When cozy mystery author and educator Jen Dalton went searching the Clarion University’s library archives, she never expected to find a dead body of an overbearing English professor. One of Jen’s favorite students jumps to the top of the suspect list. Believing that Mia is innocent, Jenn teams up with a university librarian, the cafeteria manager, and a psychologist to find the real killer.

I typically enjoy Victoria Gilbert’s cozy mysteries, but I just could not get into SCHOOLED IN MURDER. The only “evidence” the reader has that Mia is innocent is Jen’s opinion that her student couldn’t possibly have murdered anyone no matter the motive. Mia herself barely makes an appearance in the book, and the couple glimpses of her made her appear even more suspicious/guilty. By the end of the book, I still had no idea exactly Jen does at Clarion University other than that she works in the writing center. The others were cardboard characters except for the psychologist/love interest. Zach comes across as a total narcissist and creep. Up until the big reveal, I hoped he was the killer just so that he would be forever removed from the series. Sadly, Zach is probably here to stay. The book was well written, and the mystery was intriguing. The characters just could not engage my interest.

While I've enjoyed other books by this author, this one wasn't for me. I think the idea for the series and this particular mystery are very interesting, but I just couldn't connect with the characters and didn't really care what they did, so I DNF'd at 26%. I would try the second in the series, however, as I know that in first books it can be challenging to introduce all of the characters and their backstories, setting, etc. Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance digital copy!

Schooled in Murder is the first book in a new series by Victoria Gilbert. I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and the storyline flows smoothly. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I especially liked the banter between the main character, Jenn and a psychologist, Zach. Their interactions made me smile and even chuckle.

Jen is a mystery writer that runs the campus writing center at Clarion University. One of the students that she mentors is accused of murdering a professor at the university. Jen is positive that the student didn't do it. A couple of her friends on campus agree with her and decide to investigate and help clear the student's name. I look forward to the next book and getting to know the characters more.

I like this author, I find her books entertaining. Sad to say it took me a bit to figure out it was set in the same area as the author's previous series.
This just made me like it more however. The mystery kept me guessing. I look forward to more in the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a good, cozy read! This is #1 of Victoria Gilbert’s Campus Sleuth Mysteries.
The main character is Jenn, a successful mystery author and head of the Writing Clinic at Clarion University. The story begins with Jenn finding a dead body at the campus librar;y. The victim is a professor who was not liked by many. The main suspect is Mia, a student who has worked often with Jenn at the Writing Clinic. Jen spends most of the story trying to prove Mia’s innocence. Along the way, Jenn recruits friends at the university to help her solve the murder. This is one of those stories that the sleuth is allowed to work alongside lawyers, police and others involved in solving crime. We also meet Zach, the psychologist on campus, who initially meets with Jenn more as a clinician than a friend. Their friendship grows as the story goes on, but honestly, I still can’t figure out how that even happened. Zach was very unlikeable for a good part of the book, and I’m not sure why Jenn continues their relationship. I will definitely pick up #2 in the series to see what happens with Jenn and Zach, and maybe my opinion of him will change!
3 1/2 rounded up to 4 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I know Victoria Gilbert from her previous mystery series, The Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. This is the first in a new series of cozy mysteries. Jen Dalton is a member of the English department at Clarion University. She is also a successful published mystery writer having written ten books under a pen name. When she discovers a body on campus it turns out to be another professor. When one of Jen's students becomes the prime suspect she decides to use her amateur sleuthing skills she has learned from her novels to find the real culprit.

The previous series centered on a librarian who everyone in town seemed to confide in which helped her solve mysteries. Here Jen is more actively seeking out people to talk with, finding out what they know. There is a side story of the beginning of a love interest in Zach Flynn, a campus psychologist. With cozy mysteries part of the fun is following the main characters as they progress in their lives while they solve crimes. This has a good start with a few people I assume will become regulars. I usually need to read a couple books to decide if I’m committed to the series. So I will be on the lookout for the next in the Campus Sleuth Mysteries. (3.5 Stars)

"Schooled in Murder," the first book in the "A Campus Sleuth Mystery" series by Victoria Gilbert, is a fantastic beginning to a new series. The plot revolves around a mystery writer who must solve a real murder case to save an innocent girl from being wrongfully convicted.

