Thank you Penzler Publishers, Scarlet Jamie Lynn Hendricks and Netgalley for the advance reading copy of I DIDN'T DO IT.
I loved the premise of this book. Muderpalooza thriller book authors conference. Famous author Kristen Bailey, one of 5 authors up for the coveted M-TOTY award, is murdered in her hotel room. Four authors attending the conference are all connected to Kristen in some way. As the day and the investigation unravels, they band together to solve the murder. Then, they turn on each other. Full of secrets, lies, and deception, this book takes so many twists and turns!
I saw one twist coming very early on, but was still surprised by the ending. I would highly recommend this book! 4 out of 5 ⭐️

At first, i worried this was too similar to It Could Be Anyone (also by Jaime Lynn Hendricks), with the murder and narrative perspectives from possible suspects… but JLH managed to make this completely different.

This fast-paced whodunit thriller kept me guessing (and turning pages!!)

We start with author friends gathering at a thriller convention called Murderpalooza, and author Kristen is up for the big award of the year… and is subsequently found stabbed in her room the next morning.

The story is told from the perspective of our other main characters (and our narrators): golden boy Davis, award nominee Vicky, has-been Mike, and newbie Suzanne (who earns herself the nickname of Stalkanne, which i loved 😂) Each of them has motive, and each of them receives a threatening text. I love the integration of Twitter in this - it made it fresh, and it’s absolutely believable that the twitter mob would point fingers without any proof.

I will say I did guess the first big twist, and had a feeling Davis had some secrets. The ending was delightfully done, and I’ll read anything JLH writes 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Nothing is what it seems in this wild ride!! I highly, highly recommend.

This was a straight rollercoaster! Easily one of the best reads of 2023 for me.
The murder of a writer expected to win a huge award at a thriller con starts this off with a bang. Rivals for the award are of course suspects and an anonymous account is calling out specific authors and making them targets. Who can you trust?
Seriously, probably the best book I’ve read all year

4.5⭐️ Super quick read filled with “whodunnit” vibes! I loved this mystery murder plot at a thriller writers’ convention! What better setting for killer on the loose?! I really enjoyed the short chapters and even more the POVs from multiple characters throughout the book! Great plot twists in the end and left me wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and Scarlet publishing company for my ARC!

“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓.”

After reading Jaime Lynn Hendricks’ It Could Be Anyone in September and really enjoying it (thanks Dennis @ScaredStraightReads), I couldn’t wait to dive into her newest, especially learning the story takes place at a suspense writing convention: Murderpalooza.

I love the way Hendricks uses multiple narrators who all have different connections to each other, alongside secrets and motives for murder. Like It Could Be Anyone, the main characters all are snarky, pretty self absorbed and are not above shoving others under a bus to keep their secrets under wraps, which makes this so juicy and fun. I always like when characters get thrown together and are forced to become a “Scooby gang” of sorts to solve a mystery. The stalker Twitter account and text messages add a creepy, taunting vibe that raises the stakes. It is very meta in ways, with lots of winks to the publishing world (picture if Scream poked fun at novels), with a shoutout to Bookstagrammers and a word we all love: ARCs (advanced reader copies). The chapters are short and fast-paced; there are a lot of cliffhanger moments that you have to wait until you get the same character’s point of view again for a resolution, which I thought was a great way to amp up the tension. Although I guessed a few parts of the ending, Hendricks doesn’t stop the roller coaster until the very last word (and threw a couple wrenches in what I thought!).

I Didn’t Do It is a story of writers, revenge, paranoia, and connections. It’s meta in all the best ways, with winks to the publishing industry and suspense writers galore, that would make for a really good mini series. It’s a quick juicy read that I can picture many people reading this summer poolside. Thank you to Scarlet and NetGalley for the ARC!

It’s Murderpalooza, THE conference for thriller writers to be celebrated! But when Kristin Bailey, a beloved thriller writer,is murdered four authors are targeted by an anonymous Twitter account that knows they all have secrets that involved Kristin. They now must work together and use their mystery writing skills to solve the crime or they might be next.

Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely loved everything about this book. Each character was perfectly written, flaws and all. The ending was so twisty and I really did not see it coming then the final chapter had me gasping. It was so interesting having writer’s perspectives throughout the book. It was unputdownable!

Murderpalooza is the premier conference for thriller authors. This year there is more in store for the authors than previous years. I like the plot of this book but the writing seemed to leave holes. Also I’m personally not a fan of books that have no likes le characters.
Thanks NetGalley for this eARC.

🏆 The Murderpalooza Thriller of the Year award goes to….

Wait! There’s been a murder inside the hotel where the Murderpalooza thriller writer conference is taking place. One of the nominees for Thriller of the Year is found dead inside her hotel room. Four rival authors scramble to find out what happened but are faced with incriminating messages from an anonymous Twitter account telling them that they’re next. They must stick together if they want to survive but the anonymous stalker reveals secrets that each author has been keeping from the public eye. Can the authors trust each other or will these secrets ruin their friendship, and quite possibly, their career? You’ll need to read it to find out.

Usually I can side with a character and root for them throughout the story, but I felt absolutely no connection with this book because every single character was so unlikable. The buildup for the twists were strong but they were predictable and cheesy. There were too many loose ends that didn’t add up and after reading the last page, the first thought that came to my mind was “and then what happened?!” Don’t leave me hanging like that…🥺

When thriller writers flock to the premier writer conference, Murderpalooza, the last thing they expect is a prominent one of their own to turn up dead. When four other rival authors start receiving threatening messages, they decide to team up to find out who’s out to get them. And thus begins a thriller you’re not going to want to put down!

I DIDN’T DO IT by Jaime Lynn Hendricks is the definition of a popcorn thriller! It’s outlandish at times, but that won’t stop you from reading.

With alternating POVs and the sense that no one can be trusted, I literally (literally - delete) COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! It was so fast-paced and had me constantly guessing and gasping.

Each of our main authors has a distinct voice, and I loved watching their backstories and secrets unravel.

I think this is a thriller you’re going to want to take to the beach this summer!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers, and Scarlet for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: May 23

Jaime Hendricks does it again! If you are looking for the perfect bingeable summer read, look no further! I devoured I DIDN’T DO IT on my recent trip to Hawaii. I could NOT put my Kindle down. I literally took it everywhere with me – the beach, the pool bar while sipping on Mai Tais, the airport, I even snuck a peek at dinner. I was 100% invested in this story.

The setting was clever – a murder occurs at a thriller writer convention, Murderpalooza and four rival authors are suspects. None of the suspects are likeable characters and I loved how the author portrayed each one and played on their insecurities. It made me take a step back and for a minute, I found them relatable, until their big egos came out and I went back to disliking every character in this book. I enjoyed how the author portrayed the publishing industry as cutthroat, and I loved the satire sprinkled throughout.

After the first twist I messaged the author, and she replied with, just wait! And damn! I was not expecting ANY of what happened next. None of it!! As I have said before, Ms. Hendricks knows how to tell a story!

Jaime Hendricks and her writing can do no wrong in my book, and I will snatch up everything and anything she writes!

I wasn’t expecting to be sucked in to this one quite as much as I was but holy hell, I couldn’t put it down! I was initially confused by the amount of characters but that quickly righted itself and I was totally invested in each of their POV, even the ones I didn't really care for. The book also takes place in a single day which can be hard to pull off but it was done to perfection.

I loved that these fascinating characters were forced to stick together because there was a murderer on the loose gunning for them and the entire time I had no idea what was going to happen or why it was happening. A few well placed red herrings and shady characters made this a fun ride! And the social commentary on the ridiculousness of social media and herd mentality was spot on. Loved it!!

Jaime Lynn Hendricks 👏👏👏 Amazing, just amazing. I could not put this twisty, surprising and addictive thriller down. Let me tell you why.

