Booked For Murder is the first in The Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery series. The book itself is a mystery as its author — P.J. Nelson — (a self-described award-winning actor, dramatist, professor, and novelist) is pseudonymous. I assume that the author’s real name is Phillip DePoy, who holds the copyright to the novel.

The novel begins when Madeline Brimley, the first person narrator and main character, returns to her hometown of Enigma, Georgia (pop. 1251), having left behind a lackluster acting career in Atlanta. She has inherited her beloved Aunt Rose’s old Victorian home with a bookstore on the first floor. Upon her arrival, the gazebo in the back yard is set on fire, she begins receiving death threats on the phone, and a college student is ultimately murdered and the front door is set on fire. Suspicious whether the local police officer can handle the cases since she used to be his babysitter, Madeline decides to conduct her own investigation with the help of Dr. Philomena Waldrop, the head of the Psychology Department at the local liberal arts college, and Gloria Coleman, an episcopal priest.

Honestly, this is the best cozy mystery I’ve read in a long time. Besides giving you the warm fuzzies along with a side of mystery, the novel reads like a classic southern novel with oddball, larger-than-life characters, and a heaping dose of dry humor.
I highly recommend the book to cozy lovers who have a soft spot for southern literature, bookstores, and jazz. 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5). I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series!

Thanks to Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advance readers’ copy of this book.

Review: Man, where do I even start with this one? I guess first I should say that if I were a less stubborn person I would have DNF'd it. Actually, what I should say is that if the author hadn't been so heavy handed with their attempts to (maybe) throw you off of who did it, I would have DNF'd it. But I stuck around mostly to find out if it was a very heavy handed red herring or if it was really just that obvious who did it. And while I won't spoil it for you, I will tell you that it was not worth suffering through this book to find out. Overall, I had a lot of issues with this book. A lot. First, the writing itself was painful. It felt like reading a college freshman's paper when they're trying to get to minimum word count. There is, in fact, such a thing as too much detail. When it feels like the sentences are dragging me down, it's too much detail. In short, there were too many words for words sake. Second, the story was never especially interesting. And the way that the main character's previous career as an actor was randomly brought up felt like commercials at the climax of an action movie. Nonsensical and an e-brake on the momentum. Third, I HATED the way that some of the characters were portrayed. Specifically, I hated the way the like small town, clearly down on their luck characters were characterized by a complete lack of grammar and a whole lot of stupidity. All that was missing from the author's caricature of people in the south were overalls and a piece of straw in their mouth. Fourth, as other reviews have pointed out, at no point in time was it clear what age the main character was supposed to be or what age she thought she was. Don't get me wrong, we're told her age, and then we're forced to hobble along with someone about as capable as the 70 year old character she's hanging out with. It is possible to write a character that's an old soul without making them an old bag. Fifth, it was just bad. Like one of those books that makes you think "how many better books didn't get published so that this book could?" One of those books that makes you think "do I actually enjoy reading? did I suddenly start hating it over night? or is this book just so dreadful I wouldn't read it if it was the last book on earth?" So, yeah.

Synopsis: 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.

The "family member leaves me this possibly failing bookstore and living space upstairs that I haven't visited in x years" story that quickly develops into arson and threatening notes and murder. The mystery was great, kept me guessing where it would go next, however, the characters were odd. The way the protagonist kept going off on her own and constantly putting herself into unnecessary danger was annoying. Overall, three and a half stars.

Unfortunately, this is a dnf at 14% for me. I already got lost and bored in the storyline and with the characters.

Review: Booked for Murder by PJ Nelson

Looking for a small town murder mystery? Well, Booked for Murder might be the perfect pick and it’s in stores December 10.

Madeleine Brimley is back in Enigma, Georgia. All the ever wanted to do as a teen was leave, and she did! She had a career on the stage, but after her Aunt Rose died, she is left the Old Juniper Bookstore, which seems like an opportunity for a fresh start. However, her inheritance is fraught with mystery and danger. Who started the fire? Who is making threatening phone calls? And, most importantly, who is the murderer in the town?

All of these mysteries are additionally complicated by small town gossip and good old-fashioned meddling.

This book has some pretty lovable characters and some surprises. It feels like a Nancy Drew for adults, and will be a perfect read for the holidays.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

In BOOKED FOR MURDER, written by P.J. Nelson, Madeline Brimley (Maddy) is the protagonist. She leaves her actress ambitions when she inherits her late Aunt Rose’s Victorian mansion in Enigma, Georgia, the town where she grew up. To her delight, there is the Old Juniper Bookshop on the first floor. Threatening phone calls and a burning backyard gazebo send a message to Maddy that she should leave. How does Maddy deal with the harassment? I read on to find out.

I like the Madeline Brimley character and that she is a jazz enthusiast like her aunt, who owned a cat named Cannonball (named after Cannonball Adderley). Maddy (Madeline) name-drops the names of plays and musicals, which is fun. I wish I cared more about other characters in this book. The plot is definitely of the cozy variety. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of BOOKED FOR MURDER.

This cozy mystery was a quick and easy read but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. With that being said I’d still give the series a try because you never know what may happen in the next books

This debut was fun to read, and set itself up for a potential great series! There were elements of romance (potential love triangle, not my favorite personally...), grief (loss of loved ones), murder, arson, etc.

I'll admit, I think maybe the author bit off more than they could chew with this plot line. We had a LOT going on - death, betrayal, new friendships, love interests. It was hard to keep track of one subplot before we moved on to the next. Like I said, I think there's potential here, but to me, this wasn't a satisfying ending. Interested to see how future iterations of this series ends up.

