This was an okay book. it didn't keep me invested and I was quickly asking myself what is the "purpose of this". This mystery thriller was predictable and long.

Someone wants the Old Juniper Bookshop closed permanently and if that means new owner Madeline goes down with the shop, then so be it. Only Madeline isn't the type to give up so easily. She loves the Victorian house, it's quirky customers, and her new assistant clerk. But when tragedy strikes, Madeline will stop at nothing to find the killer, even if that means putting herself in danger. Forming a crime fighting trio with the local female pastor and Aunt Rose's best friend, she's determined to fight. Can she stop the murderer, before she and the house go up in flames? A twisty start to a new series, this one will be worth coming back to check out book 2!

Booked for Murder is the first book in P.J. Nelson's new Old Juniper Bookstore cozy mystery series. Madeline Brinkley has returned to her small town in Georgia after the death of her Aunt Rose. She has inherited her Victorian mansion bookstore. Upon her arrival Madeline is met with disaster as the gazebo in the back yard is set on fire and a mysterious caller threatens to do the same to the store if she doesn't sell up and leave town. A second fire and a murder in the bookstore has local law enforcement looking at Madeline as a suspect. She must investigate to clear her name and make the bookstore a safe place to live and work.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it slightly darker than your average cozy but I didn't mind that. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the town. Madeline was an interesting main character. I also really enjoyed Gloria and Philomena too. There were interesting twists and turns and the mystery was multilayered. I'm looking forward to doing an audio reread at some point and will be keeping and eye out for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia only to come back when her Aunt Rose passes away and leaves her the Old Juniper Bookstore. The night that Madeline comes back into town, the gazebo in the backyard is lit on fire and she receives a phone call telling her to pack up and leave or the house will be burnt to the ground with her in it. Then there’s another fire and a murder. Instead of running away, Madeline doubles down and tries to find out who is behind it all with Gloria, the paster, and Philomena, Rose’s friend. She just wasn’t prepared for what she was going to find out.

This was a great cozy mystery! And when I say cozy, I mean cozy. This isn’t a thriller, this won’t keep you on the edge of your seat. But it is enjoyable! Madeline is a great character. She is a little quirky; c’mon, who doesn’t have a cell phone (also, why doesn’t she have one?!), and she doesn’t have the best judge of character, but she’s easily likeable. I really enjoyed Gloria. She’s a straight shooter who doesn’t seem to be easily scared.


I thought the mystery part of this book was also well done. The author takes this book in a way that I did not suspect. I didn’t suspect the person who burned the gazebo. I also, at first, didn’t suspect the murderer. However, there was one conversation that led me to believe that person was the murderer before the reveal. However, it did not take away from the enjoyment of the book and I didn’t begin to think that much earlier than the reveal.

Overall, those who really love cozy mysteries are really going to enjoy this book.

Madeline Brimley is a failed actress who inherits her aunt's bookshop/house. Think that is the death that is being investigated? Nope. Turns out cooky Aunt Rose died naturally, but another death is literally at Madeline's door.

After a murder while she was sleeping just upstairs, Madeline decides she doesn't trust apparently the only cop in town because she used to babysit him. At times, I didn't trust the guy either. After many threatening phone calls the cop can't pull the phone records and trace them? I know it is a landline, but the phone company should still have those records right? The other big thing that got me was early on someone said "Rose had her secrets". It just felt too intentional and obvious.

The main issues that I had with this book is that it just didn't feel clever. One of the things that I love about the murder mystery genre is the cleverness of the author in terms of what they reveal and what the reader has to figure out or infer. That was not the case here.

It was a cozy mystery and I did highly enjoy both of the side characters of Father Gloria and Dr. Philomena (aka Dr. Phil), but Madeline (the main character we literally spend the whole time with), annoyed the crap out of me.

