The Murderpalooza conference is in full swing in NYC when the death of one of the writer's and award nominees spreads across social media like wildfire. Four rival authors are sent texts that they could be next, and when their deepest secrets (which make them prime suspects) are spilled across Twitter, the entire community of authors starts to turn against them. Who is better suited to figure out a complex case than thriller writers? But can these four authors work together, or will they turn on each other to protect themselves? Original, twisty and fast-paced enough to keep you a little off-balance. I did figure out the big twist, but still found the trip to the end of the book to be delightful.

What a wild ride!! Holy crap did I enjoy this one. It’s rare I read an entire book in less than 12 hours unless it’s a novella but when I say I couldn’t put it down, I really couldn’t. Who knows more about murder than thriller writers after all?! Such a unique and fun concept with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

I had so much fun reading this book! A murder at a thriller conference, yes please! I was so suspicious of so many. I loved that it was told in multiple povs and takes place over the course of one day. The ending really came together . I was taken by surprise. This is the first book i have read by Jamie Lynn Hendricks but i will checking out her backlist. Definitely grab a copy when it comes out next week!

Expecting publication is May 23, 2023.

Thank you Netgalley and Scarlet for the e-arc.

This book was so much fun to read!
This book takes place during “Murderpalooza”, a premier thriller writers conference. At the event, everyone finds out bestselling author and industry favorite, Kristin Bailey was found dead in her hotel room. Soon after the news breaks, four authors get an anonymous text threatening to reveal their secrets and that one of them is next to die.
The four of them get together to try and find out who is behind the text messages and Twitter account threatening to take them down. While doing so, the Twitter account releases secrets that ties each one to Kristin. Soon, they all turn on each other and their trust is broken. The four are running around like crazy trying to solve the mystery before the award ceremony, where the Twitter account has promised there to be a big reveal.
I flew through this book! I did guess one of the big twists a little more than half way through, but that didn’t stop me. I was dying to see if I was correct. I loved how the tweets and text messages were included, I loved the multiple POV’s, I loved the short chapters, and I loved how the big reveal played out!

If you know me then you know I live for a book about writers. Set that book at a thriller writer conference…knock off an author…and have a group of fellow thriller writers band together to try to solve the crime and stay alive…

I DIDN’T DO IT by JAIME LYNN HENDRICKS is my reading dream come true!

Welcome to Muderpalooza, the annual thriller writers conference in NYC. Kristin Bailey, one of five nominees for Murderpalooza’s Thriller of the Year, has been stabbed to death in her hotel room. And now four fellow writers - Vicky Overton, Mike Brooks, Davis Walton and Suzanne Shih - find themselves the target of any anonymous texter who taunts them by saying, “Maybe you’re next.”

Twitter handle @MPaloozaNxt2Dieis begins to call out the authors - and reveal their secrets - forcing them to work together to find out who killed Kristin, who who is threatening them and why.

With a setting inspired by Thrillerfest this book took me right back inside the conference and had my head spinning wondering what was going to happen next. Delicious characters. Multiple POVs. Secrets all around.

This was such a fun behind-the-curtain vibe to the writing and publishing life and I just had the best time reading it. And such an interesting look at the power of social media!

This is my second JAIME LYNN HENDRICKS read and I loved it. Be sure to grab yourself a copy and be ready to hunker down for the ride! Huge thanks to NetGalley, Scarlet and JAIME LYNN HENDRICKS for the eARC.

One more towards the "writers are not okay" trend that seems to be a dominate theme this year. This was a fun popcorn thriller that kept me entertained and intrigued. I really liked the different personalities and Hendricks does a fabulous job making sure her characters are unique. I also felt like an awful reader not knowing that there are editors to help perfect your ideas when you can't fully form them. And seriously, can we get a real Murderpalooza book festival?! I would be first in line!

