Theodosia Benton leaves Australia and her law degree behind to give full time writing a chance. Moving in with her brother Gus, she finds her rhythm at a local coffee shop/bar called Benders. Here she meets best selling author Dan Murdoch, who coaches her as she works on her first manuscript. What starts as a friendship becomes something more, and ends up a nightmare. As soon as she hands over her manuscript to Dan, he turns up dead and the bodies pile up. With Theo being the only connection between a slew of murders, she is wanted by the police.

The Mystery Writer was somewhat entertaining, especially the doomsday preppers who were colorful and entertaining characters—I wish they had a greater role in the tale. Her relationship with her brother was a little awkward and forced, but perhaps that was intentional as they had been separated for several years and across continents. Overall, the book was enjoyable enough, but it could have been so much more. The conspiracy theories could have been better integrated into the murders, and the “all Americans have guns” could have been toned down a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author Sulari Gentill for the advanced copy of the book. The Mystery Writer is out now. All opinions are my own.

Although I read and enjoyed Sulari Gentil’s earlier novel, The Woman in the Library, this one was a bit over the top for me.. It was both outlandish and predictable, which is indeed a strange combination. It may find some fans out there, but I won’t be among them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

So the basic plot is honestly good. I love a good conspiracy theory so having that element was really fun. However, the elements that make it good get tripped up by the pacing of the book. It was too slow for me to feel excited about unraveling the mystery of who was murdering people around town. It picks up a little bit at the very end but by then there’s been such a lack of suspense that the sudden pace increase just feels jarring. Also in the last thirty pages, the perspective jumps every other paragraph for a short time with no warning or flow and I’m pretty sure part of it is actually out of order. I don’t know if that’s because it’s an advanced copy or not but if that’s how it’s supposed to be written it’s an interesting style choice as it’s a bit hard to follow. The book also changes perspectives 3/4 of the way through the book from Theo to Gus and Mac while at the same time going from a day to day type timeframe to having massive time jumps. It doesn’t feel cohesive, it feels as though the author realized the book needs to be wrapped up and it needed to be done quickly as it had already stretched on to long. This one just wasn’t a winner for me but id be up for reading another of this authors books because their basic idea behind this one was so original.

After the opening chapter of this book, I wasn't sure where it was going. But I enjoyed the Australian protagonist in Kansas and the connections that began making more sense as the book continued.

Theo is an Aussie who quit law school to come to the U.S. to move in with her lawyer brother and become a writer. Murder enters the picture just after she meets a fellow writer. And there is a conspiracy theorist somehow involved, who is nicely tied in near the end, after more murders surrounding Theo. Lots of action and a different sort of plot. Highly entertaining.

Thus was my first story by the author.
This story was good. A lot of ups and downs with characters who could have been involved. At one point you discover who was doing the killing, but the author still made you feel like it could be another character who was responsible for the deaths.

I could not finish the book. I don’t care to read about conspiracy theorists and how they are manipulated.

Take a crime fiction story and make it about writers—an unusual and intriguing twist. When your story comes to life, are you involved in the murder? With the murder of one author, the reader enters into a series of twists and turns about why he was murdered, if his friend—a novice female author—would also be murdered, and how early experiences of life and fringe cults may influence both the writing of the novelists, their murders, and their escapes. Twists and turns and the reality of fiction and real life make this an intriguing read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the Advanced Review copy.

Overall I enjoyed this story about an Australian who decides to drop out of law school to pursue her dream of being a writer. To that end she lands on her brother's doorstep. At her local bar she befriends a well-known author who is researching conspiracy theories, and finds him brutally murdered in his home. That's where things get weird.

There's a lot of different threads in this book and they all more or less successfully come together in the end, but some of it felt more developed than others. We start off the book with this weird conspiracy theory chatroom and Caleb, who turns out to be related to one of the main characters (not really a spoiler, we learn it fairly early on), but he's never more than a small bit character and it feels like he's just there as a plot point - whereas he could have been REALLY interesting. I want to know more about his journey. What next? Cause I'm sure he doesn't believe this is over.

There were quite a few moments when I wanted to shake the main character for being so naive - you just witnessed TWO people murdered and are in hiding but yet you're taking calls and meeting up with weird literary agents? NO WAY can you be that trusting! But okay. I wanted to root for her but really what was she thinking??

