I have not had as much time to read lately as I would like however, this book keeps bringing me back and lives in my head rent free trying to sort out this puzzle. Almost halfway through and am penciling in time to sit down and finish as we speak!

I absolutely loved this authors debut and with The Mystery Writer becoming equally a favorite, Sulari Gentili is becoming an auto read for me!

I found this book to be just like one of the conspiracy theories it talks about. It gives you a believable premise or hey-that-happened-to-me-too moment and somehow makes the whole story seem more logical. I really enjoyed reading it, though some of it seemed a little repetitive, saying the same things over and over again in descriptions or actions. I would recommend it as a novelty read.

What in all that is holy did I just read? A convoluted tale of conspiracy, murder, and intrigue, The Mystery Writer was both riveting and yet also utterly bizarre. From its wholly original premise to the constantly ratcheting suspense, despite a definite need to suspend all disbelief, I was still wrapped up in the plot from the very first word. Don’t get me wrong, there were some very real missteps, but let me start with the positives first.

Despite a slow burn beginning, as the page count grew so too did the action. With ample shootings, murders, stalking, and even a car chase or two, the pace picked up steam in the second half only to explode in the last fifty pages. And while I didn’t exactly love any of the characters, a dog named Horse totally got my adoration. All in all, while it wasn’t exactly my normal thriller, I did get addicted to it far more easily than I would’ve expected.

The negatives, however, were plentiful. From the conspiracy theory subplot to the idea that all Americans seem to love wielding a gun, there were some very odd concepts in this book. Then there was the speeding train of ridiculousness that took what was an enjoyable plot and derailed it for me. And the climax? So very over-the-top. But what bugged me the most was Theo herself. Naïve and somewhat obtuse, I just wanted to shake her out of her obliviousness.

By the end of the book, my nose was crinkled up and I had a mildly disbelieving look on my face. Or so I’ve been told. I do have to say, though, that I was, yet again, a fan of Gentill’s propulsive writing style and well-developed characters. With a startlingly complex web of deceit and plenty of twists and turns, there was no figuring out the final reveal before it was delivered. And while it wasn’t my favorite book by the author, I found it addictive and unputdownable just the same. So grab this one at your own discretion, but you just might get hooked by this rollercoaster ride too. Rating of 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This novel is about an aspiring young woman writer who is mentored by an older best selling male novelist. She falls in love with him just before he is murdered and after he's declined to submit her novel to his very successful agents. Complications ensue when the police suspect her, her brother, a nd a friend of the authors murder and two subsequent related murders., and the young woman author is essentially imprisoned by the agents who have been representing formerly best sellers male authors convicted of sex crimes by giving them new names.
The brother and his friend eventually solve the murders and free the young woman author.
This is only the bare bones of a very complicated plot that takes place mostly in Kansas and Australia. It also is somewhat based on a Greek myth about the Minotaur and the labyrinth, While it's somewhat convoluted , the characters are interesting and well drawn, and the writing style is clear and holds your attention. On that basis I'd recommend it..

Theo, an aspiring author, drops out of law school to pursue her writing passion. She finds herself in a local watering hole/coffee shop for hours a day working on her novel with other authors holed up doing the same. This is where Theo meets and falls for Dan Murdoch, an established best selling author. They quickly land in a relationship which Theo fears she's tarnished by asking him to connect her to his publisher. He refuses and somehow ends up dead shortly thereafter. Theo may be next or could even be pegged for Dan's murder....

