After inheriting her aunt’s bookstore in a small town, Madeline finds herself battling arson and murder. She must solve the crimes before becoming the next victim.

This book is difficult to review because the writing is so smart while the heroine is TSTL. Madeline makes terrible decision after terrible decision with no explanation for why a smart person would do that, other than “I need the heroine to make this terrible decision in order for my plot to work.” I also felt like the victim was too well-developed for cozy mystery. The combination of a Southern literary style with cozy mystery was a bit jarring at first, but I got used to it. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

If you are one that enjoys small town cozy murder mysteries with a limited cast of characters, then this book may indeed be for you. We follow a former actress, Madeline, as she returns home after inheriting her deceased aunt’s bookshop. Immediately upon arrival, chaos ensues. While I was initially invested in the ‘who dun-it,’. I soon became uninterested because I could not connect with any of the characters except Father Gloria. There were plenty of twists and turns, but they all felt contrived.

All in all a miss for me.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Book and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

There was a lot to like about this book. The core of main characters were well drawn and were developed nicely as the book progressed. The story had a unique plot, even though at first glance it seemed as though I had seen the same basic plot elsewhere.

The story follows Madeline Brimley, who has newly arrived in the tiny South Georgia town of Enigma. Her favorite aunt left her home and bookstore to Madeline in her will and Madeline is ready to make a fresh start after a less than stellar attempt at acting, first on Broadway and then on stages in Atlanta. So young woman, new in town, inherited a bookstore, and starting fresh in a small, closed community: it sounded like something I read somewhere.

The twist comes when at the very moment she arrives at her new home, the gazebo out back bursts into a blaze. Then a crank phone call threatens her life if she doesn't immediately move back out of town. Then the following morning, Madeline is awaken by a fire on the front porch. That was easily extinguished, but things get worse when she discovers a dead body in her living room. A young college student who had befriended Madeline was stabbed to death. What follows was a twisting and winding story to discover the murderer and the source of the two arson attempts.

What I did not like about the book was that the path toward the resolution seemed slow with far too much going on but not enough important things happening. Though not riveting, it was nevertheless and enjoyable read.

I appreciated NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

I do love cozy bookshops and cozy murder mysteries.

I think I would have liked this more if not for the poor choices of the narrator. I wanted to like her and sometimes she was funny but other times it was like she was written in a way that was trying hard to be a bunch of different things. A lot of times she was like a bull in a china shop too. Her instance of being right (multiple times) was getting to me. I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop getting ahead of herself!

Booked for Murder by P.J Nelson
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Actress turned store owner just arrived in her new home/business to have the gazebo burner to the ground. The new fire chief thinks she did it for the insurance money. Then there is another fire and also now a murder while she was upstairs. Of course she feels to blame. Now as they do in all cozy mysteries, she has decided to take it upon herself to find the killer. With the help of her old aunt-like figure and the new lady priest of course. Forget about letting the police know what they were doing. Or letting the police do their thing for that matter.

This was a fun book. With some great twists. Friendship. 2 possible love interests told me that this was going to be a series. Before I found out for sure. But why do these cozy mysteries always happen in these towns that are so tiny that if you were to blink while driving through them you'll miss the whole town? Lol. And how many people in this town can possibly die in such a tiny town? I'm assuming it'll have to be a short series. And of course she managed to get herself into too close for her own good scrapes.

I learned a bunch of words and about a bunch of people new to me over the course of this book! But not too many were sprinkled throughout. Just the right amount. I guess it makes sense for a story about a bookstore, huh? Twenty-one of them to be exact. Maybe I'll make a post about them too? Let me know if you think I should.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress #minatourbooks
#bookedformurder #pjnelson

If you’re looking for a cozy mystery with twists, small-town charm, and a touch of Southern flair, Booked for Murder might be your next favorite read!

This engaging debut novel centers on Madeline, who inherits her late aunt’s beloved bookshop. As she settles into this quaint Southern town, she’s unexpectedly drawn into a murder investigation. Along the way, she not only uncovers secrets but also embarks on a journey of self-discovery, grappling with questions about her path and purpose. The characters are richly developed, and the story kept me guessing—I was convinced everyone was a suspect at some point! The final reveal? Absolutely shocking and incredibly satisfying.

