Writing under the pseudonym P. J. Nelson, the author of Booked for Murder (An Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery) said that he had done a great many things, most of which appear to involve acting and theatre, but, he has gone on to say that he has ever run a bookstore. This was a little nagging thought I had as I read this ARC, given to me by Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
Booked for Murder is set in an old Victorian home, most of which is being run as an independent bookstore. Each room on the ground floor, save the kitchen, houses a different genre: “the dining room is the mystery section, and two cases of poetry, plus one wall of records…the parlor is for contemporary fiction and nonfiction…the study is history, biography and older nonfiction…the smaller parlor…is where the college textbooks are.” But, that is about as close to bookstore talk as you get with this mystery scheduled for publication in December 2024.
Madeline Brimley, the protagonist in this cozy mystery, has returned to Enigma, Georgia, after the death of her beloved Aunt Rose, having inherited her home/bookstore. Even though she grew up in Enigma, she has been away for a long time, first college, then New York to try her luck at being an actress, and then Atlanta, where something has gone down, but that is not share with the reader, nor does it appear to be relevant to the mystery itself.
Even though the murder mystery is set in a bookstore (of sorts), which is typically quite appealing to me, there isn’t much talk of books or authors, a casual mention here and there, but not what I would expect from a storyline about a bookstore owner, or a book with “book” in the title and a stack of books on the cover.
All that being said, I enjoyed this debut novel. Yes, it was a bit slow in some points, but I liked the development of the three main female characters. Madeline, our protagonist, has quite the dramatic flair, true to her history as an actress, where she “solves” the mystery not once, not twice, but, oh I don’t know, I lost track of how many people she is convinced committed the murder. The other two main females, an elderly college professor and a pastor of the local church, become Madeline’s support group and rescue her several times. The men in this novel are all really likeable, even the drug dealer. I also enjoyed the food discussions in the storyline, where the Southern locale really shines, with chicken and biscuits, BBQ, potato salad, and more.
Booked for Murder was a quick read, and apparently the first in a series from P. J. Nelson. It will be interesting to see where future storylines take Madeline, the newly appointed bookseller.

This was such a cute cozy mystery, I really liked the way the story flowed together,
For a debut novel this was a great introduction and I can't wait to see what's next!

A murder mystery about books. Yes, please. I enjoyed the story a lot. I highly recommend it to other mystery readers. Pick this one up.

ARC Review
3.5 ⭐️ for Booked for Murder by PJ Nelson

Madeline is an actress returning to her hometown after her aunt passes away. Madeline inherits a house with a successful bookstore attached. Instead of a warm welcome she is met with a fire and a murder.

Did I mention Madeline is an actress? Well don’t worry it’s mentioned on every other page of this book. Madeline is not a character I enjoyed at all. Her thought process is so strange and her survival instinct is non-existent. The other characters in the book were enjoyable, I just really disliked her character, which is a shame since it’s her POV.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I’ll start on what I liked. The mystery aspect in this mystery book was actually pretty good! I honestly didn’t guess who did it until the end. The atmosphere the author created was my favorite part of the book. I loved the old house turned bookstore and the small town feel.

You can snag this cozy mystery December 10, 2024
Thank you @netgalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book.

This was such a cozy mystery read.
It follows Madeline and how she had to move back to her small town after she inherited her aunt’s bookstore.
Soon after she starts to get death threats. Does this small town have secrets that needs to be discovered ?
I recommend this book if you’re looking for something quick and cozy mystery read.

I really enjoyed the premise but felt the end left a lot of plot holes and loose ends -- Were Bo and the girl actually in love? Who is Faith? What's going on with David?

I understand if the author was setting up for a sequel but it didn't feel like it was heading that way other than the unresolved plot lines.

What a fun, cozy mystery! Full of twists and turns and I never saw the ending coming!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review Booked for Murder!

This story is told in first person by Maddy. I started an excerpt and was pulled into the story by the characters and the mystery quickly. I’m probably not the correct audience for this one since I enjoy darker mysteries with more of a police procedural aspect than quaint amateur sleuths.

