An engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. I am wondering if there will be a sequel. There is potential for future stories. I enjoyed getting to know the various characters and their foibles. Some surprises and some things I suspected were correct. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

When Madeline returns to her hometown to take over the beloved bookstore her aunt left her she is met with resistance and late night threatening phone calls. When there is a murder in the bookstore she finds she's going to have to try to solve it before she is either blamed or the next victim. A great cozy mystery that looks like the beginning of a new series.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Going in thinking it was a murder mystery, I wondered if it was really supposed to be a cozy mystery. The main character, Madeline is calm and nonplussed despite some pretty disturbing occurrences that take place when she comes back to her small hometown to take over her aunt’s bookstore. When there actually is a murder, the characters’ reactions were frustrating. The lack of urgency, concern, or seemingly police involvement left the three main characters to nonchalantly investigate on their own. I will say the final 25% of the book was exciting and hard to put down. If you’re looking for a traditional thriller, this isn’t really that.

The writing is descriptively beautiful with loads of similes and metaphors to really paint a picture for the reader. I’m assuming there will be more books to make a series as there are some loose ends that weren’t completely tied up.

Thank you to P. J. Nelson, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Maddy comes home because she has inherited her aunt's home and bookstore. But almost immediately the gazebo in the backyard goes up in flames. Add to that threatening phone calls and it no longer feels like a good homecoming. When a young woman is murdered in the bookstore and a fire set to cover it all up, Maddy decides it's up to her and her aunt's friend, Philomenia and local minister, Gloria, to solve the mystery. With lots of suspects and wild theories eventually the real truth comes out. This is a good read with interesting characters.
I was given an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

If you like cozy mystery novels with a touch of darkness, this novel may be for you. The mystery, twists and turns, were definitely engaging and kept me interested until the very end. Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of main character, Madeline, who seemed a bit too out of touch with 'how to stay safe'. She consistently made poor judgments, and you have to wonder why she is so distrusting of all helping professions. The side characters were all just quirky enough to be endearing and add some spunk to the overall story. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it resolves itself, despite being the first book in a new series. Murder, arson, and threats are all a part of this cozy mystery. Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress for the ARC- Look for it in stores on December 10, 2024

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.

Cute mystery set in a bookstore. I love bookstores! This was a fun, relaxing read. Madeline was a bit annoying—perhaps eccentric is a better term. The story ends with enough of a resolution but with a good setup for a sequel. Overall, I really enjoyed this! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Such a cozy bookstore mystery and debut! When Aunt Rose died, she had plans for her Victorian mansion/bookstore to go to her niece Madeline. Madeline leaves behind her failing career on a stage to take over the bookstore. What she had not planned on facing was a small town with secrets of its own and a mission to destroy hers. Threats are made not with one fire at the bookstore but two. When one of her college helpers is found dead, she realizes it could have been her.
Madeline and a priest find clues that her Aunt Rose left behind and may be what the killer is searching for. This is a fun mystery to pick apart. Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Madeline Brimley was a slightly different female character than I'm used to reading about, and I say that with nothing but positivity in my words. She was confident, determined, and self reliant. She didn't mull over things, but instead jumped headfirst, much to the chagrin of those around her.

And speaking of the supporting cast: I absolutely loved Gloria! She was the voice of reason and guiding light, and I wish I had someone like her in my life. Some of the other characters did seem a little cartoon villain-y, but I still found them charming.

The main mystery tied up nicely, but I felt there were still some loose threads that will have me keeping an eye out for a follow-up!

This was the start of a series - and I found it very enjoyable.

Madeline left the small Georgia town of Enigma to pursue her dreams of acting, briefly spending time in New York City, before finding herself a little lost. When her aunt Rose died and left her the charming bookstore, inside an old Victorian house, she returns home.

Within minutes of arriving, the gazebo in the back garden burns down, and Madeline gets threatening phone calls. She tries to deal with these things herself, as she doesn't trust the local police. Rose's friend Philomena, a psychology professor at the local college, befriends Madeline, as does Gloria the new Episcopalian minister. A young college girl, Tandy, starts working at the store, before more threats and another fire turn the whole situation deadly.

We are introduced to quite a number of characters in the small town, as Madeline is determined to find out what is going on, and who committed murder. I liked many of the characters, especially Gloria. Madeline is pretty impulsive, and puts herself in too much danger. But I liked the way she realized that the people around her were not as she had initially thought.