I loved the plot of this cozy mystery book but it overall missed the mark for me. My biggest battle was not feeling like the characters were fully developed until the end of the book. This may be because it is the first in a series and if this book was used to set up a series could explain the initial disconnect. Additionally I understand that belief has to be suspended but the female main character ended up doing the exact opposite of what the detective of her case told her to do. At first I was nodding along and agreeing with her course of action but eventually found it repetitive and frustrating.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

I instantly liked Madeline. I found her funny and unique. I am not exactly sure what it is but I was just drawn to the story and to keep going. I love the combination of Madeline and Gloria. I was not expecting them to work so well together. There were a few twists I did not see coming. I really am glad that Madeline stood her ground and did not back down when presented with some unsettling information. I had an idea who the murderer was but there was a lot of information to keep you guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for a review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martins Publishing for the ARC of "Booked For Murder" in exchange for an honest review.
I gravitate to a cozy mystery for the same reasons I think other readers do.......something about the setting, the characters or the peculiar situations of the crimes catches my attention, something that makes this particular cozy stand out from hundreds of others.
"Booked For Murder' does have all the familiar tropes firmly in place...... small town where everybody knows everybody else, a bookstore to die for (and somebody does)., and a plus-sized cat lounging around at the most pivotal moments.
The lead character (and amateur sleuth) Madeline Brimley is what initially drew me in. I'm a theater nerd/buff and Madeline's a failed actress of indeterminate age who's inherited a combo Victorian house-bookstore from her late Aunt Rose. Madeline's spotty, up-and-down theatrical career can't possibly equal the drama besetting her in her first few days of taking over the house and its store.
Somebody torches the gazebo behind the house and Madeline receives threatening phone calls from what sounds like a backwoods hood. And worst of all, someone ends up stabbed to death in the store, maybe an unlucky innocent victim whom the killer mistook for Madeline. Even the worst play she ever acted in can't compete with this this level of life-threatening melodrama.......
In true cozy fashion, our heroine ends up as part of trio of would-be sleuths, along her Aunt Rose's lifelong friend Philomena and local minister Gloria. Suspects abound and Madeline, alternately bold and foolish, attempts interrogating them with results ranging from confounding to downright perilous. And along the way, there's lots of witty asides referring back to her checkered career in the theater.
A quick and mildly entertaining read, but with a few major problems in characterization and plotting. The author has some of ,well let's say the less educated characters talking like they escaped from a community theater production of 'Deliverance' and after the climactic reveal, the book rambles on as if we're simply content to hang out with Madeline and pals. I think it'll take a few more books in the series to earn that privilege from readers.

This was another solid cozy mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. My biggest problem with it is that it's another "I'll just investigate myself" trope and it turned out badly. I did not see the ending coming so that was a plus but it didn't really keep my attention like I had hoped it would. Solid 3 star read for me!

I have been into cozy mysteries this year and I was excited to read this one, especially with the title and the setting of a bookstore. I found it entertaining enough but I struggled at times with the characters. The MC is very annoying and unlikeable and I found it hard to connect with her. I found she also acted in a way that made no sense to me. I didn’t really like any of the side characters either and found them not very realistic. It felt like it could have been better, but I still had fun reading it.

"Maybe that was Enigma. The lies were so big because the town was so small."

There are many lies to unravel and secrets to reveal in the aptly named small Southern town Engima. It's what is so entertaining about P J. Nelson's debut cozy murder mystery, Booked For Murder (Book 1 of An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery Series).

When Madeline left Engima she thought she'd be returning as a successful actress but that remains an elusive dream. Now she's entering Aunt Rose's Victorian mansion mourning the loss of her career and her Aunt. Looking around she has to smile. The mansion still serves as the Old Juniper Bookshop, where "each room was allegedly dedicated to a general genre— the dining room was supposed to be the mystery section, but there were also two cases of poetry..."

