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.

Jenn Dalton is an author and educator at Clarion University. When a professor is murdered after an argument with one of her students Jenn as well as a couple of co-workers decide to investigate on their own. Let me start by saying that I have read every book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries series and loved them. So when I found out that there was an offshoot of the series I was very excited. Unfortunately I was sadly mistaken that this book would be as wonderful as the others. First off this is not really an offshoot of another series. Some of the characters made minimal cameo appearances but are not actually involved in the story. I found the characters lacked depth and well ... character. I did not know much more about them by the last page than the first. I also found Jenn to be extremely unlikable. She came across at the very least as rude but mostly just mean. Also there was no real sense of mystery or investigation it was just kind of there. Needless to say I will not be reading this series in the future.

I have always loved Victoria's Blue Ridge mystery series and I was so exited to receive an e-galley of the first book in a new series. This was a fun, easy to read mystery. I loved how it still took place in the same are and at the same college from her other series. I will definitely continue on with this series.

Jennifer Dalton, a published author, is head of creative writing at Clarion University. When Professor Barth is killed,
one of Jen's students is suspected of his murder. However, there are a number of people who disliked Barth and
Jen feels they should all be looked into. With the help of friends, she seeks to clear her student of the murder.
How well does Jen actually know her fellow coworkers?
Likeable characters, first in a new series.
#SchooledinMurder #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Well I'm not sure how I would review this one. I'm not sure if this is the first in this series or if there was another before. It starts out pretty good but then -- well I'm thinking it warps quickly into a romance type thing. I love this authors work so I'll read another before I decide if it's my style or not.

Jenn Dalton is a mystery writer who works in a writing lab at a local college. When she visits the library one day and stumbles upon the body of one of the English faculty members, she enlists the help of her friends to find out how the man ended up crumpled beneath the balcony. Will she find the killer before the killer finds her?

This book was kind of interesting because it ties in with the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. jenn lives in Taylorsford, Virginia, and works at Clarion. She hasn't ever gone to the library so she doesn't know Amy Webber but she does know Richard Muir from campus. There are some hints in this book that Jenn will eventually meet Kurt and I have to say I was disappointed with that. I don't care for Kurt's character, he is unrealistic and I feel like he serves as an unfair crutch in the Blue Ridge Library series, allowing Amy to cut corners on her investigations. I'm hoping that if Kurt does appear in this series it will be peripheral only and that he won't become involved in the mysteries.

I like Jenn's character, but I can't stand Zach. He's condescending and doesn't feel like a good match for Jenn. Jenn's other inner-circle friends, Bri and Charlotte, are both sweet and they make a good investigative team. The mystery was good and the investigation was very natural and fun to read. I also liked how there were kind of two mysteries and you're not really sure when they're wrapped up. It worked in this book, though it's definitely something that can be easily overdone so I hope the author doesn't choose to follow that same formula in future books. Gilbert did that in the Blue Ridge series and it didn't work very well for me (though in those cases the second mystery to be solved was always something very small and inconsequential so it felt like it wasn't worthy of being included in the book at all, in this case it was something more serious so it worked.)

For fans of Gilbert, this is typical of her work and definitely something fans will enjoy. If Gilbert is a new author for you, I would recommend reading the Blue Ridge Library series first.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is a light mystery read though for me it was sort of anti-climactic.
Jen is a mystery author at Clarion University where she sees a dead body of a professor. This inspires Jen to solve the murder by looking into the colleagues and their relationship with the victim. She is assisted by Zach whom she also starts a romantic relationship.

There was a lot of interesting bits in the story. The biases within the department were well researched. The additional scares encountered by Jen also added quite a bit of suspense. I always love reading small town settings. It's kind of the dream.

I think that the unveiling of the actual culprits did a number on the book because you weren't so invested in those characters. Overall a decent read.

I thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A well written and very engaging read. If you enjoy JA Jance you would like this author. Good plot, well paced, and good character development. I read the book in one sitting.

Those readers who like their crime to happen sooner rather than later, will be pleased that the murder happens within the first few pages of this book. Set on a college campus, protagonist Jen Dalton is drawn into things when a favorite student of hers becomes the number one suspect. Helped in crime solving by her friends the cafeteria manager and reference librarian, Jen must find the real culprit before another murder….possibly her own…occurs.

Suspicion Falls..
The first in a new series featuring Jen, an author and an educator at Clarion University, Virginia. When an unlikeable professor is found dead, suspicion falls on one of Jen’s own students and so the investigation begins - as Jen uses her own mystery writing knowledge of sleuthing in order to track down a killer. With a well drawn cast, a well imagined setting and a solid mystery at its heart. Lively storytelling laced with wit. A solid start to a new series.

Schooled in Murder, by Victoria Gilbert
Is Jennifer “Jen” Dalton an academic who also happens to be a mystery writer? Or is it the other way around? Whatever the truth is, her position on the faculty at Clarion College in Virginia isn’t favored by everyone. She writes genre fiction, which rubs some literary types the wrong way, especially when they invade their coveted turf.

One such literary type is Professor Doug Barth. But one afternoon, it seems that he himself may have rubbed someone the wrong way. His lifeless body, having fallen from the mezzanine overlooking the ground level of the English Department building, offers the initial, definitive proof of murder. But who could – or would – have done it?

When a female student, a promising young writer and one of Barth’s mentees, emerges as the primary suspect, Professor Jen jumps into the fray, putting her mystery writer’s brain fully into gear. With help from the school’s cafeteria manager, librarian, and the campus Psychologist, she manages to out-wit the local police in solving the crime.

The story is entertaining and easy to follow. The chapters are short, which helps with pacing. The book didn’t have as much humor as I would expect from a cozy mystery, but, nevertheless, was worthwhile and entertaining. I would recommend it for quality reading, in any setting, any time of the year.

2.75 stars

Things I did enjoy about the book: the plot and mystery building had an intriguing start. I liked the concept of a campus murder mystery, especially with the point of view coming from an employee who is a mystery writer herself. Those were the key points that drew me to choosing this to read in the first place, and the book definitely brought those in. I also liked the easy to read, short chapters.

This was one my first attempts at getting into "cozy mystery" and I think that's where some parts of the book fell through for me. Some of the characters felt a little stiff during the progression of the story, and I am more used to fast-paced thrillers, so the mystery itself felt a little bit slow for me, which may be perfect for those who love a slowly built story. AKA, the "cozy" part of the book.


Much thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

A great start to a new series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

A Professor from Clarion University is murdered right after he has an argument with a student. Mia fits the bill for the murderer since she was the last one seen with him. Jen, who is mentoring Mia doesn’t believe that to be the case. With the help of a few friends investigates to find the true killer.
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