Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of HOW TO BOOK A MURDER (Book 1 of the Starlit Bookshop Mysteries), by Cynthia Kuhn, in exchange for an honest review. Dr. Emma Starrs, phD, has returned home to help her sister revive their family’s failing bookshop. Together, they decide to host literary themed events to draw in patrons and subsidize the shop’s income. Their first client asks Emma to run a mystery dinner party that has already been planned. Emma’s first client is Tabitha Baxter, who went to school with Emma and who has always been difficult. When Tabitha’s husband, Tip, is murdered at the dinner party, Tabitha and her gang of nasty socialite friends engage in a campaign to have Emma and her aunt arrested for the murder. Emma must exonerate herself and her aunt, find the real murderer, and throw a killer Halloween bash for a local author. I liked this book and thought it was a good start to a new series.

#HowtoBookaMurder #NetGalley

How to Book a Murder is a great start to a new cozy series from an Agatha-award winning author! I went from laughing to being shocked to laughing again. (My fave was the protest scene.) Can't wait for the next one!

Trying to save her family's bookstore, Emma offers to host a mystery dinner from a less than pleasant former high school classmate, Tabitha. Tabitha's well connected, and Emma views this as an opportunity to promote the bookstore among Tabitha's guests. Unfortunately, Tabitha's husband ends up dead at the event. The main suspect - Emma!

I just reviewed How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn. #HowtoBookaMurder #NetGalley
I ADORED THIS BOOK!!!
It was so wonderfully cosy and enchanting!!!
The thing that especially set it apart for me was the writing. The flow the author constructs is magnificent.
A small town, a struggling bookshop, an intelligent protagonist and a murder......the perfect recipe for a book to snuggle up with.
I went into the book knowing nothing about the premise and was wonderfully surprised. This was my first book by this author and I would most definitely be checking about more books by this author.
If you are a fan of homey mysteries...i recommend it. One of my favourite mysteries of the year. Also, if you intend to branch out your reading tastes, this is a perfect start to your introduction to mysteries, it provides everything a classic mystery novel has to offer and the reveal does not disappoint!!!
This book certainly had me hooked and I hope it is successful in weaving the magic for you as well. Worth a try!

Plot: Emma Starrs and her sister, Lucy, run their family's book store (Starlit Books), and business is in trouble. In attempt to help save the store and add to finances, Emma gets the idea to start running events out of the bookshop. Her first one? A murder-mystery themed dinner party for Tabitha, an adult mean-girl who's given Emma problems since childhood. When the murder-mystery themed party results in an actual murder mystery and Tabitha starts accusing Emma and her family of being the culprits, Emma has no choice but to try and solve the mystery herself--all while trying to still save the family business.

Overall, I thought that this was a cute, fun story. I really like the concept of a murder-mystery party turning into a real murder mystery, and I enjoyed the main characters (Emma, Lucy, Nora) and some of the secondary characters as well, especially Calliope. I thought that the author also did a good job of making Tabitha out to be really villainous, haha. She sure does seem like a high-school mean girl who never grew out of her ways.

The plot itself felt a little convoluted to me at times. I felt like there was a lot of secondary stuff going on that took away from the actual mystery, and I didn't really feel like a ton of time was dedicated to Emma actually doing much sleuthing, which was what I was expecting. There was just a lot of extraneous detail for me that I felt like could have been removed to streamline the story a bit, but overall this was a fun cozy mystery--and I do love anything set in a bookstore.

To help save her family’s floundering Colorado bookstore, Starlit Bookshop, newly minted Ph.D. Emma Starrs agrees to plan a mystery-themed dinner party for her wealthy, well-connected high school classmate Tabitha Baxter. It’s a delightful evening of cocktails and conjecture until Tabitha’s husband, Tip—hosting the affair in the guise of Edgar Allan Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin—winds up murdered.
I really loved this one! Emma Starrs is an unique and curious characters. It flowed nicely and was fun to read. All the characters are well developed. All in all you will not be disappointed!
#HowtoBookaMurder #NetGalley

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. It was a mediocre start to a cozy mystery series. The characters were one dimensional, the pacing was erratic, and the plot was, at times, confusing, convoluted, and unbelievable.

