What a page turner of a mystery! Book and mystery lovers will especially love the setting of this book, focused around a bookstore and the academics of a nearby university (what Americans call college).
Literary references abound, but Cynthia Kuhn doesn't fall into the trap that so many other authors do when they make academia sound snobbish and difficult to understand. Instead, her characters are relatable and fun as they weave their way through life's hurdles and the mystery that falls in their laps at a murder mystery dinner party. The suspects are plentiful and plausible, the villains are truly despicable, and the reader is kept guessing right to the very end!
This book is a well-written, enjoyable read that promises great things for the books to follow in the series!

The storyline just didnt come across as believable for me. It was just too extreme. I also struggled wiith the protagonist, Emma, allowing her peers to treat her, and so many others, so badly. Yes funds were tight but ... the relationship wirh Tabitha, its unhealthy ...hmm

Calliope Nightful is a delightful character and I enjoyed every scene she was a part of. Renaming people being a gift she bestowed on those she favoured, she hosts an extreme launch party that most would envy.

I dont think this my cuppa tea.

My thanks to #Netgalley, Crooked Lane and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not an author i had read before but one i will be reading from again

How to book a murder is a read you can lose yourself in and lose track of a time

Thank you to netgalley for advance copy

When Emma moves back into town to work at her family's bookstore, Starlit Bookshop, she sets out to save the business by expanding into bookish party planning. Her first client is her old high school nemesis, Tabitha who is hosting a themed murder mystery dinner party. However, things go ary when the murder mystery part becomes real, causing Emma and her Aunt Nora to become prime suspects.

With references to Agatha Christie and Phryne Fisher, this cute and cosy murder mystery was simply delightful. Amature sluth? Check. Small town drama? Check. Includes multiple tropes? You bet. Bookish puns? Oh yeah. Clean? Yes, please. I could go on, but suffice it to say this book was an excellent example of a cosy mystery! The cast of characters was fun and the plot did not seem forced. I also loved how Emma, Nora, and Lucy (the sister) stood by one another as family, and were always willing to go out of their way to help other people.

The only thing I'm a little confused by is that this story takes place over Halloween, but the book isn't slated for publication until December. Yes, cosy mysteries tend to be a favorite of readers in the Winter, but I still think marketing missed an opportunity with an October release for this Halloween tale. Regardless, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the next book of this series!

3.5/5 Stars (rounded to four stars for the Netgalley platform)

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the gifted digital copy from NetGalley.

This is a wonderful debut mystery by Cynthia Kuhn, author of the Lila Maclean mysteries.

The characters are wonderful. I love the title.

You'd think I'd get tired of all the series set in bookshops, but I loved this first in the series, with the interesting twist off a murder party becoming an actual murder. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes in the future.

Emma and Lucy Starrs are sisters working in their family's struggling bookstore, Starlit Bookshop. To raise money for the store, Emma agrees to plan a murder-mystery-themed dinner party for a high school classmate, Tabitha Baxter. At the party, Tabitha's husband, Tip, turns up murdered in real life. The story unfolds as Emma and her aunt Nora become suspects. Together, they work to clear their names and save the family bookstore.

I loved the characters of Emma, Lucy, and Nora. They were extremely likable and funny at times. The author did a great job portraying Tabitha as the 'mean girl.’ However, early in the book, I struggled to follow along as too many characters were introduced at once.

In the end, I was not able to guess the murderer, but the conclusion fell a bit flat for me. It felt like the story was being summarized rather than unfolding. I would have rated this higher if there was less fluff to the story. It stalled the pacing of the overall plot at times.

If you’re looking for a quick read, enjoy cozy mysteries and books set in bookstores, make sure to pick this one up!

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for my review copy.

I enjoyed this book. It’s got excellent characters and an interesting story. I was surprised by who the killer was. #HowtoBookaMurder #NetGalley

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Emma Starrs is back in her hometown to help save her family’s floundering Colorado bookstore, Starlit Bookshop, which she runs with her siser Lucy. She agrees to do a mystery murder themed dinner party for wealthy old classmate Tabitha Baxter so the store will get extra funds. The evening is going well, except for the snarky remarks Tabitha throws at Emma, up until Tip, Tabitha's Husband, is found murdered. A murder mystery dinner party going on to a real murder!

Emma, and her aunt Nora, quickly become suspects number one. Emma is sure this is the end for the bookstore until highly regarded author Calliope Nightfall hires her to do another party. Next to planning that, Emma does her best to find clues and evidence to show she and her aunt are innocent. But... then another murder happens, a double one that is.....

