Schooled in Murder

By Victoria Gilbert

Jennifer (Jenn) Dalton is the director of the campus writing center at Clarion University in northern Virginia. She is also the author, under a pseudonym, of a mystery series. As it turns out, when there is a murder on campus and Jenn discovers the body, she is able to successfully apply some of the investigative skills from her writing to ferret out the murderer. She has some help from unusual sources—Bri, a research librarian at the university, and Christine, the long time manager of the cafeteria on campus. In the middle of their sleuthing, another murder occurs. Are there two murderers on campus? Are the murders related?

Much to the dismay of Dr. Zachary (Zach) Flynn, a psychologist who comes to Jenn’s rescue on several occasions, Jenn keeps putting herself into dangerous situations without foreseeing any potential risk. Someone is out to stop Jenn’s investigations at any cost.

As the first book in this cozy mystery series, Schooled in Murder, is a good debut to a university whodunit. The novel is very bookish in that much of the setting is the university library or the writing center located in the basement of the library. I’m sure libraries have changed a lot since I was in college, but it reminded me of roaming through the stacks which could be a little intimidating—very quiet, dark, and rather like a maze with study carrels sprinkled throughout. Thankfully, the only crime I ever saw in my university library was a chocoholic sneaking in a little bag of M & M’s to get her through an evening of study.

The main characters in Schooled in Murder are likable, but there is a lot of infighting as professors vie for long term positions and tenure. Some of the characters have romantic involvements and professional literary conflicts that make them possible suspects also. The solutions to these crimes emerge from the tangle of personalities and motivations. I admit, I did not see some of them coming until the author chose to insert a crisis. I recommend Schooled in Murder and will be looking for the next in the series. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Fiction, Mystery

Notes: 1. #1 in the Campus Sleuth Mystery Series

    2. Victoria Gilbert has a number of books to her credit including The Blue Ridge Library Mysteries which take place in the same community as Schooled in Murder.  

  3. Clean language and the romance is limited to kissing.

Publication:  January 7, 2025—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

It’s a lot different when it’s real, I thought, mentally offering apologies to my characters for the frightening scenarios I’d placed them in over and over again, all for the sake of excitement and forward momentum.

But there are great authors who write gorgeous, deeply thoughtful poetry or prose, who are absolute jerks in real life. Talent and kindness don’t always corollate.