Thank you to Carol Goodman and William Morrow Paperbacks for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Upon reading the description on NetGalley, I was totally excited and thought this would be a wonderful read as Carol Goodman's books are always highly recommended by my fellow bookies. However, for me it fell short. I found myself forcing myself to get into it to try and proceed, but, the characters were just not it - and the book was too slow and boring for me, so I ended up DNF before fully finishing. The book resembled that of the Murder Mystery 2 movie with Adam Sandler, however, this was slower.

I'll definitely try more Goodman books in the future, but for me, this wasn't my kind of book.

I’ll read just about anything by Goodman, but WRITERS AND LIARS wasn’t one of my favorites.

That’s not to say it’s a bad book—it’s just a bit strange and sometimes stretches the bounds of plausibility. Maia, our protagonist, is stuck in the past, running the same classics museum her late father once did. When she receives a mysterious invitation to return to Eris, the secluded Greek island where she attended a fateful writing retreat years ago, she’s drawn back into a web of secrets and betrayals. The retreat not only led to her debut (and only) novel but also a devastating betrayal that has haunted her ever since. Now, many of the original attendees—including Annika, Ian, Eleni, Bill, and Sydney—are returning, along with their enigmatic mentor and benefactor, Argos. (The first of many questionable decisions made by these characters!)

It doesn’t take long for things to spiral—Argos is soon found dead, and it becomes clear that danger lurks on the island. With no escape, Maia and the others must untangle the mystery before one of them is next. And, as it turns out, there are an alarming number of ways to die on a remote island.

The novel embraces the classic locked-room (or, in this case, locked-island) mystery format, and the atmospheric Greek setting is undeniably immersive. However, the heavy-handed references to mythology—gods, goddesses, and classical themes—become overwhelming, even for an English major who’s taken entire courses in Greek mythology! The characters, too, are frustratingly difficult to root for. Their lack of common sense and inability to communicate makes for some exasperating moments, and a few plot twists verge on the absurd.

That said, there are some genuinely surprising moments, and Goodman is skilled at building tension—you can practically feel the island’s eerie isolation creeping in. If you love a locked-room mystery in an exotic locale, this might be right up your alley.

I just want to say that I wanted to love this book but I think it was not for me I just couldn’t get into the story line it just fell flat

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman is a perfect read for fans of Agatha Christie. Intriguing cast of characters stranded on a remote island ending up solving a murder or murders. All received invitations to be there but the host is found dead. Guests not knowing who among them is the murderer. Add to that a secret about the island and its artifacts is exposed.. Numerous twisted plots to solve.

Maia Gold has been invited to a reunion on the exclusive island of billionaire Argos Alexander. Fifteen years previously, she and a half dozen writers were invited to the island to write their greatest book. And while she did write a great book, life got in the way, and she never lived up to her potential as a writer. As such, her first instinct is to ignore the invitation, but peer pressure causes her to agree to join the retreat.

When they arrive (and Maia deals with her mixed emotions), their host is missing, but they are invited to write the first chapter of a murder mystery, set on the island, potentially featuring their fellow guests. The next morning instead of presenting their work to Argos, he’s found dead, apparently murdered. The goal quickly switches for Maia from writing another award-winning novel, to staying alive and possibly solving the case.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it, but some pieces felt a bit implausible. For example, a ‘dark betrayal’ happened to Maia on her visit which she immediately runs away from and tries to ignore for 15 years? Seems like she would have confronted the people involved before she left the island, or they would have confronted her during the next 15 years. Likewise, this event which has impacted her life (and a few others) for 15 years is cleared up rather quickly and everything forgiven – no hard feelings for anyone? The end feels a little contrived as well with tie to the labyrinth. And based on the description and some early comments, I thought this was going to more of a locked -door murder mystery – like Christie’s And Then There Were None which gets mentioned early in the story. On the flip side, it was very entertaining which is the primary factor for me to read a book. I liked how Maia’s parents’ past was brought into play and how the future of the island is hinted at without going into lots of details.

Overall, recommended, although a suggestion to not look too closely at the details.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.Com which I voluntarily reviewed.

The story, the characters, the history, the plot! All of it wrapped up into one great book! It had me second guessing who could be trusted and who couldn't, and then back again. Definitely one for the mystery lovers out there!

Classic, much loved mystery tropes and a cast of mystery authors in a closed-room mystery ... EEEEEEK! I loved the premise and I loved the story even more. I was riveted, captivated, and gobbled this up waaaay past my bedtime. And the lack of sleep was so worth it.

I LOVE a thriller about authors! It's probably my favorite MC career in a thriller next to a podcaster. And Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman not only features a group of mystery authors, it also has some of my favorite tropes! Like an isolated setting—a Greek island with a dark history--and a competition that turns deadly! Out on 07/15! This book is truly a book for book lovers and sleuths!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book! I’m on a roll with locked room mysteries this year, and this one was well done. If you love Greek mythology and a good whodunnit, this is the perfect book for you! I gave it 3.75 stars.

