Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I chose to read this book because I am a big Beatriz Williams fan. But I was disappointed. If found it to be very slow.
I decided to push through it and found the last part better than the first part. It was a predictable ending but I recommend to give it a try.

I this was a very entertaining read, however it wasn’t what I expected from this trio. It’s my fault for not reading the description—I pick up everything with Beatriz Williams’ name on it! I felt the first half was a bit slow, but I was intrigued throughout the second half. It was also just too vulgar for my tastes. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, but I much prefer their usual historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book in exchange for a review.

Initially, I said I wasn’t going to read this book as I had difficulty reading it because I thought hte authors were a bit too tongue in cheak. I read a review and thought I’d try it again. I read it…I finished it however…the latter part was better than the first but again it was self indulgent. A little too cutesy and really these authors are better than this. A definitely one thumb - and I have no idea why I finished it as i suspected the person responsible for the murder from the beginning. I must not have had anything else to read.

What do you do when you mix a bunch of authors from a bunch of different genres? And pair them all up in a Scottish village? 📖

You get one heck of a good time! And my little reading heart had the best time! Beatriz, Lauren, and Karen created a mysterious book and turned it into a soap opera on Murder She Wrote steroids! AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!! 🎆

What a creative idea to bring three authors of three different genres to make a book that will take any reader on a puzzle solving ride! I felt as if I was watching a TV show and I didn't know what was going to happen next! I was sticking with this book all the way! I hope the authors get together and do this again soon! 📰

Bravo!! 🍻

Take 1 cozy mystery author, 1 romantasy author, 1 historical fiction author, 1 scumbag who has wronged them all and a secluded Scottish village; this combination of elements gets you The Author’s Guide to Murder. Our three authors start out as fake friends but end up as true lifelong besties after they find themselves solving the murder of said scumbag in order to clear their names.
While it took me a while to warm up to this story once I was sucked in, at about 60%, I did not want to put it down. I enjoyed how different the three POVs read as you were able to see the trio’s friendship form in three different ways, because we actually had 3 different authors writing, each voice was distinct from these of the others. I wasn’t a fan of just how many stereotypes were scattered throughout the novel it felt that these moments cheapened both the story and the characters. Overall, I’m glad I stuck with it to the end as it was a fun read.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure if it is because there are multiple authors but it sometimes felt like this was all over the place. Overall, I enjoyed the book but I did find myself getting pulled away from the story easier, and not feeling immersed and invested in the characters.

What could go wrong when three writers who can't stand each other reluctantly agree to collaborate on a murder mystery? They attend a workshop at a Scottish castle rented by a despicable best-selling writer who has wronged all three of them. When he's murdered, the three women must work together to solve the murder and exonerate themselves amongst an island full of suspicious Scots.

In the meantime, the three co-authors of The Author's Guide to Murder throw every Scottish trope and pretty much every romantic mystery cliche at you. Though I stuck with the book to the end, I can't say it was as amusing as intended. I wish I could have liked it better.

Thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC.

This book surprised me--only after I started it did I realize that the unique premise of the plot (three women authors decide to co-write a cross-genre mystery in Scotland) is based on the actual circumstances of the book. Not your typical meta fiction but plenty of parallels to the real world.

The fictional avatars of the co-writers felt a little stereotypical at first but as they grow more comfortable with each other they let the reader in to their complexities as well.

The authors do a great job of blending in different genres (historical fiction, cozy mystery and romance) in a book that also centers female friendship. It is a little bit corny, but sometimes earnest things feel that way.

Despite the fluffy parts the plot has darkness, bite, and a Monty Python episode's worth of random references.

I read this when I was having a terrible spell of vertigo and it turned out to be the perfect companion.

Recommended for mystery buffs who are looking for something light with real character development and deeper societal critique. And stupid sheep jokes.

Also posted to goodreads.

It's a windy 65 degrees Fahrenheit where I am today which was cold enough to send me digging for my ankle boots. I love sweater weather (as my closet can attest) and it's just about the perfect time to cozy up to an uber-meta murder mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. That's just what you get with The Author's Guide to Murder, a team effort by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy through NetGalley. You can pre-order a copy now anywhere books are sold and start reading on the novel's official release date of November 5, 2024.

