The book got really interesting at the 3rd quarter mark. The plot everything was I enjoyed it a lot and I hope to read more books from this author.

A satisfying mystery that becomes especially interesting at the three-quarter mark, when the POV shifts and larger drama deepens. It's interesting to see what an Australian author brings to a heart-of-America (Lawrence, Kansas) set mystery in terms of some notions about the local culture, often exaggerated but also satirically effective.

United States Publication: March 19, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Theodosia Benton has left, fled really, her Uni studies in law and her native Australia, and has appeared on her brother's doorstep in Lawrence, Kansas, of all places. Bucking the family edict that she and her brother both become lawyers to "earn" her share of a trust fund, Theo has a different dream. She wants to write books. She wants to exercise creativity not conducive to practicing law. So, Theo becomes a writer-in-residence, allowing her brother to support her dream for a season. While finding a place to work on her book each day, Theo makes the acquaintance of a prolific author who is living a low-profile life in Lawrence, Kansas. He becomes a writing mentor to her as well as more over time. But when he is found with his throat slit open, Theo is thrust into a vortex of mysterious people and situations. When her brother, Gus, and his friend, Max, also get sucked into the circumstances the stakes are raised for Theo to figure out who would want to kill her mentor. But people and forces are working around Theo that she isn't yet aware of.

This didn't work for me. At all. So many parts of the story were improbable or unnecessary that I felt frustrated reading it. Gentill tried to incorporate a conspiracy theory element to drive the story but it fell very flat for me, incredibly so. It really didn't drive the story so much as detract from it and make it confusing because it didn't fit with the overall plot. The whole book felt like a bunch of loose ideas Gentill attempted to weave together to make a story and for this reader, it didn't work. I came away annoyed rather than happy I had picked up this latest offering from Sulari Gentill.

I have no idea how she does it, but Sulari Gentill manages to subvert genre, turn it on its head, and spin it around into something fresh and original every time. As she did with Woman in the Library, she takes a mystery and turns it into a character-driven tour de force, although I think The Mystery Writer leans more toward thriller. The story is still about writers, but this time we have assassins and conspiracy theories and zealots and hippies and even a smattering of romance and family relationships. And she does it all brilliantly, although if I try to describe it, it would be a spoiler. Know you’re in capable hands and next time you want a gripping page-turner, pick this one up

Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity!

This was so captivating that it made me question how can I equally love something this much but also hate it cause it is so good.

As a fan of The Woman in the Library, I was curious to see what Sulari Gentill would write next. Initially, I felt off kilter and was wondering if this was the book for me. But then I remembered I felt the same way with TWITL, so I stuck with it. The plot is convoluted. Theo gives up on college and shows up on her brother’s front porch in Lawrence, Kansas. She’s decided she wants to be a writer. Hanging out in a local cafe/bar, she befriends an established writer. But no sooner have they become romantically involved, that she finds his dead body in his house. Interspersed with this storyline, the reader is privy to a group of conspiracy theory nutjobs and their messaging. It would be easy to say this group was too crazy to be believable. But our family has a QAnon idiot in our midst, and some of her theories are so unreal as to beggar belief.
I struggled to relate to Theo. I had to keep reminding myself that she was still very young and maybe not wise enough to know what she was signing up for. But would someone smart enough to get into law school really be so dumb? There were numerous times that she just seemed oblivious. <spoiler> it was so obvious that something was fishy with Day Delos & Associates from her very first meeting with them.</spoiler> Flip side, I really enjoyed Gus and Mac and appreciated what a great big brother Gus was. And Mac’s doomsday prepper family did help provide comic relief. I would have actually liked it if they had played a bigger role in the story.
Despite my issues with Theo, I did get drawn in and was curious to see how it was going to play out. I found myself reaching for the book whenever I had a spare minute. It moved at a nice brisk pace with lots of moving parts. But the last section of the book just went totally off the rails for me. It was all I could do to stay with it. The book went from being a four star to a two star. I’ll think twice before picking up her next book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for an advance copy of this book.

