The Author's Guide to Murder* is a delightfully twisted concoction of murder, mystery, and satire, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Castle Kinloch, a remote and gothic estate in the Scottish Highlands. Written by the powerhouse trio of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, this novel offers a perfect blend of dark humor, literary intrigue, and a classic whodunit.

The story kicks off with the sensational murder of Brett Saffron Presley, a literary superstar whose flamboyant lifestyle is as notorious as his bestsellers. Found dead under mysterious circumstances in his castle tower’s book-lined study, Presley's demise sends shockwaves through the castle’s guests—many of whom are there precisely because of his larger-than-life persona. Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, a local with little patience for pretentious American authors, is tasked with unraveling the truth.

The prime suspects? Three American lady novelists who couldn’t be more different from one another: Kat de Noir, the sultry author of erotica; Cassie Pringle, a harried Southern mom who churns out cozy mysteries while raising six kids; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood known for her critically acclaimed historical fiction. While the three claim to be best friends working on a collaborative book project, their stories about how they know the victim don’t quite match up, leading McIntosh to suspect that more than one of them might have had a motive for murder.

The novel excels as a locked-room mystery, keeping readers guessing as McIntosh methodically peels back the layers of deceit surrounding Presley’s death. But it’s not just the mystery that makes this book stand out. The authors deftly weave in satire about the literary world, poking fun at everything from genre snobbery to the sometimes absurd dynamics of the publishing industry.

At the same time, *The Author’s Guide to Murder* explores themes of unexpected friendship and the complex relationships between women who, on the surface, seem to have little in common. The chemistry between Kat, Cassie, and Emma is electric, and their banter provides much-needed comic relief amidst the tension of the murder investigation.

Williams, Willig, and White bring their unique voices and strengths to the novel, creating a seamless narrative that balances the darker elements of the mystery with sharp wit and genuine warmth. The result is a novel that is as much about the power of friendship and the unexpected turns life can take as it is about solving a murder.

For fans of classic mysteries, literary satire, and stories about the bonds between women, *The Author’s Guide to Murder* is a must-read. It’s a crafty, clever, and thoroughly entertaining tale that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last.

Thank you to NetGalley. the publisher, and author for an advanced copy to review.

Nope. This book was slow and boring. Got annoyed by the stereotypical Scottish accents that were included. I've been to the Outer Hebrides, they don't actually speak that way. The characters got on my nerves and the book was just trying too hard.

There’s a lot…. I mean A LOT of historical references and Scottish terminology that slowed the pace of this book for me. The story of the three authors trying to revitalize their waning careers by collaborating together had so much promise. There are quite a few characters to keep track of and old folklore that is mixed with a present day murder. I want to say it was interesting but it left me feeling like there was too much being stuffed into each chapter. I was reminded that “less is more”.

I have always loved the idea that 3 authors get together and write a book. All the other books the 3 authors have written are some of the best books ever.
I can honestly say I didn’t care for the story or the format of this book.
Three struggling authors go to Scotland and lo and behold the owner of the castle ends up dead. Now who done it….
Thank you for the ARC of this book for my honest review.

As a fan of Beatriz Williams and the Williams, Willig, and White Collabs, I really wanted to enjoy this, but for me, it was a bit flat. The characters got on my nerves, and I struggled to get through it. While, I had my troubles, the story is still well written, and it's an easy read. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. This novel is a bit of a send up on cozy mysteries and romances. It is a fun read. Three authors are on a writer's retreat in Scotland under the ruse that they are "besties" writing a book together. In truth, they are there to exact revenge on an author who has wronged them all in different ways, but, unfortunately (?), is murdered in the castle. There are several side characters who add humor to the story as well.

I enjoy all of these authors on their own.
When they get together it is like fireworks!
This is a fun read and recommended for fans of the authors' individual books.

This was an entertaining story of three writers going to Scotland to stay in a castle and murder ensues. I enjoyed this cast of characters. Even though it’s about a murder and does have some serious subject matter I think it’s written in a light hearted manner so maybe more of a cozy murder story.

4.0

I hate making this comparison as much as you hate reading it, but this mystery is like a cliché cozy mystery and “Knives Out” had a baby..who had a Scottish brogue.

But isn’t Beatrice Williams a writer of historical fiction with strong women facing difficult times? Actually these are strong women facing difficult times as well, but not quite the same. I had seen that she wrote some books with co-authors, but assumed they were similar to her other books, which I think they were more or less. As far as I know, this is a complete departure. I am not familiar with Karen White or Lauren Willig and didn’t recognize their books, but they seem to be both prolific and successful.

This is a satire but, like I said a bit cozy. These three seemingly completely different women writing completely different genres come together as a somewhat cry for help to reignite their careers. Apparently that happens on a remote island in Scotland. Ironically I was also listening to the latest Jane Wonderly book at the same time which, you guessed it, takes place on a small remote island off of Scotland. I don’t know how I get these themes all the time.

The women are there to confront a man who, by all accounts, was evil and deranged and a complete S&M sex maniac. He rented a castle because it was the home of a lord who was similarly evil in 1900 and was murdered. It’s like the women who write letters and even marry serial killers in prison.

There are some convenient, repetitive, and unbelievable bits, but you have to love some of the characters. A lot. They have lots of layers. There is plenty to spoil if I was evil. But I’m not. If you go into this wanting a cozy mystery that does mention a lot of sex and some deranged people, but not really having sex scenes per se, this is a fun, unique mystery from three authors similarly coming together. They also met a convention and, by the looks of it, at some point, I am guessing they were seated alphabetically by last name. Otherwise, what are the odds all of their names start with W? Anyway, in this case, I don’t think it’s their careers needing a boost that spurred the writing book together, but the book is a bit of a satire on real life. A fun read!