The Author's Guide to Murder takes us to Castle Kinloch on the blustery Scottish Highlands where Kat de Noir, a slinky erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six juggling multiple cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood and author of critically acclaimed historical fiction have convened to co-write a novel together based on the Castle's notoriously shady history. When acclaimed author and current lessor of the castle Brett Saffron Presley is found dead in the tower, our American authors find themselves prime suspects. Perhaps with good reason as we soon learn that each woman has a secret connection with the acclaimed author.

If Cassie Soto is Back is a book for tennis lovers, this is, without a doubt, a book for writers. This is not only true because of the concept of three writers having to solve a mystery, but there are a ton of insider writer-ly references, some of which I had to look up. This could be a turn off to some readers. Likewise, there are a number of dated cultural references that had me scratching my head as to the audience of this book. I'd guess the main characters are in their early to mid-30s, which would mean they were born around 1990(!) Yet, they make a lot of references to books and shows which would definitely pre-date these characters, like multiple Murder She Wrote references, what might have been an OJ Simpson reference, Gilbert & Sullivan (what?) and that a guy was as hot as Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (who? huh?). Also making the book feel a bit dated and, honestly, a bit cringe, was the ongoing assumption and joke about whether a character was gay. You'd think that Kat de Noir with her over the top sexuality as armor personality would have heard about sexuality being a spectrum. Guess not.

I also struggled with a few of the "reveals" which were a bit obvious from the outset and what this book wanted to be. Initially I thought it was a standard cozy mystery, but some of the themes are a bit non-traditional for this genre. The description of the detective's investigation where he had access to texts, emails, and historical information immediately after the crime occurred was just way too farfetched, especially given the multijurisdictional and international law issues, and fully took me out of the story. And one of the minor character's motive was just too unreal to be believed. No spoilers, but hand delivery? I don't think so. Not in 2015.


On the other hand, I loved the climax of the story. The action was fun and exciting, the loose threads came together in a really lovely way, and I absolutely didn't figure out who the real killer was before the big reveal. I was quite skeptical for much of the novel, but when I got to the end, it had a fun and satisfying conclusion that made up for quite a few earlier picadillos.

I'm new to each of the three authors of this joint effort, but I took a look at their backlists and I have my guess as to which author wrote which author-character. Give this locked room mystery a read and see what you think and if you can identify the killer before our bonny Scottish detective.

The Author’s Guide to Murder was such a fun book. Three authors decide to write a book together in Scotland when someone is murdered in the castle. It gave me Agatha Christie vibes and made me laugh so many times. Definitely worth a read.

I was so excited to get this novel I have been seeing this everywhere. This book will keep you hooked and reading until the every end!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC!

This was a fun, light mystery set in a Scottish castle. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the book for me. The women characters were caricatures of common female stereotypes - and while I think this was intended to be tongue and cheek, it just became irritating to me.

I never read synopsis if I can help it, so with a new book from my favorite trio I trusted my previous experience. Imagine my surprise to find a hysterical contemporary whodonit instead of a multi generation saga. Still loved it, had to readjust my expectations lol.

I want to thank Netgalley and the authors for gifting me the ebook! I was so happy to see these three wonderful authors have gotten back together and wrote another book together! I really really enjoyed this book a lot! I think it was different story from them and I loved every single word of it! I laughed out loud parts and I loved the mystery about it. It was more lighthearted than some of the other books they have written together. If you like cozy murder mystery type story plots you will like this book a lot! Highly recommend.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC and letting me get a chance to read this before it releases in November!

This was a fun mystery that made me laugh out loud and honestly kept me guessing about whodunnit the whole way through. I personally loved the three main characters—female authors working together on a book. Their growth and depth and relational dynamic was really fun to see—almost more than the mystery aspect of this one! Plus put it all in a Scottish Highlander setting with lairds and castles and all the plaid…and you can’t go wrong!

I will say the first two thirds are a little slower and took me longer to get through than normal, but the last third flew by so fast I could barely keep things straight. Less Agatha Christie and more Murder she wrote for sure! It’s a cozy little mystery that’s perfect for fall! It’s satire-ish and funny and fun all rolled into one.