I was completely captivated by the story and nearly finished it in one sitting. It was entertaining, packed with twists and turns, along with some unexpected surprises. While I figured out the identity of the killer before Jen did, I still found it to be an enjoyable and easy read.

I’m eagerly looking forward to the next installment to see how Jen, Zach, and her new friends are faring. I highly recommend this book to all my cozy mystery-loving friends.

This was my first cozy mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read it as an ARC. I apologise for taking so long to write this review, I have been struggling with my health so reviews took a backlog. Such a cozy feeling for my first cozy mystery!

3.5 stars

This is a nice start to the series. The mystery was well done and engaging. Characters were well developed. I loved the school setting. It's fun to sleuth along with Jennifer as she plays amateur detective. There is a romance angle, but is not overpowering, thankfully. Overall, this is an enjoyable cozy mystery.

I really enjoyed this series starter, and the mystery writing protagonist combined with an academic setting and all the drama of academia was entertaining. There are great characters in this one, and I look forward to more crime solving escapades from them.

Jen Dalton is a writer in the fiction genre and a professor at a university. Most of her coworkers look down on her for her writing genre. One of Jen's students has a run in with a snooty professor and no one thinks much of it until the professor turns up dead and then the student, Mia, disappears. Jen is determined to find out the real killers identity and uses the help of her fellow amateur sleuth's to do it.

Schooled in Murder is the first book in the brand new Campus Sleuth Mystery series. In this book, we meet, Jenn Dalton, who is the head of the campus writing center at Clarion University in Virginia. Jenn is also a published author of eight successful Mystery novels.

This title starts with Jenn searching for a particular journal in a mostly deserted section of the library for research purposes. She then has the misfortune of coming upon the dead body of a university professor, Doug Barth. When she learns that one of her students, Mia, was seen arguing with Professor Barth shortly before his tumble over the railing of the mezzanine above, Jenn decides it's time to put the sleuthing skills of her mystery series characters to the test to ensure that Mia cleared of murder.

I really enjoyed that this book started from the very first sentence with the mystery of who killed Professor Barth. I also enjoyed getting to know Jenn's friends, Bri and Christine, along with her love interest, the campus psychologist, Zach Flynn and her landlady, Emily. I found the mystery to be engaging and kept me guessing "whodunnit" throughout the entire story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this series and finding out what happens in the next book!

Thank you to the author and #NetGalley for allowing me to read #SchooledinMurder and offer my honest opinion.

Jen is a mystery writer who also works in a college writing center. When one of her students is the main suspect in the murder of an English professor, Jen attempts to investigate other possible suspects. This puts her in some danger, and also partners her with the school's psychologist and other school employees. A couple of the peripheral characters in the book are characters from the author's library series, but it really doesn't matter if you've not read that series, as they really don't play a big role. The plot and the characters were about what one would expect from a cozy mystery. I found the developing romantic interest between Jen and the psychologist to be the most interesting part of the book, however. There was also a fairly big flaw in the whole "campus lockdown" part of the book: if the campus is in lockdown, the people who work there shouldn't be moving all around the campus, as Jenn (and others) appear to do. They should stay where they are until given the all clear. Otherwise, a fairly good cozy mystery.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Literary Cozy Mystery featuring a Virginia mystery author and university educator who teams up with a cafeteria manager, the campus psychologist and a librarian to find a professor's killer.

