Three female American authors come to a Scottish castle to enjoy time together, research local history, and collaborate on their joint effort. But are they working on their next novel, or murder?

The cast of characters reminds me a bit of Designing Women. Emma evokes Julia with her encyclopedia brain, sharp wit, classic fashion sense, and understated grace. Kat is Suzanne Sugarbaker on the outside - dripping with sex appeal, but with Mary Jo's insecurities on the inside. And rounding out the group is Charlene, or in this case, Cassie - the sweet, Southern, motherly type that's a tad on the innocent side. All three ladies are faced with either career or personal ruin and must join forces. The men, women, dogs and sheep they encounter at their writing retreat provide mystery and humor. The murder that occurs on castle grounds adds mystery and suspense.

I'm a huge fan of Beatriz Williams historical fiction. While there are some historical elements, it's not anything like her normal individual works. It's not quite a thriller either. This is more of a cozy mystery with romantic comedy.

Was it a work of literary art? Nope. It read like three authors worked together to write about three authors - there were some things that could use further explanation, but overall, it worked. It kept me entertained, guessing, and laughing. I loved the references to the cheesy 80s romance novels that we all secretly read in our youth. What a great reminder that a book doesn't have to win awards to win our love. Sometimes our favorite books are simply the ones that keep us entertained, and that's why I loved this one.

A murder mystery mixed in with a little romance - Sign me up. Exactly the kind of book I expected from Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White - enjoyed reading it in my hammock. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This was so entertaining! It was funny, punny, with lots of romance novel jokes, and a murder mystery too. Gags about stiletto heels (and pantaboots), plaid, a small Scottish island with people wearing multiple hats: The barmaid is the island midwife and medical examiner as well as the local GP and the sister of the DCI - Detective Chief Inspector).

The concept is tongue in cheek – three actual authors collaborating on writing a book about three authors writing a book. Here’s how the real-life authors accurately describe their book: “The excruciating jokes, the atrocious Scottish accents, the tropes, the puns, the murder of nefarious male authors – all written with a wink and a nudge and a great deal of love, and maybe a teeny grain of truth.”

To be honest, it took me a few chapters in before everything clicked for me. The three main characters weren’t all that likable at first, but the more time I spent with them, the more endearing they became. And that went for the Scottish characters too, from Beatrice the sheep to Loren the dog as well as the humans. And then there’s a murder and the three American authors are the main suspects. They realize the best way to prove they didn’t do it is to find out who did.

If you’re in the mood for a feel-good murder mystery with some romance and lots of jokes, a few red herrings, an edge-of-your-seat climax, and a happily-ever-after ending with a Scottish location, this is the book for you.

This book had a lot of tropes that I like: locked room mystery, Scotland setting, books about authors so I was excited to dive in. The book didn’t capture me as much as I was hoping. I found the main characters a bit tough to like and I wasn’t too invested in the murder. It’s advertised as “like Agatha Christie”, but as an avid Christie reader I don’t think that’s accurate at all. Overall, it’s an average murder mystery book, with some witty banter between the main characters.

Thank you William Morrow for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for a honest review.

I'm not sure that I heard each of this author's voice in this story as I expected to hear some distinctions but instead it was so well blended. I find it unique that this is a story authored by three women of a story with the same premise of writing a story collaborated by three women authors. I do love a closed room mystery but the back and forth with he detective as they each told their story was a bit disjointed and I felt I was playing catch up. While the twist at the end at the reveal of the murderer was satisfying, the rest of the story wasn't as interesting. Truth be told, it became a story that I soon forgot about after the book was closed. That being said, while I read it, I enjoyed it. Hense the 3 out of 5 stars. I do look forward to book written solely by each of these authors. Many thanks to net galley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Three American women on a book retreat find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation at a Scotland castle while they are trying to write a book about the mysterious castle and its legendary owner Edward Kinloch, aka Naughty Ned.

Cassie is a murder writer, Kat is the romantasy writer and Emma writes historical books. All three women met at a convention and with the suggestion of their shared editor, Rachelle, they decided to write a book together. They arrive at Kinloch Castle, now leased out by Mr. Brett Presley, aka BSP, who is a widely known author and notorious jerk. Right away, BSP is killed and we learn that each of these women all have some past connection to him. While pretending to be best friends, these women all have their own agenda and we follow along with them as they try and clear themselves of this murder. As the reader, we slowly uncover what these women's motivations really are and why they decided to take this trip to this castle.

