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!!

This book felt like a conundrum to me. I really enjoyed the premise and the overall plot, but It felt a little unfinished. Unless there’s going to be a sequel, I really think this story could have benefited from 20 more pages to tie up some loose ends. Overall though, I found the setting of the bookshop to be intriguing and the cast of characters interesting. Maddy was a little all over the place but that’s what I enjoyed about her.

Cozy mysteries just hit wonderfully when done right, and this one was absolute perfection. I particularly adored it because it was about a woman who inherited a bookstore! I mean what booklover doesn’t dream of this happening. In my dreams its always a long lost aunt and in a small coastal town and I’ve also inherited a beautiful house (because this economy, am I right?!). This book is set in the south, and it was utterly atmospheric. I haven’t spent much time in the south myself, I live in the far Northwest, so it’s always a nice treat to be transported to southern towns in my reads, and this book fit the bill and delivered. The characters in this book are so well done. I felt like I had made so many new friends over the course of this book and it was wonderful. I enjoyed how this is a new series, and the ending wrapped things up, while leaving me wanting more and ready for the next book.

Make sure you add this one to your TBR! It is so cute and won’t disappoint.

A thoroughly enjoyable book. I loved all of the twists and turns in I
When Madeline returns to the town she grew up in, it was to claim an inheritance from her beloved Aunt Rose. Her first night there the gazebo in her back yard was set on fire. Then she got an ominous phone call telling her to get out. Then a young girl is killed in the bookstore
While investigating the fire and the murder she not only finds love but forgiveness for things that have happened
.

A fun cozy murder mystery! This one was a little more "real". Most cozy mysteries are in some sort of cute little seaside town with quaint houses and stores. This one was set in a small rural south Georgia town that is run down and struggling to survive. Somehow P.J. Nelson still managed to make this quaint in a different kind of way. The characters are fun and this was an easy read. Lots of doors left open with many characters for a book #2.

You can’t go wrong with a book that is set in a book store! I loved the story line it was interesting and kept me guessing but also not crazy gruesome or dark. I enjoyed the strong female characters. I will be looking for a sequel to this in the future!

This was a really great mystery and a fast read. I really enjoyed Maddy and her meddling in the investigation even at times I wanted to strangle her since she kept putting herself in danger after she was counseled to stay away from the suspects. Maddy goes back home to take over the bookstore her Aunt left her in her will and right as she gets there someone burns down the gazebo in the backyard and she starts getting threatening phone calls telling her to leave or she will be burned with the house. When the college student she lets sleep on her couch is murdered while the front door is set ablaze she realizes that she needs to take the threats seriously and starts trying to figure out who the culprit is with the help of new local Pastor Gloria and her Aunts BFF Philomena. I loved the twists and this kept me guessing until the very end on who the culprit was.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC! I really liked this. Fun characters & very fast-paced! Also good cozy vibes. Will definitely read more from this author.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I always love the premise of someone inheriting a bookstore. This one has some drama right from the start. The story kept my attention as there are a number of unpredictable characters, but I have to say that I am annoyed by the premise that laypeople are always making a LOT of stupid mistakes confronting people they think are murderers by themselves. Surely you can be smarter about solving a crime.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Booked for Murder was a fun little cozy mystery about Maddy who inherits her Aunts bookstore in small college town Georgia. Immediately upon arriving things start to go south with fire, anonymous phone calls, and murder.

I enjoyed this book! There was a lot of theatre talk which does nothing for me (sorry) but I also found the characters endearing. Mandy did get a little irritating about 75% through but she redeemed herself.

Booked for Murder is the first in a series and releases December 10, 2024!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! While the title is clever, it also simultaneously could be the name of a Hallmark movie so I went into cautious. From very early on (I'm talking by chapter 3) I was hooked. I read this really fast in part because the writing is not clunky at all and because the mystery genuinely kept me intrigued. I am impressed by Nelson because this is a DEBUT novel and I will definitely be looking out for more by this author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PJ Nelson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Booked for Murder coming out December 10, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy mysteries, so I was excited to check this one out. I thought Madeline was a great character. It’s always awesome when the main character inherits a house or bookstore! I thought it has a great cast of characters. There was definitely some small town Southern drama. I would definitely check out more books in the series!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys southern cozy mysteries!

Madeline Brimley moves home to Enigma, GA, after the sudden death of her aunt Rose. She inherits her cozy bookstore and beautiful manor. But on her first night back in Enigma, her gazebo is set on fire and she receives a threatening call. Then, a few days later, a resident of the town is murdered!

This was an interesting mystery. I was not sure who the culprit was up until the last moment. It was a complex situation, only complicated further by small town dynamics.

Madeline as a main character was pretty infuriating at times. She definitely made some questionable decisions while trying to solve the mystery. I think my favorite character was Gloria and Cannonball the cat.

Madeline left her town in Georgia years ago to pursue and acting career. he has had moderate success when her aunt Rose passes away and leaves her a bookstore in her hometown. She returns home to find that not everyone wants her bac. The gazebo at the house is set on fire. She gets warning calls. There is another fire and a murder in her store that Madeline is determined to solve.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

This one had lots of things I love about cozy mysteries. A quirky setting, a bookstore, a murder mystery, set in the south and a feisty heroine. It was a good read and I read it in an afternoon. The characters were fleshed out for the most part and the plot was well executed.

Where the book fell short for me was that it wasn’t memorable. It was such a quick read that when I sat down on two occasions to write a review, I honestly couldn’t remember a lot about what happened in the story. It just didn’t stay with me for long. While I was reading it, I liked it well enough. Sadly, it wasn’t very memorable. It looks like it’s been set up to be a series and I enjoyed it enough to probably read the next one, but I’ll have to refresh my memory to recall what happened in this one.

The writer has excellent skills in characterization and plotting and I wish something had stood out to make the book resonate more and stay with me.

I’m giving it four stars as it was well-written and I think perhaps I have merely read too many books that are similar and it’s a “me” problem as opposed to a problem with the work.