Before Madeline can decide if she'll keep the bookshop or the mansion, the historical gazebo out back is torched to ashes. Then the threatening phone calls start, promising her mansion is next to burn if she doesn't leave town. Before she can call the police there's a fire in the house. As the smoke clears a dead body lies on the floor and Madeline is suspect number one.

I applaud voice actress Hallie Bee Bard performing so many quirky characters; especially the often unhinged Madeline. Not trusting the young sheriff, who she used to babysit, to solve the case; she plays amateur sleuth with the help of her Aunt's BFF Philomena the professor, Episcopal priest Gloria, and even Cannonball the cat saves the day.

There's a hint of a budding romance with a hot contractor, a surprising love story, and a couple of twists that are worth booking yourself some time for this cozy mystery.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Good interaction among principal characters . Liked the plot twist involving one of these people. But not enough interest in the main character to make me want to read a future book. And I really, really dislike the author for not admitting who he or she really is. Coward? Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookedformurder for advance digital copy.

Madeline Brimley is forced to return to her hometown when he beloved aunt dies and leaves The Old Juniper Bookstore to Madeline. However, Madeline's transition back to Enigma, Georgia is anything but smooth. Upon returning, the gazebo in the backyard is set ablaze. And soon after that, a mysterious phone call comes into the landline warning Madeline to get out before something worse happens. Madeline isn't intimidated by these threats and is determined to stay and start her new life. That is until a second fire and a murder take place at the bookstore. Madeline is forced to stay at the bookstore/mansion due to a clause in her aunt's will and is left with no choice but to find out who is behind this - before it is too late. Enigma lives up to its name with a cast of mysterious characters and their various motivations for wanting to bring Madeline and Aunt Rose's legacy down.

I thought I would fall in love with this book, but it fell flat in certain areas for me. There were a few characters who did not need to be included or given as much detail, for example. When the twist came, it didn't feel super fleshed out and made the ending of the book feel rushed. I know this is going to be the first in a series, but there were too many loose ends that weren't tied up to even have the book transition into a second one. I think this story has a lot of potential, but I think it would have done better as a standalone and not the first in a series. I can imagine by the end of the second book (if there are more after it), readers will have had enough of Enigma, GA. This would be a great book for someone who is just getting into cozy mysteries or wants a series that will (assumedly) be reliant on reading one right after the other. I can't say I'll be reading the second book...

I love a good Cozy Mystery and ti have this one in a book store was just the icing on the cake.
I am excited to check out more from this author in the future.

This was a fantabulous read! Perfect way to start autumn, with a cozy mystery based in a bookstore. The characters were all diverse with their own issues. The MFC Madeline was spunky and charismatic and not perfect, it took trying to solve a murder to realize it. It was a bummer though to not find out what she was running from in the end of the book. I would have liked to see more of her and David. The story kind of left off on a cliff hanger.

The small town Southern charm was exactly how I would picture it, and during autumn made it a perfect scene. A town small enough where everyone had a secret of their own.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson is the first entry in a new series. When Madeline Brimley's eccentric Aunt Rose passes, Madline returns to the bookstore she's inherited, only to discover that her small hometown holds some deadly secrets.

The Old Juniper Bookstore is housed in an old Victorian mansion and it's where Madeline spent hours at the shop waiting for her chance to escape the stifling town of Enigma, Georgia. Upon her arrival, Madeline is quickly 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. Then a murder inside the bookstore takes place and Madeline knows it's up to her to protect the store and her aunt's legacy.

This is a cozy mystery with an interesting premise - a murder at a cozy bookstore in an old Victorian home? I'm all in! I enjoyed the side characters like Gloria an Episcopalian priest and Rose's dearest friend Philomena. Enigma seems to be a bit down on its luck, but still full of quirky southern charm. Unfortunately, I found Madeline highly annoying as she made one poor, risky decision after another. She's not always the most likable, yet romance seems to be around the corner for Madeline as the series unfolds. The mystery itself was fairly basic but a couple of twists kept it engaging enough to keep me reading through to the end.

