Madeline Brimley was a slightly different female character than I'm used to reading about, and I say that with nothing but positivity in my words. She was confident, determined, and self reliant. She didn't mull over things, but instead jumped headfirst, much to the chagrin of those around her.

And speaking of the supporting cast: I absolutely loved Gloria! She was the voice of reason and guiding light, and I wish I had someone like her in my life. Some of the other characters did seem a little cartoon villain-y, but I still found them charming.

The main mystery tied up nicely, but I felt there were still some loose threads that will have me keeping an eye out for a follow-up!

This was the start of a series - and I found it very enjoyable.

Madeline left the small Georgia town of Enigma to pursue her dreams of acting, briefly spending time in New York City, before finding herself a little lost. When her aunt Rose died and left her the charming bookstore, inside an old Victorian house, she returns home.

Within minutes of arriving, the gazebo in the back garden burns down, and Madeline gets threatening phone calls. She tries to deal with these things herself, as she doesn't trust the local police. Rose's friend Philomena, a psychology professor at the local college, befriends Madeline, as does Gloria the new Episcopalian minister. A young college girl, Tandy, starts working at the store, before more threats and another fire turn the whole situation deadly.

We are introduced to quite a number of characters in the small town, as Madeline is determined to find out what is going on, and who committed murder. I liked many of the characters, especially Gloria. Madeline is pretty impulsive, and puts herself in too much danger. But I liked the way she realized that the people around her were not as she had initially thought.

I enjoyed the small ti=own vibes of this book very much. I liked getting to learn about a whole cast of characters and learn about the drama that goes on between them. I think this book is the perfect setup for a series, and I am excited to see what Madeline does next. This is exactly what I would have expected from a small-town, cozy mystery, and I am glad it delivered. Overall, I would recommend this to any one that is specifically seeking out a cozy mystery, but I don't think this is enough to convert someone into a fan of cozy mysteries off they are not already interested in them.

I was so excited to read this because, honestly, who wouldn’t love a murder mystery set in a cozy bookstore? The small-town vibes and the love for literature and theater really stood out to me, and I appreciated the atmosphere—it was soothing and definitely made me feel like I was right there in Enigma, surrounded by quirky characters.

The story had a lot of potential, and I did enjoy the characters overall, but the pacing was a bit off at times. Madeline, or Maddy, is easy to like in many ways, but I found myself getting frustrated with how she would jump from one extreme to another, especially when it came to accusing people of murder. At one point, it felt like everyone was a suspect! And her quick decision to report a friend of her aunt’s to the police just didn’t sit well with me, especially considering the support that person had shown her.

While I liked the idea of the story, some details felt inconsistent, and I ended the book with more questions than answers. It wasn’t a bad read by any means, but I’m hoping a sequel will tie up the loose ends and give me the closure I was looking for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a surprisingly cozy murder mystery, and even though I’m not typically a fan of the genre, I found myself enjoying it. Madeline and the other characters involved were funny and engaging, which is what kept me reading. The town of Enigma, though, is a bit of a mess—first responders are rude, the police are completely oblivious, and the preacher is actually a lot of fun. Madeline’s pseudo-aunt is a hot mess but so sweet. The book was definitely a slow burn, taking a while to get to the heart of the mystery, but I’m glad I stuck with it because the resolution was satisfying.

good mystery about a couple and staying in a house and the other couple there. kept me on my toes . good mystery and figuring stuff out.

I did not like Madeline! At all! Which, unfortunately, blinded the story for me. Honestly, the majority of the characters bothered me, with the exception of two, possibly three. First, Maddie is EXTREMELY whiny. Second, she cannot seem to make up her mind as to who she wants to accuse of murder. For example, when Madeline learns who torched the gazebo, yes, she is angry, but her first actions are to call the police officer and then the firefighter so she can rub it in their faces. If the author is intending to write a petty childish character, then she nailed it.

As for the mystery. I admit to being distracted by Madeline’s “woe is me” attitude and her constant accusations, that I actually lost sight of the situation. I didn’t see the murderer coming, and that felt like a win for the writing.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Publishing for the ARC!
I enjoyed reading this novel on my kindle over the past week. I haven’t read many murder/murder mystery dramas but I generally always pick up a book about books - in any form. I’ve never been to the South so I enjoyed getting a bit of armchair travel through the ‘feel’ or setting of the book. I enjoyed themes of the MC’s time in theatre, and her aunts love for it, overlapping on the element of literature and the bookshop. The relationships between some of the main characters were complex - as well as the idea that we don’t always truly know the people around us, that first impressions aren’t always correct. I like that Madeline has to figure out what happened to Tandy, a kind girl who hurt no one, at the same time as she’s trying to figure out her place back in Enigma and in this bookstore and home she never asked for. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fiction that touches on family, found family, mystery, light romance, and the idea of inheriting a bookshop :)

I loved this cozy mystery! The small town southern setting was just perfect. I look forward to reading more in this series!

