Conspiracy theories and writers unite with compelling results in this thriller that feels very current and sophisticated.

When Theo quits college to write a book, she never imagines she'll stumble into the same cafe/bar where a reclusive famous author writes. When Dan starts joining her table, Theo counts her lucky stars as he becomes her muse and inspiration. But shortly after reading her novel, Dan is brutally murdered, and Theo finds the body on the way to invite him to dinner. Soon, she has to question: how well did she know the man she was falling for?

For her, Dan was the first supporter of her writing, but to the conspiracy theory forum, he was Primus, the one who was supposed to find his way out of the labyrinth to publish the manuscript that would reveal all. He reached mythic proportions with his followers, who recognized each other by the catchphrase We Know What We Know. When Primus's postings stop, they are determined to mobilize to find out what happened to him.

As Theo, her lawyer brother and his private eye friend Mac start to investigate to give the police any other suspects to focus on besides Theo, the world of dangerous conspiracy theories threatens to pull them down, especially as attention focuses on a missing manuscript.

Theo's sympathetic as the girl struggling to find her place in the world who gives up a sure future to try writing. Mac's a fascinating character as the survivor of a cult-like survivalist upbringing. His brothers are both absolute hoots and a cautionary tale in the illogical decisions following the rabbit hole can bring.

The book jumps a few years at the end, necessary for the plot, but it disrupts the otherwise impeccable pacing a little bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 This was such a weird and wonderful book. I've read so many mystery/thrillers and can predict the ending so often that I love when an author can really keep me guessing. That said, I can also see how if you are not totally on board that the plot can come across as pretty confusing. There are huge time jumps that happen in the middle of a chapter and motivations that are never fully clear. I loved the randomness of it all though and would definitely read another book by this author.

I loved this book! It was such a unique and creative mystery, just like the author’s previous book (which I also loved). It’s so refreshing to read something that’s a mystery/thriller but totally different from the plethora out there. I loved the characters and the setting, and I couldn’t put it down as I tried to figure out what was going on. There were even funny parts and dialogue - also rare and very much welcome! I’m such a fan of this author and can’t wait to read anything she writes next!

Wow all the twist and turns in this. I had a hard time getting into the beginning, I picked up the book and put it down a few times for other books in the first few pages before finally pushing through the first few chapter. But than it had me and I wanted to know where it go and the ending. Well written and I would definitely suggest to friends. Would be a perfect bookclub recommendation for discussion after.

If you enjoyed Sulari Gentill's The Woman in the Library, be sure to pick up her new mystery/thriller The Mystery Writer! When Theo abandons her career as an attorney in Australia to show up on her brother's doorstep in America, her only intention is to get her life together and write a book, but a murder and more twisty plot turns upends her every belief in the purpose of writing!

Theodosia Benton has quit law school and has decided to become a full-time writer. She leaves Australia and then shows up at her brother's door In Lawrence Kansas. Gus welcomes her but insists she not use his bachelor pad for her writing. Theo then finds a writers cafe and Asventually a mentor. Dan is a wildly successful author so she feels like she is on her way. However, Dan is found murdered and her brother Gus is the main suspect. She is determined to clear her brother, find the killer and solve the mystery. It is also a look how words can manipulate and darken the story.

As usual with Sulari Gentill, there are numerous twists, red herrings and shocking reveals. This is a page-turner of a thriller. You won't want to stop until you reach the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the chance to read prior to publication.

It was a twisty path to follow. It’s an interesting premise. It was slow in some spots and then picked up again. I liked Gus although I felt sorry for him. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Law school dropout and aspiring author Theo Benton leads Australia for her brother’s home in the States, where she settles on Benders cafe and bar as the perfect place to write her novel. There she meets Dan, who, although he finds ideas on conspiracy websites, is a successful author. Soon he becomes her mentor - and more. When she finds Dan murdered, Theo, and then her brother Gus, become prime suspects and the target of Dan’s angry fans. As things quickly spiral out of control what will Theo do to protect those she loves?

