Being released on April 7th from Poisoned Pen Press is the thriller "After She Wrote Him" by Sulari Gentill, winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction. There's been a lot of buzz around this title and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an ARC earlier this year.

The novel centers around Madeleine d'Leon, a former corporate lawyer who quit her day job to write quirky whodunit mysteries. Her next writing project is a crime novel that centers around the character Edward "Ned" McGinnity, a literary author who finds himself in a middle of a murder mystery when the famous critic Geoffrey Vogel is murdered at an art gallery event.

Madeleine becomes obsessed with her creation and at times she cannot tell between what's reality and what's fiction.

Final Thoughts

From my understanding, After She Wrote Him was originally released in 2017 under the title Crossing the Lines, though I'm not for sure if that was an Australian release, which is the author's home country. Sometimes titles do get changed for USA releases. Then again, I might be completely clueless on the subject and wasted an entire paragraph on nothing.

Anyway, I became interested in reading After She Wrote Him after hearing a lot buzz about the novel, which resulted in me getting my hands on an ARC. To keep things short, let's just say I was both intrigued and disappointed by the time I read the final page. The constant narration switcheroo wasn't too big of a distraction for me. However, the two narrations caused many "show, don't tell" moments and became very repetitive throughout the entire novel.

To enjoy a book, I need to connect with a character and, sadly, this never occurred with Madeleine or her creation, Edward. I found both characters to be quite boring!

Overall, After She Wrote Him has an interesting concept but was poorly executed by the author. I had to push myself just to finish reading it. Maybe other readers will like it, but I'm not one of them.

I received this copy from netgalley.
I have never read from this author before.
I really loved this story.
I will have to look up other books from this author. I am looking forward to more.
I really didn't know what I was getting in to when I got in to this book and was hard fo put down and didn't want to stop reading it..

This is just the type of psychological thriller that keeps you wanting more.
Try and get into the mind of a author when writing the characters in a novel with loads of twists and turns you never know where you will end up.

After She Wrote Him is a clever page-turner that is a solid first purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

I'm a huge fan of Sulari Gentill and love her style of writing and her storytelling.
This was the first story I read out of the Rowland series and I'm more than happy I read it because it's fascinating and engrossing.
It's a sort of metabook based on a great idea and populated by great characters.
I loved it and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Sulari Gentill takes a new refreshing approach to this story. The way she writes about the 'main characters' is very unique and satisfying to the reader. Can these two people actually meet in real life? They sound perfect for one another...on paper, but what about in the real world? I enjoyed this story very much. I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book that I voluntarily reviewed.

A flawlessly executed story that packs a hell of a punch. I was worried that the premise would start to unravel when I realized how immediately intertwined the two plot lines were, but Sulari Gentill managed to write this book in a way that never once became confusing or hard to follow. It's such a unique premise, one I've definitely never come across written this way before.

It started off strong, but I unfortunately found myself starting to lose interest because I found the dialogue a bit immature and the characters hard to connect with. It was really disappointing because I was so eager to see how the story would play out and end. Luckily, the last third of the book was phenomenal so I'm glad I stuck with it. That ending...WOW. I'm still stunned after having a night to sleep on it.

For readers who are struggling to connect with the characters, I urge you to stick with it because even if they aren't very relatable at first, the story is worth it. By about the halfway point, you can see the writing between the lines and feel the impending implosion slowly building as you turn the pages. That sickening yet delicious suspense that something awful is about to happen and much like the writers in this story, there's nothing you can do expect watch it play out.

I ended up really enjoying this in the end and am so glad I was given a chance to read something that can truly claim to be new and different. Full review to come on my blog at publication.

oh my goodness gracious this book!!! i absolutely devoured, i loved how effortlessly the two worlds weaved in and out of each other, and that ending!!!! this is one of those books that makes you rethink everything you know, and sits in your chest long after you have finished the book. it is absolutely incredible and a must read!

This is a book not for the faint of heart. You need to pay attention, which is a flaw and a feature.
After She Wrote Him is paradox, a love story, a mystery, a thriller. It is never what it seems.
Who can you trust? Are you crazy? Is the character you created more real than your family, your friends?
At times the story gets dicey with so many characters, real and imagined, however, it's a book worth putting the effort into and will take your mind off any problem you might be having.

This is not a book you can mindlessly read, you have to pay attn. which is the best kind of book. I thought I knew what was going to happen but I wasn’t even close. I have been telling all my friends about this book and my Mom has requested it for her birthday. Great character development and the writing just flowed

Two writers in love with the writing. Two characters those writers imagine, create and give life to. Two realities that start off parallel to each other, cross over, intervene, coil and suffocate one another.
Crossing the Lines is a much unexpected story. Seemingly straightforward to begin with, it takes reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, assumptions, anxieties and revelations.
Who can you trust? Are you mad? Is your imagined character more alive than people around you? What is real? Is real really better than imagined?
The book took me, shook me and spat me out feeling torn, spent and hurt. Then, once I had time to simmer on the story, I realised that Crossing the Lines could not have had a happy ending, ever. We cannot possibly prescribe everyone’s actions, decisions and aims. We cannot write our own stories in a vacuum. People make our stories as much as we make theirs. If writers can control, to an extent, their stories, reality is uncontrollable.
So, both writers’ retreating into their own imaginary worlds is to be expected. It was a salvation for them, in a way.
People will never fail to disappoint. So, make up your own story. Make sense.

