I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Woman in the Library, very much and was excited for this one. However, this book seemed overly complicated and the pacing was very inconsistent. The beginning was very slow and then ending felt very rushed. Thank you, NetGalley.

Having really enjoyed the author's previous book The Woman in the Library, I was super-excited to be approved for this new story.

Unfortunately, for me, this book just missed the mark. One of my main issues was the female lead Theo, who was way too damsel-in-distress for my tastes. Some of her choices are so poorly thought out that it's hard to believe she could have ever been studying law.

Inexplicably, all other characters love her and tirelessly rush to her rescue. I think the author was going for innocently naive, but Theo just comes off as an emotional child who can't take care of herself. Thank the stars her brother Gus and his friend Mac are smart and resourceful and were actually interesting to read about.

The pacing felt more like a series of unfortunate events rather than a thrilling buildup, especially towards the middle when we took a break from any action and spent way too much time with a family reunion. I almost DNF'd at that point.

The big reveal at the end was a very interesting concept, but felt so convoluted and rushed that I still don't feel like I fully understand all of the whys. And since I wasn't emotionally invested in the story, I don't really care.

Although this particular book was a miss for me, I will definitely continue reading this author.

This book was incredible! I didn't see any of it coming and it kept me hooked throughout!

Easily 5 stars!

This was the first book by Sulari Gentill that I've read.
No point in rehashing the plot as it's available in the blurb and other reviews.
For me, the middle of the story dragged a bit, but overall I enjoyed the read.
Gentill writes well, and the character development was first rate. Thought I saw the ending coming, but nope! (which is a good thing).

Appreciate the ARC copy from NetGalley. I read ARCs mainly to explore new (to me) authors, and and glad to have discovered Sulari Gentill, I'll be reading more of her work.

Sulari Gentill is a new author for me and will absolutely be added to my list of authors to keep my eye out for. This book reignited my love for mystery novels and made me lose sleep trying to finish it, which I don't do lightly. Absolutely will recommend this book!

The Mystery Writer was an interesting concept but didn't quite get there for me. I didn't really connect with the main chararcter or understand her sudden career shift at the beginning of the story, and it didn't seem realistic that someone without any background in creative writing would so suddenly come up with a blockbuster novel. I didn't love the May/December mentor/mentee romance, and then quite honestly, the ending got way out of hand in terms of the scope of the "conspiracy." I also got so fed up with the two sibling characters and how they seemed to constantly be in competition over who could be the most selfless and self-sacrificing. This book also didn't really have that who-dun-it murder-mystery feel that I was hoping for based on the cover. It was interesting to see aspects of US culture through the eyes of an Australian writer, such as the prevalance of gun culture, preppers, extreme religiosity, and things like that that we might often take for granted. Overall, however, this book didn't seem to quite know what genre it was and I just couldn't get into it.

Unfortunately, I wasn't compelled to finish this book - it felt odd and like characters were making huge, unsubstantiated leaps in the plot. I liked the premise but didn't feel like this made good on it.

Theo leaves law school to move in with her brother and try out writing novels. But then her new writer-mentor is murdered and basically everything crumbles from there while she races to figure out wtf is going on.

I was so not expecting to like this as much as I did. Hasn’t heard of it, cover looked good- requested it on netgalley and here we are.

Was super hooked to figure out what was going on right from the get-go. And the hint of romance?? Just how I like my thrillers. 😏

Thanks netgalley! Publishes March 19!

Theodosia Benton (Theo) leaves her Australian university and appears unannounced at her brother Gus’ home in Kansas. She no longer wants to be a lawyer (the family tradition) and instead wants to write a novel. While working on writing a novel at Benders, a local café, Theo meets Dan, a famous writer. Dan follows online conspiracy theories for inspiration for his latest novel. Dan and Theo’s friendship starts to develop into more and then one day he doesn’t show up at the café. Theo goes to his house and finds that Dan has been murdered. Once the police begin to question her, Theo realizes that she really didn’t know much about Dan or what he was writing. Who killed Dan and why? Theo is determined to find out.

This was my first book by Sulari Gentill. I really enjoyed the characters of Theo and Gus and their sibling relationship throughout the story. However, this read more like a cozy mystery to me than a thriller. Yes, there were twists but they weren’t too shocking for me. The biggest issue I struggled with was the time jump at the end of the story. I know it was necessary for the plot, but it was rather rushed. Overall, it was a decent read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy mystery vibe with some twists. I rate it 3/5 stars.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill was a wild ride. Very Yellowface-esque minus the commentary on the publishing industry. I adored the first third, thought the second third dragged and was slightly baffled by/slightly enthralled by the final third. In spite of it seeming very predictable, it actually wasn’t and that was fun. I’m not sure what to rate this one but I know I enjoyed if.

Thank you for the opportunity to read such an intracate story. A book within a book. and a mystery that once the events begin, I could noot put this down.

But the best thing I can say was the characters had me vesting in thwm and their choices. I stopped reading a book and instead was witnessing a story that had pulled me in it's pages.

The premise is a good one, Theo, 22 years old, has decided to drop out of her Australian University where she was studying a Law Degree and go to stay with her brother Gus, a lawyer, in Lawrence Kansas. An aspiring writer, Gus encourages Theo, to finish her novel in a cafe or bar rather than at his home. There she meets Dan an established writer. I’ll leave it there so that there are no spoilers.

I found this story initially difficult to get immersed into and picked it and put it away numerous times. I think this was mainly due to not connecting, nor liking Theo as a character. Putting that aside, that once I got into the next few chapters, I got absorbed into the story, in part due to the other characters, the other purely to find out what happens. Glad I stuck with it to the end!

