Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson

 Booked for Murder

Book Summary

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

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson is the debut of the Old Juniper Bookstore Mysteries.  I enjoyed the descriptions of the Victorian mansion that housed the bookstore that Madeline Brimley inherited from her eccentric Aunt Rose.  If I had inherited the bookstore, my first task would have been organizing the books.  Aunt Rose did not believe in sorting them by author (by type only but there were no guarantees that the book you desired would be found in that area).  Madeline is not an endearing main character.  She is not an individual who will let people in, she jumps to conclusions despite obvious evidence and is extremely stubborn. The beginning of the story did not make a lot of sense.  There is a fire that is obviously arson, but the police fail to arrive.  I would expect a patrol police officer to show up to throw up some crime scene tape and ask questions while they await the detective.  After the murder, I would expect the bookstore to be crawling with police (well, the town only has four police officers, so I expect two of them plus a detective to show up along with forensics and a cornoner).  I would not expect to wake up the next day and enter my kitchen to enjoy coffee with my friends (I would expect Madeline to have been asked to leave and the place closed off as a crime scene—I know it is fiction, but geez).  

The mystery is predictable and lacks suspense.  I knew who would die and who would commit the crime long before it occurred.  Madeline does not investigate but rushes into things.  She fails to think things through (she reminds me more of a teenager than an adult). The reveal is unexciting (a big letdown).  The story moved along at a slow pace (the pace gets choppy near the end) with repetitive details.  I will never understand the need for one character to learn something important, then they must tell someone close to them, and then the two of them tell someone else.  There were unnecessary as well as odd scenes and dialogue. There were things that Madline should know (as an adult who has lived on her own for a number of years), but she seemed to have no clue (if someone burns down your gazebo, you need a police report for the insurance company and you need to call the insurance company).  I enjoyed the jazz and book references.  I also liked the cat. Booked for Murder is an unusual tale with a beautiful bookstore, a confusing conflagration, a helpful friend, a mystifying murder, a friendly reverend, and a delightful jazz collection. 

Booked for Murder is available from Amazon*.   I do suggest that you download a sample of Booked for Murder so you can see if it suits you. Thank you for dropping by today.  I will return tomorrow with The Amish Widower's Surprise by Laurel Blount which comes out December 24.  It is the first book in the Hickory Springs Amish series.  I am off to get packages ready for the post office as well as some cards.  My mother liked the idea of sending pop-up musical cards to each person on our Christmas card list this year (she is not the person who has to wait in line at the post office).  I need everything ready to go on Wednesday (wish me luck).  I hope that you have a jolly day!  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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