this was a lovely cozy mystery! For anyone who enjoys books about books/bookstores, you’ll really enjoy this story. I loved the small town, southern charm setting a lot, but I had a hard time believing that Madeline grew so quickly attached to so many people after not having been in the small town of Enigma, Georgia in so long. For that reason, it was really unrealistic for her to attest to people’s characters while trying to solve a murder. The emotions she had just didn’t match the logic of the timeline, in my opinion. I also thought one of the plot twists was fairly obvious (no spoilers here though). Despite this slight disappointment, I found the story to be fast-paced and wanted to learn what would happen next.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson was a 3 star read for me meaning while I didn't particularly like it, I know others may absolutely love it.

Issues I had with the book included a lack of connection (or enjoyment) of the main character Madeline. I felt she was very rude, hyperbolic, and insensitive. Two examples include her stating her desire to check out the living situation and friends of someone who was murdered in Madeline's inherited home. She equated it to trying to understand the characters she plays when acting - like she was "getting in character."

The other example of Madeline's insensitivity and proclivity for hyperbole was stating her devastation of a close friend's secret being revealed as the equivalent to the fall of the Roman Empire, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, etc all happening to her at once.

However, if you are able to overlook unlikable characters, you may want to consider checking this out on December 10, 2024.

This story is small town mystery that centers around a bookshop and the returning resident of Enigma, Maddie. Maddie’s aunt left her her bookshop and house when she died but it wasn’t as smooth sailing as Maddie hoped. She starts getting threatening phone calls, fires are started, and her friend gets murdered downstairs! Determined to figure out who killed her friend, Maddie conducts her own investigation and talks to the people that knew the victim and things don’t seem to add up. Are the people of Enigma really who everyone thinks they are?

The plot of the story was very slow in some parts and other side storylines I felt were unnecessary as they didn’t really contribute anything to the story. The dialogue could be confusing as the author seemed to switch between “normal” English (for lack of a better term) and a southern dialect. Characters could be speaking and then suddenly develop a southern speech pattern which kind of threw me off.

Overall, I look forward to the next book in this series! Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Maddie (Madeline) finds she has inherited a bookstore from her Aunt Rose. A bookstore located in a little town called Enigma, a town with which she is not unfamiliar. When she arrives someone intends to make sure she won’t stay by setting fire to the gazebo in her yard. After that even threatening phone calls won’t scare her away.

I had fun with this. It’s different than what I’ll call your everyday cozy. Don’t get me wrong. I love cozies. Sometimes the brain needs a mystery without all the blood and gore of a thriller. But cozies can have a certain frame that makes one sometimes seem like a carbon copy of another. This sure isn’t true of J.P. Nelson’s book. This is indeed a small town and there is a small-town cop involved, and she inherits something, but somehow the way this mystery falls together is different. The kind of difference that keeps you reading.

I think this may be a debut book for P.J. Nelson or at least a “cozy” debut. Could be the author is using a pseudonym, but I sure hope he or she writes another Maddie book.

A cozy mystery with a decent plotline that kept be engaged for the most part, while other times, it was pretty easy to put the book down and walk away from it, especially when the pacing slowed down and nothing was happening. It didn't really grab my attention as much as I wanted it to, but that makes sense since it was a cozy mystery, and doesn't have the insane amount of suspense and thrilling twists and turns. The big reveal was pretty expected and left a lot to be desired. It happened a little sooner than I had hoped, and I felt like there could have been another twist here that would have made the book so much better, and in reality, it fell flat.

Madeline was not a really likeable character, and I couldn't find myself rooting for her, even from the very beginning. I mean, what kind of character has their new house almost set on fire by some random person, then almost get framed for doing it herself, and THEN, gets a phone call from an unknown person threatening to kill her if she doesn't leave, and she doesn't even mention it to the police, not even to try and clear her name for the arson or in case that person follows through on the threat on her life. This wasn't the only time Madeline acted like this, and put herself in situations that weren't ideal because of her personality and cockiness, keeping in mind that she has no investigative experience, as a retired actress who inherited a bookstore. And of course, because Madeline refuses to tell anyone or do anything about the threats, the bookshop is set on fire and someone ends up being found dead inside.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, P.J. Nelson, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This was a light bit of fluff reading. The mystery aspects of the book weren't that deep, and the main one regarding why Rose had a codicil on her will that Madeline stay for six month before she could sell wasn't resolved in a satisfying manner (at least for me). If you prefer cozy mysteries, this may be more your style, but I prefer my mysteries on the darker side and the twists to be much more unexpected.

Booked for Murder is a fast-paced cozy mystery. Madeline arrives back in Georgia after her aunt passes and leaves the house and bookstore she lives in to her. Right away, the mystery starts when someone burns down her gazebo within about half an hour of her arrival at the house, then she gets a strange phone call threatening to do the same to the house if she doesn't leave. This is one of the small issues I had with the story. When Madeline gets the phone call she doesn't want to tell the police, which I don't quite get as why wouldn't you tell the police you have been threatened after someone burns down your gazebo? Also, she doesn't really give the police a chance to be incompetent or not believe her before she decides they are worthless and starts to investigate on her own.
Other than that I did like the characters and the setting. The mystery/ murder had plenty of twists, turns, and suspects to keep you guessing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc/alc of this book.

This book was only mediocre in my opinion. It is entirely possible that I just wasn't in the right mood when I read this story, and I may try this book again in the future, but for whatever reason, I couldn't find myself interested in this story and my mind kept wandering. With that being said, I may try this book again at a later date.

