I love any type of cozy set in a bookstore or that has a book theme so this first in a series by P.J. Nelson was on my to be read list. This is a wonderful start to a new series. I love the bookstore element of the story. The author does a really nice job of capturing the feel of a small town and she populates it with interesting characters that kept my attention. I'm looking forward for more stories in this series.

This is a cozy mystery with interesting characters in a small Georgia town. Madeline is brought back to her hometown after the death of her beloved Aunt Rose. She has inherited a large Victorian home with a bookshop on the main level. Before she can unpack her suitcase a fire destroys the historic gazebo in her backyard. Then another fire at the front door and the murder of a sweet hometown girl in the bookstore has Madeline wondering if she should have stayed in Atlanta. Dr. Philomena Waldrop, her aunt’s best friend, is there to comfort her and help find a handsome handyman to rebuild the structure. Many suspects and secrets are revealed with the help of a police officer and female Episcopalian priest.

"Booked for Murder" by P.J. Nelson is a masterfully crafted mystery novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This book is a must-read for any fan of the genre, combining a gripping plot, well-developed characters, and unexpected twists that leave you guessing until the very last page.

From the moment I picked up "Booked for Murder," I was hooked. Nelson's writing is engaging and immersive, pulling you into the world of the protagonist, Detective Emma Thornton. Emma is a relatable and compelling character, whose determination and keen instincts make her the perfect lead for this thrilling tale. Her personal struggles and professional challenges are portrayed with such depth that you can't help but root for her throughout the story.

The plot of "Booked for Murder" is intricately woven and full of surprises. Nelson has a knack for building suspense, and just when you think you have figured out the mystery, another layer is added, keeping you thoroughly engrossed. The setting of the quaint yet ominous town adds to the atmospheric tension, making every page turn an exciting experience.

One of the standout aspects of this book is the cast of secondary characters. Each one is vividly drawn and adds richness to the narrative. The interplay between these characters, and their individual backstories, are expertly integrated into the main plot, providing depth and context to the unfolding mystery.

Nelson's attention to detail is impeccable, particularly in the way she describes the investigative process. The procedural elements are realistic and well-researched, adding authenticity to the story without bogging down the pace. The dialogue is sharp and natural, enhancing the dynamic between characters and driving the plot forward.

The resolution of the mystery is both satisfying and thought-provoking. Nelson ties up the various threads of the narrative with skill, ensuring that all questions are answered and leaving the reader with a sense of closure. The final twist is both surprising and fitting, a testament to Nelson's talent for storytelling.

In conclusion, "Booked for Murder" is a stellar addition to the mystery genre. P.J. Nelson has crafted a novel that is not only entertaining but also intellectually stimulating. This book is perfect for readers who love a well-plotted mystery with complex characters and plenty of suspense. I highly recommend "Booked for Murder" to anyone looking for a thrilling and satisfying read. It deserves every one of its five stars. All thoughts and opinions are mine, and my own only.

Thank you NetGalley and P.J. Nelson for the ARC read.

Booked For Murder is P.J Nelson’s debut novel. The story follows former star, Madeline Brimely back to her hometown in Enigma, GA. After Madeline’s aunt dies, she inherits her bookstore. Not too long after she arrives does she begin to receive death threats. Trouble and her seem to mix as small town secrets begin to unfold.

I really loved the concept of Booked for Murder. P.J. Nelson does a good job of hooking the reader in the beginning scenes of the book. The author truly nails the depiction of small town live when things such as crime and gossip start to arise.

There were a couple of slower spots in the book for me where I was expecting something bigger to happen, but it never came. I did enjoy the book but wish there was a little more suspense to the book. I know it is a cozy mystery, but some of the parts were a little predictable. I wish some of the characters were a developed a little more throughout the story as well. We got pieces of people’s story, but I was still left with some questions toward the end. I’m guessing there will be more as it says mystery #1, I hope so because I would love to see how the rest of the story develops.

Overall, this was a good book that I did enjoy reading and would recommend it if you enjoy myseries.