The jumping around in time at the end felt a bit jarring too; I would have liked a bit more transition, especially since the first 2/3 of the story took its time with the pacing. But I liked the premise of the shadowy organization, the conspiracy theories (which one to believe? All crazier than the last but then the real conspiracy was just as outlandish)

Also the author makes it seem like Americans are all running around armed with guns all the time, which, I guess, fair enough if all you know about the United States is what you hear on the news, but it was almost cartoonish and kinda laughable.

The Mystery Writer is the third stand-alone novel by award-winning, best-selling Australian author, Sulari Gentill. When Theodosia Benton arrives at her older brother, Gus’s home in Lawrence, Kansas, having abandoned her law course in Canberra, she’s not sure of the reception she’ll get. But Gus doesn’t let her down: he’s thoroughly understanding and happy for her to stay.

They will, together, decide what and when to tell their feral parents but, meanwhile, Theo finds Benders Bar/Café, an accommodating and friendly spot where she can pursue her dream: to write a novel. She’s not the only writer taking advantage of the indulgent staff, and eventually she and Dan begin chatting about writing, with the older man offering much appreciated feedback and advice.

Only after some months does she learn that Dan Murdoch is an internationally acclaimed bestselling author, and the attractive, expensively-tailored woman who occasionally joins him is his agent with the coveted Day, Delos and Associates. Just as her manuscript is nearing completion, their mentor/mentee relationship takes a turn, one Theo cautiously welcomes, but which is unfortunately short-lived.

That Gus Benton is a junior partner in a respected law firm when Theo finds Dan is his kitchen with his throat slashed is fortunate for her, but less so for him. His partners are none too pleased with the publicity that results when Theo seems to be the only suspect on whom the police are focussing. When Gus’s house is besieged by press and Dan Murdoch fans, they are lucky to have a bolt hole with a friend.

An unexpected development after Dan’s death is the approach by his agent, who tells her that Day, Delos & Associates is interested in Theo’s novel. Veronica Cole explains their exclusivity requirements, should Theo sign with them, and Theo is a little taken aback by the level of control they insist on having. Is a writer not entitled to a private life?

Theo later observes: “The public’s interest in the lives of writers had increased with the accessibly afforded by social media and the web in general, but that very accessibility was dangerous. Online friendship was a fickle thing. Loose comments, failed jokes, or simple flares of temper could unleash a contagion of outrage and condemnation. It was no longer enough to write a good book; authors had to be photogenic, witty saints as well.”

While she remains under suspicion, and the whereabouts of Dan’s last manuscript are a mystery, and the killer remains at large, a flash of inspiration has Theo planning out a new novel, the concept of which she shares with a select few, something that might later turn out to be very important.

Several chapters are prefaced by the observations of a doomsday prepper, or comments on a forum that seem to come from conspiracy theorists, and Theo’s later close encounters with some of them are rather alarming. Before matters are finally, and very satisfactorily, resolved, Theo is stalked, there are two more murders, Theo, Gus and his friend are interrogated multiple times, evidence is planted, and there’s a police shooting that ends quite badly for one of them.

Once again, Gentill gives the reader a cleverly plotted tale with some excellent twists before the final reveal. Her characters have depth and appeal, and several aspects of her protagonist give this novel somewhat of an autobiographical feel. Another page-turner!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press.

2 Stars

One Liner: Eek… what happened!

Theodosia Benton drops out of law studies in Australia and travels to Lawrence in the US to stay with her older brother Gus (a lawyer). She wants to become a writer and aspires to publish a book. Gus encourages her to go ahead, and soon, Theo is not only writing her debut novel but also getting deeper into the literary world.
However, when a famous author is killed, Theo and Gus end up in a bigger mess. As more deaths occur and the police have no clue, the brother-sister duo, with some help, have to get to the bottom of things. This is easier said than done since those behind the screens will do anything to keep the secrets safe.
The story comes in Theo and Caleb’s third-person POV with snippets of online chat conversations at the beginning of each chapter and a few chapters from other third-person POVs.