I really should have liked this book— it was right up my alley but I struggled to get through this book. Something was off. I didn’t connect with the characters and it was hard to get invested in the story with all three of them fighting for page time.

I guess I expected a Saved By The Bell murder mystery that was tongue and cheek and I got more of an Murder She Wrote mystery that was trying to be funny and clever. The characters decide the only way to clear their name is to solve the murder on their own but it was hard for me to follow along with the clues because the story was a bit disjointed and didn't keep me invested.

Overall it was a satire on murder mysteries with a classic whodunit component but it fell a bit short for me.

I love all of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White's books that they write by themselves, and I always enjoy their collaborations. The Author's Guide to Murder was another fun one...most likely because I love the setting of Scotland so much! I love a good who-dun-it and I happily listened along as I tried to figure out what Kat de Noir, Cassie Pringle, and Emma Endicott were up to!

I read/listened to the audio which was made even better by a couple of my favorite narrators, Brittany Pressley and Saskia Maarleveld along with Angus King and Lisa Flanagan. It really helped to have distinctly different voices for each character.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 5 November 2024

The premise of this is great, and I loved Scotland as a setting.
The beginning was interesting, especially as we figured out that the 3 women were pretending to be friends, but actually disliked each other.
The pace moved a bit slowly for me, but I enjoyed it enough to finish. It was an okay, middle-of-the-road read.

I love the setup for this homage to golden-age mysteries — and the ending really landed well. Satisfying twists and nice relationships. But I wish the characters had been more distinctive. The cast of frenemies-turned-friends and their associated male paramours are somewhat interchangeable except for their outfits. However, this is a fine way to spend some time if you want a little escape to a Scottish island.

I've never read anything by any of these authors before, but sadly, this book missed the mark for me. I was never able to connect with the characters, which made it really difficult to care about the story or the outcome. I really did enjoy the setting, however. The pace was very uneven, with the first part being quite slow and the latter part moving at a reasonable pace. As a result, some details felt rushed and others dragged on, such as backstories. The ending was satisfactory.

These three authors, Karen White, Lauren Willig, and Beatrice Williams, are all phenomenal writers and together with their uni-brain, have co-written an entertaining and compelling murder mystery set in Scotland at a writer’s retreat.

The plot is multifaceted where three American novelists, visit a castle to research a historical murder, but before they can begin, their host is found dead and now the three women become the focus of the investigation.

This book has an overall light-hearted feel but does touch on some deeper themes. I thoroughly enjoyed the castle setting and the wittiness of the of the characters. Readers of all genres will get a glimpse into the literary world and will absolutely find themselves laughing at the clever banter! Highly recommend this book.

Thank you so much to authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, as well as publisher William Morrow and NetGalley for providing this free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Similarly to how this novel was written by three different authors, The Author's Guide to Murder follows 3 seemingly BFF authors as they essentially take a "besties writing vacation" at historic murder castle, Castle Kinloch--or is there more to their little trip? (Read and find out; no spoilers here). While the formal summary describes this story as a locked-room mystery, I would argue that that is a lacking explanation of the events that happen.

A satirical take focusing on the well-known tropes of murder mysteries of days past, this novel was a joy to read. I am so used to the typical murder mystery tropes that this was a refreshing and funny read for a particularly stressful time for Americans. The side characters each had a life of their own, and figuring out who murdered who was fun, as I kept changing my guesses. Each character/author had their own distinct personality and voice that the story was easy to follow despite having so many different POVs.

The structure itself was flipped on its head in a way, as we begin the first half of the book with police interviews and flashbacks from before the murder. I do believe that the murder actually occurs about 50% through the book? Afterwards we are brought to the present with our heroines as they solve the mystery for themselves. Overall, this was a fun mystery novel that I recommend to those in a murdery yet goofy reading mood!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

Long-time collaborators Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White are back with another fantastic book!! While some of their previous books have been set in the past or have a dual timeline, this book is set in the 21st century. I enjoyed the cozy mystery vibes that came from this book, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote. Outlander fans might enjoy this book as well as it is set in Scotland. This is probably the perfect book to read while curled up in a nice cozy blanket while drinking a cup of tea, and sitting by a roaring fire. Perfect late fall reading material!

I am very much looking forward to the next collaboration from these three fabulous authors.

Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this book in exchange for my honest review!

I'm generously giving this 3 stars. I nearly DNF'd this in the beginning but there was just enough to keep me intrigued. Then again around the halfway mark. Finally, I DNF'd this around 85%. I just reached the point where I was so bored I didn't even care "whodunnit."

