It's been a long time since I've read a cozy mystery, and I wanted to give this one a shot when it was Read Now. I'm going to have a hard time separating my thoughts on the plot of the book due to the formatting the ARC came in - it was extremely distracting and hard to read so my enjoyment was definitely impacted.

How to Book a Murder is set in the Starlit Bookshop, a family business in the Starrs family. Emma is working on improving the business and adding party planning to this list when her high school archenemy walks in needing services. Emma sets up a murder mystery party for Tabitha to celebrate her husband - but when her husband is found dead at the party, Tabitha tries everything to pin it on Emma and her family.

The ending to this book was masterful, I did not at all see the final reveal coming and I was actually convinced it was something else entirely. I love books set in bookstores or libraries, so that was a plus for me. And it's the beginning of a new series so I'm sure there will more set in the bookstore. But, I really had an issue with the characters. Emma was a wet blanket, a pushover who was sticking her nose everywhere it didn't belong. And Tabitha was awful - I had some girls I would never want to see from high school again but none would treat me like that. It was over the top.

To recap: plot - yes, characters - no. Would I continue the series? Hard maybe.

**Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

Entertaining and engaging cozy mystery. So glad to see it is the start of a series. I am eager to read the further adventures of the three owners of the bookshop. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

How to Book a Murder is the first book in a new series by Cynthia Kuhn. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries involving bookstores, this is for you!

In an effort to keep her family's bookstore afloat, Emma agrees to host a mystery party for her former classmate and mean girl, Tabitha. Things are going well until Tabitha's husband turns up dead for real. Now Tabitha blames Emma and her Aunt Nora, a mystery writer, for the murder. So it's up to them to clear their names before the gossip gets them arrested and shutters the bookstore for good.

Emma is relatable, Aunt Nora is eccentric and fun. Lots of mystery genre factoids. Artistic smalltown setting. This is a fast-paced, delightful read.

Perfect for fans of Maggie Blackburn's Beach Side Mysteries or Carolyn Hart's classic Death on Demand series.

I will always love a cozy with a literary theme and this was no different. Kuhn did a great job with showing the (sometimes) difficulties of dealing with former classmates as you get older, setting yourself apart from who you used to be, and honestly just growing up. The book started off a bit slow for me, but the theme drew me in, and it was only a few dozen pages before I was hooked. I really enjoyed the secondary stories, learning more about the characters and community, and hope to read more in this series.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely put-downable.

On short notice Emma is hired as the event planner at a murder mystery party, by old high-school mean girl Tabitha. At the party, Tabitha’s husband Tip is murdered. Fair enough, Tabitha has reason to be upset. But not enough reason to start spreading rumours that Emma and her aunt Nora (who was a guest) are the murderers. If there was any evidence to back up that claim, the police would have arrested them. They would not be walking around freely.

Yet, people are believing Tabitha, because it is hurting Emma and Lucy’s business, a book store. Or perhaps people are not sure what to believe, and are just stepping aside to be on the safe side no matter.

Emma and Nora feel they must investigate. Meanwhile, Emma’s also planning another party: a launch party at her bookstore.

There were too many characters to keep track off, and most of them didn’t seem very nice, so I didn’t want to invest time in remembering them anyway.

I liked Nora, and perhaps I would have liked Emma a little better if she would have stood up to her clients more, rather than remind herself ‘the customer is always right’. No, the customer isn’t. But perhaps that’s easy for me to say; I don’t work as an event planner.

I love cozy mysteries and was especially interested when the description said it was for fans of Jenn McKinlay! This is a series debut and I loved it!! It had all the good qualities that make a great cozy, I cannot wait for the next books in the series!

Although not a book I will be ordering in my professional life, it is a title that I will be recommending in my personal life! There seem to be so many cozies coming out with bookshop or library settings! I'm excited!

How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn

Emma has returned home to help save the family bookstore. She helps plan an event that should increase sales. The only problem is that she finds a dead body before the event....
Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on December 7th.

The event is a success. But then she finds two more dead people. The cop is beginning to wonder why she finds them. A bully from grade school says it was Emma and her aunt who killed them. So Emma starts trying to determine who would murder them.

She finds out there was corruption in the department and that the men had more than one girlfriend.

The killer was surprising to me. You'll have to see if you can figure it out before the end.

It was an entertaining read.

What a great start to a new series! What's not to love about a cozy mystery that features a bookstore :) The mystery kept me guessing until the end. Characters are realistic and easy to connect with, and I think most readers will recognize a Tabitha in their own lives. I can't wait for the next installment in what looks to be a fun series.

I really wanted to like this-it has all the elements of a great cozy- but there was just too much going on and too many characters. Emma. a new Phd, is running the family bookshop and as a side gig organizing events most notably for her old nemesis Tabitha. Tabitha's husband Tip is found murdered Emma's aunt Nora is a suspect and then there's another event and another bad thing happens. Whew. Fans of Edgar Allen Poe will appreciate that he gets some air time but don't worry, you don't need any in-depth knowledge of the man or his work. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Here's hoping the this series improves.

