How to Book a Murder (Starlit Bookshop Mystery #1)

How to Book a Murder is out now from Crooked Lane Books!

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Kate Carlisle, in award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn’s series debut, small-town bookseller and literary event planner Emma Starrs is out to close the book on a killer intent on crashing the party.

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.

In a heartbeat, Emma and her aunt Nora, a famous mystery writer, become suspects. Emma is sure the party’s over for Starlit events, until celebrated author Calliope Nightfall, whose gothic sensibilities are intrigued by the circumstances, implores the bookseller to create a Poe-themed launch event for her latest tome. Throwing a bash to die for while searching for additional clues is already enough to drive Emma stark raven mad, but another shocking crime soon reveals that Silvercrest has not yet reached the final chapter of the puzzling case.

Someone in this charming artistic community has murder on the mind, and if Emma cannot outwit the killer, she and her beloved aunt will land behind bars, to walk free nevermore.

“An unbeatable combination of Golden Age styling and modern-day intrigue, woven through with wit and keen observation” — Angela M. Sanders, author of the Witch Way Librarian and Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing mysteries

“Beautifully written and so full of love for books and their authors and readers” — Vicki Delany, national bestselling author of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mysteries

“A fast-paced delightful read” ~ Debra Goldstein, author of the Sarah Blair Mystery series

“With her trademark humor, engaging characters, twisty plotting, and literary references sure to charm mystery fans, she has created the bookstore we all want to browse in” –Laura DiSilverio, national best-selling and award-winning author of The Readaholics Book Club mysteries

“A gifted storyteller, Kuhn has created a delightful cast of quirky characters and a bookstore full of charm as a backdrop to an intriguing murder mystery.” — Kathy Aarons, national bestselling author of the Chocolate Covered Mysteries

“With its intelligent sleuth, bookish setting, and twisty plot, How to Book a Murder is a booklover’s dream come true!” — Mary Angela, author of the Happy Camper cozy mystery series and the Professor Prather academic mystery series

“Smart, suspenseful, and brimming with intrigue, Kuhn crafts the perfect page-turner in a town and bookshop so thoroughly crafted and real.” — Maggie Barbieri, author of the Murder 101 series

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio!