Her family bookstore's financial status just hit desperate and Emma Starrs plans to generate more cash flow by hosting events there. When her mean girl nemesis from high school loses her party planner the day before her murder mystery dinner party is scheduled, Emma steps up to help. The party was perfect...the characters, the clues were all a big hit. Unfortunately the host was discovered dead by Emma and her aunt. This leads to an harassment campaign organized by the newly widowed mean girl accusing Emma of murder. In order to save her reputation and the bookstore from closing, Emma has to find the real murderer

Emma Starrs is trying to save her family bookstore when she offers to help with a murder mystery event at her high school nemesis’ home. Tabitha, said nemesis, is not a nice person. Her husband, Tip, dies at the event and Tabitha is barely phased.
I never really liked the mean girl trope, so How to Book a Murder was a bit unsatisfying to read. Every encounter with Tabitha was a bit like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I felt like the murderer reveal came a bit out of nowhere. There was so much going on that what little pieces of the puzzle were woven into the story did not mesh to make a cohesive ending. Emma having to explain all the pieces that lead to the murder and the behind the scenes activity felt more like telling than showing.
I’m not sure about Jake becoming a love interest - queue enemies to lovers trope.
I like the setting and I like Emma, her sister Lucy and aunt Nora. I hope the Starlit Bookshop has success and that a second book will see Emma and her aunt becoming more believable sleuths.

Cozy mysteries set in bookstores and with a literary theme get my attention. This new series is now on my list of must be read cozies. Emma Starrs is the main character, a new PhD in literature. Instead of taking a teaching job at a college, she returns home to help her sister run the family bookstore, Starlit. With the loss of their parents, the sisters have a challenge ahead of them. The bookstore is at the edge of having to close with only weeks left before the lights are turned off for good. In the past the store has held book launches, signings and various literary events so Emma decides to restart that part of the business in the hope of saving the store. Her specialty happens to be mysteries but soon she and her Aunt Nora, a famous mystery writer, are in one of their own to solve. If they don't they may be spending the rest of their days behind bars.
It seemed like a cosmic gift of sorts when Emma is asked to take over an event - an Edgar Allan Poe themed party - after the pervious person walked out. The catch? The woman is Emma's high school nemesis Tabitha. Let's just say she is just as mean as she was in high school. The party is for her husband Tip Baxter and Emma really needs the money and the positive word of mouth to get future events and save the store. Having a real life murder turn up at the party isn't going to help. Emma and her Aunt Nora need to unmask the killer fast.
The characters were well developed and the mystery had plenty of twists, turns and red herrings to keep me engaged. For a debut mystery this series is off to a great start.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a free review copy of How to Book a Murder.

I really liked this book! I think this is going to be a really good series. Dr. Emma Starrs, PHD in hand and a Tenure Track teaching job in her future, returns to her Colorado home town to help her sister and Aunt keep their family books store from going out of business.

When their high school nemesis Tabitha storms into the store one day needing a party planner and willing to pay handsomely for a literary themed murder mystery dinner, Emma feels like she has no choice but to step in. She hopes to parlay this into expanded business to keep the bookstore open. Unfortunately, during the party Tabitha's husband ends up dead for real, and Emma and her aunt Nora are accused!

Emma and her aunt are both writers, booksellers and teachers, which makes me love them very much. I adore the characters in this story, I thought the mystery was captivating. I dream of being a bookstore owner, and Emma was very clever and tenacious. The world building was good and the story had me guessing the whole time. I definitely recommend becoming invested in this series!

Emma Starrs is looking for ways to expand her family’s bookshop, and she is hoping she can help plan some events that will bring in much needed money. Unfortunately, her first event is for Tabitha Baxter, and old childhood nemesis who hasn’t matured much since they last interacted. Emma is hoping to survive the night, but then she finds a dead body. With rumors that Emma or Emma’s aunt Nora, who was a guest at the party, are responsible for the murder circling around town, can Emma figure out what really happened?

I was pleasantly surprised at who the victim was, and it allowed some great additional conflict for Emma. The pacing did stumble a few times, but overall, this was a fun book that kept me engaged. It helped that some of the sub-plots had me laughing. One did get over the top at times, but it was still fun. There were a plethora of suspects, and they were introduced in group scenes, but as the book progressed, we got to know them better. The main characters really stood out, and I enjoyed meeting them here. The climax was creative and wrapped things up well. This is a fun debut, and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens to Emma next.