It’s a cute cozy mystery with a small community full of eccentric characters. However, I found some of the characters to be inconsistent and maybe a few of the eccentricities to be played up a little too much. For instance, one of the characters is a psychology professor, but when discussing possible suspects often displays a lack of understanding of psychological profiles. This book really shines with the community feel and interactions with the various characters. I especially enjoyed the friendship that developed between Maddy and Gloria.

Maddy is easy to like when she’s not racing from one extreme to the other, quickly attaching and then detaching from people at times. She often took a clue and ran a little too far with it, jumping to conclusions hastily and making assumptions that were often wrong. I was also a little uncomfortable with her extremely quick attachment to one of her new friends and the subsequent consequences.

I see good potential here for future stories. The overall concept was good, but the details needed a little tightening up for consistency of character and better story flow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Thank you for sending me a review copy of this book. I will not be posting my review until at least two weeks after it is published ( probably closer to 4)

Booked by Murder is the debut cozy mystery novel by P.J Nelson. I enjoyed the bulk of the story, but there were a few parts that could do with some revision.

Positives:

- Interesting setting/ small town

- Short read

- Interesting secondary characters

- Enjoyed the concept of the book.

“minus the overhead and look, if you want you some good eggs—” this quote by Tandy doesn’t make sense. (chapter 4) The “you” seems misplaced? Or does she just talk like that? It’s unclear.

I enjoyed one of the characters immensely but immediately they were axed off. There was not enough time to build rapport with them so the death stung but I wasn’t really invested.

when our main character tells Tandy that she should open a restaurant Tandy states that a restaurant worker makes 10 dollars an hour but our main character said to open a restaurant meaning a restaurant business—not to be a restaurant worker?

Another point was when Madeline asked the Dr if they wanted another “cup of French press”, Personally, I find this a bit of awkward wording, the French press is the device not the substance, Madeline could have just asked if they wanted another cup of coffee?

Madeline is not a very believable character she has been threatened twice and refuses to tell the police? Why? There is no relevant reason only that “she used to babysit the officer when he was younger” that’s such a bad reason and makes you think Madeline isn’t a reliable narrator.

The concept was there but the execution is a little off, for a book that surrounds a bookstore there is remarkably little discussion about the bookstore. It may be because Madeline does not enjoy books? I found the descriptions of the actual bookstore lacking. To give it that “cozy” atmosphere I thought there would be more descriptors about the “smell of the pages” or discussing happiness surrounding having a cup of coffee and reading your favourite book. It lacked the atmosphere that it was trying to deliver.

Finally, the dialogue is awkward and not believable the conversation between Madeline and the fire constable would never happen—and I understand cozy mysteries taking liberties and trying to produce red herrings but it was so abrupt, sudden, and jarring that I couldn’t imagine it happening in real life (hence being taken out of the story).

This book was wonderful. It is about a girl named Madeline Brimely who’s a former star. The story brings Madeline back to her hometown of Enigma Georgia after Aunt Rose passed away and Rose left her bookstore to Madeline. Right after she arrived to Enigma, Madeline began to receive death threats. It seemed that a troublesome time was starting and add small drama secrets to the mix, a lot things are sure to unfold.
P.J. Nelson did an excellent job of making sure the readers of this hooked from the first page. He also did a really nice job on how he described the small town when things really started to heat up and unfold. Even though some parts of the story were easy to predict overall it was a great storyline.
It also seems that there’s going to be more than one book to this story so I’m anxious to see how that plays out. I highly recommend reading this if you’re into mystery books.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson was a quick read with lots of twists, in-depth characters, and a small southern town. Everyone knows everyone, and new-comers or returners are met with suspicion.
Madeline Brimley just inherited her aunt's house and bookstore. As soon as she returns to the small town of Enigma after decades away, bad things happen around her. Fire, murder, and protests are almost enough to send Madeline packing. But for friends of her aunt and a small part of the will, leaving is not as easy as she thought it would be. Madeline is determined to find the murderer and keep her Aunt Rose's wishes intact.
This is the first in a new series and I look forward to learning more about Aunt Rose and her quirks in future books!

