ALL MY BONES, second bookseller/sleuth cozy mystery set in Georgia

ALL MY BONES (An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery #2)
P. J. NELSON
Minotaur Books (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$14.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Madeline Brimley, new owner of a bookstore in a small Georgia town, finds herself playing sleuth when a friend is charged with the murder of a much-disliked woman.

Madeline Brimley recently inherited a bookstore in Enigma, Georgia, is embarking on her second career, after her first one (acting) founders upon the metaphorical rocks. Settling in, Madeline recruits her friend Gloria Coleman, the local Episcopal priest, to help her plant azaleas in the front yard of the old Victorian that houses the bookstore. Turning the soil, however, uncovers the body of one Beatrice Glassie, a troublesome woman who has been missing for the past six months.

When her friend Gloria is arrested for the murder, Madeline is determined to prove her innocence and, as she quickly finds out, there aren't many people in town who hadn't wanted to kill Bea Glassie at one point or another. And the very expensive and rare first edition of a particular volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales—ordered by the victim and her sister is somehow tied to the grim death. With the help of her not-quite-boyfriend, a local lawman, and her deceased aunt's best friend, Madeline plans to set a trap to catch the real murderer—before she becomes the next victim.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: BOOKED FOR MURDER is Author Nelson's debut bookseller/sleuth cozy mystery set in Georgia. Building on its very pleasant foundations, this tale of a local harpy-cum-harridan's unregretted death takes Madeline Brimley into dark corners of her newly-returned-to hometown. Her buddy Gloria, the Episcopalian priest, gets accused...not very convincingly...of the crime. Not so fast says our intrepid actress manquée-turned-bookseller, and swings into action.

I absolutely love that she used to babysit Billy, the guy now running for sheriff! I love the depth of field that is developed in this second entry in the series. Her interest in David, the local master gardener, is a relief...it's usually the lawman who gets involved with the amateur sleuth which...just no. It's an ethical violation that would get him bounced from his job and void his case investigations in reality. Of course, this isn't reality.

As in the first book the suspense-meter's staying low. I'm not against that in a cozy mystery where we're reading for ma'at and vibes. The cast is developing nicely, their quirks settling in to a rhythm of believable traits by consistency of notice from the rest of the cast. (Nothing destroys an illusion faster than no one in town ever commenting on someone's weird little quirks, eg Philomena's sapphic relationship with the late Aunt Rose.) Madeline's first-person narrative voice is a high point in this series. I looked forward to spending time with her. That failed acting career has done its part in giving Madeline crime-sleuthing skills, like seriously good sight-reading of materials she's briefly shown or sees, and decent mimicry skills.

I don't think her concentration was ever that strong...imagine needing reminding that the point of uncovering something is to exonerate her jailed friend!...but I totally bought in to the resolution of the killing being rooted in old, deep, toxic hatred. Small towns are great at breeding that kind of proximity toxicity.

A wonderful way to feed your Kindle and your head in the down moments of the slide into the Yule celebration itself. Get the first one, too, but you needn't read it first if you're a cozy fan of long standing.