An enjoyable mystery with a great atmospheric setting. The constant Greek mythology references got very heavy handed towards the end which took away some of my enjoyment of this book. Also there were plot inconsistencies that bothered me the whole time.

Received an ARC from NetGalley

Carol Goodman is a long time favorite of mine and I was excited to receive her newest! Writers and Liars is a sharply written contemporary thriller that immerses readers in an atmospheric story set on a small Greek island. Fifteen years after attending a prestigious writers' retreat hosted by the billionaire Argos Alexander, Maia Gold is invited back to the island. She is reticent to attend this new event as it will bring up memories of her beloved parents and a lost love. However, when she learns that the other past retreat participants are returning, she takes the plunge.

When the participants arrive, they realize that Argos Alexander, is missing and has left behind instructions for a writing contest., When the group gathers the following morning, they find Argos' body and it is clear he has been murdered. Slowly but surely, secrets are revealed concerning each guest and it's clear that there was a master plan enacted to force the writers to confront one another.

The novel's atmosphere is chilling which is amplified by the setting on the isolated island of Eris. The isolation, the darkness and the foreboding weather act as character in the story, and sharpening the feeling of claustrophobia. There are clear nods to Agatha Christie and many other of the great suspense writers.

In addition to the central murder mystery, Writers and Liars incorporates lots Greek mythology and etymology, offering a modern feminist take of ancient tales. The connection between the mythology and the plot is woven throughout, with Maia drawing parallels between the writers' lives and the stories of gods.

At its core, Writers and Liars is a thrilling examination of jealousy, ambition, and the darker sides of artistic success. The character are carefully developed, with just enough backstory to make their motivations feel believable. The interplay between personal history, betrayal, and artistic rivalry makes for a gripping read that explores what drives people to act in such desperate and violent ways.

Writers and Liars is a compelling, immersive story filled with twists and turns. The intricate plot, atmospheric setting, and complex characters keep the reader hooked until the final page. Fans of Gothic suspense, dark academia, and modern takes on classic myths will find themselves captivated by this novel. It’s a masterful blend of mystery, literary intrigue, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys a layered, thought-provoking thriller. #writersandliars #williammorrow. #carolgoodman

this was a pretty good book! For me, it was a pretty standard locked room mystery read, where the locked room is the retreat they are all at. I think it had lots of twists and turns, lots of perspectives, and was interesting!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Secluded island, writers retreat, mysterious death? I love these kinds of thrillers so I was interested in the plot of this. It was pretty entertaining. My only complaint is it gets a little Greek mythology dense, and I do mean DENSE. Those parts I started to struggle with, especially more towards the end. All in all, solid thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another amazing novel by Goodman. I’ve read and devoured every one of her books and this one was no exception. Interesting characters. Some likable and others horrid. A long on going mystery and everyone seems to have something to hide. Phenomenal book. Love the setting, remote and mysterious. Plenty of surprise too.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I really enjoyed this and flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

336 pages

4 stars

This book took me to a totally different place than I imagined. I thought, oh a group of writers got together for a reunion of sorts on a secluded private Greek island. They haven’t seen one another for some fifteen years.

The billionaire host has failed to show up. Resentments from fifteen years earlier are boiling over among the group.

What follows is a deep dive into Greek art and history. The history of the Gods and the mortal (for the most part), women whom they terrorized.

I found myself immersed in the history and tales. It was a trip that I never expected to make. Include the theme of murder, mayhem, old slights and a rollicking tale of piracy.

This is a wonderfully written story with great characters complete with fleshed out backgrounds. The blending of art/ history with melds beautifully with the storyline. This is my first novel by Carol Goodman, and I am anxious to look into her other works.

I want to thank NetGalley and William Morrow/William Morrow Paperbacks for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Maybe the characters (all either failed or cliched authors) would kill for an inspiration as the tag line suggests, but wouldn't you as a reader kill for some originality?

I've read Goodman before, more than once, she's a usually a solid writer. But lamentably one caught up, like so many others, in the market that demands more of the same trite female-powered mystery thrillers that are dominating the market. Another current popular trope seems to be academics and/or writers for characters and writer retreats for settings, so Goodman hits those up too.