First book in a new series and I absolutely LOVED it! I loved the storyline even though there are more Cozies that feature the setting of a murder mystery for the actual murder, but I was very intrigued and wanted to continue reading. I thought I knew who did it fairly early on but I could not have been more wrong! I never had this person in my mind as the murderer! I also loved the characters of Emma, Lucy and Nora, they are very likeable. However Tabitha.... pfff she was sooo annoying! Hahaha, and I mean that in a good way! She was written so well by Cynthia Kuhn, that she got under my skin so much. I can't wait for a, hopefully, second book to arrive as I am very curious how things will go on for Starlit Bookshop and Emma and the writers group. I recommend this one to all Cozy Mystery readers!

Thank you to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed in my review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.
2.5 stars

This book is nothing like Jenn McKinlay's. It lacks the warmth and humor of her novels. The only thing it has in common is books, book-related events and of course it's a cozy mystery. I'm not familiar with Kate Carlisle to speak to any similarities there. This story didn't appeal to me all that much. I wanted to like it, being a bibliophile, a former English major and a former Poe fan. The plot fell short of the mark for me. First I couldn't stand all the mean girl drama. I'm so over that. These women are 30 years old and still act like they're in high school. It's never fully explained exactly WHY Tabitha hates Emma so much. Perhaps because Emma stands up for herself and has accomplished her goals but chosen a different path? For some reason Tabitha is a vindictive *itch to Emma and I got super tired of her and her wannabes. I was also not able to follow the academic side of the mystery. There were too many people involved and they were all suspects in the murder investigation. Finally, I felt the creep factor was too high. Why is this book set at Halloween for a December release and did it have to feature a scary haunted house? There's a REASON I don't go to those things, watch horror movies and read ONLY cozy mysteries. I don't need horror in a cozy mystery. It's not what I would expect either. The body count was too high with no remorse or pause for reflection. It's just mentioned kind of offhand these people were dead. The murderer attempts murder on even more people which is nuts!

A few minor tweaks would make this book stronger. Memo to author and editor: It isn't polite to describe someone by their race or ethnicity. ONE character is referred to as African American, which by the way, should be Black or state the country she immigrated from. NONE of the characters are described as European or Caucasian in any way. How about the woman with the deep chocolate skin and tiny braids? The woman with the blond chingon? for trite descriptions.

I like Emma well enough but she isn't really the most warm person. She's private about her feelings and her business but friendly an outgoing enough to people she feels comfortable with. She's very kind to her sister Lucy. I admire how Emma stands up for herself and doesn't let the mean girls get to her. She knows they must feel insecure about themselves to put down others but she never tries to figure out why Tabitha is such a *itch to her. It's also not entirely explained why she sees Jake as a nemesis. I think he's supposed to be her Gilbert Blythe? Mr. Darcy? (She claims their mother read them L.M. Montgomery's books over and over but any true fan would say Lucy Maud Montgomery and not L.M. or even Maud. Their shop cat's name is Anne Shirley but it's not enough to make me like cats). Lucy is a total sweetheart. She's more shy and more easily overwhelmed than Emma. Lucy didn't have the opportunity to have the life experiences Emma has had. Lucy is an angel for running the shop after their parents were killed but she doesn't seem to have the business experience necessary or the energy needed to do everything by herself. Their Aunt Nora pays the mortgage for them. As a successful mystery writer and a faculty member at Silvercrest College, she seems to have money but isn't wealthy enough to float the store. I wish it was explained better why the store was in trouble. E-books? People moving out of the area? Competition from a big box store in Denver? Amazon?

Tabitha of many names is a world class you know what as I've mentioned before. She seems to think she's living in 19th-century England where she's a Duchess and treats Emma like Emma is a lowly maid. Emma is doing Tabitha a huge favor and the woman doesn't even say thank you! Tabitha doesn't like books so I knew right off the bat she was not going to be a likable character. Also she keeps her dog in her purse and then the dog is dropped from the plot until the final scene. That is NOT someone I'd even want to work for no matter how much the money was needed. Her minions aren't any better. They look and dress just like Tabitha and parrot everything she says. None of them have personalities. Melody's husband, Bruce, is a boor. Ainsley seems OK. She sells scented soap on Etsy (a-choo) and I feel sorry for her because her husband ignores her. I don't think any of them are happily married. Felicity is a one-woman echo but is sadly the nicest of them all. She might be OK if she could grow a brain. Tabitha's husband Trip seemed nice, if a bit of a lush but he may have been up to something shady at the college. Still, he didn't deserve to be murdered. Tabitha doesn't seem to be mourning him one bit. I think she killed him. Ian Gladstone, Tabitha's ex, is a selfish twit stuck in his teen years. He isn't respectful or thoughtful in any way. I suspect he may still be into Tabitha and she has something to do with his appearing on the scene next door. I think he killed Tip to get what he wanted.