📝Book Review📝
*
Summary: Murderpalooza, the premier thriller writers conference, is meant to be an exciting celebration of the genre and its preeminent writers. But when bestselling author and industry favorite Kristin Bailey is found dead in her hotel room, four rival authors―a midlister, an egomaniac, a has-been, and a newbie―also get targeted by an anonymous social media account and wonder if they’re next.

First, they find themselves bonding to try to find out who’s behind it. As the account taunts them, it slowly reveals secrets that each of them have connected to Kristin―secrets that make them a suspect in each other’s eyes. Soon, they are turning on each other and silently accusing each as a killer. With time running out until the awards ceremony where the social media account has promised a big reveal, the only thing they know for sure is that no one is better at both creating and solving a mystery than the people who write them for a living.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: I wanted to love this one SO bad.. it was such a cool concept and setting. I really enjoyed the idea of a comic con for writers, but the characters were just all so awful and unlikable I wanted them all to be next in line😂 the twists were cool but I found myself skimming till the end. I think I would still read this one for the unique setting alone. The writing was great the cast of characters just really killed it for me, I feel like there needs to be at least one likable character in a book. I really struggled to find one I liked 😂
*
QOTD- have you ever been to a convention like comic con or similar to this fictional Murderpalooza. I did comic con once it was so much fun!
*

I Didn't Do It is a fun, splashy thriller set against a thriller/mystery book convention called Murderpalooza. When the year's biggest thriller writer, Kristin Bailey, is found stabbed in her hotel room, hysteria ensues. A mysterious Twitter account targets four writers and reveals their connections to Kristin and all of their dark secrets to the world. Fingers are pointed, and everyone becomes more suspicious as new information is unveiled.

The story had me turning the pages, and I loved that each short chapter ended on a cliffhanger. The characters sometimes felt like caricatures, but that made it easier to imagine them as killers - which I kept going back and forth with. I enjoyed constantly guessing, even if I did find the ending rather unsatisfying.

It took me a while to get into this book. The characters drove me crazy. The only one I really liked was Vicky. Davis' character was the worst. I thought the twists were great. However, I thin the ending was a bit much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for my gifted copy in exchange for my review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #58/115 for 2023:
Rating: 4.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 (rounded up to 5)
Book 📱: I Didn’t Do It
Author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
RELEASES on May 23, 2023!!! Pre-order your copy today!

Sipping thoughts: Manipulation. Secrets. Lies. Can the people who know how to write a murder and get away with it really do just that? This twisty, dark thriller follows 4 thriller writing authors at a writing convention where someone is out to get them. The threats come through a social media account that points the finger and adds threats to boot. I enjoyed trying to figure out if the guilty party was someone within the group or a stranger. I was not expecting the twist. I thought I had it figured out when I guessed one twist but that was just the twist of the iceberg. And the LAST CHAPTER!!! Whew, is all I can say! This is Hendricks third release and each one has been so good. Finding Tessa may still be my favorite but this one is a close second.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @PenzierPublishers for an advanced copy of @IDidntDoIt.

#IDidntDoIt #JaimeLynnHendricks #PenzierPublishers #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Thrillers are one of my favorite genres. So a thriller about thriller writers? Yes please!

We join a bunch of thriller writers at Murderpalooza in New York City. It's an annual awards show recognizing thrillers and authors.

Famous thriller author, Kristin Bailey, is found murdered in her hotel room on the morning of the awards. There are many suspects and everyone is worried they might be next.

Four other authors start getting talked about on Twitter and getting anonymous text messages threatening them. Mike Brooks, a former bestselling author who hasn't had a hit in a while. He was secretly writing a book with Kristin hoping to make a big comeback, and it's plotline is eerily similiar to what is happening at Murderpalooza. Vicky Overton, a writer with moderate success, whose publisher isn't giving her the attention she feels she deserves. She thought she and Kristin were friends, but hears that her boyfriend has been sleeping with Kristin. Davis Walton, whose debut was a huge success and he's the wonder boy of the moment. And Suzanne Shih, a young wanna be writer who may have been stalking Kristin.