What the fuck even was this book? It was SOOOOO slow until the end, when it felt like a literal bomb went off. And the main plot twist was almost too bananas, even for me. I feel like there were too many people dying too quickly for me to care, and not enough investigation led by Theo.

Now looking back. I see the foreshadowing immediately and it's hilarious. I just feel like this book could've been SO good with a bit more editing.

*Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What a big, convoluted mess with the preppers, conspiracies and the craziest literary agency ever. Others may like it, but it wasn't for me. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The Mystery Writer is more cozy mystery than fast paced thriller. If you enjoy this genre and like reading stories involving authors and writers then you will like this one. Even though there isn't a huge plot twist at the ending, it still does tie things up nicely. The story also has well developed characters. I prefer more thriller and fast paced so this was a 3 star for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Theo quits law school in Australia and moves to America to try to be a published author. She moves in with her brother and starts hanging out at a cafe where she makes friends and writes daily. When one of those friends is murdered, Theo is drawn into a world of online conspiracy theories and disinformation that puts her life and the life of all of her friends in danger. An interesting look at the conspiracy theorists, survivalists and American guns and how they are so different from the rest of the world.

This book will catch your attention from the first page. Full of suspense, a romance and multiple conspiracy theories. I wasn’t sure where it was going, even up til the end. This is definitely page turner and 5*. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

While I enjoyed the story and the conspiracy theory elements of this story, I thought it went on a little too long. There were certainly parts that could be trimmed to make the story tighter and the resolution was very neat. I found the timeline to be very difficult because current time was referenced as long past but nothing seemed particularly new. However, I would recommend this story to people interested in crimes and thrillers.

Theo and Gus Bentonwere brought up at a community called Harmony in Tasmania. Gus is a lawyer in Kansas. Theo has decided to give up Law School and moves to Kansas with Gus to become a writer. She finds Benders Bar, a coffee house where she sees others writing and meets Dan Murdock, a well known writer. He talks with Theo and they soon begin sitting at the same table. When she is beginning to get close to Dan, she finds him dead at his home. Then, the police think that she or her brother Gus may be the killer.

Gus has a friend, Mac, whose family is survivalist, lives in the woods and collects food and weapons. Mac is a detective and works for Gus' law firm often. When people begin attacking Gus' home, Gus and Theo move to Mac's home. When Gus is shot by the police, Theo falsely confesses to killing Dan and disappears. Mac and Gus want to find Theo, but it appears it would be very dangerous to do so.

This is a clever and exciting book, although I hope it isn't totally realistic! I thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for an ARC.

Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

And thank you to my workplace crime reading group for introducing me to the absolutely wonderful world that is Sulari Gentill's books!

While this one doesn't have quite as much of a 'meta' aspect to the storytelling as some of her other books, it still has some of the same kind of intrigue. As a reader, there are so many things to misunderstand, to misinterpret, and to simply make guesses about that are completely up the wall. All this, while never feeling like the author is playing with us, or trying to show us up - it is simply that the situation that the main character finds herself in is so strange that we couldn't possibly be expected to follow.

The story has two storytellers: Theodosia Benton, who just moved in with her brother and is trying to write her first novel, and Theodosias brother Gus who is a successful lawyer.

This is all I'll say about this book, because part of Gentill's charm is that she isn't afraid of twists and turns - and who am I to ruin those for you?

Theodosia Benton,has reached a decision to drop out of law school and pursue a career as a
writer. She arrive's on the doorstep of her brother Gus who has followed his grandparents' wish and is
a lawyer. Theo forms a friendship with Dan Murdoch, a writer she met at a local café where they talk
about their current projects. When Theo drops by Dan's home with a dinner inviattion, she discovers his body.
She becomes a suspect along with her brother Gus. Does Dan's death have anything to do with the
consrpiacy theory group he was researching? Who killed him? Why are Theo and Gus in danger?
Mac Etheridge, private investigator and Gus's friend, comes from a family of conspiracy enthusiasts.
Are they involved with what's going on? Is Dan's literary agency Day Delos and Assiciates Management
involved? Page turner as more is learned about the agency and the impact they have on the lives of
Theo, Gus and Mac.
#TheMysteryWriter #NetGalley

Gentill writes the perfect cozy mystery once again! If you enjoyed The Woman in the Library, you'll love The Mystery Writer.