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley, and publisher William Morrowfor providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️The Author’s Guide to Murder is a fun mystery set in Castle Kinloch, Scotland. Who doesn’t like a girl friendship story with minor romance and cozy murder mystery? Kat, Emma and Cassie are authors who are writing a book together. They are besties, met at a mystery convention, and decide that writing a novel together would be a great way to have a publisher pay for a girls trip, AKA book tour.

Publishers pay for your book tour??? Really?? I always assumed the authors paid themselves and the publisher just lined up the signings/readings.

Cute how this breaks the fourth wall (3 writers crowding a book written by 3 writers). I really liked Emma the best, she had a great back story and motivation.

This was a page turner, for sure, but I am left with some questions that were unanswered. I do personally like when things are wrapped up at the end. My favorite parts were the interviews they had with the detective, Euan Macintosh. He was very deadpanned and their answers highlighted their personalities well.

If you enjoy books about Scotland, the publishing industry, cozy mystery and female friendship, this would be a great next read.

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the ARC. Book to be published November 5, 2024.

How "meta" - Three female author's write a mystery novel about three female authors solving a murder!! I have read books by this trip before, but nothing as FUN & entertaining as this latest release, "The Author's Guide to Murder". This one's not historical, instead it has the "cozy" vibe that's so popular right now, plus it's set in a Gothic Scottish castle in a quirky hamlet, with a hunky Scot, a bumbling detective and a pet sheep!! Super FUN - just go with it & don't overthink it. My sincere thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for approving my advance reader's copy - a sincere pleasure to review it!

Quick, entertaining read, but uneven and confusing in tone and plot. Wink wink satire, self-referential, might be super funny to writers but to non-writers like me, it was just ok. I enjoyed the overarching plot (women's writers' retreat is not what it seems) but the execution was very uneven and the trauma done to each woman was jarring in an otherwise lighthearted tone. I like all three of these authors but this was a pass for me.
My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC. I enjoyed how entertaining the layout of this story is. Lots of banter between the characters that was fun to read. The overall plot and storyline were good enough to be interesting. A cute mystery is how I would classify this. Overall it was a decent read in my opinion.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC. While I will always love these authors and their work, I must say I did not enjoy this departure from their typical genre and style. While loosely connected to their historical fiction, this book was a modern day satire about Me Too and the publishing industry. In their attempt to make their social point, the authors employed a number of self referential and cutesy clues that I found more irritating than anything. I liked the setting but found the plot to be rather annoying and unclear in places. I hope these authors will return to form for their next book. I will still look forward to reading their work.

This book is very cute and absolutely a cozy mystery, however it goes a little off the rails, and has very uneven writing.

The premise of this book is similar to the book in real life. Three American authors travel to Scotland (this book does actually have three authors) pretending to be best friends writing a novel taking place in Scotland and are attending a writing retreat put on by a very famous author who owns a remote castle there. There their charade of being best friends falls apart, the famous author is revealed to be a horrible person, and they meet lots of Scottish characters.

The plot is very cute and quirky, however it has the problem is leaning too much into the goofiness. How many times do we need to read about the concept of "pantaboots" and all of the plaid they are wearing? And it's juxtaposed by a serious plotline involving sexual assault which makes all of the very silly parts seem off. Plenty of cozy mysterious are able to maintain this balance of a serious plot line mixed in with cuteness without it seeming like a very jarring transition and then oops, off to discuss plaid right after discussing assault.

There were also chapters that added absolutely nothing to the plot and seemed to be there solely for the purpose of establishing that they were in Scotland and there are silly Scottish characters for the American authors to embarrass themselves around.

There was some minor character development of the authors which lent a little gravity to the book, however the final chapter could have been completely eliminated.

This was a cute book, but I think it definitely needed some tightening up.

Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

This was a fun book! Well plotted and lively. Kind of a sarcastic cozy set in Scotland with lots of jokes about plaid.

I am a huge Beatriz Williams reader fan and have enjoyed the three W's past books, but this one was not a hit for me.
Occasionally enjoyed the three main characters' antics but moreso found their behavior somewhat irritating and hard to connect with.
Liked the setting and literary theme.

With thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this e-ARC.

What a disappointment this was. A not funny parody (at least I hope it was a parody) of cozy romance nysteries. There was little mystery, ridiculous romance and annoying characters. All in all, ugh

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

While I found this novel kind of slow moving in the beginning, it's absolutely worth it to stick around. Once it finds its pace, it becomes a book you just cannot put down. I'm also a sucker for books set in Scotland.

I really enjoyed watching Cassie, Emma, and Kat become friends. Their lives were so wildly different, yet all three had so much in common.

As authors, they plot with their editor a plan to stop a tell-all memoir. The man writing it, had hurt all three women, and they wanted justice for what he'd done. They weren't expecting him to end up murdered, with them as suspects though.

As more comes out in this story, the closer these three ladies become, before becoming true best friends. Watch as they fall in love, rekindle a marriage, and prove their innocence.

A trip to the Scottish Highlands for 3 best friends and authors to write a book together. Or so that is what we are led to believe.
The interactions between the 3 main characters were quite tedious at times. Everything felt overly dramatic as well as nonsensical. When all of these horrible things happened to these women, when they reported it they were dropped by their publishers and not believed. So everyone would already know, right? So why did they make it out to sound like the first time anyone would hear about it all was if this man wrote his tell all, and that's why they had to stop him? And the final act was just WAY to over the top. Just not the write book for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.