Schooled in Murder is the first book in Victoria Gilbert's new Campus Sleuth Mystery series.

This book had a great premise, murder on campus, academia setting, English professor as a sleuth.
I enjoyed the setting, it really gave off that college vibe.
I also liked the fact that we had smart, down to earth, relatable main character. Although I found her to behave quite silly and childish regarding her romantic interest. The romance angle was well done, it didn't interfere with the story. Her romantic interest was more likeable but i felt that there was no chemistry between them at all.
The mystery itself was solidly done, I however thought that there was no real investigation as such, it just somehow happened to resolve itself. I was very pleased that I guessed the culprit.
I liked how there were several sleuths who worked well together. Their relationship was much better.
Overall, it was an ok book. I just wished we got to know characters better, they very really very flat and one dimensional.

Wasting no time, in the very first chapter our main character Jen, an author as well as writing advisor at Clarion University finds a dead body. The news spreads fast at the college campus and everyone believes that one of the students that Jen mentors, Mia Jackson is the culprit. Everyone but Jen. It's an interesting murder mystery that unfolds as more characters are introduced with most having motives of their own to kill our victim. I loved the chemistry between Jen and Zach. They had great banter and their chapters together were quite humorous to read.
With a second act murder we are left wondering just how many killers we are dealing with and who if anyone can really be trusted.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adore Victoria Gilbert and her cozy mysteries so I was excited to see she has a new series. Jennifer is an author and teacher at an university. One of her students has a confrontation with a snobby prof and then the prof is found dead - and Mia is missing. It was a fun whodunit with a lot of red herrings to keep you guessing. The plotline kept my attention throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I think this book had a lot of potential. I think the premise is great. However, I do think that the book just didn't capture me as much as I had hoped it would.

Jenn and fellow employees at the college set out to clear a student from murder charges. Mia was seen arguing with a professor just before he fell to his death. However, Jenn has mentored Mia in the writing lab and is sure she is innocent. A wonderful new series from a fine author

I love the Blueridge mystery series that this series is set in the same world (I wonder if we will get more Kurt cause I LOVE him, I need a world where he is a charming young man and he is the love interest. Even Richard and Amy make a cameo! We are following Jen in this series that works at the same university Amy once did and Richard still does and we do get a lot of insight in to the dynamics and issues that comes with departments and balancing budgets and student needs. The mystery was solid just like our last series, it really kept me guessing and I do like that she investigated this with her friends and potential love interest(Zach). It just felt like Jen took a lot more risks than Amy did, maybe cause Amy worked more directly with the police so she kept them in the loop more. I think this was 3.5 and I think it will get even better as it goes. This series, just like the previous, is pretty open door for a cozy mystery, this doesn't bug me as it avoids the whole I want to take thing at a snail's pace and love triangle. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Campus Sleuth mystery. Cute cozy mystery. First book I have read in this series. Good primary and secondary characters. Nice mystery. Keeps you guessing.

Jen works in the writing lab at Clarion University. She also writes genre fiction which is greatly looked down upon by the literary types around her. When one of the snootiest professors is killed, the author does a great job of taking us on a deep dive into the world of academia. This first book in the cozy mystery series was an enjoyable read with a mystery to solve and little romance.

A new series from Victoria Gilbert and I am here for this one.

Jennifer is an author and a teacher at a university in Virginia. She has a few fellow educators in the English Dept. who are rather snobby about genre fiction and they aren't afraid to voice their opinions.

The trouble begins as a student of hers, Mia, has a nasty confrontation with one of those snobby profs. And then he is found dead. And Mia is missing.

Jennifer is going to use her fictional detective skills to find out the truth here and she has help! The lunch lady, the psychologist, and the librarian.
As a former teacher, I love this.

What fun this new series is! The characters are wonderful and the setting is perfect!


NetGalley/ Crooked Lane Books, December 10,2024

This was go good book overall. I’m giving it a 4.5 star review. Throughout the whole book, I was intrigued by Jenn but Zach suckkkkksss so bad.
This is a good read to keep you engaged and wanting more. I’m excited for the book to be released so that I can add it to my trophy case (bookcase)

This was a decent enough book, I was a little bored in a few spots, but otherwise it did hold my attention.

Jennifer Dalton works at Clarion University as well as being a published mystery writer. While she enjoys her job some of the academics in the English department look down on her, and some of the students, for their interest in writing genre fiction instead of great literature. Jenn finds it easy to overlook until one of her students, Mia, is suspected of murdering a snobbish professor who has given her a poor grade on her story. With the police not willing to suspect anyone but Mia, Jenn and two of her campus friends start to investigate to clear Mia’s name.
The characters are pleasant, we have a romance - reluctant at first - between Jenn and the campus psychologist, and there are enough suspects to make for a not straightforward, easy to solve mystery. All in all an enjoyable cozy and I will look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

I was looking forward to Victoria Gilbert’s Schooled in Murder. It’s the first in the new Campus Sleuth Mystery series. And, it’s set in the same world as her Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. But, this one is definitely for readers who are looking for another mystery set in the world of academia with its politics and pettiness. And, even the main character, Jennifer Dalton, seems petty at times.