A cute little cozy mystery set in a book store. The side characters were enjoyable and so were the main characters. Some of the context/ dialogue was little confusing and I would have to flip back. Never the less, this was a cute little cozy mystery and was enjoyable to read!
Thank you for the early copy!

A cozy murder mystery set in a bookstore. I enjoyed the side characters, but some of the structure and awkwardness in conversation din't work for me. I am sure others will enjoy.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Netgalley.

P.J. Nelson’s *Booked for Murder* is a charming and suspenseful cozy mystery that blends small-town drama, quirky characters, and an old Victorian bookstore brimming with secrets. It’s a perfect read for fans of whodunits with a literary twist.

Madeline Brimley is a captivating lead, her flair for the dramatic adding humor and heart as she navigates the unexpected inheritance of her eccentric Aunt Rose’s bookstore. The setting—the picturesque yet mysterious town of Enigma—is as much a character as the townsfolk themselves, full of charm and shadowy secrets.

The mystery unfolds at a satisfying pace, with enough red herrings and twists to keep readers guessing. From arson threats to a chilling murder within the bookstore, the stakes are high, but Nelson balances the suspense with moments of wit and warmth.

While the resolution is satisfying, some character motivations could have been fleshed out more deeply to add emotional weight. However, the cozy atmosphere, the delightful blend of humor and tension, and the bookish backdrop more than make up for it.

*Booked for Murder* is a fun, engaging read that will leave you eager for more adventures with Madeline and her quirky bookstore. A must-read for cozy mystery fans!

I requested this on NetGalley because of the cover and the concept but DNFed at 30% because it made no sense. Actual police are going to investigate a murder in the 21st century. Someone trying to make it as an actor anywhere is ABSOLUTELY going to have a cell phone. It seemed like the Philomena character was always yelling at everyone—the descriptions of how she talked made me wince. And you don’t come out of a swamp with no schooling and get to go directly to seminary. No sense at all.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this novel!
Madeline’s Aunt Rose has passes away and has left Madeline her Victorian style mansion that serves as a bookstore to the community and as her home. But when Madeline arrives to claim her inheritance, some people don’t seem too keen on having her here. The gazebo behind the Old Juniper Bookstore gets burned to the ground. Then Madeline receives a call threatening her with even more destruction if she does not leave. With her resolve to remain, more incidents happen, including another fire and even a death in the bookstore! Now, it is up to Madeline to find the arsonist and killer before more threats come to fruition and she becomes the killer’s next victim!
This was a cozy mystery novel and I felt that it was paced very nicely! It kept me wanting to read more to figure out who was the killer!
AVAILABLE December 10, 2024

It definitely held my attention. Rose, Phil, Gloria, and Madeline have a lot to work out between them, past and present. Fire burning the gazebo, fire in the bookshop, a murder, and a fire at the church lead the women to track down Tandy’s killer. Lots of possible characters and plentiful motives. Add in real estate fraud and the codicils of Rose’s will. Who is Faye? How do car repairs and meth production by Elbert and Bo factor in the small town murder? The characters were developed and easy to relate to. I hope this becomes a series. I would like to revisit Enigma and Maddy.

This was a good book that had some twists and turns that were unexpected. While there were a few times i was bored and ready to be done, I kept going in hopes it would pick up the pace.
Madeline inherits her Aunts bookstore. Once she moves in weird things start happening like a fire in her gazebo, at the front door, a murder and weird phone calls. She tries to figure out who is harassing her and why with the help of her Aunt's friends. The police don't believe that she isn't behind it but eventually she figures out what is going on and so do the policy. She went to some extreme lengths that would not be suggested as they were very dangerous. Luckily she survived and in the end saves the bookstore and gains a fantastic community.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks so much for the ARC! I thought that this book was really interesting - there were several twists, grand reveals and mystery. I really liked how it all tied up in the end, but also left room for another book. This was a very cozy mystery read and was perfect for fall.

I really wanted to love this book, especially because I love cozy mysteries. However, this one didn't really do it for me. There were many parts of the book that weren't super believable (such as the fires and the response to them) but I did like the bookstore element. It often felt like characters were just dropped into the book without their backstory being set up in a way that added to the plot. This book had promise, but fell short for me.

This is my honest review of an early copy provided by Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books.
Madeline Brimley is thrown a lifeline when she inherits her Aunt Rose’s bookshop. But all is not ‘rosy when she arrives in town. Hot maybe, but not good. A fire, late night threatening phone calls and
murder are harbingers of someone definitely wanting her gone. Refusing to give up the bookstore, Madeline decides to find the perpetrator on her own. With quirky characters and lots of suspects, this book is a good start to a series for those who will love reading about a small town and a character that knows nothing about running a bookstore!

Madeline is in her mid-thirties and returns to her small southern town to take over her late aunt's bookstore only to find out that there is someone in that town that wants to keep her away.

A lot of disasters and chaos to prevent the bookstore from succeeding take place. So there's a very nice balance of dark and light cozy in this book. In any cozy mystery series, there is a wide array of small town characters and this book was definitely nailing that part. Some of the side characters were just delightful to read. They were also little teasers like there might be some romance happening later in this series.

All in all this was a very good first book in a series. I can definitely see myself picking up any more books from this series. If you're looking for a new cozy mystery series with a little bit more grit, I would definitely check this one out.

I love a cozy mystery, and Booked for Murder, was a cozy mystery with a Southern Gothic twist. I really liked Madeline, the main character, and appreciated a woman in her mid 30s who has grey hair! I'm already excited for the second book, and a return to the small town!