Kinloch, Scotland - Present Day

Literary giant Brett Saffron Presley has leased Kinloch Castle, located on a remote island off the Scottish mainland, presumably to use as a writing retreat for authors. Presumably because not everyone is aware of what his actual reasons are for this isolated location. But when Presley is found murdered under weird circumstances, Detective Chief Inspector Euan MacIntosh has his work cut out for him.

Three American women authors have booked a week's visit to Kinloch Castle to work with the well known author. They have told everyone at the castle that they're "best friends" planning to write a book together, but that's kind of stretching the truth a bit. Each of them has their own reason for attending this retreat, and it isn't necessarily anything to do with writing.

Cassie Pringle, mother of six, writes a series of cozy mysteries. She and her husband have been struggling recently, and she wants to rectify that situation. Kat de Noir writes sexy novels, and she'd like to research some of the Castle's lurid history. Then there is Emma Endicott from an old New England family. Emma writes historical novels, and she would like to find more information about their illusive host.

With the discovery of Presley's body, DCI MacIntosh only has a few suspects, and the American women keep showing him in odd ways that they might qualify! Questioning them is almost an exercise in futility, and he is beginning to get mighty frustrated. The castle staff, consisting of Calum, who seems to do everything, including playing the bagpipes, and Morag, the elderly "housekeeper" who runs the household mostly by herself can't be ruled out. Could either of them have wanted Presley out of the way? And then there is the estate manager, Archie, but he could hardly want to kill Presley, could he?

THE AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO MURDER is an often hilarious, yet sometimes poignant tale, and is filled with characters who may or may not have a reason to be rid of Brett Saffron Presley. The combination of the three authors who wrote this book and the three authors portrayed in it makes for a fun, no-holds-barred novel. Be prepared to be confused about the reasons Cassie, Kat, and Emma are in Kinloch until well into the book, but do enjoy the trip to get there!

The Author's Guide to Murder is a book about three authors, written by three authors set in a gloomy gothic castle in Scotland where another author who is leasing the castle for writing retreats turns up dead.

Yes, the story was just as convoluted as that sentence suggests 😅

If I hadn't read an ARC, I probably would have DNF'd after Part 1.

The characters are caricatures of female personas typically written by male authors (insert all the ridiculous descriptions men like to use to describe heroines). Clearly, this book was meant to be satirical, but the tongue and cheek got to be exhausting, especially since nothing happens in the plot until 50-60% of the story is finished.

To be fair, the conclusion was quite good. The pace picks up considerably, and lots of secrets are revealed. The last 100 pages flew by. There were several unexpected twists that remind the reader that this is, in fact, a mystery book. So, all in all, The Author's Guide to Murder was worth finishing.

📚 Writing Style 3/5
📚 Character Development 2.5/5
📚 Plot 3/5
📚 Readability 3/5
📚 Gut Rating 3/5

The best part about this book was the setting. If you want a story set in a small Scottish village at a historic castle, The Author's Guide to Murder certainly fits the bill. But if you are looking for a locked-room (ish) mystery featuring amateur detectives, there are better options.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Such a good read! Absolutely recommend this one.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC! Three authors, Cassie, Emma and Kat, embark on a Scottish wrtier's retreat, marketing themselves as literary besties looking to write a book together. However their true connection lies in the retreat's host and literary superstar, Brett Saffron Presley. When Presley turns up dead, the trio turn into the top suspects. Blending a whodunit mystery with romance with a touch of social commentary, The Author's Guide to Murder is a perfect read for those looking for a little satire with their crime.

A rollicking good romp through the Scottish highlands with a group of authors bent on revenge....although we don't know that at first. Kat, Cassie and Emma are besties who decide to attend a writers conference at a castle. Or are they? With sexy Scottish lairds, and horny royal ancestors, Kat, Cassie and Emma attempt to solve the murder of a man so hated that just about anyone could be a suspect, including themselves. Toss in a few sheep jokes and a tad of pathos and you have a really funny and entertaining read. And how could it not be? Written by three amazing authors and you get all of their talent in one book! Don't miss this one!