Dr. Emma Starrs returns home to help her sister, Lucy run the family bookstore, Starlit Bookshop. They need an influx of cash, so Emma steps in to help mean girl Tabitha with a murder mystery dinner. The event is a hit until Emma finds Tabitha’s husband dead on the patio. Emma’s aunt, Nora becomes the prime suspects with Emma in line behind her. The pair set out to find the truth. The killer, though, is not done with their slaying. Can Emma and Nora identify the guilty party before they end up next on the hit list? How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn is the debut of A Starlit Bookshop Mystery series. There are a variety of characters in this new cozy mystery. I liked Emma’s sister, Lucy who is a sweetie as well as Emma’s eccentric aunt, Nora. Nora has a lively personality and I like her unique attire. There is a large cast of characters and I found it a challenge to keep them a straight. Emma’s high school nemesis, Tabitha and her gaggle of followers are still in town. They are still mean (worse than in high school because now they have influence) and now they are rich. This might be a trigger for some people who had trouble with mean individuals in high school. The author’s descriptive writing allows readers to envision the characters and the town. Starlit Bookstore sounded like my type of place (where you could spend hours browsing through the books). The murder of Tabitha’s husband, Tip has Emma and Nora becoming amateur sleuths. Tabitha is openly accusing the pair of doing the deed. They have no choice but to search for the killer. They have an extensive list of suspects. Nora and Emma need to whittle down the list to figure out which individual committed the crime. It is a frustrating venture since the mean girl clique is unhelpful and spreading heinous gossip. In the end, all the clues come together for Emma. She needs to step carefully, or she could end up the next victim. I wish the wrap up had been more complete. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions at the end of the book. It also felt more like a recitation of information. There were two secondary characters that I thought were a hit. The caterer, Vivi Yang is a warm, friendly, and upbeat character who creates delectable food. I liked her and I hope we see more of her in future books. I also enjoyed Calliope Nightfall. She is an author with a flair for the dramatic. How to Book a Murder is blithe cozy mystery with a bewitching bookstore, office obstruction, multiple murders, a Poe party, malicious mean females, exquisite culinary cuisine, academic afflictions, and a raven reveal.

College professor Emma Starrs has returned home to help her sister and aunt run the family bookstore after her parents untimely deaths and find the store in a financially precarious position. Hoping to drum up some extra money Emma labels herself as an event planner and takes on a murder mystery dinner for her old high school nemesis with deadly results. Finding herself and the aunt billed top suspects in the new mystery they have no choice but to put on their detecting caps and find the real killer before one of them ends up behind bars. A well written introduction to the Starlit Bookshop Mystery series and a must read for cozy mystery fans.

How to Book a Murder was my first book by Cynthia Kuhn and I absolutely adored it. I loved all of the characters Emma, Lucy, and Aunt Nora were amazing and I would love to read more about them. The mystery itself was great and kept me invested to continue reading. The book was very enjoyable and I will definitely continue reading the series. I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my shelves. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an amazing cozy mystery.

How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn is a first installment in what will apparently become a series under a Starlit Bookshop Mystery,

I really like the name, as well as the setting of a charming town and the fact that main characters own a bookstore. Absolutely perfect.
Yet this book was a hit and miss with me. I fairly liked our heroines though I feel somethings should have been better explained, such as their earlier lives, some old feuds and I think they should be more open not only toward each other but toward other people as well. There are a lot of mysteries lurking about.

Even though the murder happened quite early in the book, it took forever for out sleuths to start digging. Though I appreciate, especially with new series some time to get to know the characters, setting and such I felt it has taken pretty long time for heroines to get involved and so many things were left unsaid and only half explained.
Mystery itself was nicely presented and had possibility of being pretty absorbing but lost the spark along the way.
I also found some character's behavior quite unbelievable for grown up people, and there were in my opinion too many side characters, as all three main people's live merged together and it was hard to keep track of all of them.
Nevertheless, pretty sound first try with a promise of becoming one of the favorites.
There is a bit of potential romance in the air.
The pace started slacking towards the middle of the book and I started losing interest. The first book is a solid attempt but I think there are a few things that need to be more worked on.

This was a story about two sisters trying to keep their bookshop viable against great odds. I enjoyed reading about their plans and ideas, especially when they hold a special event at the bookshop which seems to be going extremely well until someone is murdered.

I did not like the inclusion of Tabitha, the mean girl who apparently never grew up. I felt her character was overdone and unbelievable. Other characters were fine especially Calliope Nightfall who actually deserved to be the star of the book.

