This is a very clever and well-written book which explores the relationships between authors and their characters, and it is also an unusual murder mystery. It concerns writers writing about each other, so there is quite a distance between the reader and the characters until later in the story. Sulari Gentill has written an unusual and experimental book which manages to be intriguing as well.

Madeleine, married to a country doctor, struggles to escape from her dull but middle-class life, and write a new novel. Her crime series has become tiring. In the process, however, she starts to see her sometimes unlikeable husband with new eyes, and fall in love with her character Edward, holding converstions with him in her head about the book. It is easy to see why. Handsome, wealthy and sensitive Edward treats her with much more sympathy and respect, although he is disdainful about crime writers.

Edward, a writer of intellectual novels, also writes about Madeleine, but he finds himself with little time on his hands as he becomes involved in a murder mystery, and he tries to separate his true love Willow from her nasty husband. He also holds conversations with Madeleine, discussing their writing and their exploration of characters.

My problem with the novel was the ending. Although a big dramatic shock and quite brilliant, I found it disappointing. However, I won't say anymore about that, for fear of giving it away.

I am looking forward to reading more books by Sulari Gentill.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A wonderful tale between the writer and his creator but who is who? Who is the writer and the creator, The story follows Maddie a lawyer and a writer and she starts writing a new novel with the character Edward. She becomes obsessed with him and all she wants to do is write.

Edward has a new story idea and starts writing it his character is also a writer her name is Madeline. A clever story and well written.

EXCERPT: There was Black Forest cake in the refrigerator. Edward made coffee and served the cake onto plates with generous scoops of vanilla bean icecream.

Willow disappeared up the iron staircase to swap Edward's jacket for something more comfortable. She descended wearing one of his sweatshirts over her cocktail dress and took both plates to the couch, placing his on the glossy surface of the coffee table beside a small Matchbox Mercedes Benz.

'You're writing something new?' she accused, picking up the toy car.

He brought in two mugs of coffee, set them down, and took the car from her. 'Yes.'

She gazed up at him. 'So, tell me.'

Edward sat beside her on the couch and told her about Madeleine d'Leon, his crime writer.

Willow listened, eating cake as she concentrated on the picture he was building. 'And so the story is about...?'

'It's an exploration of an author's relationship with her protagonist, an examination of the tenuous line between belief and reality, imagination and self, and what happens when that line is crossed.'

Willow nodded gravely. 'I'm not sure what that means, but it does sound award winning.'

Edward laughed.

Willow's high-arched brow furrowed slightly. 'Isn't your heroine a little ordinary, Ned? Maybe you should jazz her up a bit, give her a dark past as, say, a stripper or a drug dealer.'

'She's a lawyer.'

'I suppose that's pretty close. But - I don't know - what about a bizarre hobby? She could be a taxidermist. Taxidermists are interesting.'

'She's a writer, Will.'

'But how are you going to make that sustain an entire book? Opening a laptop and typing isn't exactly an action scene.'

'The story is about what goes on in her head and how powerful that becomes.' He took a gulp of coffee as he tried to explain. 'She has to be outwardly normal. But, Will, her mind is extraordinary. It's exciting.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Madeleine d'Leon doesn't know where Edward came from. He is simply a character in her next book. But as she writes, he becomes all she can think about. His charm, his dark hair, his pen scratching out his latest literary novel . . .

Edward McGinnity can't get Madeleine out of his mind--softly smiling, infectiously enthusiastic, and perfectly damaged. She will be the ideal heroine for his next book.

But who is the author and who is the creation? And as the lines start to blur, who is affected when a killer finally takes flesh?

MY THOUGHTS: Awesome! Awesome! And absolutely brilliant!!!!!

After She Wrote Him will mess with your head. Who is real? Everyone? No one?

At one point during this read I wanted to jump up and dance about, whooping and hollering with excitement. It's THAT good.

After She Wrote Him (but did she write him? Or did he write her? Or were they writing each other?) starts out in a fairly ordinary manner, then gradually becomes more complex as the characters begin to interact. By the end of the book I had absolutely no idea who, if anyone, was the author, and who,if anyone, was the creation.

