This was atmospheric and cozy!

I really enjoyed the setting, and the cast of characters. I don’t typically read a lot of cozy mysteries, but I enjoyed this one. I do feel like there was maybe a touch too much going on with all of the sub plots, and the pacing was a little off. Other than that, this was definitely enjoyable.

Madeline returns home to Georgia after taking a shot at being an actress. Her aunt Rose has passed away & left Maddy her bookshop. After the gazebo in her backyard is burned down, a few threatening phone calls, and then a fire with a murder in the bookstore, Madeline and those closest to her try to find out what is going on. There are twists and turns with the characters back stories, which help bring the story together. I enjoyed the new series and look forward to the next book. Thanks to NetGalley, PJ Nelson, and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Apparently, it's either romances or cozy mysteries for me in December! Booked For Murder, An Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery, by P. J. Nelson is book one in this fun new series!

Madaline Brimley is met with arson after returning to small-town Georgia to run an inherited bookstore, but threatening phone calls quickly escalate to murder for this amateur sleuth.

The loss of one character shortly after being introduced to them pulled at my heart strings! I felt the same way as Madaline did because I too only just met and latched onto this now deceased character! They were the sweetest, and then they were gone too soon!

As this is the first book in a new series, there isn't a lot to judge it on, but Nelson did a great job with atmospheric descriptions and in laying the groundwork for series continuation.

Hallie Bee Bard created a truly entertaining audiobook! The appropriate voices for all characters added to my enjoyment and allowed for each individual to be easily distinguished amongst the others!

Overall, this was a quick and entertaining mystery!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This is a Great murder mystery told through Madeline. She inherit this bookstore from her aunt named rose. She wasn't back for a long time.She wanted to be an actor just like her aunt.But things didn't turn so well either. Madeline resigned in Atlanta, Georgia.But when her aunt died she left for the bookstore. Little.Did she know there was a lot of different people in this town?Who really didn't want her back. There was a cast Of characters who have all had their own secrets as well.. Her aunt's friend Who taught at the local college had secrets As w E l l. Madeline showed up the first night.The GAZ Eb O. Who's on fire. She also got threatening phone calls as well. Then the murder took.
Place in the house as when a young college student name t u r d y was killed. This was a really interesting book based like AG ATH AC. HRI s ITI? E! Murder mystery novel. It all comes in Together in the end it will be surprised how the ending ends.

The writing in this cozy mystery was some of the best I've read in this genre. There are some really well-written lines and reflections on small towns, human nature, and the ways people lie and conceal things from each other. The setting came to life strongly through descriptions of the house/bookstore where the mystery mostly takes place and through the connections and behavior of the inhabitants of Enigma, Georgia. References to both Flannery O'Connor and Wendell Berry made me smile, and there were also lots of jazz and Shakespeare references that added a fun, artsy element to the story. This book made me gasp, which is always a good thing, and though there were some plot points I didn't love, overall, I enjoyed this book. I have a general rule that I don't read beyond the first book in a cozy series, but I'm impressed enough by the writing that I might make an exception when the second Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery comes out a year from now.

Booked for Murder is book one in An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery series by P. J. Nelson.
An enjoyable southern cozy mystery debut that pulled me in immediately.
This book was so good and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was the perfect murder mystery!
Madeline Brimley was such an engaging character. I can’t wait to read more of this series in the future.

This was a cute overall cozy mystery, which was a nice light read.

My only criticisms were that it was a bit too predictable, and the plot moved a bit too slowly for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

‘On the surface small towns can seem simple, but they’re not.’

At first glance I was expecting a sweet cozy mystery set in the south. It checked all of the boxes: bookstore, cat, small town setting and a eclectic cast of characters. However it’s so much more than that; a touch dark with red herrings left and right that leave you (And our heroine) scratching our heads wondering exactly what else will be thrown at us before the last chapter is read. Not to mention how do you top it in book 2? Well done. I can’t wait until next year at this time to read the followup.