While this firmly fits in the cozy mystery genre, I did find it to be a bit more intense at times. While you might be able to guess at the generally plot, there are still a lot of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

But where Gentill excels most is her character development. I loved each and every character, even the naive Theo grew on me by the end.

A great read and quickly becoming a must read author for me.

This book kept me guessing the whole time. I have recommended it to many of my friends! Theo leaves college to come live with her brother in America. She is in the process of writing her first novel when she gets swept into the world of literary writers.

Theodosia "Theo" Benton is a 22 year old who dropped out of law school in Australia, and flown to the US, Lawrence where his lawyer brother works. She has a dream, a dream where she becomes a bestselling author.
Her brother, Gus, is very happy that his little sister decided to pursue her dreams of becoming an author and he's warmly welcoming her to his... humble? neighbourhood. The only warning he has is that americans shouldn't be trusted easily, and of course that they might shoot you.
While Theo slowly starts to embrace her new life as a young-author-to-be, she makes various friends, one of them being a famous author himself.
What starts as a friendship turns into an innocent relationship and eventually that turns into a murder. While Theo tries to understand why someone would murder a writer; we're faced with tragic pasts, conspiracy theories and at the end, the danger of getting murdered itself.
°°°
When I first requested this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I hadn't even read anything by Sulari Gentill herself but now i know.
Throughout the story, I wondered where Gentill was taking us with this really complicated story. At some point, I was sure that at the end there'd be some plot holes because of the amount of events and details the story literally threw at us. But, and i'm still in shock, there were none. Looking back at everything and also thinking about everything, i feel satisfied.
The middle for me was a little bit slow, infuriating even because it felt like we were going nowhere with the case. However, at some point everything started to progress and make sense. I can't tell you how many times i gasped and couldn't put the book down!! Even though Theo got on my nerve, the story was enough intriguing that I kept going and going.
My favorite aspects were definitely the connection with the conspiracy theories and how a strong story could influence the behavior of hundreds of people. Also, Mac (a private-eye) caught my eye from the first encounter and he just had my heart. Gus and Theo's Australian humour were also a breath of fresh air!!
The ending was genious, and surely Sulari Gentill knew what to do to keep us on edge. I can't wait to read more of the Gentill.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a digital copy of The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill for review.

Sulari Gentill’s has done it again! A mystery novel with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and asking yourself, what just happened!? This is her third stand-alone novel that explores some aspect of the writer’s life. The Mystery Writer takes a closer look at writers and their relationships with their agents as well as the drive to be a published, successful writer. All this is wrapped up in a murder mystery with multiple murders connecting Theodosia to each crime. Throw in an over-protective brother with a private detective best friend, a dog named Horse, and conspiracy theorists and doomsday preppers around each corner and you get quite the read! An added bonus is Theo and Gus’ Australian perspectives on America. What a fun ride!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

I wish I could say that this thriller was thrilling but, sadly, I found it to be too absurd for me to comfortably suspend my disbelief. What's worse, about two-thirds of the way through the novel, I got the sense that the author grew bored with the narrative, too, as they seemed to stop weaving a story and started reciting it. There was an abrupt and uncomfortable shift in the tone of the novel where it felt like a summarization of events, rather than a depiction of them. Still, I stuck with the novel to the end. I just wish I had more good things to say about it.

Positives: I liked the main characters - Theo, Mac, and Gus well enough.

Negatives: I don't mind being asked to suspend my disbelief and sometimes it works. John Grisham's The Firm, for example, has a ludicrous plot but it's pulled off through some deft writing. The Mystery Writer's plot, unfortunately, limps to the finish with one absurdity after enough, making it difficult to enjoy the novel. That said, my edition was an ARC copy, so there's a chance that some additional revisions will be made before the book is published, so perhaps some of the weaknesses can be resolved.