The small-town setting adds depth to the story, with its nostalgic charm juxtaposed against tensions between those clinging to the past and others eager to move forward. This backdrop even plays into the motives behind the crime, making the mystery all the more compelling.

P.J. Nelson’s writing style and pacing are perfectly suited for a cozy mystery. I found myself staying up late, unable to put the book down. As someone who doesn’t typically read mysteries, I was pleasantly surprised—and inspired to explore the genre more.

Overall, Booked for Murder is a fantastic debut, and I can’t wait to see what P.J. Nelson writes next. If you enjoy clever mysteries with heart, this is definitely a book to add to your TBR list!

Booked For Murder, is the first book in the old juniper bookstore mysteries by PJ Nelson, Madeline Brinley left small town Georgia to go to New York to make it big as an actress and stayed six weeks only to move back closer to home and instead became an actress in Atlanta. she’s returned to small town enigma because her aunt Rose passed away and left the bookstore/Victorian mansion to her and she must live there six months before she can sell it. right after walking into the Juniper bookstore for the first time in years, the historical gazebo in the backyard goes up in flames. this will just be the first terrible event that happens, including a murder, harassing phone calls to her and the local female preacher and when she deems the local police, not smart enough to solve it, she tries to solve it herself. there were a few things I didn’t like about this book, but I will say when it came to who the killer was that totally shocked me and anyone who says they figured it out had to be just guessing because I was totally shocked. Although they did have good perpetrators in the book, the mystery was good. It was just the set up and some personal choices of the author that totally took me out of the book and made me not like it. For one thing, Marilyn was supposedly an actor and yet she’s never had a cell phone and until they mentioned her not being able to use a cell phone I thought the book was set in a previous period before they were invented until she mention of it totally took me out of the narrative. Pastor Monica, the Episcopalian, preacher drinks, and listens to rock ‘n’ roll… Which anyone who reads and pays attention to their Bible wouldn’t do either of those things especially the bands she named. Next, I found Maggie to be such an elitist, she liked to stereotype locals, but then on the other hand acted as if a local crystal meth dealer was endearing and just a regular good old boy. I was also shocked at the turn of events with Phil because I really initially liked her. I also feel like I have to mention that I couldn’t believe the author let one of the characters claim David Allen Cole was a great musician and that he sang take this job and shove it… That was Johnny paycheck for one and David Allan Coe is a complete racist. He even has a song that’s titled in – – – – –. all of these negatives really took away from my enjoyment of the book and despite not liking Madeline that much I still thought the book was heading in a great direction with a creepy almost isolated, feel to the narrative, but alas, these things took me out of the book. It made me question who wrote it I don’t wanna lie. I think I would probably read a second book just to see how that one goes but as for this one, I can’t say I overly loved it. To each their own though. #NetGalley, #DJNelson, #BookedForMurder, #AnOldJuniperBookstoreMystery,

This was the perfect cozy mystery palette cleaners. I loved the story and the characters. If you are looking for an easygoing, intriguing story then you’ve come to the right place!

This cozy mystery was entertaining and kept me reading. This head a small town, feel good vibe, while at the same time includes murder. Not sure how it works, it just did. The characters were interesting and I think this is supposed to be a series, so I will be continuing!

Maddie Brimley moved back to Enigma, Georgia, where she grew up, but not because she wanted to. Her Aunt Rose died and left Maddie her house and the bookstore that she ran out of it. Maddie had been living in Atlanta, doing some acting, when she got called back to Enigma. Rose had been an actor too, on Broadway, before she had moved back to Enigma and opened The Old Juniper Bookstore, and eventually, raised Maddie after her parents were gone.

But things do not go smoothly for Maddie. On her first night in Rose’s house, she looks out back and sees a fire in the gazebo. She calls the fire department and runs outside herself to try to put the fire out. Maddie and the firemen are able to put out the fire and keep the damage just to the gazebo, but the fire had been no accident. Maddie is informed that there was gasoline poured onto the wood to make it burn faster. The fire chief asks Maddie if she had been the one to set the fire, but she adamantly denies having anything to do with it.

