Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"In Afterlife the dead are afraid of the living."

This book had a slow start for me, however, once the story began to unfold I was caught in it. All the characters had character development. The book's plot was simple, yet it captured my attention with all the building plot twists. It had some slow-pacing moments but quickly recovered and picked up the pace more easily. The author creates this ground of reliance between the reader and the characters, only to tear it down later in the story.

Overall, even though this is a book I wouldn't normally choose, it was still a great read.

Despite my general opinion, don't let my review discourage you from picking it up!

This book was incredibly captivating. It reminded me of a John Grisham legal thriller, which are definitely some of my favorites. The story was the perfect amount of convoluted and streamlined: it confuses you with one hand and then slaps you over the head with the plot.

I thought the character work here was excellent. I’m always wary of bringing current & contemporary elements into stories because it can come across as trying to capitalize on trends but the inclusion of the Qanon / doomsday peepers (and humanizing them?? Can we do that??) was really entertaining.

Overall this was a great thriller and I look forward to more of Gentill’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sulari Gentill, and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a slow start to me, but once it got going, I enjoyed it. The best way to describe this book is a web of deception. The reader can tell by the end of this book how well the author plotted out this book. This book has so many twists and turns, but the reader is able to easily follow along. Prepare to be fully engrossed (after the slow start) until you finish as this book will keep your attention until the last page! My only big complaint was the book description gave away too much of the story.

This book was absolutely incredible. The writing was captivating. There were so many twists that I was on the edge of my seat until the end. Nothing about this plot was predictable. The complexity of each character was also fascinating. My favourite part was that it felt like Theo had a degree of sense in a way other books don't. What I mean by this is that she would say "I should go to the police about this" and would do it, where as in other books I feel like characters can be dumb and find reasons to not tell the police things. I enjoyed how cooperative she was. Absolutely a 5-star read, and that's coming from someone who rarely reads/enjoys mysteries or thrillers!

As an avid thriller/mystery reader, I thoroughly enjoyed The Mystery Writer and would highly recommend it. From moment one the reader is questioning reality in this often twisted tale, being led further down the rabbit hole of truth. I particularly loved the prescient ties-ins to online culture, conspiracy theories, and the dynamics between the main character, Theo, and her brother Gus. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments peppered throughout to help breakup the tension, lending itself to a delightful story.

I was really excited about this novel, as I enjoyed the author's previous book, The Woman in the Library however this title was a disappointment. The character development meant thin, and I wasn't drawn to any of the main characters or their storylines. Theo and her brother, Gus, have a murky past that does eventually become more clear but the other main character, Mac, never fully forms. His family's "prepper" tendencies are never really explained, and his brothers' involvement with Murdoch's death is never really clear. The book also makes massive, not well-explained, time leaps in the last quarter which concludes with a fairly believable, if not altogether satisfying ending.

I really loved "The Woman in the Library," but this didn't capture me quite as much. The ending seemed very rushed and some of the plot points were rather far-fetched. Also, I usually expect DRCs to have some typos, but this one was chock-full of them it seemed like. I will continue to recommend "The Woman in the Library," and I would even recommend "The Mystery Writer" to those who just enjoy reading mystery because it was kind of a different take on that genre, but overall I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to. I found myself interested and wanted to keep reading, but once I was down to like 30 pages, there was really nothing new to learn, just wrapping up all the hints that had been given throughout.

I stopped after chapter 2 (7%). The prose is rather lovely, and I can see it being three to four stars for the target audience, five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

This was an unusual read for me. I really enjoyed it for most of the book but the twist it takes near the end was not my favorite. Just a little more out there.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill wants to be a top tier mystery full of twist and turns but sadly the overall mystery falls flat with a dead author story that I felt paled in comparison to other stories including The Mystery Guest. I felt the overall story took itself way too seriously and needed humor or levity to make the story interesting

An amazing title, a bestselling author and a blurb promising to turn the world of books and authors upside down............ sounded like a perfect combination for a thrilling reading experience. Yes, it did justice to that expectation till it was time for the climax and the mystery reveal. I could have rated it higher but could not get past that missing feeling of a comprehensive thriller novel.

Yays !!
-> fast paced and multiple plots, keep you conspiring, which way the story may end
-> Notes from dark web in start of chapters which makes you pay attention, in case you miss out a easter egg
-> Due importance to family bonding and friendships.

By the time we reach climax, all the above yays, start quickly turning to nays and cant help feel, what just happened (not in a good way).

Nays :( :(
-> new publishing conspiracy plot is introduced in the climax and all the initially introduced plots just fizzle out
-> Theo is a 'damsel in distress' who falls too easily in love. Lives of everyone around her seems to be too focused on her.
-> Consecutive quick time jumps (2 months, 1 year and then 3 years) at the end to take story to conclusion. Felt like an hasty affair to conclude and over drawn plot.

This is my first book by the author, and the gripping complexity in sub plots is still keeping me hopeful for her works.

Overall, I found this book underwhelming. I have read Sulari Gentill in the past and absolutely loved her work. However, The Mystery Writer was a swing and a miss for Gentill.

The plot was quite convoluted and failed to keep my attention. In the end, I forced myself to finish the novel, but only because I hate leaving books incomplete.

I found the protagonist difficult to like. For the majority of the book, she was generally weepy and expected her brother to come to her rescue time and time again.

While I didn’t like the first book by this author. I did enjoy this one. I loved the mystery. I look forward to see what else this author can do.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book - and the beginning definitely had me intrigued - but by the end of it, I wasn't quite sure what I was reading anymore. Lots of genres blending together, and I'm not sure it worked... the author may have been trying to do one too many things with this one. Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and have enjoyed previous works by the author, but The Mystery Writer was a bit too all-over-the-place for me.

