Thank ‘ewe’ for this book! This was a fun read, especially since we know in real life the three authors are ‘besties. This cozy mystery has three writers masquerade as three best friends while attending a writers’ retreat to write a novel together. They are so different from one another that it is difficult to keep up with the ruse their publisher has insisted upon. Each character gets a separate chapter throughout the book, so each women’s character development and points of view are easy to follow. Appearances can be deceiving as we learn more about the women and their backgrounds. Unbeknownst to each other, they all have an ulterior motive for wanting to meet their reclusive host. There’s a murder and the whodunit is not easily solved. And of course, each character is a suspect. I loved all the plaid in the novel, and the descriptions of Scotland and the ceidlh they attend are especially memorable.

4/5 ⭐️

Trigger warnings: rape, sexual assault, murder, poison and cheating

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read. It was also the first time I’d read a book by any of these authors and now I want to read their other books!

What a unique premise where three authors go to Scotland to write a book where this book is actually three authors writing a book. I loved the three perspectives and the police interviews. The first third was easy to get into and learn about the characters, the second third seemed to drag on a bit but I flew through the last third to find out the ending. I wished the epilogue was a bit longer but overall, I enjoyed this book and kept guessing how it would end.

Now I want to go visit this incredible castle in Scotland and mean the amazing characters in this town!

Read this book if you like:
•murder mysteries
•books set in a remote castle
•a full cast of characters
•three perspectives
•a who-done-it book

No notes! I wish I could leave the review there. But, I feel like this book is for two different kinds of readers. Please go into this book only for the good time that it is. The authors of this book I feel like they just wanted to provide a good time. As a novice murder mystery reader, this book gave me everything that I wanted and then some.

Three struggling authors gather at Castle Kinloch in the Scottish Highlands for a writing retreat that turns deadly in The Author’s Guide to Murder.

Jointly written by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, this is a fun and satirical take on the locked room mystery trope. The three authors are masquerading as close friends, concealing their dark secrets, all connected to the victim (and arguably more successful writer), Brett Saffron Presley. What really brought them to Scotland?

The three different voices in the novel are a fun conceit, and there are some witty moments throughout the book. As the plot develops, the characters become more likable, although they do overdo it a bit on the cheesiness factor. There is also a bit of unevenness in tone, as some parts go all in on humor, while other areas focus on assault and other dark topics.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, if uneven, read. It would make a fun book club pick because of the writing style, and (based on reviews) it is sure to be a bit divisive.

If you want to be thoroughly annoyed for the first 40%, perplexed for the next 50%, and delighted (and wishing the whole book could have been like this) for the last few chapters and epilogue, go ahead and add this to your TBR. But really it’s not worth your time.

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley.

From the description, this sounded like a book that I would really enjoy. A trio of women, a castle in Scotland, everything pointed in the direction of this being a fun read. I tried to get into it, but I just couldn’t, and it was not for lack of trying, because I started it three times. I’ve not read this author before, so I’m not familiar with what she’s done in the past, perhaps that would have helped with my reading of this book. I just wasn’t engaged.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy for review. I wish I would’ve liked it more than I did. I just didn’t.

Rating 3.5
Three writers, a castle, and … a murder, what could be better?

This story written by three writers about three writers writing a story starts out as a slow burn. Unlike many other stories that jump straight into the murder then provide the backstories, the reader is provided with the backstories first. Hang in and get through that and you're rewarded with a witty murder with interesting characters.

This is story is about three writers pretending to be besties (not sure why that was important) going to a castle for a writer's retreat but that is not the real reason. While the themes running through are mature they are handled well and with a light touch. There are lighter moments interspersed to balance the drama (can we say pantaboots).

Throughout, each chapter is from a specific point-of-view which helps keep track of what is going on. I like that the story was cohesive and didn't feel like it was written by three people. There are parts of the book summary that don't seem to fit and others that are spot on.

Cassie - kept surprising me. She was a bit anxious and driving people nuts about not having good cellphone and wifi coverage to get in contact with her family (husband and six kids)
Emma - was very analytical and it turns out for good reason.
Kat - not nearly as shallow as she comes across in the beginning.

Their friendship became a self-fulfilling prophecy. As read about it, my mind casted back to how some of my friends and I became such. It was well written.

There are a few unexpected twists that in hindsight (it's 20-20 right) that were facepalm obvious but were enjoyable nonetheless. At one point, Kat comments how there was no Poirot (as in Hercule Poirot) moment where everything was explained. I get that as there were a couple of things that still now after rereading a few sections I am not 100% sure how they happened but have surmised enough to let it go.

As mentioned earlier this story has some mature themes but also some very poignant points and observations about society (Kat's book descriptions especially). It provides lots to contemplate while enjoying a well written whodunit in a castle haunted with sins of the past threatening to become sins of the present.

Power through the first third of the book and you won't regret it.

Happy Reading!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

One think about me is I love books about books and reading about authors solving mysteries. Therefore, I knew this was going to be a bit of me. Overall, I think it really delivered in that aspect, but I would say if you're looking for an Agatha Christie locked roomed mystery this isn't it. I felt like the first half of the book was a bit slow and a lot of setup, but then once the mystery really started going we hit our stride. I thought it was fun that we had three different writer main characters (which I'm assuming each of the authors wrote) and it felt like the book was still very cohesive.

I unfortunately was really not a fan of any of the romance in this book. It felt like everyone saw each other once and were like oh I'm immediately into this person and I just didn't care.