Other chief suspects are from the college. Nora's colleagues are on some sort of a committee which isn't explained until later. They're sharply divided on some plan and Tip was in favor of the side opposing Nora's faction. Able Holley is annoying, snippy and always unhappy about something. I don't think he likes change. ANY change, even positive. Why is that? Tip was on his side but something could have changed. Dodd Simpson is just as bad. I think he likes to stir up trouble by being deliberately obtuse. Nora's side includes Bethany Manzano, the department chair, a nice older woman. She's a bit eccentric but DOLLS ARE NOT CREEPY! Some of hers seem a little creepy but on the whole dolls are not creepy and doll lovers don't give away their beloved friends. That part of her personality didn't ring true to me. Because she's a fellow doll lover, I don't suspect her of murder. Katrina Andrews and Farley Jennings are also on Nora's side but neither of them have much to say for themselves. Farley seems nice enough. Prescott and Cornelia Abernathy are married but have opposite personalities. She seems nice and not "woo woo" just because she likes yoga. Prescott is type-A and likes hard facts and figures- data. That's not a bad thing either but he's whiny about it. I don't seem him smothering anyone with a pillow though.

Calliope Nightfall is the most eccentric of the college writing faculty. A goth and Poe enthusiast, her latest book is inspired by Poe's Annabel Lee. At first I liked her. She's eccentric and quirky and seemed fun. Then she turned into author-zilla and was as bad as Tabitha in the way she treated Emma. Her horror-Poe themed event sounds too creepy for my taste.

Caterer Vivi Yang is a lot of fun. She's a whirlwind of energy and has so many creative ideas. Vivi is a big help to Emma but I can't help but be suspicious. She was at the murder mystery party and Tabitha wasn't very nice to her either. A writing group meets at the bookstore and invites Emma to join. Tevo Akina and Alyssa Clarkston seem nice and like positive people but not super reliable. Jake Hollister, their leader, is a successful crime writer, a detective AND Emma's high school writing rival. As her critique partner, he was always critical and made her feel unworthy. She isn't sure how she should feel about him now. He seems a bit egotistical and like he could go on a power trip slashing through manuscripts with a red pen. His new career as a detective comes out of nowhere and he's sneaky about it. Mr. egomaniac dismisses Emma's concerns and thoughts about something that may be connected to the murder. I sense he's going to be Emma's future love interest. Lucy's love interest, Ryan, a theatrical lighting guy, is much nicer. He's kind, listens and is very helpful. Plus he's willing to dress up in Regency costume! Detective Trujillo seems fair. He listens to Emma and listens when Tabitha is rude. Yes he suspects Emma and Nora but the evidence DOES point to Nora and Emma.

I would be open to another book in the series because the conflicts I disliked seem to be resolved. If the author can dial back the body count and creep factor a lot more. How about a nice Jane Austen party for Lucy?

3.75

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style flowed really well, and made this book a pretty quick read.

The mystery was pretty engaging, and there were so many twists and turns that kept me guessing the whole book.

Tabitha has got to be the most unlikable character I've read in a long time though. My blood boiled every time she appeared on the page.

Overall, this was a great read, and I look forward to picking up more books from this author!






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I really enjoyed this book. It had a quaint town setting, interesting characters and a good plot. I can't help but like the fact that the protagonist helps run her family owned book store, as I spent a lot of time in bookstores before I purchased my first e-reader. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn was a delightful fall cozy mystery. This is the first book in the Starlit Bookshop Mystery Series. Dr. Emma Starr’s has returned home to Colorado to help her sister run their family bookshop. She agrees to help an old high school frenemie plan a murder mystery party as a way to generate much needed revenue for her bookstore when she gets more than she bargained for with a real life murder. Emma has to work extra hard to clear her name and keep the store afloat while planning a reading for an eccentric local professor at the store.

I loved this one! Not graphic at all and it was set against a Halloween backdrop which I loved! It was a quick read and now I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for book number two!

What a treat! A great cozy murder mystery with a combo of Dark Academia, high society hobnobbing (including a vicious pack of adult "mean girls"), and some perfectly spooky Poe-esque vibes. Featuring a likeable protagonist and plenty of antagonists, Kuhn does a great job of building her cast of characters (and suspects), the perfect blend for a mystery (including the requisite kookie but fabulous).

Speaking of which, I loved Calliope Nightfall who was our resident flamboyant woman of a certain age, but who instead of being completely kookie had hard core A Type personality traits under all that flair (she's probably got some strong Virgo AND Aquarius happening there:)

There's also the one detective who happens to be our dear Emma's high school nemesis and writing critique partner, who is as handsome and infuriating as ever. Look forward to seeing more of him in further installments.

The murder mystery itself got a little convoluted there towards the end but I just rolled with it. I'm only sorry nobody managed to bash in Tabitha Baxter.