‘On the surface small towns can seem simple, but they’re not.’

At first glance I was expecting a sweet cozy mystery set in the south. It checked all of the boxes: bookstore, cat, small town setting and a eclectic cast of characters. However it’s so much more than that; a touch dark with red herrings left and right that leave you (And our heroine) scratching our heads wondering exactly what else will be thrown at us before the last chapter is read. Not to mention how do you top it in book 2? Well done. I can’t wait until next year at this time to read the followup.

🍑ARC REVIEW🍑

Maddie inherits her aunt's bookshop in Enigma, Georgia, and considering she doesn't have much going on in the world of theater, she moves back to her hometown. Once she is there, she begins receiving threats, someone attempts to burn down her new home, twice, and a young woman that found calm in the bookstore was 🗡️💀

The writing style was different from other cozy mysteries that I've read. It was a blend. The story did not keep me reading and wanting to find out what happened. I was curious as to who was behind all the stuff going on, but once some of it was revealed, it was anticlimactic.
As much as I wanted to root for Maddie, our main character here, I just couldn't. She was written as the stereotypical teen in 80s slasher films; making one bad decision after another, hardheaded, not-like-other-girls. Her character was mostly flat and lacked depth. I would've loved to see more characterization for Maddie (grief, conflicting emotions, logical thinking).
As for motivations... I did not quite get it. Maddie was not written as someone who was fond of Tandy, it sounded more like she saw her as an obstacle and someone interrupting in her personal space, and yet, only after Tandy's "situation" did she like her. They had known each other for one day, and they relationship between the characters did not give the impression that they were close, like Maddie mentioned she felt later in the book.
The relationships between women were underdeveloped and fell more under the stereotype of how women are shown in the media (see third paragraph). This is only the first book in the new series, so I understand that the characters are barely finding their footing. I sincerely hope that in the upcoming books, there is more variety in personalities and the relationships are more developed.

Something that I truly, absolutely loved, were the book recommendations. The story takes place in a bookstore, and it felt as if I was getting recommendations on what to read or what some students were reading. I even added some titles to my TBR and plan on reading them later.

If you enjoy a slow paced cozy, maybe a palate-cleanser, this might be for you.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one at first. Madeline isn't the most likable character and at the end I wasn't entirely sure she completely won me over. However, while Madeline wasn't my favorite even at the end the book did win me over.

Madeline is a bit of a mess and never met and impulse she couldn't jump at. She's a bit at the end of her rope when she learns that her aunt has died and left her The Old Juniper Bookstore. When her gazebo burns down, and she starts receiving threatening phone calls it is hardly a peaceful homecoming. Things really go off the rails when a guest is murdered and Madeline gets pulled into the investigation.

This book tackles a lot of more serious issues including grief and the desire to fit in or become what you know you can be. This isn't the typical cozy small town with lots of shops and quirky characters. Enigma, Georgia is a small town without many jobs and not always a lot of tolerance. There are a lot of bits and pieces around just who would have wanted Tandy dead - or was it Madeline someone wanted dead. I really liked that there's a bit of a team element with Father Gloria Coleman - the local Episcopalian minister, and Madeline's Aunt Rose's best friend who is a professor at the local college. The three of them put their heads together to try and solve the murder - though the local police detective is no slouch.

The mystery kept me guessing and the end was a bit of a surprise. While I wasn't in love with the book from the beginning the writing grabbed me and soon after the story had me completely hooked. I'll keep a lookout for anything else by this author - especially if there is another book in this series.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson, starts a new series. Overall I did enjoy the book, I just found it to be slow at times. As the book moved forward it did get better. I did have some unexpected twists and turns. I would recommend this book to others.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Apparently, I liked this book more than most people did. I went into it blind. I didn't know it was promoted as a cozy mystery until after I had finished it. I thought it was a plain old mystery. Therefore, I didn't find the darkness of the story off-putting.