This mystery with a bit of romance is at heart a book about stories; those we tell, those we believe, and the power we give them. The characters and their relationships - enigmatic Dan, brother and sister Gus and Theo, Mac’s prepper family - are well-drawn and memorable. It doesn’t matter if you guess some plot elements, there will be others you miss. Gentill kept me alternately intrigued, laughing and appalled. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Mystery Writer is a suspenseful, quirky addition to the mystery genre. When Theodosia Benton abandons her legal studies to pursue writing, she turns to her older brother Gus for help. But, when she is drawn into a mystery regarding the murder of her favorite author, it is her older brother Gus who is implicated as a killer! A plethora of literary twists and turns follows as the characters try to save each other without collapsing the labyrinth of story.

This was a fun and mysterious read that will keep mystery fans on the edge of their seat! It is also great for fans of meta-fiction and those who enjoy unraveling a complicated story.

I’ll be completely honest, I almost DNFed this. I was a little bored in the beginning. Somewhere along the way things picked up a little and I kept going. I think it was enjoyable from that point on and rank it at three stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy. I am sad to say that I didn't finish this book. After 30 percent, I decided that it wasn't for me. I liked the story just fine, but I didn't gel with the writing style. I couldn't get into it. This is my first dnf for a book that I have received from NetGalley and I feel a little bad that I couldn't finish it.

Loved this original mystery by Gentill that delves into the literary world where an author is befriended by another author who dies mysteriously. Will be recommending to others.

Theodosia says goodbye to her career plans to become a lawyer and shows up on her brother doorstep to finish a never she was writing. Then her mentor a highly acclaimed author is murdered and Theo sets out to find the killer. Theos own brother is being looked at as a suspect. Theo goes over and above to protect her brother and her brother sets out to follow leads to free himself which leads to destruction and intrigue. I found this story to be new and fresh not a redone story. I appreciated the relationship with the siblings and how they did what they did to uncover the truth and support each other.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Mystery Writer.

I've read two of the author's previous books before so I had a good feeling The Mystery Writer was going to be full of twists and turns.

I should have read the premise more carefully because this was chock full of unbelievable and hard to suspend disbelief scenarios.

If you're in conspiracy theories, this is the book for you.

The first half of the book had great potential; a writer young Theo Benton has befriended is found dead. As she delves into his past in hopes of finding his killer, she realizes how little she knew about him. What was he hiding?

Then, the second half took a turn for the worst.

It became too silly and too wild and ridiculous to be believed. I know conspiracy theories and theorists are now a part of our modern life, but what the author crafted was just...no, sorry, it was too absurd.

Or maybe that was the author's intent. Conspiracy theories are absurd, until they're real.

The only thing I liked was the relationship between Theo and Gus. High five for supportive sibs everywhere!

I noticed in the last quarter of the book there were a lot of typos, grammatical errors, and paragraphs missing or didn't belong on the page.

It was like I had skipped a page ahead; one minute I was reading about Mac and Gus, and the next line with no paragraph break it was Theo's POV.

I hope this gets corrected in the final version before pub.

The writing was good, but the conspiracy stuff was too much; it became tedious, repetitive, and redundant.

Also, Theo and Gus' parents are hippies, and Mac's parents are Doomsday preppers, two extreme factions on either end of the political spectrum.

It made me wonder if the author had a not so subtle political agenda of their own they were weaving into the narrative. At least, it began to read that way to me.

I enjoyed the first half of the narrative, but then it went so far down the rabbit hole I refused to follow.