The mystery was convoluted and took a lot of explanation at the end, plus I was not really convinced by the final identity of the murderer. So some good things and some not so good - I would still read the next book to find out how things progress.

This is a great start to a new series by Cynthia Kuhn! This series in based in Denver, Colorado (I love the Rockies, so that's what really drew me to this book). As an added bonus, the main setting is in a bookstore. We're two for two so far! And then we meet the characters. I loved all of them, even the entitled brat. For a first in a series book, I felt as if I knew all of these characters already. The author did a wonderful job of making each one, as diverse as they are, easy to get to know and relate to. Three for three! The murder mystery itself, and the subplots, were well thought out and kept me entertained and guessing until the very end. Four for four!

I am adding this series to my watch list and plan on snagging the next in this series as soon as possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the pleasure of reading this fun new start to a brilliant series in exchange for my review.

Ugh, just no. I could not get past the horrible woman Tabitha who was hosting the party. Just no.
Dnf

I love a good cosy mystery, especially one involving books or bookshops, and this one perfectly fills that niche!

Emma Starrs is a literature PhD who, instead of accepting a prestigious academic job, has returned to her home town in Colorado following the sudden death of her parents to help her sister Lucy run the family bookshop. The bookshop is struggling so Emma decides to supplement their income by running literary events.

Emma's first assignment comes by way of Tabitha Baxter, one of the mean girls from Emma's high school days who bullied Emma for being a book worm. Now married to Tip Baxter, the Dean of Arts and Humanities at the local college, she is holding a murder mystery dinner for him. However, when her events’ organiser storms out on her, Tabitha asks if Emma will step in at the last moment. Since Emma and Tip move in the wealthy circles of town and could bring in more business for her, Emma feels she can't refuse. However, when a real-life murder occurs at the dinner, Emma wonders how it will affect her fledgling business. Fortunately, author Calliope Nightfall, a colleague of Emma's Aunt Nora, a lecturer at the college, decides to hold her new book launch at the bookstore so Emma is soon back in business planning a large event.

This was a fun mystery with a host of colourful characters and is an excellent start to a new cosy mystery series. Emma is a great main character with her love of writing and crime fiction and her fun ideas for events and her sister Lucy and Aunt Nora helping her. The bookshop sounds delightful (complete with resident cat) and there is plenty of scope for many more enjoyable mysteries in the future

The first book in the Starlit Bookshop Mystery, this is a promising start to a new cozy mystery series. Engaging and well written, the series is set in Denver, Colorado and I fell in love with the whole feel of the setting. A lot of characters are introduced-- interesting, quirky, eccentric, diva like-- who all blend in well with the ongoing plot. The murder mystery which consists of multiple murders has its share of twists and will keep the reader guessing till the end. Overall, a very enjoyable read and I am excited to read more of the series.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author Cynthia Kuhn for the e-Arc of the book.

Publication date for the book is 7th December 2021.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

This was a very enjoyable cozy and a promising start to what appears to be a new series. The characters are relatable and entertaining - though I did feel like there could have been a little more development of some of the characters. I would have liked a bit more depth to Lucy and I would have liked Emma to be stronger and more confident. The bookstore setting was nice and the events they hosted were entertaining. The storyline was interesting and keeps you guessing until the unexpected end. I am looking forward to where the series goes next.

This is one of only two NetGalley books on my shelf due for December publication.

Crazy, right?

I was hoping to have enough of it finished for it to be this week's Book Beginnings & Friday56 post... and then I couldn't sleep and I couldn't stop reading and had a quiet night at work... and... well... I'm just about at the 70% mark and it's already being added to my list of "must-read cozy mystery series."

To be fair, I was in love with the cover when I saw it on NetGalley and then completely hooked with the first line:
"To be surrounded by books is an exceptional joy," Lucy said.

The story is told by Emma Starrs -- sister of Lucy and recent PhD graduate who has moved back home to the small town of Silvercrest, Colorado to help her sister save the family bookstore, Starlit Bookshop. She and Lucy live with their aunt, Nora, in the family home. Nora is a mystery writer who is on the English faculty at the local college and will do whatever she can to help the girls save the store that has been in the family for three generations -- while also dealing with some upheaval going on with her department on campus.