3.5 stars rounded down | Simply put, this book is fine. It's not great, it's not terrible. I love mysteries, thrillers and suspense, but will admit I don't read too many cozy mysteries. Because cozy mysteries often don't have the suspense element, they usually make up for it in plot and interesting character. This book fell flat in both areas. Though there were some interesting characters, there was simply too many of them. The plot was intriguing in theory but was too slow and drawn out. This might be a good read for someone who enjoys a slower mystery, but it wasn't right for me.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I loved the cover and the synopsis, but the writing just felt so juvenile and rushed.
The characters were basically hormonal 12 year olds, and the setting (which could have been so beautiful and eerie) felt lackluster. The plot was rushed, unbelievable, and read like something out of a middle school book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a cozy mystery that I would have loved to read in the fall since in takes place in October (but still enjoyed reading it)!! It was a quick, but interesting read. I liked the little twist and character development throughout the book. I do wish the romance you feel brewing would have developed a bit more. There was one part at the end that I wish would have been revealed and story would have finished being told. I feel like it just abruptly ended on that conversation. I would read the second book to get that missing piece, but I don't feel like it's going to make the second book, so it definitely could have been included in the first book. Overall I liked the book and would read the next in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC copy.

This was the first book I’ve read from P.J. Nelson. This is a cozy small town murder mystery that takes place in October.

Madeline inherits a book store from her aunt and begins to run it, but someone keeps threatening her to leave town. The gazebo is set on fire when she first moves in. Then someone is murdered inside the bookstore and the entrance is set on fire to cover it up. Maddy then gets into detective mode to find out who murdered her friend and who is trying to run her out of town.

Overall, this was a solid read that kept me entertained even though some parts were predictable. I love reading books about books, so if you’re into that with a hint of murder mystery pick this one up.

This one feels like a trip through home (with a dash of mystery of course). The feeling of the humidity and heat. The pop up storms turning into sunny days and small town gossip circles. There is no such thing as road names in directions. They exist, don't get me wrong. But, if you don't have someone giving directions based on landmarks you haven't talked to a small town person yet. Nothing is secret and everyone knows when something happens regardless of the time of day. This isn't me saying all little towns in GA are gossip mills or feels like the belly of Hell at some points in the year. I'm sure there are a number of y'all who can also declare that too for your own towns. The beginning of this story and throughout most of it really just spoke to the little towns I grew up in in the south. Also, before I jump into the big part of the review, Enigma, GA IS a real place in this state. And just like she says in the book, feel free to check a map! 

The writing for this one was alright. There was smooth conversations amongst the characters. The descriptions were clear and set the scenes fairly well. I think there were a few jokes that fell short for me or maybe came across trying to land. The characters actually comment on them to giving us "tough crowd" moments. Get ready to increase your vocabulary with this one though. There are a few characters who are very well educated and the author scatters their academic vocab words throughout the whole book. So keep a dictionary nearby, because dang. I don't quite understand times when the author over explained scenes. One that stands out is when a character talks to us about writing a letter to another. It goes on and on about the feelings pouring onto the pages, waiting to hear back, etc. etc. It could very well be my age speaking, but that whole moment just felt like I was being talked down to in that whole monologue. It could have been a quick "you all and this instant gratification" shtick, but instead I read about the entire mailing process, and I mean that literally, for a couple of pages.

I personally found Maddie to be abrupt, rude, and a tad self-centered. She was incredibly quick to judge everyone around her and held tightly onto that judgement until something irrefutable slammed into her. The grudges this woman can hold and create would make a priest proud with the level of dedication she commits. There is very little respect for others and their jobs. One example of this is her interactions with the officer helping her the whole time. He is someone she use to babysit, which means he is forever a kid in her eyes. Fuck what he is capable of as an officer or the fact it's been 20+ years and he's a grown adult - wife and family now too. She approaches every conversation and interaction as if he's a kid and doesn't know squat and she can do better. And then the moments when she gets all butt hurt over the little stuff! Like when the fire fighter thought she might have caused a fire because he simply doesn't know her, and it's his JOB to look at all suspects. Or when people aren't taking her seriously with the theories she has. Not to mention that she is changing her "absolutely correct" accusations every other phone call. Or how about when someone else is talking, she cuts them off to talk about her thoughts, then tunes out what they are saying, to find out later they were right and she's upset she was wrong. As a MC, she was annoying to me. I liked that she certainly spoke her mind to everyone. She wasn't afraid to jump into conversations and just jumped straight into every situation that came up, which was nice - no fluff or waiting around, straight doing. But damn, her nosiness was almost on the aggressive side of poking around. That's saying something for a mystery novel too.

It was a cute mystery story for sure despite my conflicts with the MC and some writing choices. The fact we got such an in your face murder and so suddenly (not that murder ISN'T sudden) caught me off guard. It didn't follow the traditional path of a cozy mystery, which isn't a bad thing - nice change of pace. But to happen to someone who seemed like was a developing character was kind of crazy. It had a good little twist and the reveal wasn't badly done either. You can probably guess the "who dunnit" once you've met everyone, so the ending wasn't a big surprise. There was of course a romantic interest, but was strictly flirting and seemed to even drift to a close at the end. There were a few conversations that never concluded and I was hung up on them - there's a joke the reverend kept trying to tell us half of the book that we never got the punch line and who the heck Faye is/was/who knows. So, that complaint is probably is probably putting me in minority opinion there. I am absolutely a person who gets caught on uncompleted conversations, especially if they keep continuously popping up and snagging my attention. Overall, I'm quite happy that I gave this one a chance and read it. If you are looking for a little mystery novel to read, I'd say give it a try. It at least gives you a little look into small town life and has a decent mystery scooting along in the background.

Thank you for the E Arc NetGalley and St Martins Press. Booked for Murder is just what I needed. The characters are interesting although I did want to see the love interest play put a little more. We have murder, we have romance, intrigue, bad guys, good guys and everything in between. We also have found family which I love. Great read all around.

Booked for Murder by P.J Nelson sounded promising . Unfortunately , I found the book to be slow, dull and predictable . I usually can read a book in a couple days if not a few hours but this one took a long time to finish . I had to force myself to finish so I could give an honest review . I love the idea the author was trying to convey but it just didn’t hit for me . This is a miss .

I was selected on #NetGalley to review Booked For Murder by P. J. Nelson and this is my review!

Imagine a warm cup of enticing coffee, as you bring it to your lips and take that first glorious sip… it burns you. That doesn’t stop the coffee from being delicious. You continue on until the last drop. That is this book. It’s cozy, mysterious, and enlightening.

Madeline Brimley returns to the small town in Georgia she grew up in after inheriting Juniper Bookshop from her eccentric Aunt Rose. Right away she runs into trouble. Arson, threatening phone calls, and a sweet local girl is murdered in her store. Madeline is all of us with her impulsiveness; the way she talks to her cat, Cannonball, like he’s a human; and her certainty that a good cuppa can fix just about anything. This book is a quick and easy read that keeps you guessing while warming your soul.

3.5 / 5 ⭐️

A cozy mystery, this book takes you on an adventure to not only discover the killer, but also on one of self-discovery. The one thing that rings true in this story is that “everybody is capable of telling a lie that anybody else will believe”.

Madeline Brimley returns to Enigma, Georgia after leaving it, her recently desceased Aunt Rose, and the Old Juniper Bookshop behind to pursue her acting dreams. She doesn’t know why she truly decided to come back, but in doing so, she gets more than she originally had bargained for. The gazebo is burnt down, she receives phone threats, and sweet Tandy Fletcher is killed, all within the first few days of her return. She then learns that she cannot legally leave, so she decides to take it upon herself to solve the mysteries that have begun to surround her.

Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick and cozy mystery, filled with action, emotion, and cozy-small-town vibes.

In this atmospheric southern cozy debut, Madeline Brimley returns to the bookstore she inherited, discovering that small towns hold deadly secrets.

I loved this book. I will admit that it was slow at certain parts, but I loved the whodunit vibes. I had about 2 people on my suspect list... but it kept changing with all the new information we were getting. The ending was satisfying, and I know there's still so many questions, but I'm positive they'll all be answered in book 2. We just have to wait for a long while. 😩

2.5 stars rounded up to 3, just because the concept was neat and original.