This is the third murder-mystery book by Sulari Gentill (After she wrote him, The woman in the library) that is set around authors, readers and libraries, and packed with intrigue.
Theodosia Benton arrives unexpectedly at her brother Gus's doorstep after abandoning her law studies in Australia to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. In Lawrence, her new small hometown in Kansas, she meets the famous author Dan Murdoch at a local coffee shop, where they become quick friends and bond over their shared passion for writing. After finishing her novel, Theo turns to Dan for help in approaching his prestigious Day Delos agency, but he surprises her by dismissing the agency as unsuitable for a writer of her caliber. This unsupportive response deals a significant blow to Theo's aspirations.
To patch things over, Theo and Gus stop by Dan’s house for a dinner invitation. They are welcomed by an open door, a slippery floor, and the lifeless body of her beloved author… and the intricate plot with lots of twists and turns begins. As more people die, and every victim has a connection to Theo, the police keep looking at her as a suspect instead of protecting her. Theo grapples with the unraveling mystery with the help of her lawyer brother Gus and his close investigator friend Mac Etheridge. Theo’s dream of pursuing a writing career has unwittingly dragged her and her loved ones into treacherous territory: Dan Murdoch’s zealous fans, a nosy young journalist ready to expose Theo’s secrets, a cadre of eccentric doomsday conspiracy theorists lurking in the shadows, and a perilous web of powerful and dangerous individuals. 
This is a masterfully executed, multi-layered narrative with a unique concept that grips you from the start. While the pacing slows down slightly in the last third of the story, it adds depth and drama to the narrative. The final chapter picks up the pace and delivers a brilliant conclusion.
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a free advanced copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the beginning; we learn a good amount about Theo and her relationship with her brother , but it is not until D's murder that the plot gains momentum. From here, we are introduced to more characters, like the Mac and his Prepper family members ugh lol !

It is near the end of the book where things begin to fall apart. Much like the conspiracy theories implied throughout the novel, holes start to get poked in the storyline and everything goes haywire, leading to an over-the-top and cluttered last section of the book.
Overall, this is a fun read with an original plot has alright characters

The Mystery Writer begins Theodosia Benton quitting school and showing up in Kansas at her brother’s home. It had been years since he had seen his sister. Theo finally explains to him that she has left law school and is writing a book. Gus provides her a place to live, and she finds a local café to write. It is her that she meets a fellow writer. He begins to mentor her. She completes her novel and gives it to him in hopes of him sending her on the right track to a publisher. The following day she finds him murdered and no signs of who did it or where her novel is. Theo soon becomes a suspect and when bodies start showing up around her all signs point to her and her brother.
Sulari Gentill creates a great story with well-developed characters and lots of plots and twist. At times the conspiracy emails were difficult to determine their reasons or use but it slowly comes around. I felt the ending was rushed and the time jump from the arrest to the trip to see their parents to Dallas provided a few moments of questioning how we got her but overall, it was a great read and one more conspiracy theory to wonder about.
Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Sulari Gentill for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I liked this book and really found the idea it is based on to be thought provoking. Lots of action takes place in a coffee shop, so you’ve got to love it!

Given the times we live in, the use of conspiracy theories and the lengths some of the followers go to, is especially interesting. I felt the story jumped around a bit and I lost interest. Once the story takes off and the author pulls everything together, it was a great read.

Sulari Gentill again uses a writer as her main character to explore what writing means but from yet another perspective. We are quickly pulled into the narrative which takes us on a remarkable journey with many twists and turns.

If Theo knew what awaited her in Kansas,she might have thought twice about abandoning university in Australia. But she doesn’t know what’s coming and she’s decided she does not want to be a lawyer but wants to write books. With no warning, she shows up on her older brother Gus’ doorstep. Not only is he thrilled to see her, but he also supports the fact that she wants to follow her passion. What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a bit actually. Theo meets a successful writer Dan. He not only encourages her, but they also become close, and she thinks she might be falling in love. She is shocked when she finds him dead, and it wasn’t a natural death. He was murdered, and the police seems to believe Theo killed him.
If you think, that’s the worst thing, that will happen to Theo, well buckle up, because the twist and turns just keep coming. Soon, her brother has lost everything, and his best friend Mac is in the line of fire too.
Theo has a short window to try and save Gus and Mac, but will these two leave Theo in the past, or will their desperate search, make them all targets once again.
Quite different than The Woman in the Library. Theo’s naivette had me rolling my eyes more than once. I can’t say more because of spoilers, but I never guessed where the story would go. The best way I can describe it is to say the plot was Cray Cray.