And that ending...totally unexpected and tragic. An ending that left me not only wanting to read more from this author, but craving a large portion of Black Forest Gateau with vanilla bean icecream. (There is a lot of descriptions of beautiful food in this book.)

🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

#AfterSheWroteHim #NetGalley

'We writers, we're crafters of lies. We call them novels, or stories, or narratives but, in essence, they're a collection of lies, interesting, thrilling lies that make you laugh and cry but, in the end, still lies.'

'Real life is full of coincidences and scenarios too far-fetched for fiction. It's also full of liars. In fiction, the only liar is the author himself.'

THE AUTHOR: Not so long ago, Sulari Gentill was a corporate lawyer serving as a director on public boards, with only a vague disquiet that there was something else she was meant to do. That feeling did not go away until she began to write. And so Sulari became the author of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries: thus far, six historical crime novels chronicling the life and adventures of her 1930s Australian gentleman artist, and the Hero Trilogy, based on the myths and epics of the ancient world. In 2014 she collaborated with National Gallery of Victoria to write a short story which was produced in audio to feature in the Fashion Detective Exhibition, and thereafter published by the NGV.

Sulari lives with her husband, Michael, and their boys, Edmund and Atticus, on a small farm in Batlow where she grows French Black Truffles and refers to her writing as “work” so that no one will suggest she get a real job.

Sulari’s first novel was shortlisted for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Best First Book. She won the 2012 Davitt Award for Crime Fiction, was shortlisted in 2013 Davitt Award, the NSW Genre Fiction Award, 2012 Boroondara Literary Award, and the 2013 Scarlett Stiletto Award. She was offered a Varuna Fellowship in 2010.

In the final stages of a new standalone manuscript, Sulari is also working on the seventh book of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries, and playing with ideas for a new series or two… perhaps three.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

This book was a bit weird, and things didn't seem to add up or come out right. I'm really not even sure how to describe it. I had high hopes, but the ending just sort of fizzled out.

i was given this book from publisher and netgalley for an honest review and opinion.

i was drawn to this book based on the cover and title...yeah i'm that kinda of reader.. this book was a great read for those that like crime and thrillers. it had two different perspectives for the characters that sometimes i had to figure out who was talking. along with that i felt like the characters didn't give much to me via the story. they were dull and flat i felt like. but the plot was very unique, clever, and hard to figure out. the writing was not bad and i enjoyed this book. i just didn't enjoy the characters.

"What if you wrote of someone writing of you? In the end, which of you would be real?"

This review will be hard to write. Here I am, spiralled with all sorts of emotions. When I started this book, I did not know that this will be the 100th book I will review. I did not even guess that this will end up coming so close to me as an individual and take a permanent spot in my heart. I definitely didn't know that I will end loving this book so much that it will end up on the list of top 10 books of my life...

My reading experience started with a note to reviewers by Barbara Peters, Executive Editor of Poison Pen Press. My expectations spiked up the roof and I was delightedly intrigued to read a work, and I quote Barbara on this, "A work that arrived so well-formed and complete there was little to do but flesh out a few of the bits that lived in the author's head but hadn't made it to the page..." As I read on, I was filled with nothing but a childlike inquisitiveness into exploring a work which felt so original!

Madeleine d'Leon doesn't know where Edward came from. He is simply a character in her next book. But as she writes, he becomes all she can think about. His charm, his dark hair, his pen scratching out his latest literary novel . . .
Edward McGinnity can't get Madeleine out of his mind--softly smiling, infectiously enthusiastic, and perfectly damaged. She will be the ideal heroine for his next book.
But who is the author and who is the creation? And as the lines start to blur, who is affected when a killer finally takes flesh?
After She Wrote Him is a wildly inventive twist on the murder mystery that takes readers on a journey filled with passion, obsession, and the emptiness left behind when the real world starts to fall away.

As a poignant metafiction with beautiful brevity of literary fiction and a generous tinge of a murder mystery, this piece of work is an applaudable piece of psychological play between who is real and who is a figment of the imagination. The plot is highly gripping and beautifully executed. I loved the characters transition from Edward's life to Madeleine's and vice versa. The main characters, Edward and Madeleine, instantly connect with the readers on a very personal level. They have both suffered so much that there is a cloud of melancholia at every page turn. The reader is left with lingering thoughts on which one of them is real when the obsession with their imagination takes control over their reality as it slowly fades away.