Interesting premise, poor execution. No flow to the writing, which is most likely due to there being three authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book, with my honest review below.

First, I never would have guessed The Author’s Guide to Murder was written by three authors, much like the story (and yes I did go digging to see if I could guess who was who when I discovered that). The story follows three authors who are writing a book together / using the book as an excuse for a free girl’s trip at a writing retreat / actually up to something that is way bigger and darker than any of those previous things. Taking place on a Scotland isle, the story had humor and more than enough mystery along with some very real drama and heart wrenching hard stuff. I enjoyed the mix as no one piece overwhelmed the others, and I found myself eager to figure out the mystery behind who exactly killed the author behind the retreat (I did not before it was revealed to me).

With lots of little reveals and character quirks, main characters Emma, Cassie, and Kat are the authors on the retreat and Brett, our unseen author hosting it, is our murder victim and the common link between the ladies. We get to know each of the female authors through their own perspective and their observations of the others, with a lot of character building taking place. We also get to know some of the other characters supporting the retreat (and a sheep) as well as some of those living on the island. When things hit the fan we don’t get the reveal of where these ladies were right away and as the reader you may wonder (even after the reveal) if one of them did do the crime (which they would each be justified in my opinion of doing).

My only critique is that this ran a little long overall due to the extended observations and parking in some places that ultimately I felt wasn’t needed. Perhaps that’s a consequence of having three authors write one book, but the idea behind the story, the writing, mystery, and character and story reveals were so great that I didn’t mind it so much. Hope to see another book from this trio!

Read this for the insider writer and publishing industry bits and a surprisingly lighthearted revenge story. This felt a little too long, and while the characters were fine, they were all a bit too surface. Still, it was entertaining and I think that the authors must have had fun writing it since it came through like that in the story.

Does Deanna Raybourn know the trouble she caused with her social post?! Lol! I loved that easter egg nod to one of my fave authors and all the others in this head-scratching mystery. Could a victim deserve to be murdered more? I don't think so. Good riddance to that dude. This book kept me engaged and guessing to the end. The structure was great. There are a couple of romance plot lines that also kept me intrigued. I would've loved more Emma and Archie scenes together and what's with skipping the sex scene?!

A writers retreat in Scotland, a gothic castle setting, three "friends" with ulterior motives, a bunch of sus townsfolk, murder and romance! The story is told from all three writer's POVs to get the most out of each main character and it just worked. I loved this book and hope Williams, Willig and White (The 3W's) will team up again for another literary adventure. If it comes with a free research trip - why not?!

I got 4% in and had to stop. I couldn't understand half of what was being said. So much Scottish phrases/words and it was annoying to have to reread to decipher or just not understand. I don't mind "non-English" words in fantasy but a murder mystery...it was making it too hard to read!

The Author's Guide to Murder was such a wild ride! Presley’s murder at Castle Kinloch set the stage for an intriguing mystery, and I couldn’t wait to see how Detective Chief Inspector McIntosh would handle the eccentric cast of suspects—three American authors with a lot of personality and even more secrets. Each character brought something fun and different, and I loved how they clashed and kept me guessing.

Some parts really worked for me—the mystery itself was solid, and there were twists that surprised me. But there were also moments that felt off, like the epilogue, which I could’ve done without. Still, if you’re into a locked-room mystery with plenty of humor and literary drama, it’s worth the read!

First off, thank you William Morrow, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White & NetGalley for granting me early access to this book! I was so excited since I love Team W. Here's my review:

Oof. I have read over 13 of Beatriz Williams' books and 4 of the collaboration books between the Triple-W Threat (hehe) and loved & devoured every word of all 17 of those books. This book did not do it for me. The chatty nature of the 3 authors plus the silly plaid-clad Scottish setting was not my cup of tea. The book was hard to get into. The dialogue was wordy. The drama didn't feel exciting (like it usually does in Williams, Willig, White books).

The book ended on a redeeming note. I liked that all 3 authors were strong women who had been messed with by the same man and were on a mission to get him back. I love any story about women finding justice (or vengeance, *cue the evil laugh*) on a misogynistic man who wronged them. But getting to the end was a little painful.

Overall, I'd rate this book approximately a 3.5. Despite not loving it, I still will pick up any Beatriz Williams or Team W book because I love them. However, I think the author's, do better with serious, dramatic stories in historical settings.