I truly wanted to like this so much. I mean a book about books, mysterious deaths, conspiracy theories? Come on, it's right up my alley! For some reason this one just never sparked and took off for me. I liked the characters well enough, the dog was cool, the premise interesting...it just never grabbed me. I found myself gravitating from it a lot and it took me much longer to finish than I'd hoped. I did like the authors style of weaving in online threads to supplement the plot and the mystery but again it just didn't sweep me off my feet. It could very well just have not been the right time for me to pick it up and other readers may LOVE it. I'd say if you enjoy a good layered murder mystery involving authors who turn up dead, this may be the book for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

First I want to thank NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Sulari Gentill for my ARC of The Mystery Writer. WOW! I could not put this down! What a wild ride! From start to end I was hooked! I could feel the emotions of each character and felt very empathetic towards Theo. The characters were also well developed and believable. Gus being the overprotective brother, Theo the little sister who doesn’t want to intrude on her brother’s life, Mac the brother’s best friend who would do anything to help his friend. I loved the description of Mac’s wacky family. The story line was very well developed with each chapter drawing me in more! I hope that the author will write a follow up book because this one left me wanting more! I will definitely be reading more by Sulari Gentill!

Thank you for the ARC! I’m sorry to report back I didn’t love this book. The premise is super interesting and the author is one I’ve read from and enjoyed before but this one didn’t do it for me. This felt very conspiracy/rightwing/nutjob which to be honest we get enough of in real life.

Oh my gosh this book. THE STRESS (in the best way). I was deeply invested in the three primary characters and every time things took a turn I had to get a handle on my emotions. The Mystery Writer has so many layers, great character developent, and the pacing is spot on. If you're looking for a tense page-turner that'll keep you guessing, pick this up!

Ok, I read this authors last book and had mixed feelings about it. I saw her speak at an event and found her very charming and funny so I gave this book a try. DNF unfortunately. Something about her writing style is just really not for me. Lovely woman though!

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill sounded so promising! Alas...I did not finish it for several reasons. Theo, the main character, is extremely juvenile and irritating. I do not appreciate the abundance of F bombs which never advance a story. Plus much of what I read was simply unfeasible. My imagination is vivid but this was really a stretch. I was not engaged enough to muddle through, sad to say.

Theodosia (Theo) Benton is not wanting to finishing her degree in college but wants to become a writer. So she heads to Lawrence, Kansas from Sydney, Australia to live with her brother Gus until she can get established. Then she meets a well known writer and they become fast friends. Then suddenly he ghost her so she heads to his place to see what is going on and that is when the troubles starts for Theo and her brother Gus.
This is the first book I have read from this writer and I did enjoy but I felt like it was rushed at the end.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

Twenty-two year old Theodosia Benton leaves Australia to live with her brother Gus in Lawrence Kansas. Law school is not for her. The duo get caught up in murder charges which create tension in the story, especially toward the end.

Overall, I feel this is a book for a YA reader with a caveat for a lot of “F bombs “ in the second half. There is also a sub-story which involves an internet conspiracy group which I found interrupting and unnecessary.

Due to the author’s details about meals and other minutiae which didn’t advance the plot, I found myself skimming a lot of the book to get to the meat of the story. With that in mind, I’ll give this book, published by Poison Pen Press, a three star review and hope it finds its audience.

Thank you NetGalley and Sulari for this book! I found the story line to be interesting and different as it tied in family drama, mystery (who-dunnit) and conspiracy theories into one book. I didn't like the female main character and found her to be a little dramatic and needy. I also didn't enjoy how the book jumped many times to different months - I felt there could've been more context and story added between time periods. I overall enjoyed this mystery; I just wish there was some more substance in certain areas.

3.5 stars - I enjoyed the author Gentill's, "The Woman in the Library" quite a bit & was happy to get an advance copy of her latest, "The Mystery Writer". This one finds our MC, Theo, leaving law school in Oz & going to her brother's place in Lawerence, Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) to write a novel. (I think this has a slight auto-biographical touch). Brother Dan is also a writer & researching conspiracy theories for his own book. Suffice to say that murder follows. I loved the fast pace & well-plotted mystery of this one! And the sweet doggo named Horse🐶!! Really enjoyed all the twists & turns and the MidWest setting (I have been there). But that said, it was maybe a touch too OTT on the conspiracy theorists & tin-foil hat brigade. My sincere thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the complimentary DRC, my pleasure to review it.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝚂𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚒 𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕

I was pretty excited to start this book, the blurb sounded really suspenseful and exciting!