Some books hook you and you are enthralled in their story. Others are just a miss and it takes a lot of patience and time to read them. This was the latter for me. The characters didn't hook me and I didn't feel like rooting for them. This book wasn't my cup of tea. I did like the southern setting and the premise.

I wanted to love this book because it sounds perfect for me, but I was instantly turned off when Tandy was killed. I had just started to become invested in their friendship. It’s I may circle back to it eventually, but as of right now it’s a DNF.

Oh, what fire! 
This was such a great mystery. With all the great cozy mystery vibes. Madeline is back in her hometown. Small town, check! After her aunt passed and left her the bookstore. Victorian house bookstore, check! While horrible situations arise immediately after arrival. Murder, check! So she and her newfound friends decided to investigate. All the wonderful points of a cozy mystery done in such an interesting story. It really keeps moving and keeps you guessing. Who’s telling the truth? Small towns don't only have small lies. 
I read this so quickly. And enjoyed it so much. I'm looking forward to a second book.

Booked For Murder is a cozy mystery set in a small town Bookshop inherited by the main character, Madeline. True to most mystery novels, Madeline takes it up on herself to try to solve the case of a customer that is killed in her shop. She takes risks and fumbles around with her ever-changing understanding of the people in the small town she grew up in with her Aunt.

Madeline is a stage performer and her life has mostly been spent moving wherever her career in the arts has taken her. She is trying hard to resist forces that are trying to get her to finally settle down and put down roots. Although predictable in parts, it kept me interested and I would definitely read more by the author!

This was a fun time. I enjoyed this southern cozy mystery with all it's quirks and weird people living in this small town. It was a little predictable and a little easy to guess who did it but it was still a good time while reading. I loved the bookstore atmosphere and of course the kitty. If your looking for nothing more then a quick fun read, look no farther.

Moving back to Enigma, Georgia to take over her aunts bookstore was no in Madeline Brinkley’s long term plans, but now it seems more like an escape. A welcome escape until she’s confronted with threatening phone calls, a burned down gazebo and the death of a new friend. Unwilling to be intimidated, Madeline takes it upon herself to find the culprit, stopping at nothing to get to the truth.

I am always looking for a good mystery and was intrigued by this book. I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish and liked the characters a lot. There was a good assortment of personalities and quirks, but the main characters were all great together. At times the sleuthing skills were a little bold and in your face, but I think that was part of Madeline’s charm. She’s definitely not subtle and not as good of a sleuth as she thinks she is, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I don’t know if this is going to turn into a series or if it’s a one off, but I’d be interested in seeing more. If you are a mystery fan and want some good laughs along with your mystery this is a good book to choose.

Another series where unlikely characters got together to solve a murder. My standards are really high for this theme as I'm not used to read The Thursday Murder Club or Finlay Donovan stories. This one was a good palate cleanser, but nothing that swept me off my feet.

Madeline took over her aunt's bookshop after she passed away. She wanted to get away from that town so bad that coming back felt like a punishment. She thought about selling the store, but also she was bind by the law that she had to live in aunt's house and work at the bookstore for 6 months before she could do anything. This would have been okay if it was only that. Gazebo arson, murder, and threatening messages came after to turn Madeline's life into living hell

If you are interested in murder mysteries tied to specific location and people, you'll like this one too. I enjoyed it, but also I have read so many like this.

Thank you so much Minotaur for the ARC!

I'm a huge fan of cute cozy mysteries and they usually hit the spot for me.

Unfortunately, something was missing for me in this one. I think it just felt a little slow and I kept waiting for it to hook me and it never did sadly.

I do love the cover and the premise of a mystery at a bookstore, but I feel like a lot of this was basic tropes that have been done many times before, especially with the inheriting from a family member, etc.

I wish the author sucess!

Who doesn't dream of inheriting a book store??

This was a great debut #mystery full of southern atmosphere and charm!

While I sometimes struggled to connect with the main character, Madeline, I really enjoyed the cast of supporting characters (especially Gloria and Billy). I loved the overall idea of not judging a book by it's cover (i.e. just because someone's a farmer in a small, rural town in the south doesn't mean they can't love jazz and Shakespeare) and can't wait for a second book in the series.

If you are looking for a whodunit full of southern charm, atmosphere, and quirky characters, then this one is for you.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson follows
Madeline Brimley, who returns to the bookstore she inherited and discovers that small towns hold deadly and dark secrets.

The plot and main characters are perfect for cozy mystery lovers who also don't mind the subject matter to be a little dark at times. At times, I felt like the books pace was a little slow, but I did enjoy the banter between characters and finding out the secrets of this small town.

Happy Reading!

This was such a fun and easy read and the perfect cozy mystery! I loved the writing style and the small town vibes. The main characters were easy to like and show strong women being true to themselves. Madeline was not a great detective but I felt it added to the charm of the book. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Booked for Murder
P.J. Nelson

This is a small-town Southern mystery, set in a bookstore. The plot is persuasive, though not enormously original. The main characters, Madeleine and Philomena are well-drawn and I’m reading it because I’m enjoying it.
Madeleine arrives in the small Georgia town of Enigma after her favorite aunt, a bookstore owner, dies. She’s had a moderately successful career as an actor in Atlanta but is considering taking over and running the bookstore, at least temporarily.
Immediately, she begins to receive threats from some unknown person. In fact, the gazebo behind the house/store is burned down the very night she arrives. And then there is the murder of a person mistaken for Maddie herself.
I must admit I'm somewhat put off by the stereotypical rural Southern bad grammar among the lesser characters.
I tried to find other books by this author, but could not. It appears to me that this is the first in an intended series. I wish Ms. Nelson well and hope that her stories continue to improve as she goes along. If this is a series, I will look forward to reading the next one.