My Thoughts:
An advantage of reading the book late is that I have no fear of being an outliner. In fact, I could start the book with zero expectations and knew it would be slow-paced.
• 0 to 33% - decent (even if I couldn’t ignore some things)
• 34 to 70% - umm okay (but it is spiraling out of control)
• 71 to 100% - a dinosaur could appear, and I wouldn’t blink an eye
Theo starts okay but soon ends up melodramatic. Though I felt sad that she could be so easily groomed, I couldn’t empathize with her as the story progressed. She went from being vulnerable to an idiot in quick time. Some of her actions and decisions were incredibly stupid. Dropping out of law school was one good thing she did. Imagine having someone like that to represent you! *shudder*
Thankfully, Gus and Mac were much better. I liked them a lot more and enjoyed their scenes. Gus is adorable and the kind of big brother anyone would want to have. Wish we got his POV, too. And oh, he has a dog named Horse, who is a big softy.
Mac’s family is eccentric and what you’d call the doomsday preppers. Still, I quite liked the mother and some brothers despite the limited presence.
Now, the blurb makes it clear that conspiracy theories play a vital role in the plot. That’s true. We get this track in snippets, which add to the intrigue (to an extent). I admit I was curious to see how it would come together. Well, let’s say it wasn’t worth it. Also, makes me wonder if the last section was rewritten after feedback to make it OTT. If yes, it’s the worst move ever. Think of Ekta Kapoor’s daily soaps to guess the mess (IYKYK).
I knew the last section of the book was the weakest, but didn’t expect it to go kaput to this extent. And to think Gus at one point said Theo wasn’t an idiot to make stupid decisions. Dude, you have no idea how much you underestimate her stupidity. Moreover, the patterns in Theo’s life are worrying.

Despite everything, I can see the potential in the original premise. If only it was properly structured!
To summarize, The Mystery Writer has too much going on with a weak main character and fails to bring it all together cohesively. It may work for readers who like ‘shocking’ twists, but I’d still recommend you to go with low expectations.
Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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The review will not be added to Amazon.

• A mix of conspiracy theorists and writers, sign me up. The Mystery Writer follows Theo and her brother Gus as they both get tangled up in a mysterious literary underworld. What follows is a series of murders and disappearances.

• The Mystery Writer is fast paced and stayed true to the plot. All the twists and turns are properly paced to want to keep going! I ate this book up within 24 hours!

• Thank you Netgalley, Sulari Gentill and Poisoned Pen Press for this e-arc. The Mystery Writer is out in the world for you to go grab.

What was the point of this while thing? Someone wrote a good book? Not this one. This one was a mess of people who would love to pretend that conspiracies and gun violence was a product of throughly American driven ridiculousness, even when there is nothing about either of those things in the product of the ,mythical novel that ends this. The ridiculousness and laziness were far too previlient to ignore or forgive. It was lazy. It just led to nothing because it was based in nothing.

My first by this author and definitely want to check out the other books.

This one was a bit all over the place for me. Started slow with Theo dropping out of university and showing up on her brother Gus’ doorstep in Kansas. She plans to be a writer but doesn’t want to finish university….references her grandfather paying for it but doesn’t really follow up with much more info about this situation other than some money she gets later. It was a bit weird. Anywho she decides to go write at a local coffee shop and befriends Dan Murdoch a famous novelist. Well he then is brutally murdered and this is where Theo and her naivety starts showing. Her character was hard to relate to. Loved Gus, Mac and the dog named Horse. Has some mixed media beginnings of chapters which are odd and don’t make sense til quite a ways into the book.

For being a longer read, it felt slow at times but the ending was kinda rushed. Like just boom it’s time to end this.

Not sorry I read it. Didn’t really leave me thinking about it when I wasn’t reading.

Thanks to netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to read this book after I enjoyed The Woman in the Library so much. Unfortunately, I didn't like this one quite as much. The summary indicated that Theo, the FMC, disappears after her brother is accused of murder. This happens at about 70-75% through the story. The build up was just too slow and slogged in certain parts. There were also some alternating POV chapters meant to shed light on an underground website spouting conspiracy theories.

Overall I was invested enough into Theo as a character to see the story through, but it was a bit disjointed and the flow was not as smooth as I would have preferred.

The audio narrator was really good though and I love the Australian background of Theo and her brother.

3.75 stars rounded up.

