If you could include every southern stereotype and add a too stupid to live lead character, this would be the book. Madeleine Brimley returns to Enigma, Georgia to takeover the bookstore she inherited from her aunt. When someone burns down the gazebo in her back yard, then Madeleine receives a threatening phone call, she decides to investigate, totally disregarding the young, trained police officer who tells her not to. I did not enjoy this book because of the TSTL character who did very dangerous interviews with suspects.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the first book in the "Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery" series by P, J. Nelson.
Madeline Brimley has returned to the small town where she has inherited a bookstore/home from her aunt Rose; but seemingly almost the moment she's returned, the property is the victim of arson, and Madeline is threatened with imminent death if she doesn't get out.
Determined not to be forced into leaving her beloved bookstore, Madeline presses on ( and even attempts to investigate), but when another fire and a major crime are committed on the premises, she begins to realize that someone really has it in for her and wonders just who that might be - after all, she's barely just returned.
P. J. Nelson has crafted a good little mystery, with all of the hallmarks of the 'cozy' genre, and I look forward to seeing where this series might go.

I really enjoyed the premise, but the main character got a bit annoying at times. Some of her actions veered on Too Stupid To Live territory. I was pleased with the conclusion of the mystery.

I was 100% influenced to read this book by the cover alone. So pretty! The story was very cozy-ish in the small town way and loved the idea of living in a book store. However, the story was slow moving and I found myself wanting more. The outcome of the mystery I could guess fairly early on as well.

This was the perfect mystery book to get me out of a reading slump. It takes place in a bookshop in the fall. Could it be any cozier? The characters are lovable but flawed and I appreciate that. Think stars hollow but with crime!

Madeline inherits a bookstore after her Aunt Roses death in a small town in Georgia. Upon her takeover of bookstore, some arson and a murder happen in and near the books tore that leaves the small town rattled.

Madeline takes action to help to solve the crimes so she no longer feels threatened in her place of work

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to P.J. Nelson and NetGalley for this arc.
The story follows former star, Madeline Brimely back to her hometown in Enigma, GA. She inherits her Aunt’s bookstore after her passing. Not too long after she arrives death threats, trouble, and mystery begin to follow her.
I loved the concept of Booked for Murder. Living in a small town in Georgia myself I think the author truly nails the depiction of small town life. Where everyone is always in everyone else’s business. Gossip truly does travel fast.
I enjoyed this book but there were some slower parts where I was expecting more to happen. Some parts were just a bit too predictable for me.

Overall, this was a good book that I would recommend this book if you like cozy mysteries.

I loved the idea of this book, but it fell a little flat for me. My biggest issue was that the main character, Madeline, is obnoxious. She's frequently rude, self-centered, abrupt and is a terrible amateur sleuth. Madeline and her friend, Philomena, frequently jump from one conclusion to the next about who the killer is with no evidence and become absolutely sure that person is the killer. Then, before long, they learn something else and are absolutely positive someone else is the killer. It was annoying. Philomena came off as very unstable for a psychology professor and I really didn't like her either. Gloria was fun though and I enjoyed her character a lot. I was annoyed that Gloria kept trying to tell a joke and Madeline interrupted her every time, so we never got to hear it. Another thing I didn't like is that the case isn't solved due to them finding clues and figuring it out. That made the whole investigation seem pointless. Overall, this wasn't a bad book but due to my distaste for the main character I won't be continuing the series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This review is my opinion and my opinion on,y. Thank you St Martin Press and Netgalley. P.J. Nelson is a new author for me. I’m sad to say I didn’t connect with the story. This book is not for me, but you might like it.

I am a sucker for cozy mysteries set in a bookshop. Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson did not disappoint. Madeline Brimley is at the nadir of her acting career when her beloved aunt dies, leaving her a bookstore in her hometown of Enigma, Georgia. Madeline returns to Enigma to claim her legacy, but is torn between staying in town or resuming her lackluster career in Atlanta. Mayhem begins on the first night with an arson in the backyard – destroying the popular make-out gazebo – and mysterious phone calls begin, threatening her if she doesn’t leave. Things get really hot when Madeline’s college student worker is murdered while spending the night in a bedroom over the store. Of course she has to find out who murdered Tandy, not trusting the intelligence of the police chief she used to babysit. There is a lot of good Georgia food and atmosphere in the book, but the writer doesn’t go overboard. I liked the secondary characters who assist Madeline – a female Anglican priest, Auntie’s best friend who turns out to be her lover, and the local handyman cum love interest. This is clearly the start of a series, and I would read another Madeline Brimley mystery. Madeline was a worthy sleuth, who acted with intelligence instead of just blundering around, which has bothered me in a lot of recent cozies I have read. A lot of the characters turned out to have different sides to them, which surprised me and I always like that in a mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. A neat little who- dun-it set in a small town bookstore.
When Madeline’s Aunt Rose dies and leaves her an old bookstore, she’s forced to return to the town she left behind 20 years prior. Things are not quite what they seem and a murder occurs as well as attempts to get her to leave! I enjoyed the characters of Philomena snd Gloria and the plot to find the killer.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for the Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she's left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. 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 Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there's another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Enigma, Georgia is the setting for this charming read. Booked for Murder is a cozy set in and around an old book store. Yes, it's not a new premise by any means, but it still kept my interest thanks to the main character's largely flawed investigation. Madeline leaps from one conclusion to the next (as does one of the main supporting characters), and it became a tad repetitive for my liking.