A cute beginning to a new cozy mystery series by Cynthia Kuhn set in Colorado. Emma Starrs, with a freshly-minted PHD, turns down a teaching position to return home to help her sister run the family business, Starlit Bookshop. It is not doing well financially so Emma jumps at the chance when a customer comes into the store looking for a literary event planner. All goes well with this new venture until the host of the party is found murdered at the end of the evening. Worse, his wife starts spreading the rumor that Emma and her aunt Nora are the most likely suspects! Nora and Emma are forced to become amateur sleuths to clear their names.

Such neat characters! I would love to meet someone like the eccentric author Calliope in real life. She's a rip. The story sparkles with wit and humor and the mystery keeps the reader guessing right up to the conclusion. My main suspect became victim number two--so much for my detective skills! Quite an enjoyable read.

I received an arc of this new mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I am grateful for the opportunity.

Emma Starrs returns home to help her sister Lucy and Aunt Nora save the family bookstore, Starlit Bookshop. Emma agrees to implement an already planned mystery-themed dinner party for wealthy, well-connected, former high school nemesis Tabitha Baxter to raise the bookshop's profile. Unfortunately, the evening ends with the actual murder of the host, and Tabitha speculates that Emma or her Aunt Nora murdered her husband.

In this debut for Starlit Bookshop Mysteries, Cynthia Kuhn establishes an appealing group of characters and creates a mystery that begins revealing relationships and motives.
A special bookshop event adds more suspense while Emma and her Aunt Nora work to uncover clues. Ms. Kuhn writes a comfortably paced cozy that augers well for upcoming entries.

As Emma and Lucy struggle to keep their parents bookstore afloat, an opportunity to plan a murder mystery falls into their laps. But while the mystery went off without a hitch, a real murder was committed. Now Emma must conduct her own investigation when people start suspecting her. I loved this book! What an intriguing cast of characters. I cant wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free eARC.

How to book a Murder was a good read. If you like cozy mysteries then you'll like this book. This is the first book in the Starlit Bookshop Mystery series. Emma Starrs is a newly minted Ph.D. She comes home to Colorado to help her sister and aunt save their floundering bookstore. When an old high school classmate bemoans having her party planner quit on her, Emma offers to help plan the mystery-themed dinner party. What follows is a murder mystery for the books. Read to find out what happens next. I was intrigued with all the characters. I can't wait to read more in this series. Cynthia Kuhn did a great job in writing this story. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

How to Book a Murder is the first in a new cozy mystery series by Cynthia Kuhn. It centers around a woman named Emma Starrs who has returned home to Colorado to help her sister Lucy run the family's charming bookstore. Her Aunt works at the local University and Emma is sucked into a mystery involving it's staff after one of it's prominent members is found murdered.
The man killed is the husband of Emma's former schoolmate and mean girl Tabitha. The murder takes place at a murder mystery party that Emma is helping to run to make extra money to support the store which is struggling to stay afloat. She and her Aunt are considered suspect's by Tabitha and the police and Emma works to find the truth. There are more murders and red herrings as the book goes on, leading up to the big reveal which was a bit of a surprise. A solid start to a fun series.

I liked the main relationships in this cozy mystery which was between Emma and Lucy, and with Emma and Nora. Instead of the traditional main character falling for the good looking friend. I would read the second book in the series if there will be one. There were times where I put the book down and forgot about it. Maybe now that the characters are solidified, hopefully there will be that warmth/coziness that was missing in this story.

What a fabulous start to a new cozy series!! Love the Colorado setting in a quaint artistic town and, oh, how I wish I could visit Starlit Books! The cast of characters is exceptional, from the compelling protagonist Emma Starrs to her Mean Girl-esque nemesis Tabitha Baxter to the eccentric Calliope Nightfall. With humor expertly woven in and ample twists and turns, this mystery is one for the books!

How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn is an interesting book as a first in the series. Main character Emma Starrs makes a good amateur sleuth..

Stalking A Killer…
A Starlit Bookshop mystery and Emma, bookseller and literary event planner, finds herself stalking a killer and becoming a suspect in this entertaining and enjoyable instalment. Will she be able to overcome adversity and clear her name, and that of her aunt’s, to save the day? With a likeable protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters this is another enjoyable and engaging read.

I enjoyed this promising bookstore-themed book (in what I hope is the Starlit Bookshop Mystery series). I love a good series set in a bookstore as this one is. Even better, with a great bunch of characters, such as sisters Emma and Lucy and their aunt, Nora, who's also a college professor at the college in this Colorado town.

Book readings, Halloween, and even the financial difficulties facing the bookstore (which means that Emma is trying to develop the bookstore's business as to holding literary events). Lots to enjoy.

One thing I did not like was the over the top attacks by wealthy (and extremely annoying) Tabitha.. That could've been drastically toned down.

All in all, though, I enjoyed this one and hope that there are more to come. I've even picked up the first book in the author's other series, an academic mystery called The Semester of Our Discontent.

This solid mystery is certainly a book I'd recommend to cozy fans.