There were so many tropes at work in this book that it was really fun to read.

Plenty of characters in the story were writers, and they portrayed the gamut of personalities, from the eccentric and exuberant Calliope to the more reserved detective Jake.

Mean girl Tabitha was still tormenting Emma, despite the fact that high school was over years ago. Tabitha's posse was still following along at her heels, doing her bidding and parroting her ridiculousness.

Emma's dream of becoming a professor has been put on hold to return home and help out at the family bookstore, currently run by her sister, Lucy. Aunt Nora plays a role in the family business as well, mostly keeping it financially afloat from her salary as a professor and her author royalties.

When Tabitha's husband Tip is murdered at the end of a murder mystery dinner Emma coordinated, Tabitha quickly points suspicion at Emma and Nora.

But with so many potential suspects and the police seemingly disinclined to look at anyone else, Emma and Nora are left to solve the mystery on their own.

I enjoyed all the twists and turns in the story and was satisfied with the ending, which was cleverly done.

A few moments when I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book, but I’m glad I stuck around gorge end because I really enjoyed it! The mystery was very well done, but everything leading up to it was quite fun. The characters and the setting are all enjoyable and a as I am intrigued to learn more about everyone.

How to Book a Murder follows Emma as she finds herself back in her small hometown, helping out her sister with the family bookstore. She takes on the job to organize a murder mystery party for an influential woman in town. The party was successful, but it all ends badly when a man is murdered.
The premise of the story is what drew me to the book, and I was excited to read it. But I felt like the way the plot progressed was a bit weak, and at the end everything was just too convenient for the main character.

Emma has returned home after earning her PhD to work with her sister Lucy in the family bookstore. The Starlit Bookshop has been in the family for decades and with the passing of their parents, Emma and Lucy are working hard to keep it open. They live with their Aunt Nora, so it’s really a family affair. Emma quickly gets a money making opportunity, but it means helping out Tabita. Tabitha is the quintessential mean girl from Emma’s past and growing up, did all she could to make Emma miserable. Tabitha’s murder mystery party is now missing a planner and Emma sees this as a golden opportunity for the bookstore. The event is going perfectly until Tabitha’s husband Tip is found dead. Tip is the Arts and Humanities Dean at the college where Nora is an English Professor. The faculty has been divided over an issue and Tip invited the committee to his party. Unfortunately, Nora becomes a suspect in the murder. Tabitha believes Nora and Emma definitely played a part in Tip’s Death and will stop at nothing to try and ruin their reputations and the bookstore. Emma has to deal with Tabitha and her accusations, someone from her past, a potentially disruptive new business next door that threatens the bookstore. She’s also trying to figure out who really killed Tip. Lots of layers and mini stories around the murder. I loved the character and story development and honestly did not figure out this whodunnit until it was revealed. I’ll definitely be looking for the next story in Emma’s series! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts about this book.

How to Book a Murder is the first book in a new series by Cynthia Kuhn. It follows book store owning sisters Emma and Lucy as they struggle to make ends meet by branching out into planning literary events.
The author does a lovely job of introducing characters that you are drawn to and will want to meet up with in future books.
The setting. Colorado in autumn, is appealing and of course the bookstore is just the place you want to be on those chilly days.
The plot was engaging and not over the top with silliness.
The characters are likable, with the exception of the stereotypical mean girls. I look forward to watching the characters develop in the ensuing books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for this ARC of How to Book a Murder.

This new series by author Cynthia Kuhn is set in Colorado and features a just graduated PhD who returns home to help her sister with her family bookstore. Since Emma and the bookstore are struggling, Emma takes on handling a mystery party to gain a little money. When the head of the college English department is murdered at his own mystery party, Emma finds herself a suspect. The characters are sharply defined --the old high school friends who rule the country club--are sure to bring back memories to readers or elicit a laugh or two. Emma finds herself working hard with family members, particularly her Aunt Nora, to find the killer and prove family members innocent. The author has lots to establish--background, character definition and relationships. The author succeeds and looking forward to book two in this series.