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this complementary ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley UK and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mystery Writer is at its core a murder mystery novel, with numerous twists and turns and an Agatha Christie feel, which also reflects on contemporary issues such as social media, conspiracy theories, and gun culture in the US. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout and wanted to know what was really going on and would recommend this book to whodunit fans.

There are a couple things that dampened my enjoyment of this book. Personally, I was underwhelmed by the "literary world" aspect of this book which was a bit flat. The plot was also very convoluted so I really had to pay attention to every detail to be able to follow. Additionally, the constant presence of guns was a bit repetitive. All these things I mentioned may be part of the point of the book and I maybe just wasn't the right audience for it.

I requested this book after having read the Woman in the Library.

I was truthfully a bit underwhelmed with it and was confused at some times. The plot is convoluted. The last section was bizarre.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I quickly clicked Request, smiling like a fool when it was granted. Sulari Gentill is a new writer to me, but The Mystery Writer was a classic story told in a new way. A writer finds a dead body, which inspires her to continue to write while solving the crime. But her own brother is the suspect, and its her lover who is murdered. What kind of loyalty should she hold firm? Toss in a conspiracy theorist and a new book deal with a fancy agency, and things are looking too connected, if you know what I mean. As a story concept, I like it. Generally, the execution was fine. But the collection of suspects, the missing scenes that would have tied things together, and the jump in time period (3 months later, 6 months later) felt awkward and perhaps lazy. I don't mean that in a cruel way, but I didn't see the purpose for them. The investigation and actual happenings during those missing times should have been filled with great action, and so the end felt just dropped in for closure. Will consider more books by the author, but it may not have been an ideal match for my reading preferences.

Taking it at face value in the beginning, I thought this book was interesting. But when the deaths increased, I realized all was not what it first seemed. The characters are either on-the-surface boring or fascinating (Mac's family for instance). Prepare to be entertained and confused. It's a mystery after all

Really enjoyed this one! It kept me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't wait to go back and read it once I put it down. I liked the modern day focus on the dark web, and very interesting twist at the end with the past revelation of scorned writers. Would recommend!

What a crazy ride this book is. You have murder, intrigue, and a missing author. Anything and everything could happen when it comes to writing your first book. The one thing you don’t expect is to be swept up in world where those you least expect are going to be coming for you making your life miserable until you do what they want. I think readers are going to be thrown into a world where upside is right and right side up is wrong. Will they be able to figure out everything that is happening in time? This is a perfect book club book and I can’t wait to recommend it soon.
Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Theodosia (Theo) Benton shows up at her brother’s home with two suitcases and an unfinished novel. She isn’t sure how he is going to react because they’ve had a strained relationship since they were kids, but they quickly develop a routine. She starts to frequent a local bar, Bender’s, to sit and try to write. While there one day, she starts talking to another patron, only to find out he’s a famous author. They develop a friendship but when he’s murdered, Theo wants to find the murderer.
Theo’s brother, Gus, is a successful lawyer on the partner track at his law firm. He brings his friend, Mac, an investigator, in to look into the murder. Mac’s family are doomsday preppers and the few interchanges with them in the book provided a bit of comic relief.
Interspersed with the story of Theo, Gus and Mac are interchanges between conspiracy theorists who are not only looking for Primus but also trying to figure out who it is. “Caleb” is a part of this. We find out who Caleb is mid-way through the book.
When Gus ends up in the hospital, Theo goes into hiding but Gus and Mac never stop looking for her. One day, they finally get a clue to her location and try to track her down.
Interesting story. Moved quickly. Towards the end, the storyline jumped in time…like months and then years in time. That was unexpected. Overall, very well written. As it is an ARC, there were a few typos within the text which I’m sure (?) will be fixed prior to publication (rounded down from 4 stars to 3.5 for this).

I was pretty excited for this new mystery novel, having read and loved Gentill’s previous work, The Woman in the Library. Hell, the promise of another author-centric murder-mystery caper was more than enough to set me to full-intrigue mode, making me eager to pick this story up.

And, for the most part, The Mystery Writer delivered, holding my attention from page one, once again cementing how compatible I am to Gentill’s uniquely voiced, smart-as-a-whip, propulsive style of mystery storytelling.

I especially liked how, again, the author effortlessly placed authentically Australian characters into very American situations and environments, in a way that I, an Australian, don’t see very often in my fiction reads.

The story was engaging and quite perfectly paced, quickly setting the scene as hopeful young author Theo, an Aussie fish out of water in small-town Kansas, gets caught up in a conspiratorial plot of subterfuge and murder, after she finds new (boy)friend and older renowned author, Dan Murdoch, murdered in his home.

The plot that then plays out didn’t quite hold as many twists or reveals as I would have liked, but I easily found myself caught up in the mystery at hand, even though I predicted some big things very early on and felt that the conclusion of the story was perhaps a bit unsatisfying.

As a protagonist, I found Theo to be a very frustrating heroine to follow, proving early on (and regularly there on out) to be a bit too naïve and gullible for my liking, lacking the innate survival instincts and basic smarts I prefer in my female-driven mystery stories. I didn’t hate her, which would have completely ruined the story for me, but I can’t pretend my biggest issues with the story didn’t lie with her character and some of the ridiculous actions/reactions she had along the way.

Thankfully, on the flip-side of Theo’s fairly-vexing character, stood her lawyer big brother Gus, along with his private investigator friend Mac, both of whom possessed the intelligence, assertiveness, and protectiveness I craved, providing me with not one, but two very likeable male sidekicks, who held the story together and keep me invested long-term.

Even though The Mystery Writer wasn’t the best I’ve read from Gentill so far, I’m still happy I read it, knowing full-well that I’ll be reading more of her stories in the future—no coaxing necessary.