Jenn is a mystery writer and director of the campus writing center at Clarion University in Virginia. She’s doing a little research for her next book when she finds the body of Doug Barth, one of the English professors. She panics when she sees the light motion detectors, and runs to call 911. But, when rumors start to circulate immediately that a student, Mia Jackson, might have killed Barth, Jenn doesn’t believe it. She mentored Mia. Although the young woman has disappeared, Jenn is convinced she’s not a killer. She agrees to join forces with two other women, a reference librarian and the cafeteria manager, who also believe Mia is innocent. They’re determined to find some suspects the police might not have considered. Jenn even drags a psychologist, a reluctant ally, into their search.

I’m a fan of several of Gilbert’s series. But, I didn’t see anything fresh in Schooled in Murder. Jenn is threatened and attacked. There’s a car accident that isn’t an accident, and someone follows her on a country road. There’s the obligatory faculty party for a mystery set in the academic world. And, there’s a second death that may or may not be murder, leading Jenn into more danger.

For now, I think I’m going to stick with the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and the Hunter and Clewe ones. Jenn Dalton takes a few too many chances for me.

The story has a lot of fascinating details. Like the research on the department's prejudices was thorough and suspense was also greatly increased by Jen's further scares. I enjoyed the cozy cutesy vibe of the plot but when it comes to the characters... WHY ARE THEY SO LIKE CARDBOARD? I really couldn't connect with any of them. Additionally, after the reveal of the real culprits, it weakened the narrative as we weren't so invested in those characters.

Overall, it's a good mystery book that keeps you on your toes, I did not see the culprit until the very end. Really a good start to a series, although I felt as if there were some holes in the story, like this isn't the first book. Nevertheless, I would still read the next one and thank you Victoria Gilbert for the ARC!

cozy-mystery, new-series, first-in-series, university, writers, murder, investigations, threats, suspense, friendship, campus-police, amateur-sleuth, sabotage, thriller, professor, psychologist, Virginia, romantic, unpleasant-co-worker, unpleasant-victims, attempted-murder, riveting*****

A dead professor, a missing student known to be at odds with him, and a professor/mystery writer/amateur sleuth are the bases of this twisty new offering from one of my favorite authors. There are threats, attempted murder, another murder, an interested but condescending psychologist, and a lot more interesting things going on. Excellent read for an afternoon and looking for the next installment next year!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail January 2025 #CampusSleuthMysteriesBk1

Teaching at Clarion University. Jen finds herself by some of her fellow educators. Simply because she’s an author of what they don’t consider o be serious work.

It’s not just Jen. they look down on as one of the professors and a student get into an altercation. Once that Prof. is murdered, and the student goes missing, Jenn and several her colleagues step up to prove the gross innocence. Can they figure out what happened, or is there a Masters of murder among them?

A solid start to new cozy series from one of my must read cozy authors. The author has developed a strong and likable protagonist as well as several supporting characters that help move the story along. I’m looking forward to more in this series Victoria Gilbert always has a well written and planned out mystery in her books.

Jen Dalton has the dream job -- she's head of the creative writing program at a university in Virginia, and she is also a successful writer of mysteries. The snobs in the English department look down their noses at her genre fiction, however, so she doesn't always have the greatest relationship with them. When one of the more difficult English professors is found murdered, a student paper with a poor grade is found next to the body. The student is Mia, one of Jen's favorites. Mia is now a murder suspect, and Jen will do everything she can to keep Mia from being charged with murder. A great cozy mystery -- this looks like the first in a planned series (I hope) -- fun campus setting, and Jen is a great relatable character. I look forward to recommending this title.

It took me a little while to get into this book. But once I did, I enjoyed the development of the characters and the plot. I look forward to reading more of this series. I also enjoyed how Amy and Richard Muir showed up for a brief moment in this book, which makes sense since it is set on Clarion University. Jen also lives in the guest house of Emily Moore, who we met in the Blue Ridge Library series.

This is a new series by Victoria Gilbert titled Campus Sleuth Mystery. I love novels that involve the school setting. Her writing style is great and the characters are amazing..

Schooled In Murder by Victoria Gilbert is the first book in her new cozy mystery series, Campus Sleuth Mysteries.

With her usual attention to detail, Ms. Gilbert has executed a mystery with plenty of twists and turns, several suspects who had motives and a plot that moved quickly and smoothly from chapter to chapter. However, I didn't feel a connection to the main character, Jennifer Dalton. I would have appreciated more insight and development of her throughout the book. All in all, it was an entertaining mystery that kept me guessing until the end.