Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert is an intriguing mystery with relatable characters and plenty of suspects to keep the story flowing.
The main character of Jen Dalton is a mystery writer herself, giving her a unique insight into the mystery of who pushed the university professor to his death. The setting of a campus is inviting and familiar at the same time, the dialogue is quick and, in the case of Jen's love interest Zack, entertaining. And I found the cameo appearances by characters from Gilbert's other series fun.
The book is well-written and full of intrigue and suspense, making it a true page-turner.
I am happy to have gotten in on the ground floor of a new series with the ARC of #SchooledinMurder from #NetGalley.

I guess this is supposed to be a cozy mystery, but it's rather naive even for that style. It's also not very logical at times, but the characters and the dialogue are great, so it's good entertainment.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Victoria Gilbert for providing me with a complimentary digital audiobook ARC for Schooled in Murder coming out January 7, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’m definitely obsessed with cozy mysteries and this is one of my favorite authors. I loved that she came out with a new series. I loved the campus setting. I think Jen is a fun character. I love that she’s an English teacher and author. The mystery was a lot of fun and it was a short read. I’d definitely check out more books in this series!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

Jenn finds a body in the campus library and learns that her student, Mia, is suspected of the murder. Jenn and her friends believe someone else is the culprit, so they begin sleuthing. Sleuthing can be dangerous, though, as Jenn soon finds out.
This is a fun campus cozy mystery with department politics, resentments, and ambition. There is also a sweet romance developing for Jenn.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this new book by Victoria Gilbert. It was a cute cozy mystery set within a college campus. The characters were great, the plot had lots of little twists that kept me interested. Overall a great start to a new series.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book of a new series. If you have read the Blue Ridge Library series, you will reincounter some of the characters from there. The book involves teachers at a college. Jenn, the main character writes mysteries, and runs the writing center. One of the English students was seen arguing with her profess0r over her grade on a paper, and shortly thereafter, Jenn finds the professor dead. When the student becomes the main suspect, Jenn and several of her colleagues don't believe she is a killer, and begin to investigate themselves. They find several possible suspects, and someone wants them to stop looking. They disable Jenn's car brakes and attack her on the campus. The resident psychiatrist finds Jenn after her attack, and takes her to the hospital. Jenn and Zack slowly become more interested in each other, while she and two of her teacher friends continue to investigate putting themselves in a lot of danger.

I have really enjoyed this book, and look forward to the next episode. I thank Netgalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC before publication.

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!