Review: Author P.J. Nelson’s latest in Old Juniper Bookshop series is magical and a little grotesque

On December 9, A Cappella Books and the Georgia Center for the Book will host a celebration in honor of the release of All My Bones (Minotaur), the second book in P.J. Nelson’s cozy Old Juniper Bookshop mystery series, which will be out December 2. 

P.J. Nelson is the pseudonym of Decatur-based author, playwright and musician Phillip DePoy, who wrote the Fever Devilin mysteries, which explored the dark side of Georgia’s Appalachian region. DePoy turns his attentions further south and takes a softer approach to crime-solving under the Nelson pen name. 

These novels set in North Georgia cover everything from suspense to romance

The series’ first installment, Booked for Murder, debuted last December. The second volume picks up shortly after it left off with series protagonist and bookshop owner Madeline Brimley and her Episcopal priest friend, Gloria Coleman, preparing to plant rose bushes in front of the shop and digging up a body instead. When Gloria is arrested for the crime, Maddy and her friends take it upon themselves to clear her name.

Like an old fairy tale, All My Bones is magical, cozy and a little grotesque just below the surface. It’s a read that brings to mind elementary school sick days wrapped in a blanket on the couch, watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote. Except Maddy, a cynical native-turned-outsider who returns to her tiny hometown after a disappointing acting career, is in many ways more akin to Gilmore Girls’ Lorelai Gilmore than to Jessica Fletcher.

The novel is set in the small town of Enigma, Georgia, populated by quirky, distinctly Southern residents who often call to mind the odd characters in Flannery O’Connor’s best work and are a pleasure to encounter, even when they’re being unpleasant, nosy or obstinate, which is often. The book follows trains of juicy, delicious gossip through Enigma — the kind that involves affairs, rivalries and petty acts of revenge, along with long-buried secrets over which the ground has eroded just enough that they start to show.

Nelson treats the bookshop itself like a character, giving it the enchanted feel of a cottage in the woods. Maddy “consults” the shop for its sentiments on her choices from time to time, proceeding confidently once she senses its “approval.” She’s a fittingly well-read guide through the book’s high jinks, sprinkling literary references into just about everything she does and giving the reading experience an extra layer of fun.

Though All My Bones is a decidedly light read, there are moments of sharp insight into serious topics like mental illness, domestic violence and income inequality. In particular, the novel’s plot has a distinct eat-the-rich ethos, exploring the outsized power and influence of the wealthy and the many ways they use it. 

Altogether, the novel’s strengths outweigh an ending that feels somewhat rushed and simplistic. Though it’s slightly less satisfying than it might have been to finish the book, All My Bones is well worth the read. Like sinking your teeth into a fresh-baked holiday cookie, the joy of this book is more in the eating than in the full stomach that follows.

Where & When

P.J. Nelson will appear at the Decatur Library on Tuesday, December 9, at 7 p.m. The event will begin and end with performances by Nelson’s folk band, The Dianas, and feature a dramatic reading from All My Bones. Though the event is free and open to the public, tickets are recommended.
215 Sycamore St., Decatur.

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Rachel Wright has a Ph.D. from Georgia State University and an MA from the University College Dublin, both in creative writing. Her work has appeared in The Stinging Fly and elsewhere. She is currently at work on a novel.