Booked For Murder follows Madeline Brimely as she returns to her hometown in Enigma, Georgia after her Aunt Rose dies. Madeline tried to make it as an actress but never succeeded. Madeline inherits the Old Juniper Bookstore from her aunt.
Madeline decides to be an amateur sleuth when some dies. It is quite obvious that someone wants her to leave. Why?
Quirky characters, small southern town.

Thank you NetGalley and Dr. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book.

This was fun! Some parts of it fell flat for me but I enjoyed it anyway. I will definitely look for more P.J. Nelson in the future. I love a good mystery/thriller. Sometimes the conclusions the characters jumped to felt a little silly but- it's fiction so they're forgiven.

When Madeline Brimley, an underemployed actor, inherits a bookstore in the tiny Southern town of Enigma from her beloved Aunt Rose, she must return to the place she fled years before in search of fame and excitement. But her return is just the beginning of the excitement.
A fire that destroyed her garden gazebo on the day of her return and a series of threatening phone calls makes it clear that someone doesn’t want Madeline to stay. Unfortunately, a stipulation in Aunt Rose’s will requires Madeline to live in Enigma for one year before she sells the bookstore.
Dissatisfied that the police will get to the bottom of the threats against her, Madeline begins her own investigation. In the end, her investigating skills are a bit lacking, with most clues dropping into her lap, but the mystery is still engaging.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Madeline returns to her small town in Georgia when her aunt passes away and leaves her The Old Juniper Bookstore. Her first night back the gazebo in the back yard is set on fire followed shortly thereafter by a fire inside and the discovery of a body. With many suspects and a little help Madeline sets out to solve both crimes. A great read for lover's of cozy mysteries. Well written with a few twists and turns along the way.
Thanks to #NetGalley#BookedForMurder#MinotaurBooks for the EARC

Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would give it a 3.5 stars.

I had a lot of fun with this book. As a theatre and book kid I loved all the nudges to plays and music and the arts culture. It was fun watching the FMC navigate going home to the place she grew up.

Some of the negatives and the biggest one for me was how the author described other female characters.

"Her black suit couldn't quite disguise the fact that she was 20 pounds overweight but she was moving with speed and elegance of a dancer, which was a confusing combination of attributes." This was unnecessary and left a very sour taste in my mouth.

Another note is how ridiculous the FMC could be at times. She told everyone she came across absolutely everything. Every time a new character showed up she would mention the house and the murder but then she would also think everyone is the murderer. Girl why are you literally giving every member of the town every piece of information?

Other than that it was still an enjoyable read.

Madeline Brimley left her small hometown in Georgia to go to college and pursue her dream to become an actress like her Aunt Rose. As the book opens, Madeline is returning to the same small town after the death of her Aunt Rose, to take over her bookshop that is run from her Victorian home. Immediately upon her return, the gazebo in her backyard is set on fire and she receives a threatening phone call telling her to leave town. Madeline doesn't leave and enlists the help of her aunt's best friend and the female Episcopalian priest to figure out who is calling her and why. The main premise of the book is about Madeline investigating the suspicious death and fire inside the bookshop that happen shortly after the initial gazebo fire.
This is sold as a smalltown cozy mystery by a debut author, however it's actually just a new pseudonym for an established author. With that in mind, this book was overall fairly unimpressive and lackluster for me. For a small town that she grew up in, there were a lot of people who Madeline didn't know and generally a lot of other plot holes that irked me. The true killer was incredibly easy to spot from a mile away, and overall, this book just didn't pull me in enough to recommend it to other readers. 3 stars from me for this "meh" book. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't read future books in the series.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This book was incredibly hard to get through. It felt like it started incredibly slow for me. And the author tried really hard to be artsy and sophisticated in her descriptions but it came off wrong and made it just feel awkward. It is a girls journey inheriting her aunts bookstore from her dying. But did she die or was she murdered? And her journey through this. Nothing super special to say about the storyline or book. I loved the title and the cover though!

This was a great read! Speaking to the power of family, tradition and how easily it is for us to make assumptions about our own "failures" in life, until we learn that others admired our choices and our strengths, this was a well laid out storyline. They say "you can never go home again" as things always change from the idyllic memories we hold, but sometimes going back to where we started is exactly what we need to learn more about who we have become and how we got to that point. The characters were a fun, eclectic mix and the story contained a great cast that played well for the storyline overall. I was much like Madeline in narrowing down the guilty party - and was surprised by the final reveal of the actual villain! Definitely recommend!

Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson is a fun, fast-paced mystery that had me hooked right from the beginning and never let up.
The main character Madeline Brimley is swept up in intrigue and murder almost immediately after arriving to the bookshop in a Victorian mansion that she inherited from her Aunt Rose. Maddy is relatable in her reactions to what is happening around her, making her likeable and fun. As the mysteries of the threatening phone calls, the arsons, and of course the murder unfold, the reader is treated to layers of storyline that keeps one guessing to the end.
Well-written and fun to read, Nelson has created a cozy mystery that will hopefully spawn a series.
Thank you for the ARC of #BookedforMurder from #NetGalley. #cozymystery #murdermystery #family #friendship

👻 T R O U B L E T U E S D A Y review 👻 featuring “Booked for Murder” by P.J. Nelson!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤/5

Madeline Brimely is back in her hometown of Enigma, Georgia after inheriting her Aunt Rose’s Victorian home and bookshop called The Old Jupiter!

