Intriguing mystery about how our personal stories can ensnare us in lies and deception whether on social media or in our family. I loved the story within a story format that the author uses to help increase the suspense. It can be a bit confusing but I dive in with a sense of humor and intrigue. Theo comes to live with her brother Gus in Lawrence, KS. They grew up in Australia but went to different high schools and colleges. Theo drops out of law school to become a writer. She meets Dan and falls for his charm and passion for writing. When she finds his dead body, all hell breaks loose for her and her brother. The author’s fans have a conspiracy theory about him and now Theo is their target. She must come up with a plan to avoid the killer and protect her brother. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this riveting book!

I found this book really intriguing. It’s been a while since I’ve read a mystery novel but I do have to say I feel proud of myself of still knowing how it was going to end pretty early on.

Theo leaves law school to become a writer and flees to her brother, Gus’, place. Theo meets Dan, an acclaimed author, who she slowly falls in love with after writing together. Unfortunately, this murder mystery starts with Dan. Theo, Gus, and their PI friend, Mac, work together to find out as much information as they can. Several plot twists and some pretty out there things occur that tie a lot together.

I think some of the jumps towards the end of the book could have been explained a little better but I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. There were also some loose ends that I dont’t think were really covered, but that’s ok. Overall, I think this was a good story and it helped me get back into the world of mysteries. It sounds like there could also be a sequel to this book which could be pretty cool.

I received an eARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Rating 2.5

I enjoyed The Woman in the Library so I was excited to pick up this one from the same author. It started well but then it got too complicated. I felt like I was reading an action movie script... with incredible plots of "assassins" and power. I'm very curious about what other people think... I finished it because I didn't have anything else to do otherwise I would have DNF it unfortunately.

The mystery and writing were excellent, but I was a bit confused throughout most of the book. This is one that I will need to come and re-read at a later time and give another try.

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

I heard really great things about Gentill’s precious books, so when I saw this one I knew I needed to read it. It’s not per se that this book was bad, I just wasn’t compelled to read it and struggled to pick it up. I wasn’t invested in the characters and didn’t care to find out what happened. This one very much gave me the same vibes as Yellowface which unfortunately I found a let down as well.

The ending was very unbelievable and just a lot. Here’s to hoping others enjoyed it more than me!

Thank you to Netgalley & Poison Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. I do enjoy and appreciate all the books I have the opportunity to read, even if they aren’t for me!

I enjoyed this book at first, but halfway through, I got tired of all the conspiracies and all the back and forth. I did like the story overall. I would try this author again.

This enticing, clever mystery has multiple twists and turns that never cease. It is a difficult to put down because of the fast and compelling plot.

Theodosia Benton is arduously working on a novel, her first, and slowly becomes friends with Dan, a well-known, respected, mysterious author. Then the relationship becomes more than just a friendship. When Dan is found murdered, Theo's brother, Gus, a well-known, successful lawyer, is accused of Dan's death, and confusion reigns. The years go by, and questions dominate the book.

Gentill's writing is skillful and her plot making is brilliant. The secrets of every character add suspense and accusations that persist until the very end of the book. Mystery readers everywhere will love this book.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

I have never read a book by this author before so I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved this murder mystery entered on books, writing and publishing. It gave me vibes of Yellowface at times just from the publishing perspective, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would like t thank Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I read Sulari Gentill's last book , The Woman in the Library last year. It was a book with in a book, a twisty, convoluted tricky to follow thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was looking forward to reading this book. It was also a book about the writing of a book, a twisty , convoluted tricky thriller.I did not like it near as much.I wanted to, I really did. The characters were not as compelling, and the story lines were not just twisty, but knotted. It is the story of Theodosia Benton, known as Theo, who leaves law school in Australia and moves in with her brother in Lawrence Kansas.Theo wants to write and is working in a book. She meets a famously reclusive writer and shares her manuscript.They begin a relationship, and then he is murdered.Suddenly Theo's world is turned upside down. Her life, and her brother's is threatened.I do not want to give any spoilers, ( and quite frankly I do not know if I can unravel the plot sufficiently).There are a lots of characters, and subplots ,conspiracy theories. and doomsday preppers. It is a lot to read and understand. There are some good parts, and some interesting twists, but I am left feeling not excited, or caught up, but exhausted from to understand it all.

conspiracy, thriller, mystery, mystery-writer, suspense, justice, siblings, false-information, falsely-accused, family-dynamics, riveting, extremists, murder****

Theo dropped out of college and moved away and to live with her older brother and met up with an established writer who mentored her. When her mentor is murdered, the police take a serious interest in her brother and she begins her search for justice.
I came for this author and stayed through the unusual action. I still like the Rowland Sinclair series best, but this writer could do a dictionary and make it a good read!
I requested and received an EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This being my second time reading a book by Sulari Gentill, I wasn’t certain if her creativity would shine through as clearly as it had in her previous effort. I needn’t have worried. She is brilliant at the turn of phrase. Her interest in writing about writers and the writing process itself is fascinating. I like that she doesn’t describe her characters in detail. She mentions this in a conversation early in the book where the main character asserts, “it allows the readers to find themselves in your characters and perhaps to recognize their own bias.” Indeed, Ms. Gentill’s book revealed my own bias as I assumed each of the characters was just like me. But stopping from time to time to imagine the characters as very different than me made the reading experience that much richer.