The conclusion to the death was also quite an anti-climax insofar as it wasn't really because of Madeline's investigative (or lack of) prowess but more down to circumstance.

3 out of 5.

I liked the premise of the book, but there were so many inconsistencies, unresolved plots/loose ends, and character issues, I had a hard time enjoying the book and will not be leaving a review on Goodreads because I don't like to leave negative reviews.. Examples of things that bugged me in no particular order:

* How does Madeline not have a phone? She's an itinerant actor! She'd have a smart phone or at least a cell phone with the ability to text. Totally unbelievable.
* Also, if her car is as banged up as portrayed, a cop would have nailed her.
* Billy is portrayed as not being so bright -- with Phil and Gloria saying he isn't so bright and then saying he knows what he's doing at the end, which is only days after saying he wasn't so smart. If they'd lived in Enigma for years, they should know that Billy is a good cop if he really is.
* The plotline of Philomena having a major breakdown -- and torching the gazebo -- seemed totally abrupt and out of character. And why does everyone in Enigma have a tortured past?
* If it's a college town, with lots of students and faculty, why have nearly all of the shops closed?
* Also, no way could a bookstore like that make money or enough to provide a living for Madeline and allow her to hire someone. (I'm good friends with the owner of an indie bookstore in a place a bit larger than fictional Enigma, and she'd laugh about the Juniper.)
* If Madeline drank as much coffee as portrayed in the book, she'd be a wreck or in a bathroom or a hospital
* Why all the mystery around Rose's will? Where did Rose get her money? Both things were teased and not resolved. Annoying. Also, the bit about Madeline giving half of the store to Phil and then Rusty revealing that that was what Rose had wanted or hoped for at the end was also a big stretch.
* I got whiplash from reading about Bo.
* And really, Madeline fell in love with Tandy after just a day? Tandy sounded great, but that was the world's fastest bonding. And instead of killing Tandy, what about having her seriously injured, be touch-and-go and in a coma instead -- and have her wake up at the end of the book?

Maybe with another round of editing some of these things will be fixed.

Maddy is easy to like when she’s not racing from one extreme to the other, quickly attaching and then detaching from people at times. She often took a clue and ran a little too far with it, jumping to conclusions hastily and making assumptions that were often wrong. I was also a little uncomfortable with her extremely quick attachment to one of her new friends and the subsequent consequences. I see good potential here for future stories. The overall concept was good, but the details needed a little tightening up for consistency of character and better story flow.

This was so fun and cozy! I really enjoyed this and flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I wasn't too sure in the beginning but it turned out to be a good cozy mystery. Inheritance, murder mystery, that kept me reading. I would never have guessed who dun it! I'm looking forward to the next!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

In this atmospheric southern cozy debut, Madeline Brimley returns to the bookstore she inherited, discovering that small towns hold deadly secrets!!
Good book!! This book was definitely a cozy mystery type book but with a bit of grit! It had good suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a good who done it and a few twists and turns! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Booked for Murder is a cute cozy mystery. The murder made me sad because I liked the character that was killed and, like everyone in the book, wondered who would kill such a sweet girl. I instantly thought the death was a case of mistaken identity and was surprised that the main character didn't think so even though she had been threatened. Unlike many cozy mysteries, the police do handle the investigation and are not incompetent. However, Maddie who was once the detective's babysitter doesn't believe in his abilities and tries to investigate herself. Unfortunately, she is terrible at detective work. Her confusion means that the reader isn't given many clear clues as to the identity of the killer. Booked for Murder is a fun, easy read. I hope there is a sequel.

"Booked for Murder" by PJ Nelson is a delightful cozy murder mystery that kept me guessing until the very end! I loved the twists and turns that kept me on my toes, trying to figure out whodunit. While I had some unanswered questions by the end, I'm hoping for a sequel to tie up loose ends.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this engaging mystery. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, add this one to your list!