This is a great start to the Starlit Bookshop Mystery series, I will definitely be eagerly awaiting the next installment. **Thanks so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

Find me on Bookstagram @museignitedreads

Note on my Star* rating system: I rate books (number of stars) based on comparison to other books in their respective genres that I have read. If I was comparing everything to classic literary works as being the 5 star bar then many books would sadly only get a 2 or 3, so I instead prefer to give them a more deserved rating in comparison to other similar books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. Dr Emma Starrs, aspiring writer, is working hard to help keep her family book store open. She agrees to organise a Murder Mystery dinner for an old school adversary, even although she dislikes Tabitha and Tabitha is unkind to her, they need the money and this could be the start of a new income stream for the family. Tabitha’s husband is murdered at the event and things start to get complicated. The murder happens pretty early in the story and I felt it slowed down quite a bit after this. There is a large list of potential killers and it takes a while to work everything out. Jake, an old school rival is introduced as a fellow writer and a policeman who is investigating the murder. I would like to see more collaboration between them in future books. This was an enjoyable cosy mystery with a great premise, involving my love of reading and murder mystery so I have high hopes for this series.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The characters were believable and engaging. However, there were places in the story where nothing was going on with the murder mystery. Sometimes the murder mystery seemed to be a secondary plot to the main plot about the day-to-day life of the main character, Emma Starrs. The other troubling thing for me was the extensive detail about the business scheme that Emma revealed to Nora and Lucy at the end of the story. It didn't seem possible that she could have pieced together such detailed insider information about everything that had gone on with the business scheme over the course of a number of years based on the conversations that she had with some of the parties involved or the conversations she had accidentally overheard. All in all, however, I enjoyed the story, and I would read more by this author.

This book is a wonderful example of what a true cozy is. Nothing graphic, no bad language, no sex just plain ole gumption to find the killer and mystery. I love the bookstore aspect. That they all are bound together by this place due to the generations of loved ones that came before them. The sisters and the aunt together are an incredible team. I love that they all work together to make sure they keep the bookstore afloat.

All very determined and intelligent minded women. I really like that. They're all such nice people and witty to boot. And I love the idea of the bookstore also doing events. That is such a great idea I wonder why no one has thought of this before? They're all getting to do what they love.

The mystery was excellent. When it finally came down to reveal who it was, I was really in shock because I honestly had no clue. The author did an amazing job of keeping you distracted by other things that keep happening to keep you from getting the bead on who it is. Because wow, every time I picked someone they ended up dead lol.

I love the town and the fact that the people who are really mean get their comeuppance in the end. I wish this place was real. I could completely see myself being there all of the time and hanging out with these wonderful ladies. It was never dull and it kept a great pace. I completely loved it. It was my first time reading from this author but won't be my last. Completely refreshing. I didn't end this book feeling like this was a plot I had read a hundred times before and that it had just been rehashed by a different author. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. I highly recommend.

Very fun. The premise is great and although the cast of characters is a bit cartoonish, it was enjoyable and fit the story well. I enjoyed the slow unraveling of the mystery, and overall it was a quick engaging read, perfect for those wintery nights with a cup of hot chocolate. My one complaint is that the writing itself was not top-notch and felt simplistic, telling rather than showing. Characters also felt a bit juvenile. Other than that, thoroughly enjoyed!

How to Book a Murder is the enjoyable first entry in a new cozy series. Ms. Kuhn sets up a dynamic cast of characters with several cool settings. Dr. Emma Starrs is recently home after earning her PhD in English. She is all set to help her sister run the family book store by taking over the literary events side of the business when a muder occurs at her first event. Emma and her Aunt Nora ended up sleuthing for the answers.

The characters are well-rounded and fun! There are a handful of fun subplots that seem like they will run throughout the series.

I thoroughly recommend this book if you enjoy literary cozy mysteries!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of HOW TO BOOK A MURDER (Book 1 of the Starlit Bookshop Mysteries), by Cynthia Kuhn, in exchange for an honest review. Dr. Emma Starrs, phD, has returned home to help her sister revive their family’s failing bookshop. Together, they decide to host literary themed events to draw in patrons and subsidize the shop’s income. Their first client asks Emma to run a mystery dinner party that has already been planned. Emma’s first client is Tabitha Baxter, who went to school with Emma and who has always been difficult. When Tabitha’s husband, Tip, is murdered at the dinner party, Tabitha and her gang of nasty socialite friends engage in a campaign to have Emma and her aunt arrested for the murder. Emma must exonerate herself and her aunt, find the real murderer, and throw a killer Halloween bash for a local author. I liked this book and thought it was a good start to a new series.

#HowtoBookaMurder #NetGalley