In Fiction Can Be Murder, the first in a new series, Mystery Writer’s Mystery, Charlee Russo, a mystery author is suspected of killing her literary agent by a method described in the manuscript of her new novel. Making a list of all those who had access to a copy, she then proceeds to “interview” the members of her writers’ group, her beta readers, her boyfriend and friends with whom she shared her manuscript.

The premise for this series is a good one – published mystery writer turns amateur sleuth. However, the story feels rushed with Charlee racing around trying to find out who has a motive and no alibi. Character development is somewhat weak. Overall this adventure is a good beginning but let’s wait to see how the next adventure reads.

mystery plus romance

Becky Clark's first book in The Mystery Writer's Mystery series had an interesting premise, a murder based on the main character's next mystery book. I thought Charlee was an interesting character but some of her actions were a little over the top. Too the story didn't flow well for me. This was just an "okay" read for me.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

I fully enjoyed this book. It had non-stop momentum from the very beginning that kept me engaged and wanting me to not put it down. Very well done twist at the end as well.

3.75 stars

Mystery novelist Charlee Russo has a problem -- her malevolent and bitchy agent has been murdered in a totally unique fashion. Unfortunately the murder method was the plot of Charlee's latest (unpublished) manuscript which makes her a suspect.

Only a limited number of people -- her writing group, friends, and family -- had read the draft, so Charlee works methodically to establish alibis for them all, often tangling, of course, with the detectives assigned to the case.

This debut was entertaining and well-paced. Charlee is good company, and the author injects a lot of humor without edging over into the silly. I will look forward to her next adventure.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

This was a cute fast read. I liked the protagonist, she was cute. Story was a little predictable, but I still had fun while reading it.

This book was so much fun I couldn't put it down! This was such a witty well written story that I found myself wanting to live within the pages. The main character seemed to be so scatter brained and clumsy, but actually was spot on in almost every way. I love the tie in with her past at the end, definitely a surprise and a addition that just added more depth to the story. If you are looking for a good solid mystery, look no further. I cannot wait to delve into more from this author.

#FictionCanBeMurder #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book

The main character, Charlee, is a writer who becomes accused of her agents murder. She is trying to prove her innocence, while the twists and turns seem to be coming straight from the plot of her book. This was a enjoyable read with a likeable characters.

This book, for me, started out really strong, lagged in the middle, and then ended in a bit of a rush.
Id say my biggest complaint though is how Charlee kind of just runs around acusing everybody. I get the gimmick, murder mystery writer solving a murder mystery. But it did grind my gears how she'd just call somebody up from her writing circle, and immediately throw accusations in their face.
BUT! Other than that, I did like it. The characters were entertaining, the mystery and plot kept my attention, there was quite a bit of diversity, and there were 2 dogs in this book, so pretty big plus for me, haha.
All in all, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequel.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book just didn't hold my attention.
Interesting premise but not executed well.

The book starts off well, and the writing/narration of our lead protagonist Charlee is quirky and entertaining. But half way into the book, it seems like she is trying too hard.

The story begins with a death, of someone we can see revels in harsh criticism of all people.Then we meet Charlee who is on her way to a writers critique group, all of whom meet on a weekly basis.Then it comes to light that someone might have enacted the murder right out of her book. Now Charlee feels like the prime suspect and she goes on a hunt to figure out who could have actually committed the crime.That's when I felt like things got sloppy. I am a fan of random murder mysteries but everything seemed abrupt.

There is also not much reason for her to do the things she does and the conversations seemed slightly staged.There is potential though because the general commentary given by Charlee is comical and fun to read.That is the only reason I am giving this book three stars in case it was just the timing of my reading of the book that made me so critical.

I was very excited about the premise of this book! In short, the book is about a mystery writer, Charlee, whose most recent manuscript is used as the how to manual to kill her own agent. Overall it was a very good book, but the twist ending left me a little unfulfilled. The book seemed to miss a little more explanation between the bulk of the book and the twist ending. However, the book was extremely well written, had a great story, and had an extremely relatable main character! I would probably recommend this book for a quick and fun read.

This book was decent but it felt disjointed in places. Not a strong first entry.

This was a wonderfully entertaining mystery novel which provided some great company while battling a nasty cold, where I was not able to digest anything other than light fare in more than one sense.

It was so much fun to follow Charlee while she was trying to solve the murder case, more than once putting her foot in her mouth on the way. Though she sometimes acted silly, often hasty and most of the time so naive it almost hurt, it never failed to kept me glued to the pages.

However, the solution to the mystery was disappointing - unpredictable and rushed, like she ran out of options and had to invent something at the last minute just for the sake of it. Good thing is, the ending is only a smaller part of the whole, so most of the time I had a great time reading this and I also will give this series another try with the sequel.

I liked the concept of the book, and it is well written with a strong voice, but the ending felt very rushed and the characters all fell flat for me. Hopefully there will be more character development in the next book.