Thoroughly enjoyed this new series, and I look forward to the next book. The author presented realistic challenges of being a writer, owning a small business (including those of an independent bookstore), and the life of a college professor. The characters were relatable, although the mean girl characters were a bit much. The literary references were fun, and the Edgar Allen Poe reading sounded like something I would want to attend.

HOW TO BOOK A MURDER is a fun cozy mystery set in Colorado. Book references abound with a particular emphasis on Poe. The murder mystery party has been done before, but is still entertaining.

Characters: I enjoyed the dynamic of Emma and Lucy and the way they interacted as sisters. Although Tabitha is a little over the top, she certainly provides a source of tension, especially as Emma takes on a job for her.

Setting: The town in Colorado is charming and Kuhn does a good job of describing the scenery and introducing the reader to various people in the town. She makes it easy to keep track of everyone, which can be a challenge with this type of book/series.

Mystery: As I mentioned above, the murder mystery party doesn't necessarily feel fresh or original. However, it's well executed and it's clear the author planned it out carefully. Nice attention to the puzzle/plot and details.

Writing: Overall, this novel is very well-written. The dialogue is the only reason I'm rating it 4 stars instead of 5. The dialogue just isn't quite as snappy or streamlined as I prefer. It drags in places and tells the reader pieces of information we already knew. In this way, the dialogue doesn't sound like it's being spoken by real people. To be clear, this isn't a serious problem with the book.

Big picture, HOW TO BOOK A MURDER is quite well done.

How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn is an excellent cozy mystery that is the start of a new series: Starlit Bookshop Mystery. I loved this!

This is going to be a great series and has so much potential. It takes place in a small, adorable college/tourist town in Colorado. The main characters are sisters Emma and Lucy whom now own the family bookstore after the loss of their parents. Trying to keep things afloat, they start branching out into planning/hosting/book grouping it up to help pay off the mortgage. Emma ends up getting tangled into a murder/mystery while attempting to work as a last minute hire to the less than friendly Tabitha. She, as well as her awesome Aunt Nora, end up being accused by Tabitha of her husband’s death. Emma is determined to find the culprit. With the help of their fellow friends and fellow shop owners, they sift through the potential suspects all the while trying to plan for a fabulous Halloween, Poe-inspired book reading by an eccentric local author and instructor. Perfect!

So engaging, entertaining, fun, and creative. I loved Emma and Lucy and the wonderful character cast that has been introduced. There is so much material that can be used. I am so excited to read more!!!!!

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NG and Crooked Lane Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

small-business, small-town, rivalry, bookseller, family-dynamics, female-sleuth, friendship, writers, situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder, murder-investigation, event-planner, college, college-alumnae, Colorado, eccentric, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, detective*****

I now have another favorite series/author!
The publisher's blurb is a very good hook, but gets nowhere near warning that much of the story had me hooting out loud. So many of the characters really are and one professor/popular author in particular gives new meaning to the term *eccentric*. The mystery is very well executed (groan) but spoilers are disrespectful. Absolutely loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

How to Book a Murder is unputdownable. Funny, lively characters you have in your day to day life. This was my first by Cynthia Kuhn and I’m rushing to get more.

I quickly became a fan of this author, and her debut cozy mystery, How to Book a Murder.
Emma Starrs is a great character, and her sister Lucy and Aunt Nora add such fun to the story.
I always know I'm going to love a book when there's a character that irks me. Tabitha is that character for me, and boy, the author sure created an extremely annoying woman.
The mystery itself was well done and I found myself lost in the story.
I'm excited to recommend this book to all cozy mystery fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#HowtoBookaMurder #NetGalley

A new to me author but after reading this book I'll be buying her others! A fun quicj read with great characters! Great story set in a bookstore and readers just love bookstores. Really enjoyed this read! Thanks #netgalley and #Crookedlanebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.