Checklist complete, you get a novel full of such cardboardy, tedious, predictable characters that it's difficult to give a crap about any of them.

Mind you, this could have very easily been a lovely nod to the class Golden Age mystery, complete with a picturesque Greek location and embroidered creatively with Greek mythology references. All of that is still there but largely buried by the trite character dramatics, right down to the final, very predictable twist and a heavy-handed girl power message.
And yes, archeology is huge in Greece, but who wants to have to unearth the plot of the novel from all the pandering crap piled on top of it?

Readable and entertaining to an extent, but overall, a disappointment. And yet another reminder of the sad state of the publishing industry and its determination to cater to the lowest hanging fruit of the audience tree. Thanks Netgalley.

Maia has been invited back to the island of Eris in Greece where she attended a writing retreat fifteen years ago. Upon returning, she discovers that the same people who attended the retreat back then are (almost) all here again. She hasn't kept in touch with anyone because right before she left back then, she believed her best friend and her boyfriend betrayed her. She's kept tabs on some of them over the years, as they all became famous to some extent since the retreat, but she's nervous to be around them again. Especially when, shortly upon their return, they discover their host's dead body. Argos Alexander was larger than life due to his wealth and status, but now that he's gone, everyone begins to suspect why they were invited back. Is someone getting revenge? Why would they wait all this time? And are they all in danger now, trapped on this island?

The descriptions of the island are breathtaking and provide a haunting atmosphere to the mystery that unfolds. There is quite a bit of Greek mythology sprinkled throughout the story, so if that's not your thing, you will be skimming a significant portion of this book. Maia and her father both majored in the classics, and certain portions of the plot featuring mythology are explained by Maia so that the readers understand. It's a bit too obvious in how it's done, though. A bit too overwrought, as one character would say. But it does lend some sophistication to the mystery, which doesn't lean on cheap thrills or twists to keep the reader invested. I certainly was, I didn't want to put it down! It's so much more than just figuring out who the killer is. And it's about time someone called attention to the ridiculous misogyny of Greek mythology. I've never understood why people hold so much value in ancient fairy tales where women are raped by swans and we're not supposed to bat an eye at that?? Ugh.

Anyway, I loved this book and I'm going to dive into other works by this author. It's a perfect vacation story and I only wish I could have been in Greece as I read it!

Carol Goodman has my number. Her stories about writers and antiquity are catnip that I will always come back for.

Carol Goodman has crafted a sinister, intoxicating puzzle in her latest suspense novel, one that pulls you into the world of writers, secrets, and twisted ambitions. Goodman’s prose cuts like a knife, layering the suspense while never losing sight of the characters’ emotional depth. It’s the kind of book that makes you question everyone’s motives, and by the end, you’ll feel like you’ve been a guest at the retreat yourself, sharing in the secrets and paranoia. I would highly be recommending it to the fans of mystery and thriller books.

Gathering a group of mystery writers on a deserted island is a bold idea considering these people imagine murders for a living; it should be no surprise when their host turns up dead in Carol Goodman's latest, Writers and Liars.

Told from the perspective of the main protagonist, Maia, this is a tale about betrayal, Greek mythology, and missing artifacts. Maia is likable and intelligent, and mythology fans will appreciate the inclusion and explanation throughout. However, if a reader is not interested, this will likely take them out of the story too much.

While some sections feel overly complicated, this story is engaging and fun. This would likely interest a book group, particularly if they explore the mythology aspect in depth.

It has been a minute since I read anything by Carol Goodman, and I am happy to rediscover her.
This latest is like a a golden age mystery, with dark academic notes, and a bit of Glass Onion (Knives Out Mystery) thrown in.
Participants in a writing retreat hosted by an eccentric (and probably evil) billionaire on his secluded Greek Island are reunited by said billionaire on the same island.
Nobody seems to know why they are there, where the host is at, or what really happened all those years ago at the original retreat. Everybody is hiding something, everybody has an axe to grind, and everybody is jealous of everybody else.
There is a subplot about smuggled artifacts, and a lot a references to Greek mythology. The plot is quite complicated, but almost everything gets resolved in the end-with a little help from a deus ex machina. I won't spoil it for you.
There is a large-ish cast of characters, and while we do not get a full and nuanced portrait of all of them, we have enough to care about most of them.
This is an engaging story, and I did enjoy it, but the plot was overly complicated. A bit of streamlining would help.
Recommend.