The book is about Theo, who leaves law school and shows up on her brother’s front porch saying she wants to become a writer. As she begins writing her story, she befriends a local writer. When the writer is brutally murdered, the mystery surrounding his death and weird things continue to center around Theo.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I wish the plot was a bit more focused. I felt like it jumped around a bit and there were also shifting POVs that it took a bit to understand whose perspective it was. The conspiracies theorist creeped me out, as they should!

When the big plot twist was revealed I was both shocked and confused. I did not see that coming.

TRUST NO ONE.

If you enjoy mysteries with a large side of conspiracies, this book is for you!

𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜:
👻 𝙼𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢
😱 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛
🫣 𝚂𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎
📚 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝙰𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜

⭐️ Release Date: March 19th

🌻 Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my early copy!

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me engaged and I flew through it fairly quickly. A new take on a classic mystery, some twists surprised me and others felt a bit predictable. My biggest critics were that the main character wasn’t overly likable and the second half of the book didn’t flow as nicely as the first. Would definitely recommend to fans of this author and the mystery genre.

In The Mystery Writer, Theo decides to pursue her dream of being a writer and uproots her life to move to Lawrence, Kansas where her brother has relocated. When she decides to use the local bar, Benders, as her home base to write her novel, she befriends Dan Murdoch. Dan is a mysterious man who has his own successfully published mystery books who reveals he is reading conspiracy sites for inspiration. Soon, the stuff of fiction starts to happen to Theo and those around her. Why are dead bodies piling up? Why are there so many conspiracy theories running rampant? What is happening and who is responsible? It’s a twisty layered story that is fast paced and action packed from the first page to the last.

I was thoroughly immersed into the world of The Mystery Writer and it takes over the top spot, IMHO, of Gentill’s books. For me, the book took on an unexpected route, and I always appreciate it when an author displays such creativity.

#themysterywriter #sularigentill #poisonedpenpress #mystery #mysterybook #mysterynovel #booksbooksbooks

This was a great slow burn mystery with great character growth! I loved that it wasn’t just about the mystery, but it was about Theo and who she was. That was such an integral part of the story. This story held my attention, great character development, and it had a great conspiracy theory.

I recommend this to fans of all thriller lovers and those that love character driven mysteries!

I’m always trying to grab a Sulari Gentill read. She puts disparate characters together in the most cohesive way possible.

We have Theo running away from her university studies in Australia. She has decided law is not for her and gone back to the refuge of her brothers home. Gus her brother is a hot shot lawyer and understanding and protective, even if he is skeptical of her choices. Then there is Dan an older man who befriends Theo. The mentor relationship develops and her one days sexual encounter with him, ends with his brutal murder and the story starts from there.

Seemingly disconnected, no obvious clues as to who, why or where, Gus’s friend Mac a private eye and more gets involved to find out why the death of Dan who was a popular river, has turned people’s venom against Theo, indirectly Gus and Mac.

Doomsday prophecies, cults, a behind the scenes controlling book agents add to the drama, murders, mayhem and attacks and then the complete disappearance of Theo for three years, till she surfaces again.

Very much edge of the seat reading, this was a page turner which I finished in a day.

What a whirlwind this book was! The first time I started it, I had trouble connecting with the characters - but that must have just been my mood because I picked it up over the weekend and didn't put it down until I finished. At times, the narration confused me and I had to go back and re-read paragraphs. But - totally worth it.

When Theodosia shows up at her brother Gus's house after dropping out of law school, he encourages her to pursue her writing interest. She meets a highly successful author in a local bar and after months of working at the same table, their friendship blossoms into something more. When he is brutally murdered, Gus and Theo become the main suspects. As they work to prove their freedom - an online network of conspiracy theorists try to prove their guilt. This fast-paced story explores a secret world where being a famous author is not always solely based on talent.

I