Buckle up for this quirky cozy mystery. Madeline Brimley comes home after her Aunt Rose passes away and leaves her the bookstore which is part of her victorian mansion. The first night there someone sets fire to the gazebo in the backyard and when that fire is extinguished she receives a phone call telling her to get out before the house is burned down with her in it. What they don't expect is for her to settle in, even though she really wants out but her aunt doesn't give her a chance with the way she wrote her will. When there is a murder in the night and then another fire all bets are off and she and Philomenia and Father Gloria are going to try to figure out who is trying to scare her off. An overall great story that takes you round the bend to find you who did what and why. It was a lot of fun to read and listen to.

Although this book is really not my normal read I believe that anyone who loves a cozy mystery will absolutely fall in love with Madeline who inherits her aunts bookshop and proceeds to continue on even though there are threats against the shop. There are great characters, fun mysteries and secrets and I think a lot of people will love curling up with this one,

Silly, cozy and low stakes but it was a bit slow for my liking. It was difficult to connect with the characters, especially Madeline, and overall it wasn’t quite polished enough.

Booked for Murder is the first in a new and cozy mystery series by P. J. Nelson. The setting is a small-town in Georgia where Madeline Brimley has returned and inherited her Aunt Rose’s mansion with a bookstore nestled on the first floor. I am a sucker for a charming bookstore. The story starts out with mysterious things happening and one incident leaves a young college student killed. The characters were very unique but felt underdeveloped in my opinion and the story was slow paced. Overall, I would give this 3 stars because it was lacking in a few areas for me, and lacked the suspense I crave in books!

Unfortunately there was too much going on with this book for me to enjoy it. Cozy murder mysteries are rarely realistic, but this one just felt silly at times. The main mystery involves arson and the murder of a young girl. I know the setting is a small town but the police seemed so nonchalant about investigating, leaving it up to the main character and her friends to solve the crime. They made horrible decision putting them in danger. But my main complaint was with main character Madeline herself. The synopsis says she left "many years ago to go to college" and she seemed young-ish, so I was thinking she's probably in her 30s. But she spoke like an old lady with old fashioned lingo which was really distracting and confusing. After finishing the book I still have no clue how old she was supposed to be. Super cute cover though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

While this tried to be a low stakes cozy mystery, it missed the mark in a few places. It didn’t have nearly enough book to be book themed, the key murder involved a much too high stakes character, and the romance was a bit unbelievable and didn’t move far enough along. It’s set up to be a series, but I won’t be continuing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy. These opinions are my own.

This was a super cute cozy mystery and the perfect book to start 2025 off with! I really enjoyed this one from the start. I am going to have to continue reading the series since I have to know what happens with Maddie and David. There was romance and murder and small town detective vibes throughout this book. I totally did not guess the ending, which makes it a great book to me!! Would for sure recommend!

This was a good debut! A nice cozy mystery in a small town. Madeline inherits a bookstore from her aunt. After leaving the big city to come back to her small town to the bookstore; fires, threats and murder begin to happen. People who are close to Madeline show their true colour and she can’t quite figure out who is behind it all.
There were so many unique characters throughout the story and I enjoyed each one. I mean, some characters made questionable decisions or were constantly indecisive but it wasn’t something that would’ve thrown me away from this book.

Madeline moves back to her hometown when she inherits a bookstore from her eccentric Aunt Rose, who recently passed away. But she has inherited more than that. Secrets, threats and suspicions mount up when a person close to her dies. This is the beginning of a new series and I look forward to the next.

a cute little mystery romance that strikes a perfect balance between intrigue and charm. The cozy mystery elements are engaging, with just enough twists to keep you guessing, while the romantic subplot adds a lighthearted touch. It’s an enjoyable, quick read for those looking for a feel-good blend of suspense and love, perfect for fans of sweet, low-stakes mysteries.

This book started off a little boring. Not very captivating even though there was a mystery. The middle and end were the best parts. I loved the mystery of who did it and was actually surprised!

