Booked for Murder: An Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery

Nelson debuts with an anemic cozy centered on Georgia bookstore owner Madeline Brimley. After her acting career stalls because she’s “too old for the ingenue, too young for character parts,” Madeline returns to her hometown of Enigma, Ga., to run her late aunt Rose’s bookshop. The Old Juniper Bookstore, located in Rose’s mansion, provides Madeline with welcome direction until someone sets fire to the gazebo in the backyard. Not long afterward, an anonymous caller tells Madeline to “clear out” or risk being burned to death along with the rest of the mansion. Madeline ignores the threat, but the caller appears to make good, setting the Old Juniper ablaze; in the aftermath, Madeline uncovers the corpse of a friend who’s been stabbed to death inside the house. The police first suspect the killer was going after Madeline, but soon rumors spread that she herself might be to blame. Unfortunately, Nelson fails to make Madeline a convincing sleuth, and he wraps things up with a groan-worthy deus ex machina. It’s a letdown. (Dec.)