A murder at a thriller writers convention in New York City.. come on! what is not to love about that synopsis. But wait, there is more. The victim is one of the conventions most popular and best selling thriller writers. Not only that, but 4 of her peers have a secret connection to her, and somebody else knows. They are being taunted on Twitter, and told they could be next. Now tell me you are not intrigued.

This book is so much fun to read. What secrets are these authors hiding? Will there be another murder? A who is the killer? So many questions. Let me tell you, there was one author I would have been happy to see the back of. It is a behind the scenes look at thriller writers and what they think of each other and the industry. For a massive thriller reader, this was a no brainer.

A huge thanks to Penzler Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy to read. Easy 5 stars. Publishes on May 23rd, get your pre orders in now.

I really wanted to like this book but in fell a little flat on my opinion. I loved this authors previous book. The characters and story was difficult for me to connect to, unfortunately.

What a brilliant and fun book! This super fun and spicy read was so unique and so interesting. I never found it hard to keep the characters straight in this "closed room mystery" and I was SO invested in finding out not only who the killer was but also the motive.

The drama, secrets and excitement just ramped and ramped and ramped to a fantastic conclusion.

I loved it! Five stars ALL DAY!

WOW this book was incredible. The premise and execution was spot on. I picked it up and did not want to put it down. It kept me guessing what the connections were up till the end and when it clicked I screamed I knew it! I highly recommend this book to thriller readers everywhere. Run don’t walk on may 23rd to get your copy and be prepared to read all night.

Happy Caturday😻 Eclair and I really enjoyed @jaimelynnhendricksauthor’s newest book, I Didn’t Do It. It was a fun thriller read with many twists and surprises. It also satirical about thriller tropes and social media, specifically Twitter. The premise of a thriller writer being murdered at Murderpalooza, an annual conference and awards presentation for thriller writers, made for an interesting read.

I highly recommend reading I Didn’t Do It! It is perfect for this summer as a beach or pool read!

Thank you @penzlerpub and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Writing - 3 stars - Plot/twists - 5 stars - I was reading this from an uncorrected ARC, so some of the cadence of the writing may have not been tweaked yet. This was my first book by this author, so it might have been just the writing style that I didn't mesh well with - it felt stilted from time to time and some of the descriptions of what a character was doing was way over the top and not really needed, felt like space filler in some areas. But writing styles are subjective and what I may not like, others love. That being said - loved the plot - loved the basis of a big named author is murdered at a big book convention and someone is playing a cat and mouse game with a few of the other authors that have secrets of their own, ones they might go to great lengths to keep hidden. Overall a fun romp in the world of thrillers and mysteries

I really tried getting into this but I just couldn’t. I loved the author’s debut but this doesn’t compare. I found the writing to be amateurish and the characters to be one dimensional.

I had so much fun with this one! although i suspected the ‘big twist’, the whys and hows of it were very well plotted and that FINAL moment got me!
there have been a few thrillers about authors and the book world lately, and i’m really enjoying this theme. Hendricks does a good job putting a fun winkwink-nudgenudge spin on the authors in this world (which is something that can easily go into eyerolling territory). a fun, clever, fast and unique story!

There's a murder at Murderpalooza... Kristin Bailey, one of the biggest thriller writers is found dead in her hotel room. Everyone is in shock, especially 4 people that have a connection to her, Vicky, Davis, Mike and Suzanne, who are now the only people being followed on Twitter by a mysterious account. Did one of them kill Kristin? The book is told from the POV of these 4 thriller writers as the day unfolds and the 4 of them team up together to try to get to the bottom of Kristin's murder and the weird Twitter account that seems to be stalking them.

This book had an interesting premise. I thought it was unique with quite a few twists that I didn't expect. The characters are a bit one-dimensional since you don't know much about them besides what is going on at the conference. Overall, it was a fast paced suspenseful read that keeps you guessing.