The next day, Maddie is welcomed to town by her aunt’s best friend Phil, Dr. Philomena Waldrop, the head of the psychology department at the local college. Phil doesn’t know who had been taking care of Rose’s cat Cannonball in her absence, but she does help Maddie get situated with the bookstore. And Maddie’s opening the bookstore just in time, since Rose had helped supply the textbooks for the college. And whether it’s for the books or the gossip, students have started showing up at the bookstore.

One student is Tandy Fletcher, who introduces herself to Maddie and explains that she had been helping Rose with the bookstore. Maddie leaves her to ring up the students’ purchases while she steps aside with police officer Billy Sanders, who Maddie had babysat back when she had been in school. Now he’s grown and ready to investigate the fire in Maddie’s gazebo. But the investigation doesn’t really catch fire until after another night.

Maddie, not wanting to spend another night alone in the house, decides to let Tandy stay over. And in the middle of the night, Maddie wakes up to a fire in the kitchen. She calls the fire department and goes looking for Tandy, so they can get out of the house. But Tandy can’t come with her. Tandy was killed.

Maddie is distraught that the young woman had been killed while she had slept upstairs, and she wanted to find out what had happened. Tandy had seemed like a sweet kid, so Maddie can’t figure out who would want to kill her. But then, was it Maddie who had actually been the target? As she tries to figure out what was happening around her in Enigma, Maddie finds that no one is really who they seem. Who can Maddie trust? And just how much danger is she in?

Booked for Murder is a mystery steeped in Southern culture and peppered with smart literary allusions. There is a gardener who had worked with Wendell Barry and a kitchen table that had belonged to Flannery O’Connor. There are many jazz albums and quotes from Shakespeare. There is a lot going on in this book, from the quirky characters to the complex mystery, but it’s smart and intriguing and keeps readers curious until the end.

I enjoyed Booked for Murder, but I do think this should have come with a trigger warning. I realized it was set in the South, but I wasn’t quite prepared for just how hungry it was going to make me. There was fried chicken, biscuits, barbecue, and sweet potato pie. I spend way too much time thinking about what I was going to have for dinner based on the food descriptions in this book. It’s a fun read, but be prepared with snacks, and by snacks I mean cast-iron fried chicken with all the fixings and a couple of bags filled with the best barbecue you can find.

Egalleys for Booked for murder were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Returning home had seemed like a good idea

When she was growing up in the small South Georgia town of Enigma, Madeline Brimley could not wait to get out and make her mark on the world. Her role model was her Aunt Rose who had herself left small town life at seventeen and gone to New York City, landing a job on Broadway the first week she arrived. Rose never became a star, but she worked steadily (mostly in the chorus) in the theater until deciding to retire. She returned to Enigma and turned an old Victorian house into the Old Juniper Bookstore, which became young Madeline’s favorite refuge. Madeline’s escape route was to first go to college and then seek out a career in the theatre just like Rose. Unlike Rose she did not have much success in NYC but had better luck in Atlanta, at least until recently when she discovered that parts are few and far between when you are too old to play the ingenue but too young for character roles. Facing the unpleasant likelihood of either finding work in the catering world or trying to get a job teaching drama part time at a college, Madeline is at a crossroads when she receives news that Rose has passed away and left the Old Juniper Bookstore to her. It seems like the perfect solution, and she packs up and heads back to Enigma. Within minutes of her arrival she gets the first clue that someone doesn’t welcome her return when she discovers that the gazebo behind the Old Juniper has been doused with gasoline and set on fire. A suspicious fire captain who suspects that Madeline caused the fire, some threatening phone calls warning her to get out of town ASAP and a dead college student in her living room follow closely on the heels of the fire. Her first thought is to put the house on the market, much to the disappointment of her aunt’s best friend Philomena, but it turns out there’s a codicil to the will stipulating that Madeline has to live in the house for six months before she actually inherits it. What else is there to do (given that the police investigation is headed up by a boy she used to babysit who doesn’t seem like he’s up to the job) but for Madeline to figure out who is behind all of the trouble? But solving a mystery in real life is a lot harder than it seems when you’re doing it on stage.
A cozy Southern mystery set in a quirky bookstore with its resident (and equally quirky) feline and a whole cast of oddball townspeople, Booked for Murder has a little bit of something for all sorts of readers, and is a tale with plenty of plot twists and potential villains galore. Madeline is an interesting protagonist at one of life’s junctures, mourning the loss of the woman who was her guiding light for so many years and seeing if settling back in the town where she was raised and which didn’t feel like home then might, after years of the rootless life of an actress, be a better fit now. There are a couple of possible love interests and plenty of people who aren’t being straight with Madeline about who they are, which complicates things for her enormously. Readers of authors like Carolyn Hart, Susan M. Boyer and Ellery Adams should give this, which appears to be the first in a new series, a try My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me early access to this charming story.