I enjoyed the small ti=own vibes of this book very much. I liked getting to learn about a whole cast of characters and learn about the drama that goes on between them. I think this book is the perfect setup for a series, and I am excited to see what Madeline does next. This is exactly what I would have expected from a small-town, cozy mystery, and I am glad it delivered. Overall, I would recommend this to any one that is specifically seeking out a cozy mystery, but I don't think this is enough to convert someone into a fan of cozy mysteries off they are not already interested in them.

I was so excited to read this because, honestly, who wouldn’t love a murder mystery set in a cozy bookstore? The small-town vibes and the love for literature and theater really stood out to me, and I appreciated the atmosphere—it was soothing and definitely made me feel like I was right there in Enigma, surrounded by quirky characters.

The story had a lot of potential, and I did enjoy the characters overall, but the pacing was a bit off at times. Madeline, or Maddy, is easy to like in many ways, but I found myself getting frustrated with how she would jump from one extreme to another, especially when it came to accusing people of murder. At one point, it felt like everyone was a suspect! And her quick decision to report a friend of her aunt’s to the police just didn’t sit well with me, especially considering the support that person had shown her.

While I liked the idea of the story, some details felt inconsistent, and I ended the book with more questions than answers. It wasn’t a bad read by any means, but I’m hoping a sequel will tie up the loose ends and give me the closure I was looking for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a surprisingly cozy murder mystery, and even though I’m not typically a fan of the genre, I found myself enjoying it. Madeline and the other characters involved were funny and engaging, which is what kept me reading. The town of Enigma, though, is a bit of a mess—first responders are rude, the police are completely oblivious, and the preacher is actually a lot of fun. Madeline’s pseudo-aunt is a hot mess but so sweet. The book was definitely a slow burn, taking a while to get to the heart of the mystery, but I’m glad I stuck with it because the resolution was satisfying.

good mystery about a couple and staying in a house and the other couple there. kept me on my toes . good mystery and figuring stuff out.

I did not like Madeline! At all! Which, unfortunately, blinded the story for me. Honestly, the majority of the characters bothered me, with the exception of two, possibly three. First, Maddie is EXTREMELY whiny. Second, she cannot seem to make up her mind as to who she wants to accuse of murder. For example, when Madeline learns who torched the gazebo, yes, she is angry, but her first actions are to call the police officer and then the firefighter so she can rub it in their faces. If the author is intending to write a petty childish character, then she nailed it.

As for the mystery. I admit to being distracted by Madeline’s “woe is me” attitude and her constant accusations, that I actually lost sight of the situation. I didn’t see the murderer coming, and that felt like a win for the writing.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Publishing for the ARC!
I enjoyed reading this novel on my kindle over the past week. I haven’t read many murder/murder mystery dramas but I generally always pick up a book about books - in any form. I’ve never been to the South so I enjoyed getting a bit of armchair travel through the ‘feel’ or setting of the book. I enjoyed themes of the MC’s time in theatre, and her aunts love for it, overlapping on the element of literature and the bookshop. The relationships between some of the main characters were complex - as well as the idea that we don’t always truly know the people around us, that first impressions aren’t always correct. I like that Madeline has to figure out what happened to Tandy, a kind girl who hurt no one, at the same time as she’s trying to figure out her place back in Enigma and in this bookstore and home she never asked for. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fiction that touches on family, found family, mystery, light romance, and the idea of inheriting a bookshop :)

I loved this cozy mystery! The small town southern setting was just perfect. I look forward to reading more in this series!

A cozy mystery set in a small, desolate town where the main character, an actress, must solve who is trying to take out her and the female priest.

I very interesting book that I still don’t really know how to feel about. The characters were very interesting and I found myself liking the main character as well.

This is a fun mystery! The action begins quickly, like within 15 minutes of Maddy's arrival at her new home. So, what if someone burned down the gazebo? I'm sure it wasn't personal. And right away, she gets to meet the unfriendly hot fire captain, the police officer she used to babysit, and her honorary aunt, among others. I'm looking forward to the next entry in this new series.

Some elements of this one were really cute and I liked the cast of fun women. However, it worked so hard to set up a sequel that I never quite fully fell in love with this story. It was hard to tell if something was a plot hole or if it was an intentional mystery for the next book in the series to unravel. Overall still enjoyable, but not sure if it is a story I would return to.