Just as Emma is beginning to brainstorm ideas with Lucy about events they could hold in order to pull more people into the shop, her childhood nemesis walks in complaining about her event planner quitting right before an Edgar Allan Poe murder mystery dinner party. Her most recent husband, Tip, is a big fan -- and also the dean of Nora's department. In spite of Emma's life-long feud with Tabitha, she offers to take the job to help the store. The party goes off without too many hitches. That is, of course, until Emma finds Tip's dead body on the patio while cleaning up at the end. Emma and Nora both find themselves on the suspect list and the women are determined to find out what really happened -- while saving the bookstore and planning another Poe event for the super eccentric (and often hilarious) author Calliope Nightfall.

This book is just so much fun while still having the suspense of what really happened to the victims (yes, plural). I adore the main characters and how the three women work together to get everything done. They're so much alike and still so unique. I'm really hoping we get more in depth with Lucy and Nora -- and that we see more of some of the secondary characters as the series progresses as well. Someone else suggested Lucy gets a Jane Austen themed event in the future and I would absolutely be on board for that!

I am guessing that there will be another year or so before we find out what's next for Starlit Bookshop, but I'm more than okay with that -- especially since I've already acquired the first in Kuhn's Lila Maclean Academic Mystery Series.

And now back to reading the last 30% .... so, technically, it still fits into "Currently Reading."

I received a complimentary ARC copy of How to Book a Murder, Starlit Bookshop Mystery #1 by Cynthia Kuhn from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Filled with literary references I really loved this series debut; it offered a cozy mystery with a touch of dark academia, as well as a cast of quirky interesting and dynamic characters that made this an entertaining and intriguing…

How to Book a Murder, the first book of the Starlit Bookshop Series, begins when Emma hears that her sister Lucy is struggling to keep the family business, Starlit Books in business after the death of their parents, she returns home to Silvercrest, Colorado to help. After earning a PhD, Emma sacrifices a teaching position which could have led to a tenured position and begins planning events for the bookstore hoping to bring in more business. Along with their Aunt Nora, a professor at the local college and well-known mystery author, what is left of their family is together again.

When her old high school nemesis and Silvercrest’s resident “Mean Girl” Tabitha, drops by the store for her husband’s birthday gift panicked that her event planner for a murder mystery themed party had to take an emergency leave Emma bites the bullet and offers the stores event planning services. When the party results in the actual murder of Tabitha’s University Dean husband, life imitates art, and they are faced with their very own murder mystery. When an old rivalry kicks up Tabitha starts accusing Emma and her family of being the guilty murderers, in order to save the store and their reputation Emma has no choice but to solve the murder and clear their names.

Filled with literary references I really loved this series debut; it offered a cozy mystery with a touch of dark academia, as well as a cast of quirky interesting and dynamic characters that made this an entertaining and intriguing read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

It's been a long time since I've read a cozy mystery, and I wanted to give this one a shot when it was Read Now. I'm going to have a hard time separating my thoughts on the plot of the book due to the formatting the ARC came in - it was extremely distracting and hard to read so my enjoyment was definitely impacted.

How to Book a Murder is set in the Starlit Bookshop, a family business in the Starrs family. Emma is working on improving the business and adding party planning to this list when her high school archenemy walks in needing services. Emma sets up a murder mystery party for Tabitha to celebrate her husband - but when her husband is found dead at the party, Tabitha tries everything to pin it on Emma and her family.

The ending to this book was masterful, I did not at all see the final reveal coming and I was actually convinced it was something else entirely. I love books set in bookstores or libraries, so that was a plus for me. And it's the beginning of a new series so I'm sure there will more set in the bookstore. But, I really had an issue with the characters. Emma was a wet blanket, a pushover who was sticking her nose everywhere it didn't belong. And Tabitha was awful - I had some girls I would never want to see from high school again but none would treat me like that. It was over the top.

To recap: plot - yes, characters - no. Would I continue the series? Hard maybe.

**Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

Entertaining and engaging cozy mystery. So glad to see it is the start of a series. I am eager to read the further adventures of the three owners of the bookshop. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

How to Book a Murder is the first book in a new series by Cynthia Kuhn. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries involving bookstores, this is for you!

In an effort to keep her family's bookstore afloat, Emma agrees to host a mystery party for her former classmate and mean girl, Tabitha. Things are going well until Tabitha's husband turns up dead for real. Now Tabitha blames Emma and her Aunt Nora, a mystery writer, for the murder. So it's up to them to clear their names before the gossip gets them arrested and shutters the bookstore for good.

Emma is relatable, Aunt Nora is eccentric and fun. Lots of mystery genre factoids. Artistic smalltown setting. This is a fast-paced, delightful read.

Perfect for fans of Maggie Blackburn's Beach Side Mysteries or Carolyn Hart's classic Death on Demand series.