Fairly typical cozy - great for a beach read.

Maddy Brimely has recently inherited her Aunt Rose’s house and bookstore. As she’s an out of work actress, she returns to Enigma, her tiny home town in south Georgia. No sooner than she arrives then chaos starts - someone burns the gazebo in the backyard down followed by a threat to burn the store as well if she doesn’t leave. A few days later, the kind young woman who’s been helping in the store is found dead. Maddy’s ready to leave, to sell and head back to Atlanta, but restrictions in her aunt’s will means she can’t, at least immediately. Maddy decides to do what any person would: solve the crime herself.

I mostly picked this up because of the southern ties. And while it was entertaining, it felt a like some of the quirkiness was forced. It sounds like it’s the first novel in a new series; I found it enjoyable enough to pick up the second book, if there is one.

Recommended. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

I love this new series! Main character Madeline's voice is unlike any other cozy series heroine I can think of. She's smart in many ways and kind of stupid in many ways too, but she readily (usually) admits when she's been a fool. There's also a good deal of wry humor in her voice.

The mystery is well plotted and hums along, and the writing is lovely. I don't care for the neverending descriptions that many literary novels have. But this cozy has some wonderful literary writing. In fact, a few times, I paused in my reading to think how much bits of it remind me of Ray Bradbury's writing: "The moon was generous with its silver, ladled it over everything: the garden, the woods behind, the distant fields--even the skeleton of the gazebo..." But the evocative descriptions come quickly to a close, and we get back to the action. Love it.

I'd give this 4-1/2 stars, only because I thought the killer was kind of obvious somewhere after the halfway point. But even so, I didn't want to put the book down. I can't wait for the next entry in this series.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story revolves around Madeline, a retired actress, who inherits her aunt's house and bookstore in Enigma, Georgia. Shortly after her arrival, the house had a fire. Following another fire and murder, Madeline, along with Philomena and Gloria, the new pastor in town, takes it upon themselves to investigate and find the culprits. I found the book to be an exciting and entertaining read. I appreciated how it delved into the characters' backgrounds. The first-person point of view was consistent throughout the book, which I enjoyed. While the beginning was a bit rushed, the story improved as it progressed. My only concern was that Madeline came across as overly confident and somewhat cocky at times.
Nonetheless, I was pleased to see her eventually unravel the mystery and achieve a happy ending.

Thanks to Net Galley and Minatour Books for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This is P.J. Nelson's debut novel. The story follows Maddy, a retired actor who returns to her hometown in Enigma, Georgia after the death of her aunt. She grew up wanting to get out of that small town as fast as she could but after years as an actor in Atlanta she's feeling dishearted by the lack of acting parts available to women of a certain age. She's tired of living that life of constant imperanence and being broke. When her aunt Rose dies and she inherits her house/bookshop she sees it as a saving grace and returns home to try to pick up the pieces of her life and begin again or sell the house. Life happens violently (arson and murder) and all at once and there doesn't seem to be a dull moment in that small town. Maddy feeling responsible for everything that's happened and not trusting the police or fire department to do their jobs decides to try to solve the case.
I give this 3.5 stars because it's a quick and enjoyable read. I liked the characters although it felt as though a few of the important characters weren't rounded out as well as they should have been. Maddy was a bit in your face but then she's an actor so that fits. The exploration of the reasons why small towns are so suspicious of outsiders was fascinating and well told. The story was written in first person narrator voice but it went back and forth between southern Georgia speak and well written english. Having it narrated in southern Georgia could've been interesting because the main character grew up in that town but it became confusing when reading between narration and character dialogue.
The author tried too hard to convince the reader that just because someone is from a small southern town doesn't mean they're uneducated and naive. The story fell a bit flat as though maybe it's being written as part of a series which is why I gave it 3 instead of 4 stars. I loved the setting and could picture the Victorian house/bookshop and the church across the street. I would probably read a second book.

This isn’t your regular cozy mystery- and while authors such as Charlaine Harris have proven that you can break the rules of the genre and come out victorious, this just missed the mark for me on a few different levels.

Our protagonist is Maddie, a struggling actor who moves from the Atlanta theater scene back to her small hometown of Enigma, Georgia upon inheriting her aunt’s bookshop/ home. Unfortunately, her “I know it all and I’m always right” attitude” often alienates those around her- (myself included) resulting in stilted relationships that instead of fortifying the small town atmosphere, creates a distance that prevented me from connecting with the town or its’ locals. Not to mention, the author gives us plenty of time and reason to grow attached to a prominent character only to find them brutally murdered just as we’re getting comfortable. So it’s more un-comfy than cozy.