A cozy mystery set in a small, desolate town where the main character, an actress, must solve who is trying to take out her and the female priest.

I very interesting book that I still don’t really know how to feel about. The characters were very interesting and I found myself liking the main character as well.

This is a fun mystery! The action begins quickly, like within 15 minutes of Maddy's arrival at her new home. So, what if someone burned down the gazebo? I'm sure it wasn't personal. And right away, she gets to meet the unfriendly hot fire captain, the police officer she used to babysit, and her honorary aunt, among others. I'm looking forward to the next entry in this new series.

Some elements of this one were really cute and I liked the cast of fun women. However, it worked so hard to set up a sequel that I never quite fully fell in love with this story. It was hard to tell if something was a plot hole or if it was an intentional mystery for the next book in the series to unravel. Overall still enjoyable, but not sure if it is a story I would return to.

This was a delightfully fun cozy mystery — and a quick read to boot! Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to the arc of the audiobook and the digital version!

Ok, so I am a theatre kid who loves books…and that is the main character in a nutshell, which I was obsessed with. I got all her theatre world references and Shakespeare and English nerd references which made this a true delight!

And in a super fun cast of southern small town characters —capital C characters!—with a dash of mystery and murder in an old home turned bookshop…I was sold! You’ll definitely love these friendly characters and you’ll enjoy the journey the mystery takes you on and you just might learn something about yourself in the process!! Definitely recommend!

Literary Cozy Mystery that finds a Georgia actress's inheritance of her eccentric aunt's bookstore turns deadly after a fire, threats of more and then a college student's murder

1/5 stars: This is the first in Nelson's Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery series which is a Literary Cozy Mystery set in Georgia and features an actress who's inheritance of her eccentric aunt's equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town faces some unexpected challenges. On arrival, the gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn't leave immediately. But she's not one to be intimidated and ignores the threats. That is until there's another fire and a young college student's murdered in the store. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to her to untangle the town's deadly secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim. Nelson's writing and character work are nicely done. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 31%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

This is a wonderful debut mystery with great characters and a intriquing mystery. The sleuth was very well crafted with many red herrings for the reader. The setting is a small Southern town in Georgia in a inherited charming old bookstore in a period style Victorian. The protagnist is savvy, smart and independent starting over with her inherited bookstore and home. She finds the small town not so inviting when she is threatened and refuses to give up. When a murder occurs she may be the prime suspect. She must work to find the true suspect to clear her name and save her business and her future. A enjoyable read. I look forward to the next in series. I loved the authors atomospheric descriptions of Southern culture in a small Georgia town.

Thank you to Net Galley , the publisher and the author for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This was a fun whodunit with quirky characters and it was also just a weird book. I felt like it was all over the place and 10 pages later one of the characters described the main character as disconnected and tangential (quite on the nose to how I felt overall), we were repeatedly warned not to trust anyone and it proved to be true- basically a lot of the weird writing style seemed to be intentional... I think? I will definitely finish the series. Thanks NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

This is the kind of book that I have found myself gravitating towards. Books that involve a story around owning a book store or working in a library are such good reads! This book is about Madeline who finds herself returning back to her hometown after her aunt Rose passes away. Her aunt Rose leaves the book store to Madeline but upon her return, mysterious things start to happen at the book store. This story has fires, murders and past secrets that come to light.
Overall the book was good. Madeline is a very strong character who definitely doesn't back down from a tough situation. This is the first book in the series and I'm looking forward to reading future books in the series.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin s/Minotaur for allowing me to review this book.

Madeline Brinkley inherits a bookstore from her Aunt Rose that just passed away . Someone does not want her there and sabotages things to scare her away, but Maddie did not expect one of the things to be murder when a body was found in the store.

I enjoyed this book. A cute cozy easy read. You will enjoy.

3.5 stars. Cute start to a new cozy mystery series set in small-town. GA. Madeline Brimley moves back to Enigma, GA after her aunt dies. She has inherited her home/bookshop. But from the start, everything that can go wrong does. The 100-year-old historic gazebo is burned down on Madeline's first day there. She gets threatening phone calls. And to make matters even worse, the adorable college student Madeline hires to help out, is murdered on her first night in the bookshop. Madeline ends up putting on her Nancy Drew hat and investigating who on earth could have wanted to hurt Tandy.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-arc.*