ARC Review: All My Bones by P.J. Nelson

All My Bones is book 2 in the Old Juniper Bookstore series by P.J. Nelson.

All My Bones takes us back to Enigma, Georgia where Madeline Brimley and has returned after inheriting a bookshop from her aunt.  Madeline decides that the front of the house which serves as both the bookshop and her home could use some sprucing up. She and her friend Gloria grab shovels and start digging in the front yard, only to unearth a body. The body turns out to be that of a local woman, who it appears was not well liked by most of the town. When Gloria is accused of the murder, Madeline is determined to find the real culprit.

While All My Bones is the second book in the series, it’s easily read as a standalone novel, since the mystery in each book is independent of the other. There are mentions of things that happened in the previous book, but they are minor to the plot and just help to fill in relationships between the characters for new readers.

While I found the mystery, and characters in this book to be interesting, for some reason that I can’t pinpoint, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as book one. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, it just didn’t engage me quite the same way.

I think one thing that bothered me was the lack of interaction with her friend Gloria. Once she was arrested, Gloria wasn’t seen again until almost the end of the book. While there were mentions of her, Madeline never once visited her to see how she was doing, or to get her insight on anything, even when she started to have doubts about Gloria’s innocence.

I’m not a fan of the way characters in cozy mysteries often put themselves in unnecessary danger just to make the resolution of the mystery more exciting, and suspenseful, but I think this book could have used a bit of that. I felt like the   climax of the mystery, when the culprit was confronted, was a let down. It wasn’t exciting or suspenseful, or even very interesting, it was just kind of boring.

That said, overall I did enjoy the book because I enjoyed the setting and the characters, and I would be interested in continuing reading the series. I think most cozy book lovers would enjoy it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

All My Bones will be available on December 2 2025.