I’m not normally a fan of mystery but this one was a cozy, small town mystery that I mostly enjoyed!

The storyline was a little slow going in my opinion and I felt like some of the characters just weren’t really thought out too well and at some point the FMC even started to get on my nerves, probably about halfway through but I did like her again by the end! I really did like some of the other characters too though especially Cannonball the cat lol

I did feel like the ending was a tad anticlimactic but I really wasn’t surprised! I feel like this series might have good potential but I’m just not sure it’s for me!

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia to become an actress in the big city, her career doesn’t quite take off like she wanted and when news that her Aunt has passed away and left her The Old Juniper Bookstore she needs to head back to her small town roots. As soon as she arrives someone sets fire to the old gazebo in the backyard and someone is calling her threatening to burn down the house if she doesn’t leave. To top that all off someone gets murdered in the bookstore. This is all in the first few chapters of the book, so it certainly starts off with an exciting bang!

Although the book started off well, I felt at about the 30% mark that the book started to get a little slow for me. I had a hard time connecting to some of the characters, especially Madeline. She isn’t well liked by the community and she was kind of rude (especially to people in authority roles) and a bit standoffish, so I didn’t really like her too much. The story was a bit predictable and I guessed who the killer was, once you meet all the characters you can kind of get a jist of who the killer might be.

I did think this was a good mystery novel, I’m not sure if I would call it cozy, because it veered slightly away from a traditional cozy in my opinion. So if you’re interested in reading a book store centered, small town murder mystery then pick this book up.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

If you like cozies, here you go…

Cozy mysteries and bookstores just seem to go together well - think Carolyn Hart’s Death on Demand series, or Joan Hess’ Claire Malloy series. So PJ Nelson’s Booked for Murder is following in a fine tradition. And it’s a quick read, perfect for a plane ride or an afternoon at the beach.

The main character, Madeline Brimley, grew up in a small town, spending a lot of time at her Aunt Rose’s Old Juniper bookstore. Rose was a bit of a free spirit, and was influential in Maddie’s decision to leave Enigma, Georgia, and pursue an acting career, first in New York, and then in Atlanta. And by leaving her bookstore to Maddie when she passes away, Aunt Rose is again influential – this time in persuading Maddie to return. But small towns can be complicated, and Maddie soon finds herself the victim of both arson and threatening calls. Who would want to drive Maddie out of town, almost before she’s back? And why? And then the dead body of Maddie’s young assistant is found in the store itself.

There’s not a lot of depth to Booked for Murder, just a few bits here-and-there that make you think - about relationships, and about mental health. But depth is not really a requirement for a cozy. And Nelson’s writing and plotting are enjoyable enough to carry readers along while Maddie figures out what’s going on and, of course, eventually, whodunnit. So if you like lighter mysteries, this looks to be the start of a fun new series. And finally, my thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

When Madeline learns that she has inherited Aunt Rose’s eccentric bookstore, Madline returns home to start a new chapter in her life. Problems arise almost from the very first day, but Madeline refuses to let them change her plans. When those problems expand to include murder and she is suspect #1, she is determined to clear her name – and to learn who the killer actually is.

This appears to be the author’s debut novel, and perhaps the first book in a series as well. I love the setting of an old Victorian home turned bookshop, with books in every room – talk about a book lover’s dream! The characters are an eccentric bunch, but I liked the MC Madeline and others I hope will be recurring characters if this is indeed the beginning of a series. The cat Cannonball was a marvelous addition to the cast :)

The mystery was baffling at first, as there didn’t appear to be anyone who would kill this particular victim. As the investigation continued and things became more clear, I added a few names to my list of possible suspects. One name jumped to the top of the list and stayed there until the reveal. While I had identified the culprit, I hadn’t quite nailed down the motive.

I hope this *is the first book of a series, because there are some unanswered questions that came to mind, and I would like to spend more time with these characters and learn more about them.