadette Garst. 

The Novel Detectives are on the job, and Annie and Fletcher work well as a team. They have different skill sets, making it easy to complement each other as friends and as co-workers. In this case, there are no shortages of potential suspects, making this a fast-paced read that had me guessing for a good part of the book. Some of the plot twists turned out to be predictable for me, but it didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the story.

Overall, this was a fun new book in the series, but it wasn’t my favorite. The plot was a little more predictable than I typically like to see, since I like to be challenged with figuring out the mystery. And while I adore the dynamic between Annie and Fletcher, I would have liked to see their characters developed a little more deeply by this point in the series—instead of coming across as fully fleshed-out characters, Annie and Fletcher don’t have a lot to them outside of their jobs as booksellers, book lovers, and detectives. One thing that I really like about this series sets it apart from many other cozies is that their investigations aren’t at odds with the police, instead they work together as consultants to the police investigation. However, I do love the series and the little hidden nerdy book references throughout. 

Bottom line: A really enjoyable read if a bit more predictable than others in the series, it was still a fun visit to a charming town with a mystery I couldn’t put down.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through my links.