The Wacky Wonderland Whodunnit: A Grace Thompson Cozy Mystery - Book 7

A Grace Thompson Cozy Mystery #7

by Ginger Ellington

The show must go on—but in Bloomsville, murder always steals the spotlight.

When the Briar Rose Playhouse joins forces with a traveling troupe for Alice in Wonderland, Grace is ready to cheer on the town’s latest production—until a shocking death on opening night turns the whimsical show into a full-blown investigation.

With her estranged brother Daniel among the cast and quickly cast as a prime suspect, Grace teams up with forensic specialist Chloe, baker Tom, coroner Oscar —and her loyal Westie, Rosie, whose nose for trouble is sharper than ever. As secrets unravel backstage and tensions rise onstage, the team must race to solve the case before the final curtain falls.

Because in Bloomsville, even the most charming performance can hide a killer in the wings.

532 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2025

Reviews

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 7th book in the Grace Thompson cozy mystery series and what a great addition! In this book we get a glimpse into Grace's painful past in addition to a murder to solve. Bloomsville has an amateur theater and when a traveling troupe of actors comes to town, they also auditioned and choose a couple of the town's amateurs to appear in the troupe's production of Alice in Wonderland. Grace's baker boyfriend, Tom, tries out and gets cast. But also in the troupe just happens to be Grace's younger brother, Daniel who she hasn't seen since he left after their parent's funeral and never kept in touch for five years. Both her brothers, Daniel and Matt left her high and dry to figure everything out and take care of the details of their parent's death. Will Grace be able to reconcile with Daniel while he is in the play? But when one of the actors is murdered and Daniel becomes the prime suspect, Grace, her clue finding, smart dog, Rosie, Tom, her best friend, Chloe, Oscar and of course, Max and Lucy all team up to prove Daniel's innocence and find the real murderer. With so many twists and turns combined with Grace's personal turmoil, we are kept guessing until the very end. Not only do I recommend this book, but I recommend the entire series. The characters are great and it is very well written. I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family, both blood and chosen!

That’s exactly what this story is all about—family. Well, with a murder added in. When Grace is confronted by the appearance of her brother, one she hasn’t seen in five years, not since the death of her parents when he left her to deal with everything on her own, she’s not exactly sure how she should react. However, it wasn’t only Daniel that deserted her, it was her older brother as well. Now she’s forced to deal with those feelings of anger and desertion when Daniel not only shows up in Bloomsville again but is accused of a murder. So, not only is there an intriguing murder to be solved, but we’re also treated with a look into Grace’s past.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Ginger but this time concentrating on Grace. A touring theatre group come to town to put on a play with the amateur group based at the theatre and one of the players just happens to be Grace's younger brother who she hasn't seen since their parents' funeral. Another of the touring group is murdered and Grace's brother is arrested. Although the rest of the team are involved in the investigation along with Grace, she is the major player and it is very emotional and a wonderful read, I couldn't put it down. Loved it and look forward to reading more about the rest of the team

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloomfield is getting a professional theater production which Grace's brother Daniel is in. They also are using quite a few of the locals and her boyfriend Tom has joined the troupe. Alice in Wonderland is being told just a bit different than the original and the lead actor, who is a bit sleezy, is murdered. Enter The Snoop Sisters, Grace, Chloe, Tom, and Oscar and of course the furry friends end up doing most of the investigating mainly to try to clear Grace's brother. It took some really intense sleuthing but the team manages to find the killer where you would least expect him.
I received an arc and this is my honest review.

[G. Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 7th book in this series and it was full of family problems, murder, and perseverance. Grace, Chloe, Oscar, Tom and their 4 legged friends have to but their heads together and collect the clues they need to solve a murder. This book was full of determination, and near the end the warmth and compassion of a community to solve a crime and help not only the guilty but the town grow from this tragedy and remember another victim who died but was a theater member. Very good book, check it out as well as the ones before and the rest of the series. I know I am going onto book 8 so happy reading.

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace, Chloe, Oscar, Tom, Rosie, Max and Lucy all team up to one off the most complicated and intriguing stories that Ginger has written yet. They pull out every resource they have and the crime still almost alludes the. In all previous stories there was the hint and hurt of Grace's family discord,with Grace not knowing what happened. This story is enthralling from start to finish and well deserving of the five stars.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW this time the case is extra personal for Grace she the accused is her estranged brother. Such an emotional story as Grace navigates the case as well as both of her estranged brothers in town. Absolutely loved it. Chapter 28 was so heartbreaking, I was sobbing through the entire chapter. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by booksprout.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time it is a much more personal case for Grace, when her brother is suspected of murder. A great mystery that will keep you guessing, with characters that work together as a team. Fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Books Magically Appear · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery is one that was crazy and entertaining. It has a life of their own and draws you in to their lives and cheers at their findings. It was funny and heartwarming. It was well written and not rushed to solve this complex mystery.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read in this series and with the author. It won't be my last. The story was very well written and the MCs were outstanding. Strongly recommend reading.

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great story that Ginger Ellington has written. It goes into the relationship of Grace Thompson and her two brother Matt who is a corp lawyer and Daniel who is a actor. Grace is surprised to see that her brother Daniel is in town to work for the Travelling Troupe who putting on Alice in Wonderland as she has not heard from him or his brother Matt since their parents died 5 year before and left everything up to look after. There is a call for local to take part in the play so Tom trys out for a part and wins it. There are lots of local working in the play and on opening night one of the main character dies but not from natural causes. Daniel has been siteup to look like it poisoned Vincent Reed who was the Mad Hatter as he was the understudy for main character. There are so many people who came with the The Curious Curtain Company who could have done it. But there is so much point to Grace's brother that she can not think straight and that he would do it but the evidence just keeps coming. Finally Grace and Chloe are starting to think that it was just to perfect and start to do a more in deepth search of everything. There are lots of twist and turn with each suspect. But Grace, Tom, Chloe and Oscar start to do a more deep search of each suspect and they start to see that there were more people who had problems with Vincent Reed. I loved how Ginger Ellington made you think about all the character and try to figure out who was the murderer. It took most of the story to finally work it out. So if you enjoy great mysteries then this is one for you to read. Good luck trying to figure out who the murderer is. Each book get better so I can't wait for the next one in the series.