Booked for Murder is a cozy mystery featuring FMC Madeline Brimley, a failing stage actress in her 30’s. She retreats to her small Georgian home town when she inherits her beloved aunt’s bookstore, which is housed in a Victorian home. Madeline turns into an amateur sleuth when she immediately receives threatening phone calls, someone sets 2 fires, and then a murder occurs in the bookstore. The story is so cozy, that I found myself forgetting about the murder and the threat to Madeline at times.
I read that this book may be the first in a new series. The author introduces the reader to several eccentric side characters and lays groundwork for a love triangle. I would recommend this to fans of feel good murder mysteries. 3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy.

To be honest, I’m a little iffy about this book. I enjoyed the banter of the main characters, but a lot of their actions confused and frustrated me.

Without spoilers, the main character I felt repeatedly made very questionable decisions/statements that didn’t seem to be backed by any sort of logic.

While I enjoyed aspects of this book, I didn’t feel it was quite as “cozy” as described.

Overall, I would try another from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this ARC.

This was a really enjoyable read, once I could get myself out of my reading slump and sit still to read!

A gazebo is torched, threatening calls are made and there is a murder! With a retired actress, professor and Episcopalian priest trying to solve it all!

I enjoyed the characters and I hope there are more books in this series. I would definitely buy them.
I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First book in a new series by a new author, a reader's present to themselves. BOOKED FOR MURDER is a cozy set in Enigma, Georgia so we find plenty of southern charm mixed in with the trouble that finds Madeline as she returns to her hometown after the death of her aunt and the inheritance of a bookstore. As the first book in the series, PJ Nelson is building the back story for our heroine and developing the community and it's inhabitants. This first mystery brings Madeline face to face with many of the characters who will be series regulars and builds some continuing story lines to bring us back for the next book. A solid start for an author I'm looking forward to reading again.

Fantastic start to a series! I loved this book and will definitely continue the series as it's written. The setting is smalltown Georgia. There are plenty of characters to decide which are your favorite and which ones you wouldn't be sad to be left out of the next installment ;-) Madeline has long since left her smalltown upbringing to become an actress. She isn't super successful at this but does have a life as an actress none the less. She is notified that her eccentric Aunt Rose has passed away and she is the sole heir to the bookstore that is left behind in her hometown. Here we go back to Georgia. Madeline has all the mindset of getting things in order, selling and being on her way. However, as many stories go that isn't what happens at all. Madeline isn't intimidated at all when someone sets her gazebo on fire as soon as she arrives at her aunt's place. The phone calls that are meant to scare here only sends her on a mission to find out who they are. I am totally immersed in what is going to happen next to 'Father' Gloria, Philomena (her aunt's best 'friend'), David (who is Faye?), Bo and Elmert.
Thank you to NetGalley, PJ Nelson, St Martin's Press for this arc eversion for an early read in exchange for my opinion, which is in fact all my own.

This book was not for me, but I would absolutely try another one by this author as I liked the writing style!

I just couldn’t warm up to the main character in this one and none of the side characters were making up for it for me, so I ended up stopping about 50-60% through the book

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read early!

Madeline Brimley inherited her aunt's bookstore in the small Georgian town of Enigma. Aunt Rose was Madeline's safe space and she grew up in the bookstore that was also Rose's home. But Madeline never wanted to return to town after leaving for the stage at seventeen. As soon as she returns, strange things start happening: a fire, threatening phone calls, and soon, a murder. P.J. Nelson is a pseudonym for a Georgian author who has written several grittier series. This the first in the Juniper Bookshop Mystery series of cozies. Nelson introduces a group of characters that include the police chief, the fire chief, her aunt's best friend, the local Episcopalian priest, Rose's attorney and a dashing handyman. There were a few pages I had to scan when Madeline put herself in peril, but most of the danger is off the page. I look forward to the next book in the series in December 2025.

