Murder 101 is a suspenseful mystery with some romance thrown in. The young teacher, Alison, at a small christens school called St.Thomas has recently had her car stolen, and to add to that she recently went through a divorce with a fellow teacher, Ray. And since she has no car Alison has had to walk. Alison is a clumsy girl who tends to compare herself to her best friend Max. When the two police officers come to let her know that her old Volvo has been found, one big shock comes. One of her students from a Shakespeare class was found in the trunk, dead. Alison immediatly starts thinking of the possible answers to the mystery, but one thing for sure, she didn't do it. Maggie Barbieri did a great job combining humor, suspense, and romance into a great story.

Alison has a bad stomach for bad news. When the she finds out she has a dead teenage girl in the back of her car she goes for the trash can (and that's not the only time). She has a strong instinct and isn't afraid to take risks. With surprise visits from her dead student's parents, to fining some clues her self; Alison is in for a ride that will change everything.
Alison is a prime suspect along with Vince, Alison's student's boyfriend. But with not much on Vince to connect him to the murder it leaves Alison in the full spot light. Will Alison's trouble making best friend Max be good support or only cause more trouble? Will Alison's crush on detective Crawford go un-noticed? These are all things you will have to find out by unraveling the book as it leads you through many doors and winding stair cases.
Out of five stars I would give this book a four. The one problem with it was that it was a little cheesy for me. But I love how I suddenly felt like I was involved in the story and that I had known all the characters for a long time. Maggie Barbieri's writing style was good; it gave enough information to keep you reading and not put the book down. Murder 101 is a great book and I would highly recommend it.
I think this book leans more toward a teen crowed. She has perfect place for cliffhangers so the book is hard to just walk by without wanting to read it and solve the mystery. I would love to read more of Maggie Barberi's books. I can't think of any book to compare it to. It's a perfect recipe for a great story. Whiter Alison has the guts to handle the truth, she finds out in the most unexpected way.