Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Madeline Brimley fled Enigma, GA, for college and the theater world when she was 17. Almost 20 years later, she returns home when her beloved Aunt Rose dies and leaves her the Victorian home that houses the Old Juniper Bookstore. The gazebo in the backyard is set on fire 15 minutes after Madeline's arrival, she receives a threatening phone call, and she already wants to pack up and leave again, but the bookstore's healthy sales figures and a college student who loved Aunt Rose encourage her to stay. Then there's a fire in the bookstore and a murder, and Madeline decides to sell and move on. That's when she learns she has to live in the house for six months in order to inherit. Mistrustful of the small-town police force, Madeline joins forces with her aunt's best friend, Dr. Philomena Waldrop, and Enigma's new Episcopal priest, Gloria Coleman, to find the culprit. Both women might soon regret teaming up with Madeline, whose rash actions and accusations cause more trouble. VERDICT This atmospheric mystery from a pseudonymous novelist, actor, dramatist, and professor will appeal to readers who enjoy Southern or bookstore settings, quirky characters, and beautiful, descriptive writing.--Lesa Holstine
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An actress learns about life, herself, and homicide when she inherits a bookshop. When Madeline Brimley was growing up in Enigma, Georgia, she spent less time with her parents than with her late aunt Rose, once Rose retired from the Broadway stage, moved home, and opened the Old Juniper Bookshop. Now, the house and bookshop feel like a lifeline to Madeline, whose own career as an actor in Atlanta has stalled--until, just after she returns to her aunt's Victorian mansion for the first time since she inherited it, she spots the backyard gazebo in flames. Capt. Jordon of the fire department says it was arson and seems to suspect Madeline; then Madeline gets a threatening call on her aunt's landline telling her to clear out. It's not much of a welcome, but things improve when Rose's best friend, Dr. Philomena Waldrop of nearby Barnsley College, arrives on the scene. Then, Tandy Fletcher, a Barnsley student who used to help Rose, offers to work in the shop for free because she enjoys it; soon, after a tiff with her roommate, she asks to stay with Madeline overnight, and cooks a fantastic meal. But the threatening calls keep coming, the shop is set on fire, and Madeline finds Tandy stabbed to death. Furious and upset, Madeline decides to investigate with help from Gloria Coleman, an Episcopal priest who's had fire troubles of her own. She finds out that Tandy's roommate is in love with chem major and meth cooker Bo Whitaker, who claims to have been in love with Tandy. In addition, Madeline is suspicious of a property speculator who wants to buy her place and the church to build an outlet mall. Though she keeps changing her mind about who's guilty, she won't quit until she ascertains whodunit. Plenty of suspects with varied motives provide a knotty puzzle for a conflicted heroine. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
