Theo is an aspiring author who is taking a break from her schooling to become a lawyer in order to pursue her dream. Her brother, Gus offers her a place to stay in Lawrence, Kansas and she soon finds herself a regular at the café/bar, Benders where she works away at her writing.

She makes some new friends at Benders, one in particular is a man she finds out to be famous author, Dan Murdoch. When her new friend is found brutally murdered, however, her life becomes a whirlwind of chaos and conspiracy theories.

I had the please of reading an ARC of this book. I've really come to enjoy Gentill's storytelling. I find she has a way to not give away the twists in her books.

I didn't want to put this one down. I felt like the story was like a runaway train, continually picking up speed. I dont know if I could have predicted where the story actually ends up.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen for the opportunity to read The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill.

Wow.

What a roller coaster ride this is!!

And the ending? I had to read it a second time just to be sure . . .

After leaving her Australian university, Theo shows up unannounced at her brother Gus’ home in Kansas with the intention of writing a novel. While working on the novel at a local cafe, Theo meets Dan who is a famous writer that follows online conspiracy theories for inspiration and they become friends. As their friendship starts to become romantic, Dan doesn’t show up at their usual meeting place. Theo goes to his house and finds that Dan has been murdered. As the police question her, Theo realizes just how little she knows about Dan and what he was working on.

I enjoyed The Woman in the Library so I was glad to see the author has another book coming out. This one read more like a cozy mystery to me than the author’s previous novel. The story has likable characters and seems to leave room for a sequel. Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory?! WKWWK

Thank you @netgalley @poisonedpenpress for an advance digital copy.

Much like the woman in the library, this just was not the book I thought it was going to be. That isn't good or bad, but it is notable. There is a Grisham-esqe turn that was a touch excessive, but it was a fun enough read that I didn't really mind.

Oh, man . . . I'm torn on this one. Let me start by saying that I read and loved Gentill's last novel (The Woman in the Library ) and this book looks like exactly the type of book I'd love. I have to say that there are lots of things here that did work for me.

The premise is very intriguing: a law school drop out from Australia joins her attorney brother in the US where he has recently bought into a practice. She decides what she really wants to do is write and, hence, starts spending her days at a local cafe/bar where she can write her novel. But complications ensue when she starts a relationship with an older man and writer who ends up murdered. And things get increasingly chaotic from there.

I liked the first 1/2 of this novel and then started to question my experience in the second 1/2. Part of my response might have been related to genre--I wasn't sure what this was supposed to be--and there seemed to be a whole lot happening by the end. I enjoyed the dive into how conspiracy stories take off and how they are related so intricately to story telling; I also questioned how much was satire--I loved the line about poets making good assassins. 😁 But while I saw the narrative reveal coming, I felt very removed from the action by the time the story got there.

Bottom line: lots of readers are really enjoying this one so I seem to be in the minority. If you like Gentill, give this one a try. I'll be waiting for the next novel and hoping I get back to the magic I felt in The Woman in the Library .

I liked this book. It was a murder mystery whodunit with a conspiracy theory thrown in. The action just kept going and I Loved Theo and her brother. Great thriller!

I was looking forward to this book as it sounded like a gripping storyline. It was very good at the start and then just went downhill. Too confusing, too jumpy in timelines and because of that I DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 🌟 rounded down

I really struggled on whether or not to give this a 3 or 4 stars. Ultimately, I decided 3 would be better, only because at times I was a bit underwhelmed and it was a bit confusing at times. It was still a great read. Murder and mystery without the gore.

Here's the synopsis of the books publishers:

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer?

What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which 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. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die.

USA Today bestselling author Sulari Gentill takes readers on a rollercoaster ride in The Mystery Writer, a literary thriller that turns the world of books and authors upside down and where a writer's voice is a thing to be controlled and weaponized, to the peril of everyone who loves a good story.

This book is an absolute whirlwind in the best way possible, an ominous, underlying mystery that gradually evolves into a careening, fast-paced thriller. Gentill is great at laying out all the sinister characters but leaving it up in the air who is responsible for each element of the crime, a quality I also adored about The Woman in the Library.

I don't know if there is such a thing as a cozy thriller, but, if so, this book is a masterclass of the genre. Like, yes, multiple people get murdered, but the investigations take them to charming local bars and the protagonist copes with the trauma by reading, ordering takeout, and wearing comfortable socks. If you like your comforting reads to come with a small (or, probably more accurately, a moderate) amount of violence then you should definitely give this one a try!

Holy doomsday preppers!! What a book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder,a few great who done it, a bunch of doomsday preppers, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me

I like bed The Woman in the Library but The Mystery Writer felt like it was half-education Australian stereotypes and half-diving into conspiracy theorists stereotypes. The first half of the book had potential, but the second half was a full-on mess with time feeling like it was sped up 5x and things just being thrown at the reader.

This is the story of Theo Benton, law student who abandons it all to move in with her brother and become an author. She meets a fellow author who becomes her mentor and introduces her to the world of agents and publishers. From there, the story completely blows up. Murders, crimes, conspiracy theories are all connected to create a perfectly weaved web of mystery. Everything comes together at the end in the most unexpected and mind blowing way.