This will make excellent conversation for book clubs. It has returning home, an eccentric auntie, a will, a bookshop, and tons of southern charm. The cover is perfect and this one will happily go in my reread pike and recommendation list. Quick wit and charm cover to cover,

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Unfortunately, this one did not hit the mark for me. I did finish it, which is why I gave it 2 stars. I found the story rather boring, and it contained too much detail and a lot of repetition. The characters lacked depth, and I didn’t connect with any of them.

I did like the small town setting and the fact that it wasn’t too long of a book to get through.

This is a great start to a new series. Booked for Murder is book one in An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery series. I can’t wait to read more of this series in the future.
If you like cozy mysteries, this book is for you! Madeline inherits an old bookstore from her grandmother. I loved all of the characters that come to the bookshop. When there's a dead body, Madeline is on a race to find the killer.
Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for a copy of this book. My options are my own.

Booked for Murder is a cute, cozy mystery set in a small town with the main part of the story being set in a bookstore. I love that the bookstore is in an house and really has no organization of the books. In my mind I could see myself wandering the shelves and seeing a historical fiction book next to a self-help book with an autobiography next to that. I love it!

The characters were quirky and fun. I felt like they were a little flat, and needed a little more spunk and dimension. The characters seemed to repeat themselves and not show much excitement at their lives. I would have liked to know more about the history of the characters. A few of the secondary characters were mentioned, stories were started but not finished.

The setting and the story held much potential but it just did not do it for me.

Thank you Minotaur Books for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Booked For Murder
An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery

By: P.J.Nelson

Publish Date: December 10, 2024

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books

Mystery and Thrillers

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I would like to thank both NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series. This takes place in a little town in Georgia. Madeline is back home after the death of her aunt. She arrives to claim the bookshop that her aunt has left her. On the first night back the old gazebo in the back yard is on fire. After she calls 911 and they take care of the fire she gets a nasty call telling her to leave town or worse will happen. As her time in her old town goes on she is relearning things about a small town and nothing is secret. She is able to befriend a young college who helps her out in the store. One night the girl asks to stay over because she is having issue with her college roommate, Madeline agrees. The following morning Madeline awakes to smoke and her front door is on fire and the young girl is the middle of it. Madeline pulls the girl free and then finds out that the girl is dead from a stab wound to the stomach. Why is she dead and who did it? Several people think she was murdered by mistake and that Madeline had been the intended target. Madeline isn't thrilled with the police officer in charge because she used to babysit him so goes out on her own with the help of a couple of friends to find out who the killer is. Madeline finds out a couple of things that surprises her and makes her rethink if she ever knew how people really work. I did enjoy the friendships in this book and the way the bookshop was set up. I didn't figure out who the killer was until the end, but I did guess who set the gazebo on fire. I enjoyed the book and will pick up the rest of the series when they become available.

The perfect cozy mystery for a snow day! A bit drawn out but keeps you interested and wanting more..

This mystery is set in a small town in Georgia, where Madeline returns after the death of her aunt. Her Aunt Rose left her a house with a bookshop on the first floor. Secondary characters included Rose’s friend Philomena and the local female pastor, Gloria. When Madeline finds a dead body in the bookshop after receiving several threats, the search for the killer begins, with Madeline’s attempts at solving the murder not quite on the mark. I enjoyed this first in a series, and look forward to reading more with further development of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Dear Fellow Reader,

It has finally happened. I waited so long to write a book review that I forgot what the book was about. Granted, this has almost happened before but usually, when I read the description on Amazon, I remember the book.

