I am so sorry but this may have been my least favorite book of the year… half of this is because I think I just need to stop reading cozy mysteries, but the other half is that I thought this book was bad.

1. I didn’t like the protagonist — feel like she just whined & drank coffee
2. Supporting characters, aside from Philomena, were 1-dimensional cardboard cutouts. I didn’t have any connection to them
3. 50% of the book is just things being set on fire. Also I feel like the murder was just shoved aside super quickly??
4. I didn’t care about the resolution so much so that I almost forgot whodunnit now as I’m writing this review.

Apologies to be so harsh! Thanks for the copy for an honest review!

A fun and quirky mystery read. I would’ve liked to know more about Madeline and her past, but the lack of knowledge didn’t detract from the story. There were some unexpected twists and I enjoyed the “found’ family aspects of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and P. J. Nelson for the eARC.

This was a cute cozy mystery. There wasn't too much action or suspense which I tend to prefer. The characters were fun and different with each having their own personality.
I liked that Madeline didn't have any idea what was going on either so it was like we were solving it together. This was my first book by this author and I would definitely read more. If you enjoy cozy Mysteries then you'll love this book.

just skip this one! DNF at 52%, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

So here is my problem (aside from the many grammatical errors that made this almost incomprehensible at times): THIS IS SO FUCKING SLOW. I know this is a cozy mystery, but the main character (who is pushing damn near 40!!) teams up with her aunt's secret girlfriend (who, I assume, she is surprised to discover is the girlfriend and not "best friend" as she always thought and a woman preacher to figure out who wants her to leave town. This is truly written by someone who read about small town stereotypes and said "add that shit in"- if this was AI, I would 1000000% believe it because it was so cliché! And the way that "everyone just loved Tandy" even Madeline, who knew her for like 48 hours, made me wanna scream. Like there was so much that could have happened to make the murder more believable and engaging, but it was some girl that we just met and are told that we are supposed to love, and that the main character loved because "she's just like me, forreal"

Not only is the main character almost 40 and acting like a teenager, she has the mental capacity of one as well. For someone who went to college and on to become an actor, who was apparently schooled in all kinds of things at this bookshop, who "wanted this to be her salvation" SHE KNOWS NOTHING. At all, nothing about her past, nothing about her family, and damn sure nothing about this town. The way she had absolutely no awareness about why her aunt was the way she is, why her parents had given the aunt the money, or shit, why Phil was so fucking gung-ho about convicting everyone she did not like for the murder/arson, fucking stupid!!

On that note about Phil, I just hated how "it's this guy, oh that guy is a criminal, it must be him" she was about everything- like I don't know her age or race, but if you told me she was an old white woman and everyone else was Black, I would believe it because she was oversaturated in small minded, Southern racism.

I thought this was just an ok, forgettable cozy mystery. A lot of hick people, and less books than what I was hoping for.

I give cozy mysteries quite a wide berth when it comes to quality of the writing. I fully accept that the prose doesn’t need to be a literary masterpiece to be effective but the writing in this one wasn’t great. I found it is be a little distracting and actually getting in my way of enjoying the story. Ended up DNFing so I can’t give a full review of the plot. Positive points for the setting. I’m a sucker for a bookstore in an old Victorian house and I think many other readers most likely fall into that same boat. For that reason I would tell others to give it a try and see if the writing works for you!

An interesting premise for a book- who doesn't love a cozy mystery set in a recently inherited family run bookstore? Unfortunately, that is where I stopped enjoying this book. Maybe cozy mysteries aren't the genre for me, maybe this book needed a slightly stronger plot. There was a lot of potential but too many extra characters, and I was annoyed that the reader never got to find out who Faye was.

Cozy mystery - Madeline inherits a book story after her aunt dies. She is used to the big city life and gets reacquainted with her small town. I felt the plot was lacking a little and it was pretty slow paced. I don't know if it was my mood, but just didn't love it. Not sure if I'll pick up the next in the series or not.

I enjoyed Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson. I have been on a bit of a book slump and this pulled me out of it. I'm a sucker for amateur sleuths and Madeline Brimley has the potential to become one of my favorites.

One of the parts I enjoyed about this book is the setting. Madeline moves back to her hometown of Enigma, Georgia, to take over her aunt's bookstore after she passes away. Madeline had been living in Atlanta, Georgia, working in acting, so coming home was quite the change in lifestyle for her. I really liked the southern small-town vibe that Enigma gave off. Everyone knows everyone else's business. I live for the small-town drama.

The other part that made this book stand out to me was the side characters. Philomena is one of my favorites. I suspected that she might have been her aunt's lover from the very beginning. But I didn't expect the other things she did at all, but I can understand why it happened. Father Gloria is such a standout character. I love her backstory of growing up in the swap and becoming an Episcopalian preacher.

The story was great. There were so many suspects and I was genuinely shocked to find out who the murder/arsonist was. P.J. Nelson had me suspecting everyone and their brother. They also had me falling in love with characters whose past is suspect.

While this is a cozy mystery it deals with some heavier topics than normal. There is mention of drug dealing and the use of drugs.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery.

Booked for murder is a cozy southern mystery set in a small town in Georgia.Maddy Brimley returns home when she inherits her aunts house, which also serves as a bookstore. Maddy befriends a young girl, Tandy, who winds up murdered in the bookstore Maddy is determined to solve the murder to honor her friend, while also coming to terms with never realizing the potential of her own life.

As is typical for a cozy, the supporting characters are memorable and eccentric and the southern setting is invoked nicely.

A fun, light-hearted cozy that will serve as a good palette cleanser to other heavier end-of-year reads.


Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson is the first book in the Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery series. It’s a southern cozy mystery set in a small town in Georgia and the characters fit right in. There was more to this story than just a mystery to be solved. It’s a story of coming home after not exactly living your dreams. It’s a story of keeping memories alive and mourning the loss of a loved one. I felt that the story was fast paced and kept me interested. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one in the series. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the advanced digital copy of Booked for Murder.

This is an enjoyable mystery. Madeline (Maddy) Brimley has returned to the small town of Enigma, Georgia because her Aunt Rose has died and left Maddy her combined house and bookshop. She befriends a young college student named Tandy, who is murdered while staying overnight at the bookshop. In her grief and guilt, Maddy does her best to solve the murder. The supporting characters are great, and Maddy is a very sympathetic character. She does some foolish things in her search for the truth, but you can understand why. I recommend this book.

Booked for Murder by PJ Nelson is a cozy mystery novel! I really enjoyed it and can not believe this is a debut novel. I look forward to reading more from P.J. Nelson! I highly recommend this to fans of cozy mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-ARC of "Booked for Murder"!

When Madeline Brimley inherits her eccentric aunt’s Victorian bookstore in the quirky town of Enigma, she hopes to start fresh, but her arrival is met with literal fire and threats over the phone. Determined to stay, she brushes off the warnings—until a second fire and a murder in the bookstore put her under suspicion. To clear her name and save her inheritance, Madeline must unravel the town’s secrets and catch the killer before she becomes their next target.
Bookstore, quirky town, and a mystery? This sounded like it was perfect for me! However, I found myself confused by the entire book. Madeline has no cell phone, for reasons never fully explained, even though she has spent years traveling for different theater productions. Her past with her family was left so vague I never felt like I understood her or her motivations.

While on the surface, I could understand why she would want to clear her name, the more the plot continued I became frustrated. She didn’t listen to anyone and took unnecessary risk, only to then jump to conclusions about everything.

There was nothing really bad about the book, but I didn’t enjoy it.

I love a cozy mystery plot that keeps me guessing. I pointed fingers at about 3 different characters switching my guess every few chapters.

Madeline returns to her small hometown in Georgia to inherit her late aunt Rose’s bookshop and home. The moment she returns, chaos immediately unfolds with fires, threatening phone calls, and of course, a murder. Madeline wants to leave the town but she literally can’t or she loses everything.

The plot has a few slow moments that I felt dragged but I stayed engaged eager to solve the mystery. I love a good mystery twist.

Thoughts while reading:
•Losing a loved one truly changes your perspective and everyone around you
•Small towns always give me scary vibes. I would’ve left after the first fire.
•Stop trying to be captain save a hoe! People aren’t always what they seem.
•Maddy knocking someone out with a murder encyclopedia 😂😂

Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of Booked for Murder. I read the synopsis and really wanted to read this so I was very excited to be able to get an arc of it. I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it if you enjoy mystery/thrillers. I would rate it a 4 stars.

This was great at the beginning, but then I got a little bogged down at the end. It felt too messy and chaotic. I liked the characters for the most part though. I would read more in the series, I think the growth arc of characters could be good.

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

This book has all the makings of a good story. Bookshop? Check. Murder? Check. Small town possible romance? Check.

However, it didn't deliver and I was left pretty disappointed. The murder investigation story line was interesting enough to keep driving me forward, but there isn't much more I can say about it that's good.

A lot of the plot line was confusing and didn't make much sense. There wasn't really an into (which, to be fair, some books don't need) but I was well into the book before I knew who was talking and what exactly was happening.

The main character was not very likable - she was rude, constantly interrupting people, making overly questionable choices that anyone with a lick of common sense wouldn't make, and all around seemed a bad combination of wildly confident and very naive. Honestly, I feel like this book would have made more sense if we found out at some point that the MC was on the spectrum.

Overall, the premise and the bones of this book were good, but it just really fell flat for me in too many categories.

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

4 stars for this story. Not my usual murder mystery tropes but I was here for it. Madeline Brimley reruns from her acting career in Atlanta to take over a small town bookstore her aunt left her when she passed. Madeline, not sure if she will stay or sell the bookstore- begins to notice some weird things happening. Then came the threats. Someone sets fire to the gazebo. Then a local college girl is murdered in the bookshop. Secrets and lies all unfold to tell who murdered Tandy and who is threatening Madeline.

I enjoyed the plot and the character- although they were all a bit unbelievable. The ending seemed a bit too obvious and tidy. I did like the premise of Madeline's character- although I think she was a bit of a ridiculous investigator. I would read the second book in the cozy mystery series.

As I read the first sentence I got a little thrill of excitement… the setting is somewhere I’m familiar with! I don’t usually read cozy mysteries, and I was excited it was set in Georgia.

The way the author writes is very interesting, it’s descriptive and even the smallest of details becomes like a story of its own right.

The main character, Madeline, who returns to the town she grew up in after decades away to run a bookshop her aunt left her. She grates on my nerves, coming across as unhinged and very self involved. The other characters seem like normies. Because I don’t like Maddie, following her foolhardy ideas and attempts to solve the case didn’t capture my interest, and I couldn’t get invested in the story.

The camaraderie between Gloria the priest, Philomena the professor, and Maddie the failed actress/heiress feels forced. I can’t pin why… too girl power-y? Maddie is kind of b*tchy? This whole “outsider” because she was gone 20 years thing feels off too.

I liked the way the author writes, the ever present sense of the theatrical… “all the worlds a play” brought to life. The vivid descriptions, and the artsy component (music, gardening, writing - all pop!)

Thanks NetGalley and St Martins Press for the chance to read this ARC