I requested Booked for Murder on a whim. I am a sucker for small town-centered plots and had been eager to find a murder mystery that rivaled the comfort-esque feeling I always had when I watched Clue or read Nancy Drew. Luckily, P.J. Nelson’s writing exceeded my expectations.

While I normally would have binge read the novel and truly felt the urge to do so every time I paused, unfortunately, my distraction-addled mind did not let me do so (nor did my schedule). Though the premise was slightly stereotypical, something about the writing style and the characters just clicked for me and I continuously thought about the novel even when I wasn’t reading.

I’m not sure if other readers will enjoy Booked for Murder. However, I would hope that they would be as entertained by the townspeople, the constant second guessing about the whodunnit, and the idyllic setting as much as I was.

The only points of concern for me were the moments during which Madeline came across as unlikeable (she was a bit insufferable at times, especially with respect to her constant involvement in the detective work) and the plot hole about how Rose was able to financially support herself on the bookstore’s profits.

Booked for Murder was a nice little who.l done it. Madeline Brimley moved from Atlanta to Enigma, Georgia to inherit a bookstore from her deceased Aunt Rose. The bookstore was an old mansion that had been converted. The deal was that she had to live on the property for 6 months before she could sell it. This was a property that Madeline used to live at. Her first day back, someone burned down the gazebo in the backyard. Shortly thereafter, she started getting death threats on the telephone.

Her second day there, a young woman by the name of Tandy asked if she could help in the bookstore. Madeline welcomed the help. Tandy knew that Madeline had received death threats so she asked if she could spend the night with her to keep her company. Madeline thought that was not a bad idea so she agreed. That night, someone broke in, stabbed Tandy to death and burned the doorway. Tandy had been a student at the university and she had a roommate named Rae. Madeline decided she would go to have a conversation with Rae about Tandy. Rae had a boyfriend named Bo and she said Tandy had flirted with him. So Madeline went to Bo's house to talk to him. Bo acted torn up about Tandy's death so Madeline decided he hadn't killed her.

Bo had an uncle named Speck who was trying to buy up property in town to open an outlet mall. He wanted to buy the bookstore. He was anxious to get everything done quickly. Madeline told him she couldn't sell the bookstore for 6 months. At any rate, she was not inclined to sell him the bookstore for an outlet mall. When she talked to Speck, she recognized his voice to be the one making the threats. When she confronted him, he admitted it. At that point, she believed he was the one that killed Tandy. He denied it.

The police believed Bo killed Tandy. So Madeline went back to talk to him and got what she believed was a drunken confession.

Philomena had been a pseudo aunt to Madeline. She had been Rose's best friend. As it turns out, they had been lovers. Philomena had been extremely upset that Rose had left the bookstore to Madeline instead of to her and, in her angst, she was the one who burned down the gazebo.

This book was so compelling, it kept me coming back for more. The author, PJ Nelson, did an awesome job weaving Madeline through the story from suspect to suspect. PJ kept my suspicions heightened and I must say that the killer was someone who I would have least suspected. I love twist endings and this one didn't disappoint. I gave this book five stars.

A delightfully fun romp about women learning to stand up for themselves, and their town – a community that felt instantly known. Add in a bookstore and a burned down gazebo and you have the makings of a good time! Reading felt like a warm hug and a cup of tea. Love the interplay among the three main characters and their reliance on each other, despite secrets and different views. Only drawback is the multitude of loose ends - I assume this is the beginning of a series. A little odd that so much of the plot hinged on college age/teenage kids.

I am not sure how to feel about this book, but I am grateful for the opportunity to read it early! I do think this book is served very well by its Dec 10 release date - it would be a very cozy Christmas read (although it's set in the fall)

This reads like a cozy mystery but it's not quite cozy. I felt a bit of whiplash about what vibe the author was going for.

However, the characters were lovable ad I was genuinely interested in the plot. Some of the themes of the book were kind of hammered into us, but I did enjoy my reading experience overall.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this arc.
I was sold on it when I heard that it was a murder mystery that takes place in an inherited bookstore. I enjoyed the small southern feel, and the found family aspects to the book. It was also interesting to see how the characters all handled their grief in different ways. The beginning was a little slow, but it did pick up. There were many twists and turns in this story, but they weren't super surprising or they didn't make too much sense to me. I also didn't fully connect with the characters at all.

Overall, it was a cute cozy murder mystery, I just didn't fully connect with it.

I requested this book to review because I love the cover and the premise. The idea of inheriting a book store in a small town is quite appealing. It's the perfect backdrop for a cozy mystery novel. However, I struggled with the story and found myself wanting to flip through pages because there was something missing. I'm not sure what it was, but I didn't connect with the story or the writing style.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early look at this book!
Although Booked for Murder is marketed as a cozy, it has a few elements that keep it from being wholly in that genre; these aspects of the book give it more intrigue, though. I enjoyed the small-town issues and the characters were terrific. A little slow in the middle, but overall a solid mystery worth reading!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read the ARC for this book. The premise of this book is interesting and I was hooked at the beginning. In the middle, the book lags and I was expecting somethiing with a bit more suspense and some of the parts were a bit predictable. Overall, it was a good read with interesting characters.