This book was filled with information and details but it was presented in a way that it was easy to follow while still getting that “ah ha” moment when your mind starts to connect the dots.

Crime, mystery, conspiracy theories and a little smudge of romance made this book completely addicting.

Add this one to your TBR!

Publication date : March 19th 2024

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of yet another wonderful stand alone mystery by Sulari Gentill.
Is there anything Sulari cannot do? She has a full series of historical fiction mysteries that are well researched, fun, and true to their times. Last year she wrote The Woman in the Library, an immediate best seller. She has the imagination of an Agatha Christie and the guts of Ruth Rendall. As I was about two-thirds through the book, I thought she could do John Grisham proud. Both shine a light on the greed and manipulations involved to keep something worth millions of dollars going.
Literally, the book is about Theo Benton, a young Australian, dropping out of law school and running to her older brother in Lawrence Kansas. She doesn't tell her parents who are the epitome of again hippies as they would give her no support one way or the other.
He brother, Gus, takes her in happily and since Theo wants to be a writer, she has soon set herself up living at Gus' home and writing in a nearby coffee shop. There she makes the acquaintance of another writer, Dan, a best selling author, who guides and teaches her. They become close friends.
Then the author is killed. The police suspect Theo or her brother or both. Then the author's gardener is killed. Theo and Gus move to Gus's friend's, Mac's, house to hide out. But she is found by a reporter who is going to get her story.
At this point, there are so many interesting characters involved: Mac's family who are living on a well protected farm awaiting the inevitable end of days, the staff at the café, the agent who represented Dan and now wants to represent Theo, and a wonderful slobbery dog.
Theo has no one to turn to. She has made no friends, other than Dan. As she realises that Gus is spending more and more time on her case, and his 'real' work is suffering as a consequence, she is not only afraid but full of guilt that because of her landing on his doorstep uninvited, his life is being turned upside down.
This book is so well written and though you know who the "culprit" is long before the end, you have no idea how it will end and that keeps you reading. I read this book in two days, lost a whole night's sleep. It is a winner.
I've certainly joined the Sulari Gentill BookClub.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Theo drops out of law school in Australia and turns up on her brother Gus' doorstep in Kansas, where she proceeds to write a novel. She is encouraged in this by Dan, who turns out to be a famous (but private) author himself. Then Dan is murdered and Theo becomes a suspect.

I was quite enjoying this for the first two-thirds: Gus' dog Horse was an attractive character, and then there was the entire extended family of Mac, Gus' PI, who were preppers and conspiracy theorists and gun nuts. However, the last section jumps forward a couple of years, which completely destroyed the tension of the plot, and was so utterly unbelievable that I lost patience.

Disappointing.

This book was phenomenal! in the beginning of the book I was a bit confused and not sure what was going on. About 25% in I became hooked and I couldn’t read it fast enough. There are so many thrillers these days, even ones that include authors. So I was also excited that this premise was unique and kept me guessing. By far the best book I’ve read by Gentill so far!

I was very excited to read this book. It caught my attention right away. I really liked how the book started because it wonder what was going on and kept me wondering. As the story progressed, it moved along quite nicely. It gave just the right amount of suspense needed to keep the reader hooked. This book surprised me with wondering who the villain might be.

When I was about 1/2 way - 3/4 of the way through, I started to get a little confused. It took quite a jump and it caught me off guard. I even re-read some parts to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I honestly enjoyed this book up until the last quarter because of the setting changes.

I think those who like lots of twists would really enjoy this book.

A fun mystery with murder, conspiracy theories, a secret publishing company, and a strong protagonist.
Theo has dropped out of school and plans to write a novel. She shows up at her brother's house, hoping he will house her and he does. She meets a fellow writer, makes a connection wiht him, and then tragedy strikes. It sets off a string of murders that all tie back to Theo. She realizes she is ruining everyone's lives and putting her brother in danger. Her only recourse is to go into hiding. Her brother has no idea where she is and is convinced she is dead. Can Gus and his employee /friend find Theo?

Within this book, you’ll find a publishing house full of mysteries and conspiracies!

I was really looking forward to this book, but felt underwhelmed. Overall, this book was not what I was expecting and would need to re-read or re-assess in the future based on my reading tastes.

Theo decides she doesn't want to be an attorney and returns home to her brother, Gus, to pursue a career in writing instead - after all, she already has a novel started. But then her mentor, a successful author, is murdered and of course Theo wants justice - but then she learns that her brother is a suspect in the case. Naturally, Theo wants to protect Gus; she then discovers that the author has left a trail of clues in the form of a story. But to solve the murder, Theo and Gus realize there is something much larger at hand. This book was really great because you never really knew what to expect or where things were headed, and I always prefer my mystery reads to not be predictable or formulaic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

Who has done it? Who committed it? What the .... about that ending? Yup, it was a great book and I'm reading it over and over because that twisted ending really "killed" me. Love it all! Make sure you grab this when it's released, it really messes with you throughout.

10/10