Charlee Russo is a mystery writer who is at her writer’s group meeting when she learns her agent is found dead. Sad enough (even though he woman could give the Wicked Witch a run for her money), but what complicates matters is that the agent was murdered in exactly the same way as a victim in one of Charlee’s books. Made worse by the fact that Charlee thought her agent might be skimming some of her book profits, Charlee is starting to look like a darn good suspect. Charlee’s paranoia (understandably) starts working overtime, as she suspects everyone in her writer’s group of murder and starts to feel as though SHE might be the next victim.

This is the first in the Mystery Writer’s mystery series. The cover looks like it is a cozy mystery, and it KIND of is, but not. It’s a gritter version of a cozy. There is a good dose of humor, but without the usual “cozy” settings and characters. I had to warm up to this book. By the middle I still wasn’t hooked, and quite frankly, if I hadn’t gotten an ARC from NetGalley, I probably would have given up on it. I would have missed out. I enjoyed the ending and the unconventional danger to Charlee. I didn’t guess the killer and the book kept me guessing till the end. I enjoyed it enough to probably give the next one a go, though even as a stand-alone, this is a good book.

I appreciate it when a book can get my full attention in the first dozen pages - maybe there is a good hook; maybe I can instantly connect with the characters; maybe the writing just draws me in. Happily, all three happened for me while reading, “Fiction Can Be Murder.” It is the first in the Mystery Writer’s Mystery series. It is quick paced and entertaining and I am so glad I decided to check out this new series! The main character makes sense as a sleuth. Charlee is a mystery writer who does a fair bit of research to create her fictional crimes. Her brother is a policeman, as was her father. The suspects are intriguing and the ending is fulfilling. I am looking forward to reading other books by Becky Clark! I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my rating. I have provided an unbiased and honest review.

I really enjoyed this mystery, and it was an especially nice change of pace from my usual read - cozy mysteries. The protagonist, Charlee, is a mystery author whose agent is murdered in a well-planned, unusual way, and she must find the killer before she's arrested for the crime or winds up next on the killer's radar. There are several strong suspects, but they all had verifiable alibis, so it's a challenging mystery to solve. I appreciated how realistic Charlee is, and liked her wit and sarcasm. I look forward to reading more about Charlee and other books by Becky Clark!

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Fiction Can Be Murder” is a cozy mystery that makes for perfect rainy day reading. The story follows Charlee, an author whose manuscript is used as the inspiration for the murder of Melinda, Charlee’s book agent. After police determine the cause of death, they quickly suspect Charlee of committing the murder. Because only a select people have read Charlee’s manuscript, she determines that the killer must be someone she knows. She sets out to do her own investigation, and she quickly grows concerned that the killer may be even closer than she realized.

I enjoyed my time with this novel because it was light and easy to read, but also because the author managed to keep me guessing about the identity of the killer. I liked that Charlee was able to use the skills she developed from writing crime and mystery novels in order to cultivate a dependable investigation into her suspects. Her character was fun—occasionally funny—and smart. She didn’t make rookie mistakes, and she was thorough in her research.

I thought that the choice for the killer was unexpected but believable. The way that the killer used [his/her] brain in order to deflect suspicion while also shining the spotlight on other suspects was impressive. Though I did have a problem with the outlandish reasoning/backstory behind the killer, I did like the way that the reveal unfolded.

For the most part, I thought everything in the novel made sense in how it related to the overall plot. I did wonder about why the author chose to include a couple of points, though. I thought it was strange to give Charlee a tremor, because it didn’t seem to truly serve any purpose for the story. The reason for the tremor’s existence is vague, and I think the story could have done without. The only explanation I could think of for its part in the story was that Clark wanted Charlee’s character to have a strange hook or memorable trait, or perhaps to make her character more sympathetic.

A second part of the book that I didn’t like was the overuse of the Kia reference. Charlee always referred to her car as “the Kia,” which felt unnatural to me. It felt like Kia was almost sponsoring the book—or at least paying the author for using its name. While I know that books have arrangements with brands these days, this felt too forced.

Ultimately, I think Becky Clark delivered an entertaining novel that fans of the “cozy mystery” genre will read with relish. The characters are stimulating, the plot is unique, and the conclusion is satisfying. I would be happy to read more from Clark in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. It did start out a little slow, but the main character, Charlee, grew on me and I wanted to know who did it. I also really liked the storyline (with someone using a mystery writer's plot to frame her). I did not figure out who did it and was a little surprised at the ending. I hope the next book is out soon and is as good as this one.

#FictionCanBeMurder #Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC copy of this novel.
What a refreshing mystery! The main character, Charlee, is a writer who becomes accused of her agents murder. The twist is that it follows the plot from her own book. Now Charlee is trying to prove her innocence. I love the main character, but the supporting cast in this novel is wonderful too! It is a fun, smart read that you won't put down. I defiantly be back for a sequel.