I love a good cozy mystery, but unfortunately this one was just not to my liking. I felt it slow and the characters lackluster.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Booked for Murder is P.J. Nelson's (a pseudonym) new book. It's the first in the planned series called The Old Juniper Bookshop Mysteries. (And the title was quite clever.) This a cosy read.

Madeline Brimley goes home to her small town in Georgia as her Aunt Rose has passed away. And Maddy is startled to find that she has inherited Aunt Roses' bookshop. But someone is not happy with that news...

I liked the premise - who wouldn't want to own a bookstore! This being a cosy tale I expected an animal in the story as well. Check - a dog. Coffee replaces tea. Also a small town where everyone knows everyone's business. Check - Enigma, Georgia. A cute carpenter. A small police force - who are drawn as bumbling.

Instead, Maddy sees as herself much more capable to to find who is determined to drive her out of town. It was at this point, I started to not like Maddy. Her background as an actor seems to qualify her (in her mind) as a sleuth. There are many supporting players and each one seems to feature in a twist or turn.

All the elements are there, but it just feels forced and somewhat clumsy for me. And lastly - this was just a peeve for me - the use of the word 'snapped' to describe the character's tone and delivery. I started to count the use. If this was changed, my apologies. As I have not found out who P.J. Nelson is, I will assume that this a first try at a cozy. Sadly, I don't think I'll be looking for the second entry.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The cast of characters was fantastic, and the mystery itself was well-crafted. I appreciated that it kept me guessing until the very end about who was responsible. I also liked that it included more than one mystery to unravel. Beyond being just a mystery, it was also a poignant story about grief, healing, and moving forward after a loss. It explored the journey of discovering who you are when you leave one chapter of life behind and step into a new one.

**3.5 stars**

I greatly enjoyed this debut cozy mystery set in a unique Victorian house turned bookstore with former actor Madeline, now a bookseller after inheriting the store from her aunt. I really liked all of the characters in this especially the 3 main female characters. Being a Southerner I felt the setting and characters were authentic to the South. Sometimes when a book is set in the American South you can tell the author has never set foot there but I did not feel that way with this. I did guess the killer pretty early but I really liked it. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

**Thanks to the publisher and author for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.**

I loved this debut story. I enjoyed all the characters and can’t wait to see how this series is going to develop. I am so excited to read the next book


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Booked for Murder is a debut southern cozy mystery that follows a woman who moves back to her hometown to take over her aunt’s bookshop following her death. There’s a murder that the woman seeks to solve.

I don’t read many cozy mysteries, but I did like this one. I loved the small town bookshop setting. I thought the characters were interesting, even though the female main character made some questionable decisions.

This was a slower paced read and it didn’t really pick up until the end. I did get a little bored while reading it. I thought it was a tad predictable and the ending was okay. I did like the writing so I might continue on in the series.

You might enjoy this one if you like cozy mysteries.

This was a perfect cozy mystery read for the winter months. It takes you to the Deep South where the main character returns to a book store own by her late aunt. And she must take over the bookstore. Such cute and cozy vibes. Until fires start happening, people die and threats are thrown around like sweet tea on Sunday. Grab yourself a glass of tea and a warm blanket. You are going to need both and enjoy!

Thank you to Minotaur books for a gifted copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson

Wow this book was an adventure!! I wasn’t sure if initially how I felt, but the more I read it the more I loved it. There were so many twists and turns, and things to be uncovered.

This story follows Madeline Brimely, who left her small town Georgia many years ago to pursue college and acting. She gets word that her quirky aunt Rose had passed away, leaving her with Roses at home bookstore! Once she arrived she started getting threatening calls, and a girl is murdered. Immediately she has a cloud of suspicion over her, as the newbie in town, and is determined to prove her innocence and find how who killed the girl!

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#bookreview

This is a small town cozy mystery. Madeline returns to the small town of Enigma after inheriting her Aunts bookstore. What seems to be a fresh start quickly leads to fires, murder, and threatening phone calls. There are some great characters in this story and I am excited to see where the author takes them. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read this book.