I am a “cozy mystery” fan and especially after reading a wonderfully and interesting historical fiction book or a nail biting murder mystery. But this book fell short for me. The main character, Mandy, was unlikeable to me. The bright side were the many references to poetic stanzas, Shakespeare and other notable writing references. I found myself wishing for the end and not really caring who the murderer was………..I cannot expound anymore as it would contain spoiler.s. Thank you NetGalley and st. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #BookedForMurder, #St.Martin’sPress/MinotaurBooks.

"Booked For Murder" by P. J. Nelson unfolds like a cozy quilt on a chilly evening, wrapping readers in the warmth of small-town intrigue and the charm of its characters. In this delightful murder mystery, protagonist Madeline Brimley finds herself unexpectedly inheriting a bookstore in Enigma, Georgia, after the passing of her Aunt Rose. Nelson deftly paints the picture of Madeline's transition from her bustling life as an aspiring actress in New York and Atlanta to the slower pace of Enigma, where old acquaintances and new faces intertwine in a web of secrets and suspicions.

What sets "Booked For Murder" apart is its ensemble cast of characters, each with their own motives and secrets lurking beneath the surface. From the enigmatic Philomena to the steadfast Gloria and the endearing Tandy, Nelson crafts a tapestry of personalities that adds depth and richness to the narrative. As threatening phone calls escalate into a tragic stabbing within the confines of the bookstore, Madeline finds herself thrust into a whirlwind of suspicion and intrigue, where everyone becomes a potential suspect.

Nelson masterfully weaves a tangled web of clues and red herrings, keeping readers guessing until the very end. Just when one believes they have unraveled the mystery, a new twist emerges, leading to a satisfying conclusion that ties up loose ends while leaving room for future adventures.

One of the standout features of "Booked For Murder" is its ability to keep readers engaged and guessing throughout. Nelson's skillful plotting ensures that no character is beyond suspicion, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Madeline's quest for justice. The revelation of the truth behind Tandy's death is both surprising and satisfying, a testament to Nelson's ability to craft a compelling mystery.

Overall, "Booked For Murder" is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries and small-town intrigue alike. With its engaging characters, clever plotting, and charming setting, it's a book that is sure to keep readers entertained from beginning to end!

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Publishing, and author P.J. Nelson for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203579269-booked-for-murder" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Booked for Murder (An Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery, 1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1713486378l/203579269._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203579269-booked-for-murder">Booked for Murder</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47314471.P_J_Nelson">P. J. Nelson</a><br/>
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Madeline’s Aunt Rose has died & left her the Old Juniper Bookstore in small town Engima, Georgia. <br />Despite having grown up in Engima, Madeline has been away for a long while and it is very clear that someone does not want her to stay. <br />This book does so much well. Engima is a character & a well crafted one. The actual characters are interesting & quirky as it should be in any small southern town.😀 And the southern flair (I’m an born & raised southerner!) is light but authentic. The mystery at the center of the story was twisty enough to keep me interested (though I did get a tiny bit tired of Madeline playing amateur detective in the middle). <br />The ending was satisfying but left lots of room for more in the series. (And the cover is great!)<br /><br />Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this fun cozy mystery.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3104275-dana-m">View all my reviews</a>

Booked for Murder is a cozy mystery. While I did find it to be a bit predictable, I also found it quite enjoyable. I like P.J. Nelson's writing style. The characters were well written. I would read more if available.

(3.5) This book starts out with Madeline inheriting a bookstore and house from her recently deceased aunt, but there are certain conditions. We end up with arson, a murder and some somewhat shady characters. Madeline joins with 2 other women to try to solve the murder.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough twists for me and I was able to predict much of what was to come.

This is a quick, easy read and I have hope for the remainder of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for a review!

Booked for Murder is a solid, if a little predictable, debut cozy mystery. It is set in a quaint little Georgia town. Madeline Brimley, a former actress, has inherited her eccentric aunt’s bookstore which is housed in a Victorian mansion. Upon her arrival at Old Juniper Books Madeline quickly discovers that things are not as quiet as they seem in Enigma Georgia.

The story starts quickly with her gazebo on fire and a late night threatening call. Someone does not want Madeline to take over the bookstore. With her deceased aunt’s friends at her side, Madeline stays the course and works to discover who started the gazebo fire, who is calling, and what her aunt’s secrets are.

Pacing and plot of the mystery were great, there are interesting twists in the middle. Unfortunately, the ending was a little disappointing and too basic for my liking. As I was reading I was comparing this story to Happily Ever After by Susan May Warren. There were quite a few similarities. I think Happily Ever After was a better overall book, with richer side characters, but I see great potential for P. J. Nelson to write more in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ebook for review.

Set in a bookshop is good, and with a cat is even better. There are enough twists and turns and red herrings in this book to almost keep the reader from figuring out who the killer is ahead of the protagonist. Madeline is not too dumb and not too naive, and mostly her poor choices seem to be due to her being stubborn or overwhelmed. I was sort of hoping by halfway through the book that she'd meet with near deadly consequences for all her more reckless decisions, but her character does develop just enough that I didn't dislike her so much by the end. It's not an instant favorite, but I will probably watch for the next book in this series.