The dynamics of the different relationships that occur throughout the book--not to mention the twists and turns of the plot were enjoyable. This author is an expert in crafting a story to keep your interest and keep you guessing. Her books are the kind that make you want the story to continue after its conclusion.

I received a copy of The Mystery Writer, by Sulari Gentill by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Gentill's previous book, and was beyond excited to receive the ARC for The Mystery Writer. Unfortunately for me, The Mystery Writer was not as enjoyable as The Woman in the Library. While I found Theo a very likable character, the multiple conspiracy theory lines (Mac's paranoid family, the publishing company) was just so off-putting. I was compelled to finish the book to figure out how all the loose ends wove together, but it took quite a while to get there. I will still look forward to Gentill's next book, as I find her to be a fantastic mystery writer.

I adored The Woman in the Library and couldn't wait to read this next book by Sulari Gentill. While I enjoyed the book, and still found this author to offer a refreshing take on murder mysteries, this one wasn't quite as strong.

All the aspects I loved about the book are hard to talk about without too many spoilers, but readers can look forward to:
* Twists that do keep you guessing even when you are sure you put the pieces together.
* A unique look at the world of conspiracy theorists and the ways that conspiracies tend to catalyze around something that may actually be true.
* The same "meta" feel you got from Gentill's previous works, mysteries that feature writers (sometimes even writers of mysteries) is a pretty solid bit...after all, "Murder She Wrote" is a classic for a reason!
* An author that 100% trusts the reader to jump in, keep up and come along for the ride. No lengthy exposition to fill in the gaps, no lingering backstories, just a narrative that unfolds organically with details filing in as they would in real life.

The reasons this one wasn't another five-star read are 100% nit-picky, but here they are:
* Completely blank slate of a main character, to the point that the reader sometimes wonders how she gets herself dressed each day. I get that this is a narrative tool, Theo is the foil for us all to see the story, but it is hard to swallow her as a brilliant young writer.
*Other characters are slightly tropey/archetypical as well. Nothing egregious, but after the clever world and character building of The Woman in the Library, this felt a bit underwhelming.
* Rushed ending with the book's only real exposition occurring to fill in some plot/conspiracy holes. For how well the rest of the book was written, the ending felt a bit like "here is an info dump of things you would never have ever been able to know...doesn't that wrap it all up so nicely?" I mean, it did, but not with the grace I expected.

Overall, still a great mystery and a clever format for a mystery novel, but I went in with very high expectations and some of it missed the mark for me.

When Theodosia Benton shows up at her brother's doorstep after leaving law school, she never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world where identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. But the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo seeks to protect him. But the writer has left a trail in the form of a story. Gus finds the trail and attempts to follow it to protect his sister and everyone looking for her.

I was introduced to this author with her book The Woman in the Library and was hooked. When NetGalley and the publisher offered this book, I immediately requested it. I was sucked into the story from page 1 just as I was with her other book I read. She is a marvelous writer whose mysteries keep you guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering this book and granting my request. Now, I have another author to follow! I highly recommend.

Just like her previous book, Inreally enjoyed The Mystery Writer. The ending felt a bit rushed hence the 4 stars but overall it was a captivating story with likable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

I really enjoyed The Woman in the Library so jumped at the chance to read The Mystery Writer by the same author. The story began strong and was very engaging. I really enjoyed the mystery and the main characters. Unfortunately, everything seemed to unravel at the end. It felt a bit rushed and was not as well written as the first part of the book. It wasn’t awful, just not as good as The Woman in the Library. I will definitely read more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#mysterywriter #NetGalley

This kept me on the edge of my seat!! I was absolutely hooked and couldn't put this down. I loved this so much!! I will so be buying more from Sulari Gentill. I loved this!!
I just reviewed The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill. #mysterywriter #NetGalley
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Following the many different threads and possibilities in this book kept me on my toes most of the way through. However, at the very end, all those threads seem to get jumbled up, tied up in knots, and hard to pull apart in order to discern what was really happening. I felt as though the ending and all the explanations were thrown at me in rapid succession, and I had a difficult time pulling them apart and understanding each one. I’ve read this author before and really enjoyed her books and I enjoyed the beginning of this one, so I will be generous in rounding my 3 1/2 stars up to 4. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for dark academia so this story was right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.

I loved The Woman in the Library and was really excited to receive an ARC of this novel. I liked the story—the plot was gripping and the characters were likable—until I got to the ending. Then it sort of got a bit…silly for me. I think that the author had a great plan and the ending was very easy to understand the underlying theme of the narrative…but for me, it was a little bit of a letdown.

Overall, it was still a great read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC edition of this novel. Opinions are my own.