ARC Review: Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson

Booked for Murder
Author: P. J. Nelson
Series: An Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (December 10, 2024)

Description: In this atmospheric southern cozy debut, Madeline Brimley returns to the bookstore she inherited, discovering that small towns hold deadly secrets.

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she's left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is 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.

But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there's another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim.

My Thoughts: Madeline Brimley left tiny Enigma, Georgia, for college and an acting career. Now, after a less than successful career and the death of her eccentric aunt Rose, Madeline has come back. She's inherited her aunt's bookstore which is housed in the old Victorian house where she lived. 

However, someone doesn't want her there. Just moments after arriving in her beat-up old Fiat, someone torches the 100-year-old gazebo in her backyard. A visit from the fire department comes next as does suspicion from the new fire chief that she might have started the fire herself. Add to that a threatening phone call in the early hours of the morning and you have a character who wants to leave town even though she has nowhere to go.

Her aunt's lawyer tells her that her aunt had a codicil to her will saying that Madeline has to stay six months before the property became hers. Now, Madeline is stuck in a place where someone wants her gone. She's not alone though. Her aunt's good friend psychology professor Philomena Waldrop and new Anglican priest Gloria Coleman quickly rally around her. 

Things get worse before they get better. There is a second fire. This time it is the front door of the bookstore, and a new young friend of Madeline's is murdered. Madeline, Philomena and Gloria are determined to find out who murdered Tandy Fletcher and who wants Madeline gone.

Lacking faith in the local police since Madeline babysat him before she left town, the three women begin their own investigations and find all sorts of suspicious characters. 

This was an enjoyable start to a new series. I liked the characters of all three women and thought they were all interesting people. I liked the possibility of a romantic interest in David Marshall who has had a very interesting set of life experiences. I liked the setting and Madeline's observations about it. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.