This book provides a very close insight into a writer's life: the process of development, emotional investment, the conversations with family & close friends, the important role a literary agent plays a part in their lives and so much more. There is that one book in every writer's life that demands so much of them that they thread the lines between sanity & insanity and imagination & delusion. In this book, both the writers are involved in the process of creating a work that is very close to hearts: the transference of their reality to fiction and crossing the lines (no pun intended!) of it until one loses the sense of what is real. It also provides a very impressive insight into PTSD and Schizophrenia. It's mindblowing how subtle it comes off but how it is the main theme of this tale.
My heart broke into a million pieces in the last chapter; I dreaded for what happened to not happen but when I read the last few lines, there was a sense of calmness and feeling that this ending is righteous to this tale. The last time I felt this many emotion was when I was reading Sylvia Plath's, 'The Bell Jar'. This book is going to take its time to sink in properly.

Sulari executes this plot in-between the stunning portrayal of Edward and Madeliene with fluid transitions with her emphatic and a catchy writing style. Nowhere was I confused and I just couldn't stop reading. Whenever I did, it was with so much pain weighing me down and I just wanted to go back to reading this. Writing this story is not something that you can easily pull off. Forget about everything I said about other authors, this right here is the most talented piece of work and I feel so honoured to have been one of the early reviewers! This is what a book ends up looking like when you put all your senses into it!

There are so many things that are left unsaid in this review because I am loss at the right words. Whatever I have written so far feels like it is missing a huge chunk of my thoughts over this book. If this book had a lyrical and poetical undertone (it had a slight touch), that would have destroyed me (in a good way) and I have a feeling that this review is and will be the hardest review I am writing and will write!

This arc came with a reading group guide and a conversation with the author. Reading those felt so important and necessary to put some of my thoughts into a perspective. I hope it is a part of the final copy! I loved this more than I can put it into words and I hope to read more works by Sulari. This is a must-read!

In After She Wrote Him, we follow Madeleine who has a character she can't get out of her. She has found her latest muse in Edward McGinnity - she has no idea where this character has come from all she knows is that she doesn't want to get rid of him. We flip between the two perspectives as Edward has a work in progress of a character named Madeleine...

When a murder happens, both plots start to intertwine as we witness the downfall of both of these characters. I was surprised to see how the entire murder plot was connected - I really did enjoy the writing aspect of this. I felt like I was reading a book within a book.

The real question you need to ask yourself is who is the author, and who is the creation of the mind. Going into this, I had really high hopes as it seemed really interesting plot and not something that we had seen a lot. From the start, I just wasn't feeling this one, I couldn't relate to the characters and the way they were acting was making me mad.

I'm not saying this isn't a good book, as I know a lot of people will really enjoy this twisted mystery. I would like to revisit it someday and see how my perspective changes during a re-read. I would like to thank NetGalley and Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a must read for all Agatha Christie’s fans. I absolutely loved it and it had been a long time since I read such a good written murder mystery. The plot is very creative and the story unusual, but the result is simply brilliant. I highly recommend this book.

Sulari Gentill is a great author. This book, however, is beyond anything imaginable. She begins with an intriguing idea and develops a story that sucks the reader in immediately. At once the reader is reading about the “real” author then suddenly and almost imperceptibly slips into the character in her book. The twists and turns, slips and slides make it a mind-bend from the start, While she develops a great story, she also gives insight into the mind of a writer. Eventually, however, the author and her character no longer occupy separate space and begin to come alive from their own pages.

Gentill outdoes herself with this book. It is by far the best read I’ve had in a very long time. Definitely a don’t miss.

I had to DNF this one at 20%. The story was way too confusing for me. It’s almost like inception but I could not keep things straight. When I read a book I want to enjoy it, not have to take notes or flip back and forth to figure out what is going on.

The concept of this book really piqued my interest. I enjoyed this story but towards the end it started to crash and burn. It was rushed, things were left unanswered and I was left feeling confused and unsatisfied.

Well written, interesting, captivating, good from page one.

The plot is really good, strong, clever, full of twists. The story flows, it's well developed and keeps you interested until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was written cleverly. I enjoyed the authors and the emotional whirlwind. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this E-ARC for my honest review.