The premise of the story is a group of mystery authors gather on a private Greek island for a writers’ retreat, where they find themselves stranded with a dead host and a list of reasons why each person might have been the one to kill him.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I really enjoy a locked room story. I felt like all the questions about why they couldn’t get off or contact the outside world were answered plausibly, which is no small feat! There was a ton of Greek mythology mixed into the story in a way that didn’t seem forced. I did have my suspicions about the killer, but Goodman surprised me on another couple of twists which I loved.

My only critique is that while I can appreciate how much research and skill went into weaving all the mythology into the story, it was a bit too much for me. At some points I found myself skimming the text to move past those passages. I know there are many people that will appeal to, though!

All in all, I thought this was an enjoyable, dark (but not TOO dark), mystery suspense. This is one I will recommend to friends I know love the genre!

In my mind, Carol Goodman can do no wrong. Luckily books like this keep boosting that impression. She continues to be able to do brilliant work while building on her latest obsession of mixing gothic suspense with meta narratives about writers and publishing. This one is one of her best ever.

I am sorry to report that, in my honest opinion, this is a painfully average thriller. The quality of the writing itself is not particularly great, and unfortunately I do not care about any of the characters - protagonist included. I tried so hard to hang in there, but I am choosing to DNF at 65%.

This book didn't have a strong start for me and the plot was weak along with unlikeable characters. The story seemed familiar, but it just didn't work for me.

Ok, is it just me or is this also, basically, the plot of The Bones of the Story? It felt like utterly familiar ground, from the stereotypical over-the-top trope-like characters to the gist of the locked-room setup... I struggled with that one too. It is unfortunate that I don't seem to connect to these books at all, because I really like her concepts (and covers), yet the execution doesn't work for me each and every time... I think we just aren't a good fit, reader-and-book wise.

Wow, I found this mystery pretty mesmerizing. The Greek myths seep their way into the story, and I love the writing. It feels immediate and modern and concise, which is the perfect counterpart to a complicated, well-plotted mystery. Another thing I really love about this book is that even though all the solutions are rooted in the past, there aren't a million annoying hints of the kind I see a lot in other mysteries. We discover connections and causes right along with Maia, and it doesn't feel like the author is purposely holding out on us just to keep us reading. This is a strong, dark mystery with some great physical drama and wry/dark humor, as well. Bring on the next title--will there be a next title?

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a Greek game of Clue.

It started out a little slow, but picked up fairly quickly. I thought I had it figured out when the group finally found their host; but I was pleasantly surprised to find my assumption was wrong.

This book has twist after twist, a love triangle, a plethora of Ancient Greek mythology, and all the qualities of a great classic mystery.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters and each of their backstories. All of their interconnected stories were very well written. Nothing felt forced or outlandish.

A page turner following traditional mystery tropes but….too much mythology, unlikeable (but not interesting characters) and ultimately ludicrous plotting

On the surface, Writers and Liars is a mystery in the same vein as an English hunting party—a cast of characters comes to an isolated destination, there is a murder, and everyone is stuck in the location and immediately become suspects. In this case, the location is an isolated Greek island owned by a billionaire who dabbles in publishing and Greek antiquities. The guests consist of a group of writers who had first attended a writing retreat at the same island fifteen years prior. They have all been invited back, minus one of the attendees, and there is some initial mystery over who sent the invitations and why they have all been summoned. When the first murder occurs they all become suspicious of one another, not knowing who to trust or who could be killed next.

I was on board with the premise of the story, but it quickly becomes mired in the many details about Greek mythology and antiquities…so much so, that I skimmed whole sections of the narrative as the information was heavy and weighed down the plot. I didn’t care for the characters and had to suspend belief when the murderer was revealed. While I can appreciate the amount of research that must have gone into writing this book, the story didn’t come together in a satisfying way for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this thriller, however it fell a bit flat for me. The plot was interesting, and I loved the history tied into the story, but I just didn't find myself super interested/immersed in the story.

2 stars.

Fifteen years ago Maia Gold attended a very prestigious writers retreat hosted by billionaire Argos Alexander on his Greek island called Eris. She wrote her first book there and her career is thriving. However something bad happened while she was on the island and the memory has hung over her ever since.

Now nearly all of the same writers have been invited back by Alexander and though he isn’t present to greet them he wants them to participate in a writing contest. But when they meet the first morning to share chapters they find him dead. Now they are trapped with a murderer.

I read Goodman once before and didn’t fall in love, but I enjoy books about writing retreats and I can’t resist a good locker room mystery so I decided to give her another try. I guess we just aren’t well suited to each other. I thought this read like YA even though it isn’t. It’s incredibly repetitive; I got that Eris was the goddess of discord the first thirteen times you told me, thanks. And the whole thing was just silly. Not for me, but I think she has quite a few fans out there.

3.5
The mystery is fine and the classical stuff is pretty cool, but the connections are razor thin. This is the equivalent of setting up a murder board in crayon. It still works, but it's unnecessarily reduced to something not exactly juvenile but...messy.