On a positive note, having been an actor most of my life, I can say that it’s clear the author is an actor themselves, and wrote with obvious authority on the subject matter- not to mention the personality traits of the heroine that kept me from connecting with the story are also trademark qualities of so many actors I’ve known. So, it was realistic on that front- just not what I’m looking for in a cozy mystery.

All in all, if this hadn’t been marketed as a cozy - I wouldn’t have had the same expectations and might have enjoyed it more!
Definitely well written, but likely not a town to which I’ll be making a return trip.

4.5⭐️ This was such a witty and cozy little mystery!

Madison Brimley comes back to her small town to take over the bookshop she inherits from her aunt Rose. Once she arrives, the backyard gazebo goes up in flames, she recieves threatening phone calls, and then someone is killed in the bookshop. Madison doesn’t know who or why these things are happening, but she must figure it out before she loses everything!

I enjoyed this book immensely! It was a quick read that kept my turning the pages and I read it in one day. The characters were so interesting and funny. I suspected everyone in the beginning. I do feel like as the story goes on, you are able to narrow down the suspect pool. But it didn’t take anything away from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very interesting Book! I saw the cover and title and knew I needed to get my hands on it! Definitely was worth the wait!

Many thanks to the publisher for reaching out to me and offering me to read this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I am a big fan of cozy mystery’s and cozy little book stores. So this one did not disappoint. Also love that it’s in a small town setting! Very cute read. Looking forward to the next book?

Not really a cozy, not really a regular mystery. Cozies don't make you love a character and then kill them off immediately. Left me with a bad taste and I tried to get past it but it's just not strong enough. I don't care about any of the other characters and a third of the way in I still can't remember what the story's about the second I put it down. I kept trying because the title and cover are cute but I just can't do it.

Don't all readers what to inherit a bookshop? And even better when it is in a huge house you remember from your youth? Sounds like a dream come true when Aunt Rose leaves her home and business to her niece. But as soon as she moves in the gazebo is burnt down. Crank calls begin and the mystery is off and running. Why is this happening? Madeline doesn't trust the small police department to find answers. She butts in at every opportunity. She does seem a bit spastic. She jumps from suspect to suspect as she hunts for answers. Along the way we learn interesting details on the characters. I actually liked the story. I liked the characters and how they interact. I hope is see this is the beginning of a series.

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was okay! I think my biggest issue was that the main character was pretty unlikeable — a little too cocky, belittling of others, etc. I didn’t understand her direction.

The cover of this was captivating! And I liked some of the other characters. I think with some tweaks to the main character, I would find this much more enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of "Booked for Murder" by P. J. Nelson. First of all, the cover is *chefs kiss*! This is a book I'll definitely buy to have the physical copy on display. Second, as a Georgia girl myself the synopsis drew me in. I love a cozy murder mystery and this checked all the boxes for me. This would make a wonderful Christmas present for anyone who loves a cozy book! Make sure you get your copy December 10, 2024!

Thank you to P.J. Nelson, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have to say, I really love the cover of this book. I requested it without even reading the blurb.

This one was good. I liked the premise. But at times it was really slow.

I like that we got some background of the characters throughout the book. The ending was predictable though.

Booked For Murder written by P.J. Nelson follows actor Madeline Brimley who is at the spot in her career where things are no longer fruitful. The death of her beloved and treasured aunt, Rose, has her traveling back to her hometown in Georgia. Upon arrival, she’s met with a fiery start to a real spiral of events.

Madeline Brimley is likable in some degrees. She’s a hoot at times even. I just don’t understand where the author was wanting this character to fall. Maddy was all over the place, belittling people’s abilities and often time really not right in her feelings and thoughts. I would have really valued the book be from Tandy’s perspective!

Each side character had a large story attached, I value this in some moments but in others it was already a lot to carry around while you navigate the book. It was a lot of accusations on Maddy’s part - every few chapters it was “no, this is WHO DID IT” when by 60% it was very obvious who did.

I think if you don’t wallow a lot on reviews, adore a cozy mystery and have intentions of just enjoying a book regardless this would be a good read for you!