This one will leave you thinking long after you finish the novel. Maddie and Ned are both authors. Maddie is an attorney, married to a doctor. Ned is a handsome man, single, and in love with his best friend Willow, who is married. Each is an author, and they are the main character in the other’s novel. Buckle up for some intense reading. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

After She Wrote Him is the wildly inventive tale of two writers writing about each other. But which one is fictional?

“‘It’s an exploration of an author’s relationship with her protagonist, an examination of the tenuous line between belief and reality, imagination and self, and what happens when that line is crossed.’ Willow nodded gravely. ‘I’m not sure what that means, but it does sound award-winning.’ Edward laughed.”

And, in fact, this book won the 2018 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction in its native Australia.

After She Wrote Him is a meta-analysis of the writing process. After all, you are holding the book, or an ereader, in your hand so you know there are really three writers involved. If you are looking for something completely different than your typical murder mystery, but that still has some of the conventions of the genre, pick up this book. You won’t be sorry. But you may have to reread a bit when you get to the twisty conclusion. 4 stars!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I legit don’t even know where to begin with this book? I spent most of it a bit confused, but like in a good way. The synopsis grabbed my attention really quick and I’m definitely buying a physical copy so I can reread it and pay very close attention to absolutely everything.

Madeline is a crime fiction writer working on her next book and becomes obsessed with her main character, Edward. Edward is a writer with the perfect character in mind for his next novel: Madeline. Who is the author and who is the character? Honestly, I’m still not sure. Madeline and Edward become so intertwined during the course of this story.

I read the interview at the end and the author said the POV switches when Madeline and Edward have the same thought/idea and in my head I was like OH! This is such a clever book and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. Although at points (especially towards the end) I got similar vibes to The Yellow Wallpaper. That might just be me though.

I did NOT see that ending coming. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that certainly wasn’t it. It was a bit rushed, but not in a way that I minded.

I highly recommend this for any thriller fans because I had an amazing time with it.

This was an extremely clever book that begs to question which came first the author or the character and which is which? This story starts out sweet and quickly sucks you into a whirlwind of emotions. Does fiction become reality? Who is the villain? What happens to the characters if you never finish the book? This brilliant mystery is fresh and different than anything I've read. I loved the characters and toward the end it was starting to become unclear who the real author was, is it madeleine or is it Edward?

This book could totally have a sequel to it or it could be left just where it is. I loved it and the character development was mind blowing. You quickly become engrossed in both of their lives and I found myself routing for both Edward and Madeleine.

Rating: 5 mind-bending stars

I love a good mystery and I love books about books, especially books about writing books. Oh my gosh. Sulari Gentill’s book, “After She Wrote Him” (previously published as “Crossing the Lines”) is a brilliant mashup of both of these favorites. You have to pay close attention while reading this clever, clever book. However, the attention pays off in a thoroughly satisfying read that still leaves you wondering about some of the mysteries at the end.

Who is the writer, and who is the fictional character? That is the main question posed. Is Madeleine d'Leon conjuring up the writer Edward McGinnity as a character in the murder mystery she is writing? Why is she more fully invested in this fictional character than the real people in her life? On the other hand, is Edward writing Madeleine into his latest novel?

Reading the interwoven narratives is like looking deep into a carnival house of mirrors. Each page I read revealed more about the writing process. I experienced it through the continued character development and as the mystery deepened. Keep reading! This is a brilliantly clever book. I recommend it for adventurous readers who like to be kept on their toes.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press; and the author, Sulari Gentill, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up interest soon after I read the synopsis! The author has done a wonderful job with the twisty plot.. its unique and thrilling! The story flow is bumpy.. so you kinda have to remember the comings and goings of the characters. I loved the two leas characters.. others, no so much.. they seemed less interesting! Overall a good gripping story.
Thank you NetGalley, Sulari Gentill and the publisher for reader’s copy of this book. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This concept is fascinating! For the longest time I had no idea who is real and who is fake.

As an aspiring writer myself, the process of creating an engaging character intrigued me. I read this one in like 3 days so it's definitely a page turner!

The ending came quick and when I finished it I felt both satisfied and let down. There's really not much to say because apart from the interesting story line it was a general murder mystery book.