This was a great debut novel.
this was a really great cozy mystery, the twists were good and kept me guessing to the very end.
i really hope there is a sequel, the way it ends makes it seem like there might be.
Anyhow, i will be picking up more from this author in the future!

Thank you to P.J. Nelson as well as NetGalley for my very first arc read!

Madeline Brimley (our main character) inherits her aunt's bookstore/home in a small southern town in Georgia. However, many strange events begin just as Maddy returns, such as suspicious fires at said bookstore and then a murder!

Being from a small southern town myself, I am of the opinion the author did very well with the atmosphere of the town and the community, and I appreciate that this book is wholesome in many ways. I did get quite annoyed with Madeline at times, in how she interacted with people and some of the amateur sleuth choices she made. In addition, although I enjoyed it, I feel as though the plot fell a little short, and I would have like more character development.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book I would recommend it if you enjoy mysteries.

Booked for Murder definitely has the usual elements of mystery novels-a person who tries to solve a murder, interrogations of suspects, a slightly contentious relationship between the police and the “detective,” and one or two people who assist the investigator. The difference lies in the inexperience of the main character, Madeleine, and her following her emotions rather than adhering to an organized, logical approach. That leads her to jumping to conclusions and falsely accusing several people. (Maybe she should have remembered the apt saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” which would be à propos because she inherited a bookstore.”), Plus, she ignores the advice of those close to her who have lived in the town of Enigma, Georgia , and know the people there. Her actions put her and others around her in danger.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I liked the characters, whom the reader learns about as Madeleine does. Gloria, the female Episcopalian priest, helps center Madeleine. Philomena, a college professor and friend of her aunt, provides her with advice and cares for her. They and others are realistic portrayals of people in a small Southern town. As for Madeleine, there were times I wished that she hadn’t been so irresponsible and impulsive. Of course, that was what created the drama in the book. I enjoyed the plot with all of its twists and turns, though, which wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been so impulsive.
I definitely will recommend Booked for Murder to friends. It is a refreshing murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of Booked for Murder in exchange for my honest review.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable, featuring compelling characters who brought the story to life and drew me into its narrative effortlessly. If you're a fan of small-town mysteries with elements of arson and murder, this is a must-read!

Madeline Brimley once lived in Enigma, Georgia with her mother’s only sister, her Aunt Rose. Her own parents kept to themselves mostly, so Madeline spent a lot of her free time with Rose growing up, staying with her in her Victorian era home that was also home to the Old Juniper Bookshop, which Rose opened after she retired from being an actress, a job that Madeline herself also took.
After Madeline inherited Rose’s bookshop in her will, she returns to Enigma but her return back to her hometown wasn’t what she was expecting. A series of events leads Madeline down a stressful road that she feels completely compelled to solve on her own, including the murder of a sweet, local Farm girl.
Madeline finds herself wishing that she could both sell the bookshop and get out of there, but it had been a long time since anywhere felt like home to Madeline, and she is even more determined to solve all of the strange things that had happened in Enigma since her return.
With Booked for Murder, you never know what you’re going to get. There is a slew of characters that you will love, and even more that you will hate with a passion. If an author can make you feel all the feels, then you know you’re in here for a wild ride. Kudos to PJ Nelson for writing an original story that kept the page turning.
Thank you to Macmillan and Minotaur Books, Netgalley and PJ Nelson for this ARC of Booked for Murder. The opinions stated in this review are my own, and not a reflection of the aforementioned.

Booked for Murder describes itself as a “cozy story” and a mystery. The book is PJ Nelson’s debut novel in which a niece inherits her late aunts bookstore and home but is plagued with mysterious problems from her arrival.

The small town setting was cute but the mystery was lacking. The story felt a bit all over the place which maybe was to replicate the narrators POV however it felt a bit flat for me.

Overall it was a quick read and a low stress mystery. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 Stars*

Booked for Murder is a cozy mystery debut that follows Madeline who returned to Enigma, Georgia to inherit her late aunt's bookstore. It is not soon after Madeline arrives that she receives a threatening phone call telling her to leave immediately. Following this threat, the gazebo in her backyard is set ablaze along with another threat telling her to leave or the bookstore will be set aflame. Madeline is determined to stay and when another fire in the bookshop is set, a murder has also occurred. Now Madeline must find the killer before the murderer strikes again.

This was a fun cozy mystery, and I really enjoyed this book. The characters were entertaining, and I loved Madeline as a main character. There were some slow parts in this investigation and the story left me with some questions that I am guessing were left as cliffhangers for the next book in this series. I am excited to continue on with this series and see what is next for Madeline.

Booked for Murder comes out December 10th.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review Booked for Murder. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Fairly typical cozy - great for a beach read.