Thank you to P.J. Nelson and NetGalley for this ARC.

Booked for Murder has a wonderful setup. Madeline Brimley has inherited her Aunt Rose's quirky bookstore in the small southern town of Enigma. Her arrival in town goes from bad to worse as Madeline gets pulled into some extreme local unrest. I liked the fact that the bookstore is located in an old Victorian mansion and that the small town consisted of many interesting characters both friendly and not. The author leans into the lack of technology, like caller ID, surveillance cameras, and a way to reach police without leaving a message, which I found frustrating considering this is part of a college community. Madeline's mystery-solving partner was Gloria Coleman who is a female Episcopal priest. Gloria added a level-headed presence which the story needed. It will be nice to see how the author expands the setting and develops the characters in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This cozy mystery follows the usual formula, which makes it cozy. Our main character, Madeline, returns to her small town following the death of her aunt, who has left her the bookstore in which she grew up. As Madeline has reached that point in her acting career where the roles are drying up, she's trying to decide whether to embrace this new challenge and return to the town she left or sell the store. Of course, there is a catch... and a murder, which delay her decision and force her to come to terms with some pieces of her past.

While there's a predicability to the book, that's part of what makes cozy mysteries fun, easy, and popular. Based on other cozies, I was going to give this book three stars (rounding down from 3.5). However, the more I thought about the characters, the more I knew I had to round up instead. What I like about this book is that there are a lot of really interesting supporting characters who are complicated people and not just archetypes. There are enough interesting folks in this small-town setting that I find myself looking forward to there being more books in this series just to see how some of them flesh out and turn out. Because our main character grew up in town, she has ties to some people (and a good a range of relationships, from complex mentor figures to former babysitting clients), and a lot to learn about what's different from her assumptions. All of the characters are imperfect, and therefore relatable. I look forward to visiting them again!

I'm not sure this author did much research before they wrote the book. Lots of stereotypes of multiple types of people in here, meandering plot. The main character was not likeable, I would have preferred the book from Tandy's point of view.

I thought the concept of the book was really interesting and it was entertaining to read. I like that it gives us some background into who the characters are throughout the book. It is told in first person POV throughout. Although I feel like the beginning was a tad bit rushed, it did get better towards the middle of the book. The inly issue I had was that Madeline was just too confident and a little cocky at times to other characters. I am glad that she eventually found the culprit and got to have a happy ending.

3.5 stars, rated up

An entertaining first in a new cozy mystery series - Madeline has returned to Enigma, GA to claim an inheritance from her beloved aunt. Her first night back, within minutes of her arrival, a fire is set.

So starts the mystery.

With its wide array of characters, charming small town atmosphere, and a fledgling romance this was a likable first (first book - congratulations to debut author P.J. Nelson!) and the first title of the An Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery series.

I was pulled in right away, enjoyed my time reading, and will look forward to the next book by the author.


*In the first chapter, mention was made of “You Don’t Miss Your Water (Til Your Well Runs Dry)” - and this immediately made me think of my own forever favorite version of this song - Gram Parsons with the Byrds.



Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for books about books, libraries, and bookstores, and I like a good cozy mystery. So, this book seemed like a perfect choice. I enjoyed the elements to do with the setting - the southern small town, the bookstore, the little college town - all worked to add to the atmosphere. The mystery was set up well, and I did not expect the victim to be who it was. I liked that the book showed different facets of what are sometimes "stock" characters. For example, the town priest being one of the members of the crew investigating the murder was a nice touch.

Beyond that, though, this fell into the mystery trope of characters doing extremely foolish things and stumbling into clues with no real skills or talent to help them solve crimes. The main character and her partners in crime solving are certain that virtually every named character in the book is the murderer at different points over the course of the book, to an extent that it started to feel ridiculous. (It reminded me of that old saying about a broken clock being right twice a day. If you accuse all the people in the vicinity of the crime, at some point you're going to be right, so I'm not so sure that's investigating as much as it is randomly accusing everyone that may have had the slightest motive.) It's tough when the main character of a mystery is just a normal person with no special skills or position to help them investigate. It's hard to make their investigation seem believable, and I don't feel like I was fully convinced of that here. At one point the main character goes around telling people that a particular character confessed to the murder when they hadn't really, which just seemed irresponsible and dangerous.

Overall, this was an ok cozy mystery, but it didn't drawn me in enough for me to continue with the series in the future.