“Three stories tall, gingerbread trim, peeling paint, wraparound porch, balconies, gables, and ripple glass windows, the house itself was a character from some lost Hawthorne novel”.

BUT moments after arriving in her new home, the backyard gazebo gets set on fire and threatening phone calls start up. Someone is telling her to LEAVE the house immediately … and when Madeline doesn’t listen, things turn UGLY … and deadly!

Madeline refuses to be pushed around and intimated by a killer and she must root around in the town’s history and secrets to find out who/what she is dealing with!

Thank you kindly to PJ Nelson @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This cozy mystery releases on December 10, 2024!

Fast paced, small town mystery that will keep you on your toes!

The story begins with Madeline, she is an aging theater actor coming home after her Aunt Rose had died. Madeline has inherited her house and adjoining bookshop. Needless to say, this was not the homecoming she expected when she receives threatening phone calls demanding her to leave the house or die. This escalates to arson and a tragic murder.

The book starts out with a bang and really hooks you. The descriptions are very well done without being too wordy. The side characters were all fun additions that I enjoyed getting to know. I had some suspicions on the killer but I wasn’t sure until the end. I do wish we would have gotten more character development with Rose and Madeline. I felt a bit lost on their history throughout the book. Overall fun quick mystery to snuggle up on the couch with! Be sure to check this one out when it’s released this December!

3.5-4/5

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, & P.J. Nelson for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 Stars (but a high 2.5)

PROS:
* the writing was good!
* i actually laughed out loud a few times, but to be fair, im not sure the parts i laughed at were supposed to be funny or not
* gay people!! yippee!!

CONS:
* the characters were one dimensional and flat. basically all had the same type of personality except for like TWO characters.
* everyone acted like they were over 70. insane lmao
* the mystery of was dull. normally i try to guess and theorize but i couldn't be bothered.

For the most part, it wasn't BAD. I did end up somewhat enjoying it but it's not something i can see myself reading again. But for a debut novel, it wasn't horrible.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for this ARC.

I'm not totally sure if I'll return to the Old Juniper Bookstore or not, but I had a decent time while I was there. While some of the characters weren't for me, nor some of the art/theater references that everyone in town seemed to get and have in common, I think the writing style itself was enjoyable. I didn't love the final reveal or the motive that was chosen, as I think it's a trope that's overdone, but aside from that the mystery was engaging.

Also shout out to some of the rep in this book! I wasn't expecting multiple queer characters but that was a nice surprise.

I'd give this a 2.5 or 2.75 but I'll round up, because I do think this series has a lot of potential.

“Booked for Murder” is a debut novel by PJ Nelson. This story follows Madeline Brimely, whose aunt has died and left her bookstore to Madeline. Madeline decides to return home to take ownership of the bookstore - and strange things begin happening. What I really liked was the small town feeling this book evoked - such as great job! My one issue is the pacing - things started off seemingly with a literal bang - Madeline arrives, then there’s drama (things happen very quickly) then it’s like the author realized that things needed to slow down a bit and develop - which was good, but at the same time, I kinda missed that fast pace as the story developed. Because this is the beginning of a new series, there is some dramatic set-up for future books. I did like the inclusion of some of the side characters. But this book is def a ‘cozy mystery’ - if a bit darker than traditional cozy mysteries. I found this to be a great idea, but I wished that things had been a bit more evenly paced regarding the plot and also regarding some of Madeline’s backstory. I think if you like cozy mysteries - along with Southern charm and a Southern setting - this may be a book you’d like reading.

This was such a fun, cozy mystery! While almost all of the characters annoyed me on and off throughout the story, I think it emphasized part of the quirky vibe of the small town so it didn’t deter me from reading. In fact, I couldn’t put the book down! One little thing in the ending feels left out and annoys me so much - but I’m hoping that’s a segway for a series and continued storyline for the characters? Overall, highly recommend if you are in the mood for a quick cozy mystery!

This was not the type of cozy mystery that I enjoy reading. I love a page-turner and this bok was slow-moving. It did not hold my interest and I didn't connect with the characters.

Retired actress Maddie returns to her home town to take over the home and book story her aunt Rose has left her. The welcoming committee is not what she expected. In fact, within fifteen minutes of arriving, someone has set the gazebo out back on fire and she gets the first of several threatening calls. It seems like everything is conspiring to complicate her life including codicils in her aunt’s will that will not allow her to escape the clearly dangerous situation without breaking the conditions of the will. She is stuck.

When a sweet young girl who has managed to charm Maddie in only the few hours they have known each other is killed, Maddie know she cannot flee. She decides to figure out how is behind all the threats and who would kill such a gentle and kind young woman. There are going to be more surprises in store. Before the killer is revealed, Maddie is going to learn that her much vaunted skills at reading human nature are not what she thought they were. People are not whom they seem and she wonders if she can trust her own insights. In fact, she is going to misjudge and that will lead her into some very scary situations.

I really enjoyed the Deep South ambiance of the story and felt like I was transported into the small town of Enigma. Five purrs and two paws up.

This was a great story - it really drew me in right away with all of the different character secrets and how all of those secrets needed to be revealed to get to the conclusion. I would definitely recommend this to others!

Nice cozy mystery with great characters and intrigue! I love how complex each character was, there wasn’t any characters you knew everything about or could get right on the nose from the beginning which I really liked. But each character was well done and felt true!

An incredibly fun and cozy mystery!!! I really enjoyed reading this book, looking forward to reading many more from this author!!