At the risk of sounding like a crazy person. I love an in-depth mystery. I prefer slasher horror. I love it when books feature serial killers or framed murderers. The forethought that it takes to not only plan the murder in a mystery but also the posing and reference laying? It’s a chef’s kiss in a mystery novel that really ratchets up the score for me.

In this novel, A series of murders occurs at a local college. The victims are all women, posed like figures from Gothic Literature. A Gothic literature Professor gets pulled in after having a flirtation with the head detective of the case.

With her help they decipher clue after clue, she begins to get a read on the killer that causes her to wonder just how close to this case and her this killer truly is.

One of the things I enjoyed about this novel was its well-written mystery and great pacing. It wasn’t too slow or too fast, and it did such a good job of keeping me on the tip of my toes without my heart jumping out of my skin. For the first time in a while, I liked the conclusion of this novel more than the buildup.

Schaumberg is on my list of Authors to watch for, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from her. I gave this novel 4 carrots, and have been recommending it to anyone who loves dark academia, a mystery, and literary references, which, of course, is what drew me to it! Released in August 2025, I completed my arc read at the end of July last year.

Have you read Murder By The Book by Amie Shaumberg? Tell me what you thought in the comments, no spoilers!

Until Next Time,

Gabs

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