This book is a sweet, feel-good, small-town murder mystery that envelops you in the lives of the characters and the town. It was soothing and cozy to read, and I loved how I could feel the sheer appreciation for literature and theatre in the novel.
While the book is light hearted, the side plots about family, death, identity, etc are very much so grounded in true human complexities. I enjoyed getting to see how the main character reconciles with her aunt's death as she forms new friendships and relationships.
The pacing of the mystery is steady, but the major plot twists seem to be just more characters that are surprisingly deceptive to our steadfast and stubborn protagonist. Her sidekicks (or friends) have great, vibrant personalities that add to their search for the truth. I appreciated the exploration of identity in relation to solving Tandy's murder.
My only major bone to pick is that I prefer my mystery novels to be suspenseful either in writing or in story, and in this case, the narration was a bit too on the nose to keep me second guessing every character.
Review: 3/5
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Madeline Brimley inherits an eccentric bookstore in the small town of Enigma after her aunt Rose's death, but her plans for a fresh start are derailed by mysterious fires, threats, and a murder, compelling her to uncover deadly secrets to clear her name.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, consider giving this one a shot; it's the start of a series, with a straightforward and linear narrative following Madeline's time in Enigma as she interacts with townspeople and untangles the mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

inheritance, hometown, small-business, small-town, bookseller, arson, murder, amateur-sleuth, threats, Southern-mystery, cozy-fiction, rural, friends, friendship, investigations, witty, new-series, Georgia, first-in-series, local-law-enforcement, local-history, local-gossip, secrets, lies, suspicion, suspense, actors****

She inherits a bookstore (with strings attached), an arsonist, a murderer, friends old and new, and finds that she is more comfortable now in her old home town than she had been in NYC or Atlanta.
Some of the plot needs tightening up, but the characters are engaging and the basic plot is stellar with its twists and humorous one liners.
The series will need some work, but it's off to a good start and will certainly keep getting better. I liked it a lot.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you! Pub Date Dec 10 2024
#OldJuniperBookstoreMysteriesBk1

This was an okay read for me. I believe this may be the first book in a series as there are some unsettled scenarios that seemed to be brewing at the end. I liked the main characters (especially Gloria) and some unexpected events added to the intrigue of this cozy mystery but maybe a bit too fluffy for my taste. If it is a series, I would have no desire to pick up the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the pre-read.

When a jogger finds a body on the beach a whole set of dangerous events unfold in this fifth book in the Texas Murder Files. Detectives Nicole Lawson and Emmet Davis get involved in the case.

The jogger seems strangely reluctant to be a witness and Nicole is sure she is keeping secrets. She's right. Cassandra Miller is on the run and fears that her abusive husband isn't far behind. She's sure that he wants her dead but she's afraid to trust anyone with her secrets.

When Cassandra's boss at the yoga center dies in a suspicious car accident, Cassandra is even more sure that her husband has found her.

Meanwhile, Nicole and Emmet are busy investigating the two deaths after determining that the first was not a suicide and the second was not the result of some health issue. Nicole and Emmet are also fighting an attraction that has been growing since they were teenagers. Ten years of working together hasn't made the attraction any less. But working together in a small police force is part of the problem.

This was an excellent romantic suspense title with just enough action and just enough romance.

I was hooked! I was not expecting those twists and I loved that! I really enjoyed this cozy bookstore mystery and I really hope it's the start of series with these characters!!

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for my digital ARC!

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Publishing, and author P.J. Nelson for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Booked for Murder was a quick, fun read with a likable main character Maddy, who returns to small town life when her aunt bequeaths her Enigma bookstore to her. The mysteries begin when the bookstore’s backyard gazebo is set on fire, anonymous threats transpire, and a murder occur that the women do their best to solve. I really enjoyed the setting and found Booked for Murder to be an entertaining murder mystery with a plot twist. I can't wait to recommend this read!

A mystery in a bookstore what could be better. The description of the house and surroundings was well done. Book had a very serious tone to it and the characters well done. You really get the sense of returning home to a small town and the loss of a loved one. Solid read

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Publishing, and author P.J. Nelson for my ARC review. I enjoyed this book by (new to me) author P.J. Nelson. Booked for Murder was a quick, fun read with a likable main character Maddy, who returns to small town life when her aunt bequeaths her Enigma bookstore to her. The mysteries begin when the bookstore’s backyard gazebo is set on fire, anonymous threats transpire, and a murder occur that the women do their best to solve. I really enjoyed the setting and found Booked for Murder to be an entertaining murder mystery with a plot twist that made this novel recommendable!

This cozy mystery with a "whodunnit" plot includes lovely descriptions about Madeline's bookstore and home. At times I was rooting for Madeline, but other times I found her hard to like. A quick fun read, but not the most sastisfying I've read in the genre. Thank you for the opportunity to provide my honest review!

So Madeline inherits the house/bookstore her actress Aunt Rose lived in. No sooner does she move in but a fire gets set in the Gazabo and then threatening phone calls start. Then someone gets murdered and all Maddy can think about is who's trying to kill her? Forget about the one who got murdered. I thought this book took a bad turn after that and threw it down. I don't have time to read badly scripted charecters or poor plot line. Free ARC aside.

I really loved this book and felt like it was a fun read! I love a good small town vibe with a little murder mystery vibe!
I’m hoping that there is a follow up to this story so we can see what’s next! :) perfect for anyone who loves “ who dunnit” books!
I would love to read more by this author!!

I enjoyed this book so much. Maddy was an interesting character and I loved our murder mystery adventure. Great plot twist.