Maddy Brimely has recently inherited her Aunt Rose’s house and bookstore. As she’s an out of work actress, she returns to Enigma, her tiny home town in south Georgia. No sooner than she arrives then chaos starts - someone burns the gazebo in the backyard down followed by a threat to burn the store as well if she doesn’t leave. A few days later, the kind young woman who’s been helping in the store is found dead. Maddy’s ready to leave, to sell and head back to Atlanta, but restrictions in her aunt’s will means she can’t, at least immediately. Maddy decides to do what any person would: solve the crime herself.

I mostly picked this up because of the southern ties. And while it was entertaining, it felt a like some of the quirkiness was forced. It sounds like it’s the first novel in a new series; I found it enjoyable enough to pick up the second book, if there is one.

Recommended. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

I love this new series! Main character Madeline's voice is unlike any other cozy series heroine I can think of. She's smart in many ways and kind of stupid in many ways too, but she readily (usually) admits when she's been a fool. There's also a good deal of wry humor in her voice.

The mystery is well plotted and hums along, and the writing is lovely. I don't care for the neverending descriptions that many literary novels have. But this cozy has some wonderful literary writing. In fact, a few times, I paused in my reading to think how much bits of it remind me of Ray Bradbury's writing: "The moon was generous with its silver, ladled it over everything: the garden, the woods behind, the distant fields--even the skeleton of the gazebo..." But the evocative descriptions come quickly to a close, and we get back to the action. Love it.

I'd give this 4-1/2 stars, only because I thought the killer was kind of obvious somewhere after the halfway point. But even so, I didn't want to put the book down. I can't wait for the next entry in this series.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story revolves around Madeline, a retired actress, who inherits her aunt's house and bookstore in Enigma, Georgia. Shortly after her arrival, the house had a fire. Following another fire and murder, Madeline, along with Philomena and Gloria, the new pastor in town, takes it upon themselves to investigate and find the culprits. I found the book to be an exciting and entertaining read. I appreciated how it delved into the characters' backgrounds. The first-person point of view was consistent throughout the book, which I enjoyed. While the beginning was a bit rushed, the story improved as it progressed. My only concern was that Madeline came across as overly confident and somewhat cocky at times.
Nonetheless, I was pleased to see her eventually unravel the mystery and achieve a happy ending.

Thanks to Net Galley and Minatour Books for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This is P.J. Nelson's debut novel. The story follows Maddy, a retired actor who returns to her hometown in Enigma, Georgia after the death of her aunt. She grew up wanting to get out of that small town as fast as she could but after years as an actor in Atlanta she's feeling dishearted by the lack of acting parts available to women of a certain age. She's tired of living that life of constant imperanence and being broke. When her aunt Rose dies and she inherits her house/bookshop she sees it as a saving grace and returns home to try to pick up the pieces of her life and begin again or sell the house. Life happens violently (arson and murder) and all at once and there doesn't seem to be a dull moment in that small town. Maddy feeling responsible for everything that's happened and not trusting the police or fire department to do their jobs decides to try to solve the case.
I give this 3.5 stars because it's a quick and enjoyable read. I liked the characters although it felt as though a few of the important characters weren't rounded out as well as they should have been. Maddy was a bit in your face but then she's an actor so that fits. The exploration of the reasons why small towns are so suspicious of outsiders was fascinating and well told. The story was written in first person narrator voice but it went back and forth between southern Georgia speak and well written english. Having it narrated in southern Georgia could've been interesting because the main character grew up in that town but it became confusing when reading between narration and character dialogue.
The author tried too hard to convince the reader that just because someone is from a small southern town doesn't mean they're uneducated and naive. The story fell a bit flat as though maybe it's being written as part of a series which is why I gave it 3 instead of 4 stars. I loved the setting and could picture the Victorian house/bookshop and the church across the street. I would probably read a second book.

This isn’t your regular cozy mystery- and while authors such as Charlaine Harris have proven that you can break the rules of the genre and come out victorious, this just missed the mark for me on a few different levels.

Our protagonist is Maddie, a struggling actor who moves from the Atlanta theater scene back to her small hometown of Enigma, Georgia upon inheriting her aunt’s bookshop/ home. Unfortunately, her “I know it all and I’m always right” attitude” often alienates those around her- (myself included) resulting in stilted relationships that instead of fortifying the small town atmosphere, creates a distance that prevented me from connecting with the town or its’ locals. Not to mention, the author gives us plenty of time and reason to grow attached to a prominent character only to find them brutally murdered just as we’re getting comfortable. So it’s more un-comfy than cozy.

On a positive note, having been an actor most of my life, I can say that it’s clear the author is an actor themselves, and wrote with obvious authority on the subject matter- not to mention the personality traits of the heroine that kept me from connecting with the story are also trademark qualities of so many actors I’ve known. So, it was realistic on that front- just not what I’m looking for in a cozy mystery.

All in all, if this hadn’t been marketed as a cozy - I wouldn’t have had the same expectations and might have enjoyed it more!
Definitely well written, but likely not a town to which I’ll be making a return trip.