What I really did enjoy was the friendship aspect in this book, and there was a part in the end that was very campy and kind of reminded me of See How They Run which I enjoyed. I would definitely read more from this author collaboration!

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

LOVED IT!! I saw a review before I was able to start reading it that didn’t appreciate the self-deprecating aspect of it, but I thought that was great! Three authors writing about three authors, fun! And it wasn’t cheesy and lame either, it was well done and funny! I liked all the characters and their differences and liked seeing how each character developed. I tried to slow down to read it and stretch the enjoyment but I’m pretty sure I ruined that and finished it much faster than I would have liked. Usually I can tell the difference when each of these authors switches it up, but this time I couldn’t tell at all - another huge plus. All I can say is more please!! Will absolutely be an annoying reader and ask, when can we have the next one!!? because I so enjoy reading your work, and eagerly await for your next. Thank you!!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for a chance to read and review. This is set for release 11/2024. It will most surely be purchased for my library.

Set in Scotland, three American authors come together to collaborate on a novel. The cozy mystery starts when a murder is discovered, and our three literary ladies might be suspects.

Together they take on the investigation and stumble upon so much fun you will absolutely laugh out loud. There's a great twists and even some sweet romance.

I am excited to find this isn't these authors (the 3 Ws) first collab, and again, I'm guilty of adding more to my TBR.

Three authors pretending to be best friends go to Scotland to solve a 100-year-old murder and write a book together. The tone of the book was a bit uneven - parts wanted to be a slapstick comedy, but there was a theme of harassment and abuse that made it more serious. Lots of over the top, memorable characters help solve the mystery, whose reveal came rather out of nowhere. Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, so rounding up. Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a great way to spend a few hours, a nice cozy read by three amazing authors. If you're looking for a light, fluffy read you've got the right book.

The Author's Guide to Murder: by Beatriz Williams; Lauren Willig; Karen White is an entertaining mystery from a trio of popular authors that I enjoyed.

This was fun and unique in that a trio of writers (literally and figuratively) end up as suspects in a suspicious murder within a Scottish castle. Eery and gothic-feeling threads sprinkled throughout and three writers, and their unique styles) are presented and intertwined into one murder mystery.

This was fun and kept me interested for the most part, however could have been a smidge shorter in getting there.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and William Morrow for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 11/5/24.

Pretty fun murder mystery although the mystery wasn’t terribly mysterious or surprising. The characters were a little too caricatured but I did like the slow reveal of their background stories. I appreciated the call out to Bowdoin though some of those details didn’t jive ( students going to Starbucks to study? What?) I also wish the romance aspect had been played up a little more. Overall a fun romp.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow books for this advanced reader's copy. This book was so much fun. I have read many books from all three of these authors as well as many of their collaborations so when I saw they were getting together again for another book, I had to get my hands on it. This book definitely had some laugh out loud moments! Be prepared for the sheep jokes! You can tell the authors had a good time writing this one and it was a solid mystery too. I will read pretty much anything these women write because it's guaranteed to keep me entertained. This had Scottish history, some mystery, and a whole lotta sexual innuendo and laughs.

3.5 stars

A "cozy" mystery of three women authors meeting up at a castle in Scotland to write a book together (cute that this book was written by three women authors) when a man ends up muerto. I found the phonetic spelling of the Scottish brogue an unnecessary obstacle to easy comprehension at the beginning of the book, but thankfully that didn't continue throughout the entire book. I liked the three women and liked the setting (especially after watching Alan Cumming's The Traitors. Found it a little long and slow for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: November 5, 2024.

True confession…I have read all three authors individually as well as their collaborations and have always enjoyed their efforts. This time around is no different, even though this collaboration is different from their past multiple timeline books. This time around, humor and skewering the literary world is front and center, and the main characters are all contemporary.

I liked all three main characters who are authors planning to collaborate on a book featuring a Scottish castle and the unsolved murder committed 100 years ago. Each of the three writes in a different genre, and the book titles, tropes, and discussions about the craft of writing are hilarious. I love the nod to real writers of the past such as Phyllis Whitney and Mary Stewart, as well as fake authors whose books sound like ones I have read before such as The Laird and the Lady.

So, there is loads of humor, female bonding, romance, murder mystery, and an assortment of eccentric Scottish characters, not to mention a sheep or two. What is not to love?

Ah this one was not for me, sadly.
I’m all for light-hearted, not-so-serious mysteries but this was just a side of mystery with a whole lot of inconsequential fluff.
It was all a little too convenient and took way too long to get going.

The start felt clunky and I hoped it would even out as I read further but that didn’t really happen. I ended up skimming through most of it to get to the key points and didn’t miss anything of consequence to the main story. The wrap up to the whole mystery was just meh. Very cliché and at some points - completely random!

Other people do seem to have enjoyed this one so maybe I’m just not the right audience for this particular book. Please do read the other reviews for a different perspective.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished Beatriz Williams's Husbands and Lovers and it was a Five-star read for me! This book is written by three amazing writers, and I want to go to Scotland!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

The "Three W's" are back with a fantastic who-dunit set in a gothic castle in Scotland - just writing that sentence made me happy! This entire book made me so happy - it had everything I love! Romance, excellent plot twists, a murder-mystery, Scotland, castles. I read this book slowly, to savor it, but I could not put it down. Sometimes when there is an author collaboration, there are chapters you don't enjoy - there is none of that in this book. Each character was wonderfully drawn and was infinitely enjoyable to read. I love it when these authors get together, because everything they churn out is always fantastic and of the highest quality. I highly recommend this latest edition and long may these three queens of fiction reign!!! Ten stars!!!