Madeline Brimley returned to Enigma, Georgia when her Aunt Rose died and left her the house/bookstore. Madeline fondly remembers all the times that she spent there, but as she brings in her bags, she notices that the gazebo out back is on fire and then receives a threatening call to get out or worse will happen.
Philomena Waldrop, Rose's longtime best friend, calls on Madeline and is shocked by the news and tells her to notify the police but she is reluctant to do so. But when there is another fire in the bookshop and Madeline finds the body of a new friend, she vows to find out what is happening and if she might have been the intended victim. So she, Philomena and their new friend, Reverend Gloria Colman, form a team to discover what is going on and who is to blame.
An enjoyable cozy mystery that moves along at a quick pace with believable characters, small town setting, lots of suspects and even a possible love interest.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this e-galley of "Booked for Murder".

A very interesting book. Lots of twists and turns. A little sad at times. There’s an awful lot of crime going on in town. Madeline is a little lost. She does a lot of reflection. I related a lot with her. There ar a lot of interesting characters. I enjoyed following the clues. I really wish there was a bookstore like this near me. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I received an advanced copy of Booked for Murder and really enjoyed the mysteriousness of the story and just when you think you have it figured out it kept twisting and turning throughout the story. A great read!!

Booked For Murder by PJ Nelson
Release date is 12/10/2024
I give this book a 4 star rating

This book is a cozy mystery that keeps you hanging until the end. Booked For Murder is an easy read.
This book takes place in Georgia in a small town where everyone knows everybody. This book is about a girl named Madeline who grew up in this small town and left to go to college and go into the theater and acting. Madeline comes back to this little town as she inherits her Aunt Rose’s bookstore. Someone in this town isn’t happy that she came back and causes some issues for her. Madeline tries to solve the mystery of a few different events by herself.

I would recommend this book. I enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to be able to read this book early and give a review.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I found all of the characters very interesting. Gloria kept Madeleine on track when her speculation on who killed Tandy went off the rails. I see a lot of potential for future books in this series with possible love interest of both David the contractor and the Fire Chief. I look forward to reading more cozy mysteries at the Juniper Bookstore and will recommend it to my friends

Random thoughts while reading:

Why couldn’t Bo keep the record?

Madeline claimed to love Tandy after knowing her two days

Madeline has no compassion for Phil, her rage over something she doesn’t even want and that holds seemingly less meaning to her than Phil is frustrating.

I can’t get over the fact that there is ZERO police investigation into an arson / murder. It’s a small town, you don’t call in the big guns? Instead a priest, professor, and actress spit conspiracy theories with no real backing?

Madeline acts like it’s the 1940s and she’s 70. The characters felt old and out of touch, not quaint.

Lots of American southern stereotypes exposed and discredited in this book . Not a bad thing but it starts to come off as patronizing. Also, at some point the sheer stupidity and recklessness of the protagonist made me want to give up on the book altogether.

3 out of 5 stars ⭐️

This book was a good, quick read, though the plot left something to be desired. The premise is super intriguing! A failing actress, Madeline, gets called back to her small, southern hometown, where her aunt ran a bookshop out of her home. Her Aunt Rose passed away, and everyone described her as different and even a little mysterious, and the character must decide if she's going to keep this house/bookstore, or return to Atlanta and continue chasing her acting dreams. There was the potential for an intriguing, interconnected murder that would uncover something of interest, perhaps about the main character or her family, but it was far less interesting than that. Some of the characters were fun, but the "southern vibe" that was supposed to be there just kind of fell flat. It felt a lot more like someone observing aspects of southern culture, but from an outside perspective (a rather critical, negative one, in fact). I think overall this book wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This was a nice cozy mystery. While I found the Madeline to be so cocky it was jarring and took me out of the story, it was still a lovely atmospheric read. I enjoyed the mystery aspects and the colorful side characters. The pacing occasionally felt a little uneven, but ultimately it was well formatted and enjoyable.