What I liked:
- The concept as stated above
- The different turns and twists

What I didn’t like
- the ending, there were so many unfinished pieces (I thought we’d learn more about Rose and her “secrets”, the story of “Faye”, the firefighter? So many questions)
- it felt like so many things were introduced to never get closure (this might be redundant to my previous bullet point but it was really frustrating)
- the constant references to acting. We get it. She was an actor….
- the random interruptions, finally at the end we THINK we are going to learn about “Faye” and then an interruption about her car? I don’t understand or see the value it added to the story personally
- the main characters arrogance. At one point she’s Lists “lies” told her and one is literally the officer (Billy) has a “hidden” investigation?? He just didn’t tell her? He’s an officer, and there was a murder? Why should he report to her? It wasn’t hidden.
- the predictably; I predicted both “twists” pretty early on


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

📝 Quick Summary:
Madeline’s aunt has passed away, and she inherits her Victorian home that houses a bookstore. As she spent a lot of time there as a child, it almost felt like coming home, however, for the past few weeks, the store has been closed due to her passing. The old and dusty home doesn’t have electricity, and she thinks it’s a slip up due to her aunt not making payments. As she walks through the house, and looks through the empty cabinets and fridge, she has a sense of being watched. As a fire, threatening phone calls, and a murder take place in her home in the first two days she has moved back, she is determined to find out who this person is. As she finds two alliances to work with, they set off on securing her home, and her safety, while hunting down the mysterious caller.

💡 Thoughts and Feelings:
The first 20% of the book literally jumpstarts all the madness and I felt like I didn’t know many of the characters quite that well. I wish there was some more development on their relationships, so I could feel differently when things went down. Madeline has a lot of confidence for someone who should be terrified…. Or is it just me, thinking I would be absolutely terrified, if I was going through her ordeal? This mystery isn’t very thriller-ish, but more of a cozy, small town mystery vibe where the main character wants to solve the mystery herself and be a badass. She did have a lot of growth throughout the novel.

👍🏻or👎🏻: This was definitely a cozy mystery read, nothing too terrifying, but easy to read and get into. If you want a lighter, can probably determine the twists and turns, type of novel, this one’s for you! It’s the first in a series too, so I’m hopeful for the next one to become a little more deep.

⭐️ Overall Rating: 3.5 🌟

This arc was provided by the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

Having escaped the small town of Enigma, Georgia to pursue a career as an actress, Maddie finds herself right back where she started when her eccentric Aunt Rose dies leaving her the old house in which she lived and ran the local bookstore. Finding that acting jobs are drying up for women past a certain age, and having no real home of her own, Maddie takes over running the bookstore and meets all the small town characters that were involved in Aunt Rose's life. Unfortunately, one of those people wants her out of the house and attempts to burn the house down. With telephone threats, fires, and the murder of a young girl in the bookstore, Maddie is determined to figure out who is the murderer before the local police officer, (who she actually used to babysit) does.

With a cast of small town locals (who often have more knowledge then they present), author P.J. Nelson keeps the reader guessing which potential suspects had the right amount of motive to commit a murder. A chance or two at possible romance sneaks into the plot with both a handsome landscaper/builder and a hunky firefighter. Assuming there will be more books in the series, readers will have to wait to see how Maddie's romantic life develops in a place called Enigma.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson This was a fun cozy mystery with well developed characters. The main character wasn’t as likable as I think she should be. But entertaining nevertheless. Thank you to NetGalley.

I reviewed this book for honest feedback.

This had a lot of potential. I felt like parts were very well done, and others felt more like incomplete thoughts. Some of the relationships between characters were choppy feeling. I honestly liked the idea behind this whole story, I just felt cheated at times.

3.5 stars

This was a fun read, good pacing and setting was well chosen. I always enjoy following characters returning to their hometowns after a long absence, especially when they have complex feelings about it. With a relatively minimal cast of characters, it still kept me guessing (and second-guessing) until the final reveal.

I do feel like some plot threads were dropped at times, but overall it's a satisfying, cozy read.