Tag: BOOKS

Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!

Today I am happy to share my thoughts about the first book in Victoria Gilbert’s new Campus Sleuth Mysteries Series!

Schooled in Murder ( A Campus Sleuth Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Virginia
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (January 7, 2025)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639109234
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639109234
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXKXT5K9

A mystery writer must solve a real murder case before an innocent girl is condemned in this series debut from acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Lorna Barrett.

Jennifer “Jenn” Dalton is an author and educator at Clarion University in Virginia. She loves her job, but some of her petty coworkers look down on her for writing genre fiction. As members of the English department, they wish to encourage students to pursue higher literary aspirations. When a humiliating confrontation between an uppity professor and one of Jenn’s students, Mia, escalates, no one thinks much of it. Until his dead body is found along with evidence incriminating Mia.

Jenn knows Mia couldn’t have killed him, but Mia’s suspicious disappearance might as well be a proclamation of guilt. With the sleuthing skills Jen has acquired writing murder mysteries, she’s determined to solve the case and clear Mia’s name.

Along with the help of her fellow sleuthers—Christine Kubiak, a cafeteria manager; Zachary Flynn, the charming but annoying campus psychologist; and Brianna Rowley, a librarian—Jen must catch the real killer before there’s another murder on the books.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Jennifer “Jenn” Dalton loves her job at Clarion University in Virginia where she is the director of the campus writing center. She also pens a “fairly successful mystery series” under a pseudonym. Her colleagues believe her books are less than literary achievements as they are genre fiction. The powers that be in the English Department wish their students to apply themselves and strive for higher literary endeavors. Jennifer mentors her students in whatever they want to write but one pushy professor, Douglas Barth took one student, Mia Jackson to task in a shameful encounter. Later he is found dead and she is missing. Mia was upset about her grade and told the man so loudly but Jenn couldn’t believe she could kill anyone. Yes, there was evidence that could show the two had met but no proof she killed her professor.

Jenn Dalton is used to writing murder mysteries but solving a murder in real life is a lot more complicated. Could she actually catch a killer? She enlists some help from others at the college.  Campus psychologist, Zachary Flynn, cafeteria manager Christine Kubiak, and librarian Brianna Rowley agree to band together with her to try to bring down the killer and throw the book at them.

Schooled in Murder is a spinoff from Ms. Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. Characters in that series have visited or worked at Clarion University and some are mentioned in this story, but you do not need to have read that series to enjoy this one.

The murder happens in chapter one so we hit the ground running when we meet protagonist Jenn Dalton. As the story continues we meet several supporting characters including Jenn’s friends Bri and Christine, assorted professors, and the head of the department. Psychologist Zach Flynn pushes himself into the group as his attraction to Jenn grows. Mia Jackson is the prime suspect in the professor’s death but other suspects are soon in the mix. The problem with the first book in a series is introducing all the characters so we don’t get much depth. It took me time to warm up to Jenn and I felt the author pushed the relationship between her and Zach too hard too soon but I am open to see where it goes. All the characters have room to grow as the series continues and I look forward to them being more fleshed out.

Usually, with the first book in the series, it is hard to include a complicated mystery while introducing all the characters but Ms. Gilbert gave us one to sink our teeth into. I appreciated how Jenn and her fellow sleuths asked questions and discussed what they found out and their theories about the case. Another murder brought a new batch of theories. Jenn knew she was on the right track because of some alarming incidents. I honed in on the killer before Jenn which didn’t occur until the scary showdown.

Schooled in Murder was an entertaining read that has laid the groundwork for the continuation of this series. I love the college setting and that Jenn is a cozy mystery author.  I can only imagine what she and her friends will get tangled up in next. Bring on book two!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Crooked Land NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About the Author

Raised in a historic small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian. Now retired after over thirty years in the library field, she’s worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and university library director.

Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, and the Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Victoria lives in North Carolina.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”