Chances are, whatever tropes you are looking for, Sulari Gentill’s The Mystery Writer has it. Mystery with a mystery writer as the protagonist. Check. Disfunctional family. Check. Gender Politics. Check. Secrets. Check. Cult-like Communes. Check. Conspiracy Theories. Check. Mysterious Corpse. Check. And head-snapping twists galore. Check!

Theo Benton has thrown away her legal training to move from Tasmania to the United States and finish her mystery novel about the haunting of land pillaged from the indigenous tribes of Australia (a novel, though fictional, that I’d like to read.) She has landed on her brother’s doorstep in Lawrence, Kansas, a setting the author describes beautifully, evoking the heartland in its many flavors.

When Theo discovers her mentor, a mysterious published writer who frequents the same coffee shop, brutally murdered, she is thrust into a police investigation that focuses not only on her, but also her brother, threatening to destroy his career.

I loved the characters, from Theo and her brother Gus, to Gus’s dog Horse, to the entire Etheridge clan, they were all well-conceived and entertaining.

The plot moved along at a breakneck pace, twisting dramatically more than once. And the end will leave you breathless. Unexpected twists and well-crafted characters put The Mystery Writer at the top of my list of recommended books for 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advance review copy of the book.

As a big fan of Gentill's "The Woman in the Library," I was eager to dive into this ARC from Netgalley. Initially, I was captivated, but soon, my interest waned as the plot took a bizarre turn. Books about the art of writing just aren't my cup of tea. I'm here for a gripping tale, not a behind-the-scenes peek at the writing process. This aspect alone made it hard for me to connect with the story.

Character development, or the lack thereof, was another letdown. I struggled to care about any of the characters, which is a shame considering Gentill's knack for crafting intriguing storylines. However, in her obsession with the meta-theme of writing, the quality of the actual writing seemed to take a backseat.

The narrative also suffered from abrupt time jumps at the end, throwing me off and adding unnecessary confusion. I found myself re-reading sections, trying to piece together the disjointed timeline, but it didn't enhance the story in any meaningful way. The climax was underwhelming and left me questioning the logic behind the plot, particularly the motivations of the publishing agents. The financial rationale behind their actions just didn't add up.

Gentill's admission in the Q&A section of not being a plotter was evident in the story's execution. It felt like a series of ideas hoping to find a coherent narrative but never quite succeeding. The attempt to mirror the success of "The Woman in the Library" fell flat, lacking the same magic and intrigue.

Lastly, the grammatical errors in this ARC were astonishing. I sincerely hope these issues are rectified before the final publication. As a reader, not a writer, all I seek is an enthralling read, which, unfortunately, "The Mystery Writer" failed to deliver.

Having really enjoyed Sulari Gentill's last Edgar Award-nominated standalone, The Woman in the Library, I was expecting another fascinating mystery. Unfortunately, The Mystery Writer just didn't land with me. Theodosia (Theo) leaves her law training at an Australian university and surprises her attorney brother, Gus, by moving in with him to devote her time to a writing career. After meeting a seasoned author who encourages her to continue after reading her manuscript, she never expects him to turn up dead soon afterward, with two more murders to follow. Theo's and Gus's lives are upended swiftly and violently, as PI Mac tries to use his expert research skills to help them both.

It's a premise with potential, but here's why I struggled to get through it. There is a subplot about conspiracy theories and a weak romance subplot--both seem totally unnecessary and have little to do with the plot. There is one scene late in the book that involves Gus and Mac but shifts to Theo's POV suddenly, then suddenly back. I found it unnerving, checking back to see if I had missed something. There is a time jump of 5 years that is mentioned once and never developed. What happened to the characters during that time? The reveal at the end about who killed whom and why seems lazy to me, and the last part of the book seems to evolve quickly from a mystery to a thriller.

I have to say that I did enjoy reading about Mac's outrageous survivalist family, which provided much-needed (though unexpected) humor. But I was never able to connect with any of the characters, as they seemed to make a series of bad decisions, leading to worse consequences. However, I know there is an audience for this book, as there are many 4- and 5-star reviews on NetGalley.

My thanks to Poison Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Theo decides to throw her education and trust fund out the window in hopes of pursuing her dream of writing a novel. She sets herself up in a cafe in Lawrence, Kansas, and begins to write. At this cafe, Theo is lucky to meet another author who mentors her. Just as her writing is taking off, her mentor is murdered. Theo's decision to change career paths turns out to be dangerous for herself and those around her as she becomes more involved.

⚖️setting: Lawrence, Kansas

⚖️genre: Mystery (not too scary- I'm a baby).

⚖️MCs: diverse, intelligent, resilient

⚖️supporting characters: somewhat believable, a little on the extreme side.

⚖️Available March 2024-Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this ARC♡! I enjoyed this fast-paced, creative mystery.

I was so excited to get an ARC from NetGalley for this one - a mystery about mystery writers? Yes, please. It was not a thriller but I enjoyed the Theo -Dan thing and the brother-sister relationship. As it went on, too many off the wall things kept being added and took away from what I enjoyed. The ending ,meh. Too much of a leap from most of the book.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is not at all what I expected in a good way. While it was a bit confusing in the first chapter the pieces all came together and was an entertaining read. I don't want to go into much detail about the plot I'm afraid it will give away some of the twists and where the story headed. Would definitely recommend rating this one 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.