This one sucked me in and was a quick read. It also kept me guessing until the end, and at some point I think I suspected everyone!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Scarlet Publishing, and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

⭐⭐⭐/5

• whodunnit
• multiple POV
• witty inner dialogue

So. I wanted to strangle all of these characters. 😂 They didn't seem like they were fully developed. I did find the story intriguing and the ending was satisfying. Thanks for the buddy read, @bookish.ciara and @lexyattemptedmystery!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and Scarlet/Penzler Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

I thought the plot was very cool and I liked the relaxed dialogue type of writing style. I did not particularly like the characters or the last chapter of the book though.

II’ve always wanted to attend a book festival or conference but have not had the opportunity to do so. When I saw that I Didn’t Do It was set at a fictional one, Murderpooloza, and features four authors who may have murdered a fellow author I knew I needed to read it. What a wild ride it turned out to be. Thank you Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for my DRC.

Witty, clever, and with characters I alternated between liking and absolutely loathing. The pacing was excellent, and the action kept me guessing, as to who was really pulling the strings. The ending, oh, the ending was as you would expect for mystery/thriller book conference. Just so well done and with a twist, of course.

If you’re looking for the perfect summer read, and enjoy a fast paced mystery, then I highly recommend you add this to your beach bag.

I Didn’t Do It by Jamie Lynn Hendricks #twentyninthbookof2023 #arc

CW: Murder, death, suicide, gaslighting, stabbing, stalking, theft, strong social media use

A mysterious death at a thriller book convention. All the yesses. I love books about books and authors, and this is everything I wanted, including a bunch of mystery authors trying to solve a murder. I won’t spoil anything about the plot, but this was right up my alley.

This story was fast paced, had a lot of curveballs, and I didn’t guess the ending at all. It had multiple perspectives, a lot of red herrings, and a popcorn thriller feeling to it. If you like mysteries and thrillers with some meta storytelling thrown in, this is for you. I raced through it and loved every minute.

Thank you to @netgalley and @scarletsuspense for the advance copy. (Pub date 5/23/23)

#booksaboutbooks

Love Jaime Lynn! I’ve now read all of her books and like the others - this one jumps out immediately with a splashy murder and all the possible suspects. The dialogue was fast, the storyline moved quickly and each character had a unique and identifiable voice. The ending was not a total surprise but there were some “oh shit!” moments and I was not fully expecting all the big reveals.

Jaime never disappoints. I absolutely loved this one and didn’t want to put it down. Definitely an enjoyable, bingeable read. Highly recommend adding to your TBR

Jaime Lynn Hendricks has fun with stereotypes and cliches in I Didn't Do It.

"Murderpalooza is the premier mystery and suspense writers conference. When one of the writers is found murdered, her fellow authors seem to be the prime suspects. Book Twitter quickly pounces on four writers as the main suspects. They get tother to solve the crime themselves. An anonymous social media account taunts them, threatening to reveal their secrets. They only know that as thriller writers, they are best suited for figuring out the mystery."

Hendricks gives us a peek behind the scenes of a writer's life. Many of the characters are tongue-in-cheek stereotypes (I'm going to be famous - I'm a trending hashtag) The story is written in short chapters that often end on a surprise. And then she moves to a different character and makes you wait. Just hope you don't read the 'hand grabbing an ankle from under the bed' at night time. The ending is not really a surprise because there are plenty of clues along the way. There was one twist that I didn't guess. But it's a fun read. And Hendricks just verified my belief that Twitter is for mean people. (The Book Twitter people in this book are vicious)

It would be interesting to know who some of these characters are based on but I'm sure Hendricks will never tell. A fun, entertaining read from Hendricks.

A mystery thriller writer’s convention… a dead author .. 4 suspects - all authors …I had so much fun reading this one and was definitely surprised a few times with the turns the story took ! I wanted to be there at conference helping solve the mystery