Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.

I was excited to get an advanced copy of The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill. I really enjoyed The Woman in the Library, and this had the promise of more of that. It certainly met my expectations. Murder, mystery, a shadowy corporation, and conspiracy theories, oh my! I could read a whole book just about the QAnon-type group. In fact, I felt like there was enough there for a sequel or at least, another book in this universe. While this is fiction, it is not hard to believe in a near future where agencies control every aspect of their clients lives in exchange for fame and fortune. Even now, we can't be sure celebrity social media posts aren't crafted by publicists. At least not the ones that are carefully done. I could say more, but I don't want to give anything big away. Check this out if you like reading about writers, like a mystery, and/or enjoy a good conspiracy theory!

Bonus points for Horse. Love a good boy, and Horse is one of the best!

This was a fantastic read. I didn't know how many different directions it was going to take and that was pleasantly surprising. The cast of supporting characters were interesting and fleshed out. It was a cast with a lot of variety and things were interwoven well. My only critique is that the timeline jumps quite a bit at one point. The story is still cohesive and satisfying, but that threw me for a bit. I love a mystery and this book did not disappoint. I read it fairly quickly as I wanted to know what was going to happen next. If you are considering giving this book a look, do it and do it quickly!

This interesting and intriguing book is about mystery novels and their authors. When Theodosia Benton abandons her journey as an attorney and end up on her brothers doorstep with an unfinished novel she faces some challenges. Will her brother support her dream of being a writer or will he send her back to school?

When she stays with her attorney brother and finds a writing mentor who later gets murdered, her brother becomes a suspect.

Welcome to a twisted story of murder, conspiracy theories, missing persons, and a trail to follow to the truth

The cover of this book is truly great. It immediately caught my attention and piqued my curiosity. The design is captivating and perfectly complements the overall theme of the book.

One aspect that I particularly enjoyed about this book is the mystery it presents. The story is filled with intriguing elements that kept me engaged and wanting to uncover the truth behind them. It added an exciting layer to the narrative and made it a compelling read.

However, I must admit that at times, the story became a bit confusing. There were moments when I found myself struggling to fully grasp certain plot points or understand the motivations of some characters. This occasionally hindered my reading experience and made it harder for me to fully immerse myself in the story.

Nevertheless, despite these moments of confusion, I still found the book enjoyable overall. The captivating cover and the intriguing mystery within its pages make it worth picking up. While there may be some confusing aspects, they do not overshadow the positive aspects of the story.

In conclusion, this book has a great cover and offers an enticing mystery. Although there are moments of confusion throughout the story, it remains an enjoyable read that will keep readers engaged until the end.

This book was very good!! I really liked everything about this book! Can’t wait for release so I can tell all my friends to read it!! So good! Good job!!

I was given the opportunity by Netgally and Poisoned Press to read this ARC before it was published. Thank you for this opportunity! I loved how the story began. I really felt as if the story captivated me, the pages flowed easily, and I was really enjoying it. Theo was a great character, her relationship with Dan was blossoming into something beautiful until his murder. After his murder the story got a little choppy and confusing for me. There were parts where I said to myself, “did I just miss something?”. As I was reading, I felt that the flow of the story was not as good as it started off. I hate spoilers so I won’t go into details. I do like how it wrapped up in the end. Most of the confusion on my part started to clear and fit together. I just felt the middle of the story was dragged out at certain parts and confusing. My official rating is 3⭐️.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of The Mystery Writer by Subaru Gentill. I love books about books and writing, especially when the writer is both the detective and the suspect!

Theodosia quits her job as a lawyer to become a mystery writer. She shows up at her estranged brother’s house hoping to be taken in. Her life takes a turn when her mentor is killed and Gus along with Theo are suspects. As she is trying to solve the mystery, she gets help from her family

It was hard to put Mystery Writer down. It is such a wonderful combination of crazy characters, current problems, sympathetic protagonists and evil yet unknown villains. And it has a great dog, who doesn’t get killed! The interweaving of the chatroom from the conspiracy group with the main story felt like someone was watching over your shoulder. The way Theo went about composing her books made her feel like a real writer. The best character was Mac Etheridge and his paranoid survivalist family which acted as deus ex machina throughout the story. This book will be easy to recommend to mystery readers who like humor with their thrills. I think Thursday Murder Club readers will appreciate the survivalist family.

Okay I feel conflicted giving this review. It did take a while for me to fully get into the book, it was quite a slow burn. The characters were interesting and likeable and the storyline was good. I felt the book really hooked me in around the middle and kept me questioning everything until the end. The idea behind the book is so magnificent and really makes you think if this could actually happen today? I rounded up my review as it deserves more than 3 stars but not quite 4. So..
4 out of 5 stars for me

Sadly this is a DNF for me. I tried a few times but it referenced too recent of political events I wasn’t ready for. Which just isn’t my cup of tea- I like mysteries that exist in a different kind of timeline. The recent events wasn’t mentioned in the blurb or else it wouldn’t have been a pick from me.

I think if you enjoy books feeling like they are happening right now then this is up your alley.