This book is the epitome of cozy small town murder mystery. There's a mysterious aunt, a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone, a series of secrets and of course, a murder. There’s a lot of in depth description of the town, buildings, food and music that really add to the cozy atmosphere. The main character was a little irritating to me and a lot of her choices were weird. Someone said something suspicious to her, she changes the subject and doesn’t explore it further but also takes it upon herself to investigate other suspects. She gets mysterious threatening phone calls but doesn’t report them. I guess it lends to the progression of the story but it felt a little jarring that her choices were a bit all over the place. At one point I thought there was supposed to be a love triangle but it didn't go further than a little flirting and a weird one sided dislike that didn't go anywhere. The murder and mysteries took a back seat to the setting and atmosphere, which I didn't mind, but it did make the book feel like it was dragging a bit. At the end the mystery portion was a bit predictable, and it seemed like a lot of things were brought up but not explored further. I feel like the author is introducing characters in order to continue a series and not the story taking place in this book. Overall I still had a fun time reading (and listening to the audiobook - the narrator is great) and I would be interested in reading more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and P.J Nelson for this e-ARC that I chose to read and review

Buckle up for this quirky cozy mystery. Madeline Brimley comes home after her Aunt Rose passes away and leaves her the bookstore which is part of her victorian mansion. The first night there someone sets fire to the gazebo in the backyard and when that fire is extinguished she receives a phone call telling her to get out before the house is burned down with her in it. What they don't expect is for her to settle in, even though she really wants out but her aunt doesn't give her a chance with the way she wrote her will. When there is a murder in the night and then another fire all bets are off and she and Philomenia and Father Gloria are going to try to figure out who is trying to scare her off. An overall great story that takes you round the bend to find you who did what and why. It was a lot of fun to read and listen to.

Although this book is really not my normal read I believe that anyone who loves a cozy mystery will absolutely fall in love with Madeline who inherits her aunts bookshop and proceeds to continue on even though there are threats against the shop. There are great characters, fun mysteries and secrets and I think a lot of people will love curling up with this one,

Silly, cozy and low stakes but it was a bit slow for my liking. It was difficult to connect with the characters, especially Madeline, and overall it wasn’t quite polished enough.

Booked for Murder is the first in a new and cozy mystery series by P. J. Nelson. The setting is a small-town in Georgia where Madeline Brimley has returned and inherited her Aunt Rose’s mansion with a bookstore nestled on the first floor. I am a sucker for a charming bookstore. The story starts out with mysterious things happening and one incident leaves a young college student killed. The characters were very unique but felt underdeveloped in my opinion and the story was slow paced. Overall, I would give this 3 stars because it was lacking in a few areas for me, and lacked the suspense I crave in books!

Unfortunately there was too much going on with this book for me to enjoy it. Cozy murder mysteries are rarely realistic, but this one just felt silly at times. The main mystery involves arson and the murder of a young girl. I know the setting is a small town but the police seemed so nonchalant about investigating, leaving it up to the main character and her friends to solve the crime. They made horrible decision putting them in danger. But my main complaint was with main character Madeline herself. The synopsis says she left "many years ago to go to college" and she seemed young-ish, so I was thinking she's probably in her 30s. But she spoke like an old lady with old fashioned lingo which was really distracting and confusing. After finishing the book I still have no clue how old she was supposed to be. Super cute cover though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

While this tried to be a low stakes cozy mystery, it missed the mark in a few places. It didn’t have nearly enough book to be book themed, the key murder involved a much too high stakes character, and the romance was a bit unbelievable and didn’t move far enough along. It’s set up to be a series, but I won’t be continuing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy. These opinions are my own.

This was a super cute cozy mystery and the perfect book to start 2025 off with! I really enjoyed this one from the start. I am going to have to continue reading the series since I have to know what happens with Maddie and David. There was romance and murder and small town detective vibes throughout this book. I totally did not guess the ending, which makes it a great book to me!! Would for sure recommend!

This was a good debut! A nice cozy mystery in a small town. Madeline inherits a bookstore from her aunt. After leaving the big city to come back to her small town to the bookstore; fires, threats and murder begin to happen. People who are close to Madeline show their true colour and she can’t quite figure out who is behind it all.
There were so many unique characters throughout the story and I enjoyed each one. I mean, some characters made questionable decisions or were constantly indecisive but it wasn’t something that would’ve thrown me away from this book.

Madeline moves back to her hometown when she inherits a bookstore from her eccentric Aunt Rose, who recently passed away. But she has inherited more than that. Secrets, threats and suspicions mount up when a person close to her dies. This is the beginning of a new series and I look forward to the next.

a cute little mystery romance that strikes a perfect balance between intrigue and charm. The cozy mystery elements are engaging, with just enough twists to keep you guessing, while the romantic subplot adds a lighthearted touch. It’s an enjoyable, quick read for those looking for a feel-good blend of suspense and love, perfect for fans of sweet, low-stakes mysteries.

This book started off a little boring. Not very captivating even though there was a mystery. The middle and end were the best parts. I loved the mystery of who did it and was actually surprised!

I love a good cozy mystery, but unfortunately this one was just not to my liking. I felt it slow and the characters lackluster.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.