I was engaged in the book from the very beginning. The mystery of who and why someone was trying to drive Madeline away from the house/ bookstore she had inherited from her aunt started right out of the gate. The writing style also appealed to me. I can't pin down exactly why, but it seemed fresh, and the story flowed well.

This was book one in the series. I would definitely be interested in reading more in the series.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this copy. All thoughts are my own.

I adored this book. I've been in a reading slump for months, but starting this book got me out of that slump.
Every detail felt so well thought out, I loved the small town, every one hating the idea of a strip mall, a book store in a house, the cute town make out spot in an old gazebo. Everything just felt so cute to me.
I loved reading about Tandys character through everyone's perspective, how she was just an innocent sweet girl who just wanted a life outside of Enigma, and an amazing cook.she herself wasn't in the book much but I grew very fond of her.
Folloeing Madeleines spiral of "who done it" and "should it have been me?" Pulled me in completely. I truly believed every suspect and theory.
Every twist and turn was amazing.

This book is full of offbeat characters in a eccentric setting. I liked Madeline's character a lot. Her return to her hometown is emotional and starts off with a bang (or rather a fire). The characters are quirky but enjoyable. The mystery was good and had enough suspects to keep me guessing until the murderer is caught. The pacing was good. It looks like this is the start of a series. I think there are plenty of characters to make a series entertaining. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and he author for the arc!

I love a good cozy mystery series! Sometimes you just need a town full of quirky characters where trouble is always brewing and an amateur sleuth you can count on to save the day! It’s a nice relaxing brain break!

This brand new series checks all those boxes! Set in a very atmospheric small southern town, it has everything you would expect from it. Home town girl moves back after inheriting a bookstore from her Aunt and someone is trying to scare her off with threatening phone calls, fires and yes, a murder! Although it’s a bit predictable who the killer is from pretty early on, there are some good little twists and surprises, a few moments of humor and characters that will be fun to watch in future books!

This book was so incredibly cozy! It was a pleasant surprise and I really liked the mystery aspect with all of the characters. They all had great and individual personalities that also blended well with each other. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Murder, mystery, and a quirky southern bookstore—Booked for Murder is a cozy debut that had me hooked from the first page!

When Madeline Brimley inherits her late Aunt Rose’s Victorian bookstore in small-town Georgia, she’s ready to start fresh. But between suspicious fires, death threats, and a murder in the store, her new life in Enigma is anything but quiet. Armed with determination, wit, and a knack for drama, Madeline dives headfirst into uncovering the truth behind her aunt’s mysterious legacy.

P.J. Nelson delivers charm, intrigue, and a lovable heroine in this southern cozy that’s as atmospheric as it is thrilling. Perfect for fans of bookish mysteries and small-town secrets!

After being away from her hometown Madeline is surprised when her aunt leaves her her bookstore. Everything seems fine and dandy until a young girl turns up murdered in said bookstore. Madeline begins playing detective in search of Tandy’s murderer.

This is such a cozy murder mystery with that hometown southern feel to it. The audiobook hones in on that feeling as we meet characters with their cute southern, sweet accents. P. J. knows how to draw you into the store as we meet the people the different people and possible suspects in town. I enjoyed how we are following Madeline around as she amateurly investigates to figure out this mystery. Not only does she find out who the killer is, she finds out secrets, small town gossip, a little bit of chaos, but also, she finds her place back in her hometown.

This was an easy read/listen and I really appreciated having the audiobook along side to get the feel of the people. I will say I had an inkling of the killer but the way the different scenarios were thrown in, I just wasn’t quite sure I was right. I liked how it kept me guessing!

I’ve read many cozy mysteries, and most of them follow a formula. This has a lot of the tropes to it- amateur sleuth, an inheritance that causes a move and job change etc. one thing that stood out as different was the victim. She was young, we meet her and she is nice, and the reason she gets murdered seems small and petty. I understand murder is like that but it doesn’t feel cozy to me. If she was older, maybe we met her once briefly it might be different. To be honest this distracted me so much I had a hard time finishing the book. I also did not enjoy the main character.