I usually enjoy Carol Goodman’s books, but I couldn’t get into this one. I wasn’t interested in any of the classics and mythology stuff. This was a DNF for me.

The striking cover! The locked-door mystery! The gorgeous setting! Writers and Liars immediately grabbed my attention and I wanted so badly to love it. I was hoping for a thriller that would immediately pull me in, but this is more of a slow burn. The reader spends a lot of time with Maia's thoughts and memories, which is fine, but definitely slowed the pacing for me. I generally love classical references and books that really incorporate them (If We Were Villains, The Bones of the Story), but in this case, it took kept pulling me out of the story rather than grabbing my attention.

They’ll kill for inspiration…. Fifteen years ago, Maia Gold attended a prestigious and very exclusive writers retreat hosted by billionaire Argos Alexander on the Greek island of Eris. It’s where she wrote her first book, the one that should have launched a brilliant career. But something dark happened on that island, a betrayal that has hung over Maia ever since! Good book! This book had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, a good who done it and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting, it wasn't one of my top favorite but still worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Author Goodman continues her string of gothic suspense thrillers with Writers and Liars, which is a heady cocktail of dark academia, classical mythology, feminism, and Dame Agatha Christie And Then There Were None.

A group of writers returns to an isolated Greek island after a 15-year absence, during which they have achieved varying degrees of success. Heroine Maia Gold has written one vengeful bestseller, based on the best friend and lover who betrayed her. She then became a museum arcivist, continuing her academic father's work. Once on the island, Maia is reunited with her former friend and lover as well as others who were part of the writers' group. Everyone has dark motives for revenge and bodies begin to pile up. The answers lie in a feminist twist on the subservient role of women in Greek mythology.

In fact, there are many, many references to classical mythology, mostly explaned by Maia, and, while enlightening, they can bog down the narrative flow a bit.

Nevertheless, Writers and Liars is an entertaining page turner that will draw readers into its intricate labyrinth.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

#WritersAndLiars #NetGalley
One of her best till date.
Carol Goodman delivers a masterful tale of suspense and intrigue with Writers and Liars, a psychological thriller set against the idyllic yet haunting backdrop of a secluded Greek island. This novel takes readers into the high-stakes world of mystery writers, where betrayal, ambition, and revenge blur the lines between fiction and reality.
Likes :-
1 Compelling Premise: A writers' retreat that turns into a murder mystery? Goodman expertly taps into the intrigue of a closed-circle whodunit, reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but with a modern twist.
2 Atmospheric Setting: The Greek island of Eris is beautifully described, its remote and sun-soaked landscapes juxtaposed with the dark, sinister events that unfold. The isolation amplifies the tension, creating a sense of claustrophobia as the characters are trapped with a killer.
3 Complex Characters:
a) Maia Gold: A relatable protagonist whose personal and professional struggles make her journey engaging. Her past betrayal and longing for redemption add depth to the narrative.
b) The Guests: Each writer at the retreat brings their own baggage, secrets, and grudges, making every character a potential suspect—and victim.
4 Layered Plot: The novel's meta element—writers crafting mysteries while living through one—adds a clever and self-aware dimension. Goodman’s ability to weave past and present events keeps readers guessing.
5 Pacing and Twists: The story moves briskly, with revelations and misdirections strategically placed. The contest adds an extra layer of tension, pushing the characters to reveal more than they intend.
Dislikes :-
None.
Overall :- Writers and Liars is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that will appeal to fans of classic murder mysteries and modern psychological suspense. Carol Goodman combines sharp characterization with an evocative setting to craft a story where everyone has a motive and no one can be trusted. This is a must-read for lovers of literary thrillers and closed-circle mysteries. Goodman’s exploration of ambition, betrayal, and creativity is as sharp as the murder weapon itself.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.