This is not a reflection of the book. Well, I suppose it is a bit but I finished the book around the first of June and I have read a lot since then. It was bound to happen. I get books in advance of their publication and I have been concentrating on reading the book when I should concentrate on reading and writing the review. First off, sitting down to write the review is always a hurdle for me. I am always torn when the book doesn’t come out for six months after I have read it, should I tell you about the book when I read it or when it comes out? Yes, I could write the review and save it for publication of the book. WHICH IS WHAT I SHOULD DO. I will try to do this in the future.

So, I re-read the book last night and early this morning. I did remember at some point “Who done it’ but I was enjoying it and there were parts I didn’t remember so I read the whole book. I suppose the fact that I re-read the book so quickly will tell you two things. First of all, I read fast. (Credit to my mother who sent me to speed reading class before my freshman year of high school.) The other thing to note is that this is a cozy mystery around 330 pages long and it does read quickly.


Booked for Murder takes place in the small Georgia town of Enigma. (Which is a real town.) Madeline Brimley has returned to Enigma because her Aunt Rose has died, and left her a bookshop. The bookshop is located in a house where Rose worked and lived. Growing up, all Madeline wanted to do was get out of Enigma and be an actress like her Aunt Rose. She left when she was 17, went to college, then to New York, and then to Atlanta. Her parents had died years before and while she talked to her Aunt Rose regularly, she had not been back. She is confused as to why Aunt Rose left her the bookstore and is not sure at all that she wants to be there. Very soon after walking into the house, she smells burning junipers. The gazebo at the back of the house is on fire. She calls the Fire Department, and they come and tell her it is arson and imply that she is the likely source of the fire. This doesn’t sit well. After the fire is out and the fire department leaves, the phone rings and a male voice tells her that she has to leave or the next fire will be in the house with her in it.

Early the next morning, Dr. Philomena Waldrop, her aunt’s best friend and the woman who also seemed like an aunt to her arrives at the bookshop. She tells Philomena what has happened and feels a great sense of relief that Philomena is there. That day she starts meeting some of the bookshop regulars, which include students from Barnsley College. Barnsley College is located in Enigma and Philomena is the head of the psychology department. One student who makes her presence known, in the best possible way, is Tandy Fletcher. Everyone loves Tandy. It seems that Aunt Ruth did too as Tandy helped her in the store and would occasionally sleep over at the house/bookstore. Officer Billy Sanders also comes to see Madeline because of the fire. It turns out that she used to babysit for Officer Sanders. She doesn’t tell him about the call but she does tell him in no uncertain terms that she did not start the fire and he believes her.

The next day, she receives another threatening phone call. She doesn’t tell Officer Sanders about either call. That night, Tandy asks to stay the night. Madeline wakes up during the night because she smells smoke. She runs downstairs and finds the front door of the house on fire and Tandy dead on the floor. Tandy has been stabbed.

Who would kill this girl everyone says is the nicest person on earth? Did they really mean to kill Madeline? And why is someone so upset about Madeline and the bookstore?

In trying to puzzle this out, Philomena decides that they need the help of Gloria Coleman. Madeline is a bit mystified as to who Gloria Coleman is and why they need her help. Gloria Coleman is the relatively new pastor of the Episcopalian Church in Enigma. She has been receiving phone threats also.

Is it the same person?

I enjoyed the book – both times. It is has character development and several plot twists. Also, there is another mystery with the book. The author of the book is P.J. Nelson.

“PJ NELSON is the pseudonym of an award-winning actor, dramatist, professor, and novelist (among other many other professions) who has done just about everything except run a bookstore. He lives in Decatur, Georgia.”

So… who is P.J. Nelson?

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and in case you think I forgot – I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Great start to a new series with an idyllic setting and fun, quirky characters. My only complaint is that the murder victim and the aunt that leaves Madeline the shop are characters we’ll never really get to know; they seemed like fun characters. There is a slight hint of the paranormal in this one but not enough for it to be classified as a paranormal mystery. Maybe we’ll get to know Rose after all in subsequent books. The mystery was well-developed and was intriguing, with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing until the end. In the audio version, there are a few moments of upspeak that take away from the mood, particularly one speech that Madeline gives to the fire investigator but other than that, the audio is well done and kept me invested in the story.