5/5 stars: This is the first entry in Gilbert's Campus Sleuth Mysteries series which is a Literary Cozy Mystery that takes place in Virginia and features a mystery writer and university educator who finds herself teaming up with a cafeteria manager, a librarian and the campus psychologist to track down who killed an uppity professor. When one of her students is implicated, she and her fellow sleuthers race to catch the real killer before there’s another murder on the books. With plenty of twists and turns, Gilbert has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Gilbert's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Jen's great and I really love her colleagues, friends and her fellow amateur detectives Christine and Brianna. And I look forward to seeing where Jen and the charming but annoying reluctant sleuth Zach's relationship goes... so cute. Additionally, her landlord, Emily, is a hoot and a half. Oh and Jen's got a sweet and snuggly fluff-ball rescue gray cat named Ash. This is an excellent start to a new series; Highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

A intriguing mystery set in a University administrative setting. This is the first "Campus Sleuth Mystery". I enjoyed the setting, the characters and the well crafted sleuth. The writing is fast paced and pleasing to the reader. This is a debut for the author and I look forward to further books in the series. Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

Jen is a interesting well rounded protagonist. She is a educator who also writes fiction books. Because of her writing her colleagues look down on her and do not respect her. The University where she works is very pretentious.. When one of her students is humiliated by a awful professor before his murder the student is the prime suspect. Jen steps in to investigate and save her student. Her clues take her through many red herrings and soon she is one the right path of the suspect.

A enjoyable read with a fresh new setting for this cozy series. Well done to the author,

Jennifer (Jenn) Dalton is the Director of the Campus Writing Center for Clarion University in Virginia. She is a published author of mystery books. She finds a body in the library. She soon learns that Mia Jackson is being looked for as a potential person of interest. However, Mia has gone missing. Jenn, along with Christine Kubiak, Brianna Rowley and Zachary Flynn become amateur sleuths in solving the mystery of the body. We are thrown some red herrings along side twists and turns, which lead to a surprising ending that I never saw coming.

This is an entertaining series debut. The university setting with all the departmental politics to gain status and funding is a nice change from the more typical bakery or bookstore setting. The characters are likable and the romance aspect of the story was just enough to add interest but not overwhelm the mystery. The mystery is well constructed and offers plenty of potential suspects to keep you guessing. This is a nice introduction to this new series.

Schooled in Murder reminded me why I love cozy mysteries so much. Bookish settings and characters, page-turning plots, and fun writing!

The collegiate setting for this book was so interesting to read about and unique! I've never read another cozy mystery set at a school and I loved how the author used so many different elements in the story to capture the setting. Victoria Gilbert is so good at making her settings come alive and feel like they're an integral part of the story. Fans of bookish cozies cannot miss this one!

While the pacing and character dynamics may not have resonated with me personally, it's clear the author has put effort into crafting a vivid world and weaving a complex mystery. Readers who enjoy delving into intricate plots and uncovering secrets will likely appreciate the layers of storytelling here.

Loved this introduction to a new series. Jen is an author and works in the writing center at Clarion College. When she discovers an English professor dead and all signs point to a student named Mia, she knows Mia is being framed. Jen gets help from friends to figure out who really killed the professor. I loved the overlap with the author's last series, with a similar setting and some nods to those characters. The romantic tension between Jen and campus psychologist, Zach was well written. The red herrings helped lead the reader down some holes but this added to the story. I look forward to more in this series.
I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Schooled in Murder was a great start to a new series!

The story follows mystery author Jen, on a mission with her colleagues as they decide to become amateur sleuths to find out who committed a murder within the school to clear the name of one of her students. Along the way Jen's own life is threatened as she gets closer to finding out who the culprit is!

This book was fairly quick paced with short chapter which made it easy to fly through. There were a few twists and turns which kept me from determining the murderer with full confidence which was fun! The end did seem a bit rushed for my liking, with the murderer practically turning themselves in by giving the final clues needed for our sleuth to solve the case and then quickly being arrested which felt a bit anticlimactic. Also a few plot holes at the end which was a shame! I was definitely shocked by the twist at the end which was impressive!

Overall this was a fun mystery read, also had a side of romance which I enjoyed so I'll definitely pick up future books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.