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.

Madeline returns to her hometown after inheriting her Aunt Rose's bookstore following her aunt's passing. However, things quickly take a dark turn when the gazebo in the backyard is set ablaze and an ominous caller threatens her safety. Determined to uncover the truth, Madeline embarks on her own investigation to solve these troubling events.

I found the character development engaging and enjoyed trying to piece together the clues to identify the culprit. Overall, it was a delightful and quick read cozy mystery.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, & P.J. Nelson for the e-ARC.

I love a cozy mystery, and this book delivered on that front. However, it fell a bit flat for me. I predicted a number of the twists, and the main character was really over the top to a point where it annoyed it a bit. That said, I loved the scene setting and the other characters in the book. I just felt like a lot of their stories could be a bit more developed. This would be a great read for anyone who needs a quick mystery to jump-start their reading habit - I flew through it in one day. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

In Booked For Murder Madeline returns to small town Enigma, Georgia after inheriting a bookstore/Victorian Mansion from her Aunt. Immediately upon her return the old gazebo in the backyard burns down. When threats and a dead body follow Madeline must figure out what's really going on.

This book started out pretty good. There was a bit of a feeling of melancholy going on but the atmosphere was promising with a hint of creepiness and danger. Madeline seemed to be an atypical heroine and I was interested in seeing more of the fire chief. The words flew by for the first 22%.

What changed? I got to know Madeline better for one thing. She continued to be different from other amateur sleuths but I also found less and less to like about her. Her behavior and the way she talks is off putting. The other characters aren't much better. Everyone has a weird way of talking and a little bit of oddness to them.

Madeline doesn't investigate so much as rush into things seemingly without much thought. I was put off by some characters' activities and the response/lack of response by Madeline and others. One of the activities is talked about quite a bit and is portrayed in a way it shouldn't be. The other thing is done by a couple other people and isn't a part of the story but is rather serious yet there is never any comment on it.

The pacing is off later in the book. At one point due to several things that had occurred I thought it was the end of the book.There was still over 20% left though. The pacing is also jerky in the last few chapters.

Overall there is an odd feeling to the book. Even Madeline comments on feeling weird while continuing to act out of it.

A couple positives are a cat and the bookstore sounds like a fun place to shop. I'd also like to see the backyard as it sounds lovely. Unfortunately the rest didn't work for me.

Thank you to Minotaur books for the chance to read!

3 stars 🌟
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. Booked for Murder is a cute book about Madeline Brimley who inherits her late aunts bookstore in small town Georgia. Shortly after arriving in town, the bookstore is lite on fire and someone is dead.
This book definitely gave cozy mystery vibes. I liked the plot but wasn’t invested in the characters so it took e a while to finish the book. The ending was good. Overall I would recommend this book if you are looking for a cozy bookshop mystery book.

Madeline finds she has inherited a bookstore, a place where she found comfort in her life. When there is a murder, she finds she's not the only one who loves the bookstore. I really enjoyed the uncovering of each character's secret and the general feel of the bookstore, the town, and the people who surround Madeline.

Overall I liked this cozy mystery set in a bookshop. There was a fun cast of supporting characters. There were a couple of places in the middle of the book where the plot slowed down a little too much for me, but I mostly enjoyed my time in this story. I would give the next book in the series a try.