What a unique premise and fun plot to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed Theo the FMC and her brother being Aussie badasses. I can't say much because I don't want to give anything away but this book was a joy to read. The last 15% of the book really ramps up and the author throws a lot at you. But, I may have found the beginning even more enjoyable, with Theo writing her book and her relationship with Dan. This book has some great characters an intriguing sub-mystery with conspiracy theorists sprinkled in.

Sulari Gentill has quickly become an auto-buy/read author for me after "The Woman in the Library" (2022) and this next book did not disappoint. This book is about an aspiring writer, who quits becoming a lawyer and moves in with her brother to follow her dream as a writer. While she starts working on her manuscript she ends up meeting a fellow writer and ends up falling in love and realizes that he's one of her idols. They end up having one night together and she asks him if he could pass off her manuscript to his publisher, the top publisher in the world. He ends up telling her that his publisher wouldn't be a fit for her and she takes it as a hit against her writing. Although that all begins to change when the next day she finds him murdered in his home.

This relationship leads to Theo becoming a suspect in the murder of her mentor especially when people begin to die around her. After two more people die, Theo's brother Gus becomes prime suspect and eventually he ends up being shot by the police. Through all the chaos Theo disappears and no one is able to figure out what happened to her. She confesses to murdering people and the police suspect that she committed suicide in order to save her brother.

They spend years trying to find out what happened to Theo and why she would just disappear without a word... this leads to a path being found to his sister and the dangerous scenerio that will find Theo and why she just disappeared without a word.

Sulari Gentill's book was easily devoured by me and had me curious about what was going to happen next. She knows how to keep a reader on their toes by adding interesting elements to her stories. I recommend for readers who like mysteries especially related to books and when the story almost has an action book feel to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC for an honest review.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill starts out a little slow then progressively gets more intriguing. Theo drops out of school, runs off to the States to live with her brother so she could become a writer, and falls in love with a stranger. This man is also a writer but when Theo literally stumbles on his dead body, she also stumbles into a giant conspiracy that endangers her brother and her.
I loved the characters of Mac, Gus, and Horse. A story about the three of them would have made me ecstatic. I was not a fan of Theo. She was so incredibly naive and dare I say, idle headed, for someone who was supposedly bright enough to go to law school and then become a writer. She kept making stupid mistakes and ridiculous decisions over and over again. Her emotional state over a man she barely knew that she quickly fell in love with was a little over the top as well and although she was mourning his death, she fell in love with someone else incredibly quickly as well. I though she was too much of a stereotypical damsel in distress character for a mystery story.
The plot was intriguing at first but I quickly figured out the who-dun-it and the why. The conspiratorial aspects of the story were clearly influenced by the social media events of fake news and QANON in the recent years, which makes it seem to be an eerily plausible story.
All in all, it was a good mystery story. I did enjoy reading it and would enjoy reading more about Gus and Mac.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

One thing that I love about Sulari Gentill is that she never seems to rest on her laurels. I very much enjoyed her novels about Rowly Sinclair and his group of friends. These are historical mysteries, set in the 1930s, in a series that began with A Few Right Thinking Men. There are good characters who are good friends and good stories in each of the entries.

Ms. Gentill then began to write some standalone novels and stories set outside of Australia. These include After She Wrote Him, The Woman in the Library, and now, The Mystery Writer. Each has an intriguing and, perhaps quirky, story.

In this new book, Theo (Theodosia) has decided to leave law behind. She wants to be a novelist. When her mentor is killed and her brother becomes a suspect, the scene is set.

A few things to ponder…who was the murderer, where is Theo’s manuscript, and what secret things are happening? Get ready for the unraveling.

It is easy to recommend this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 19 March 2024

First off thank you NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for this ARC!

I did struggle to get involved with the characters in the beginning. The conspiracy theorist though was my favorite. Overall, I think the story was interesting and kept you guessing until the end!

Strong first half with lots of intrigue and compelling characters, but falls apart a bit at the end.

This novel is intricately crafted, so many twists and turns, but things become increasingly outlandish as it goes. It’s possible that it could have landed better and still been ok, but the entire tone changes and just doesn’t work. You’ll still enjoy the ride so long as you’re prepared for it to get bumpy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.