I think the last 20% was the most interesting out of the entire book and where I see that the title comes from but the rest was rough to get through. There were sections of conspiracy theorist postings that didn't really make any sense to me or the small sections of Caleb because you weren't really given any context of who he was until halfway through the book and even then I feel like it really didn't add anything to the book. After everything started happening to Theo, it was just one thing after another on a loop and then out of nowhere she disappears for years. It just felt odd and didn't really flow very well.

The Mystery Writer follows Theo, who decides to drop out of law school to pursue being a writer. She coincidentally finds a bestselling author, Dan, in the coffee shop she frequents in a small town where her brother lives. After spending some time together, she ends up finding him dead in his home. Everything in her life and those around her starts to fall apart as people are looking at Theo for the death of Dan to the point where she ends up finding herself in real trouble forcing her to make some difficult decisions.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

If murder, conspiracy theories and doomsday prepping undertones are your thing, this book is for you. As a KU grad and someone who visits Lawrence often, the author is spot on with the references and capturing the feel of the town. Im excited to see what’s next for Theo, Gus and Mac.

What a cozy read. This one was easy going, unlike most mysterious thrillers. The characters were well written and quite realistic, down to the protective and caring nature that’s only seen between siblings.

It’s not that typical whodunit. The flow and pacing either moved too fast, or slow in the beginning, though the plot was well explained and the ending left no loose ends, but fell short for me. I think it needed a little more umph for the amount of building up was done.

Between prepping and conspiracy theorys, the story does truly keep your attention. Great read to those new to the genre!


Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Sourcebooks Inc., and Sulari Gentill for the eArc!

Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press, for the advance reading copy.

Some general tips if you are planning to pick up this book when it comes out:

1. You will like this book if you’re looking for a cosy mystery thriller kind of read involving authors and writers.

2. You will like the book more if you are NOT looking for stressful hardcore fast paced thrillers.

3. Yes, you will love the book if you love reading about realistic lovely adult siblings being protective of each other.

Well, if you have checked all these three things please do pick up this book. The plot is explained well. But do not expect a killer gasp-out-loud twist towards the end. But you will really appreciate the explanation provided. The story has a good closure and well developed characters. Even the side characters are well fletched out.

The writing is slow to start with but it picks up towards the second half.

Just finished reading the new "Sulari Gentill" book called "The Mystery Writer".
Her book is adult fiction.
A young girl named Theodonides (Theo) leaves her home in Australia and shows up at her brother's house in the United States.
She has decided to quit law school and become a writer instead.
She spends most day,at a cafe writing and meets a fellow writer named Dan.
One day Dan doesn't show up at the cafe,Theo finds his body.
The story then takes a difficult route, with more dead bodies found and Theo blamed for all of it.
From the moment I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
Ms Gentill definitely knows how to tell a story and keep the reader captivated.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and could NOT put it down, finishing it much faster than I usually would have. It isn't a traditional, clear-cut whodunnit and goes a little gonzo, but you know what? Even if I didn't love where it went, I applaud and appreciate reading something different!

Couldn’t put this one down! I stayed up way too late reading and it was worth every second. 5 stars! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A book where the main character stops here study at university to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. In the process she befriends a bestselling author, who becomes like a mentor to her. Then suddenly this mentor gets killed, and the police thinks our main character has an important role in this murder. Together with her brother she tries to solve the mystery before she gets sued for the murder.

This description is exactly what you get, and more… And that is exactly why I could not give the book a five star rating. The first 70% of the book was about the solving of the murder. It really focused on this aspect. Where there many different crazy little things that had somehow a part in the story? Yes. But it was still a fun part of the story to read. It really sucked you in as a reader because of all the things that could be found out about the characters.

But, then came the last 30% of the story, and suddenly there was a disappearance, three years passed in a few pages, and the story became kinda crazy. I won’t say more because it would totally spoiler it. But it a;; just became a bit too much, and yet, also a bit predictable.

In the end it was still a fun story with versatile characters and a fun storyline, it was all just a bit much. In the end I rated it 3.75 stars, rounded up to four stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill that will be released on March 19, 2024.

A tagline for this book is "There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory - until it turns out to be true." Our main character Theo comes to America from Australia to visit and stay with her brother Gus. She has left law school to become a writer which turns out to be her true passion. During her stay she picks a bar/cafe to go every day and write, and there she meets another writer that literally changes her life. (Not in a good way) If you as a reader, who appreciates a story involving preppers, conspiracy theories, writers, mystery and suspense with a little bit of small-town life and romance thrown in, then this is the book for you.

My interest while reading this book ebbed and flowed. At times I was incredibly invested in the story and other parts seemed confusing and/or too rushed, but also slow if that's possible. I loved all three main characters (Theo, Gus, and Mac) and was definitely invested in what would happen to them. The plot and climax at the end of the story was not strong enough for me after reading all the led up. On the other hand, I did still enjoy the book and would recommend to thriller, mystery/suspense readers. I gave this book a solid 3.5 star. The Mystery Writer will be released in March of next year.

The Woman in the Library was one of my top three books last year and The Mystery Writer has officially cemented Gentill as a must read author for me. Her plots are inventive and gripping without ever crossing the line into unbelievable or ridiculous, and she’s one of the few mystery writers who crafts fully developed characters and is truly gifted with words.