After She Wrote Him is a brilliantly crafted book with an ingenious concept. I've briefly dwelt over what would happen if the worlds of a writer and their characters would collide but Gentill manages to write a brilliant and fluid conversation between these two worlds. I love the plot of the story and the way both the worlds of Madeline and Edward infused together. The characters were dynamic and realistic and I really enjoyed each and every journey that they took. My only qualms would be with the ending. It wasn't what I expected and it was rather sudden and open-ended

Maybe it's just my general distrust of open endings but either way, it threw me off. Nevertheless, this is a book worth reading and I'm sure the characters are going to stay with me for a very long time.

I enjoyed the story in a story vibe of After She Wrote Him. It was a bit confusing at times. This isn't a thriller that you can mindlessly escape into, you need to pay attention for this one. But it was overall very interesting and entertaining. I did find the ending a rushed, which was disappointing. 3 stars.

**Thank you to Netgalley.com for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating edit: 4.5 stars.

Just finished After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill. Such an intriguing read! Fascinating idea, unique narrative. Crime fiction that tells about an endearing (two-way) relationship between an author n the protagonist (they're going to stay in my mind).

Protagonists are imagining n writing each other. Who's the actual writer? Initially, it was a little difficult to adjust to this narrative but you get, slowly. The points of view shift quite swiftly and frequently and the author has done a brilliant job because it doesn't confuse you. Loved it!
Detailed review on my blog.

***Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date April 7, 2020.***

★★★

I truly enjoyed the premise of the story … a female author writing a crime novel with a male protagonist, who was a literary writer … an author who is writing a crime novel with a female protagonist, who is a crime novelist.

I found it difficult to keep up with the story because the POV changed so rapidly (who was writing, who was the character), but the story itself was pretty good.

Incredibly original and engaging! Madeline is writing a crime novel about Edward, who is in danger. Edward is writing a crime novel about Madeline who is in danger. Huh? Who is the author and who is the character? Both Maddy and Ned have pieces which will make you think they are the real writer but keep reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Hard to describe but easy to enjoy, this is one which I'm glad was issued in the US.

Really enjoyed this book! I tend to like books that also have another book in them. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting I think the author did a really good job of flushing out the characters. Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy!

Disclaimer: I have been sent a copy of this book for review purposes. This has not influenced or affected my opinions in this review.

After She Wrote Him is a psychological crime thriller full of twists and turns you won’t see coming. It invites the reader to have an insight into a writer’s mind. The lives of both protagonists in the book are interestingly and intensely interwoven. The lines between the creator and the created begin to blur from the beginning and gradually blur into something unrecognisably confusing and disillusioning. This is a mind-blowing thriller and I can honestly say that After She Wrote Him is a thriller like nothing I’ve read before and I would highly recommend it.

*4 stars*

After She Wrote Him is a standalone novel quite different from her Rowland Sinclair series. It begins with murder but the similarity to a standard mystery ends right there.

Madeleine d’Leon is a lawyer turned mystery novelist with a popular series character, but now she is writing something different. Inspired by her character Edward McGinnity, she focuses more and more on her writing. McGinnity seems so completely real, though his love for Willow, the artist, seems misplaced. Meanwhile, Edward is a writer of literary fiction and has become intrigued, perhaps a bit obsessed with his new character, Madeleine d’Leon, a genre writer who is married to a man who seems to take her for granted.

Who is the writer and who is the written…we think we know, but in the clever bit of meta-fiction, what we know is completely subsumed by what we don’t know.



I loved After She Wrote Him. The conceit is clever and brilliantly executed. There are no clunky transitions from one writer to the other. It is seamless. Perhaps it should be less seamless since I imagine their inner thoughts would vary in terms of language. That is my only quibble with what I thought was a clever novel that redefines what a mystery means.

It is all fair, though it seems Edward and Madeleine are both a bit lacking identifying potential suspects and plots. It seems it is easier to write a mystery than to live one.

After She Wrote Him will be published April 4th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

After She Wrote Him from Poisoned Pen Press

Sulari Gentill author site

Sulari Gentill really knows how to mislead yet captivate her audience in this new mystery crime story. It already won a Ned Kelly Award for best crime fiction in 2018 with its previous title: Crossing the Lines. Gentill takes the aspects of any crime book and twists it with two writers and only truth remains. It leaves readers in doubt and clearly wanting more with every chapter!

For a crime fiction novel with the small aspects of romance, mystery, and thriller, Gentill paced it out really well. From the first chapter, we’re thrown into the night of the murder. As soon as that chapter has ended and we get a feel of our characters, then the investigation starts. It leaves readers figuring out the evidence given to them by themselves rather than the classic way of our characters finding out. That only added more mystery to it. I admired Gentill’s way of switching characters so it’s clear enough for the reader but not too much as to give reality away from the story. It also saved a lot of chapters and was easy and more enjoyable to read. 

Madeleine d’Leon, our writer and lawyer, becomes infatuated by her protagonist to a point where Gentill leaves the readers questioning the reality of the story. Maddy alone is a sweet woman who’s been through so much with her miscarriages thus Edward becomes her solitude. As the story progressed, I sympathized with her and wanted her to reach her goals. Gentill has a way of writing to persuade a reader to pick a side and follow their gut, and that’s a unique trait to have whilst writing crime fiction.

Edward McGinnity, a wealthy writer who's been in love with his best friend since forever, is pulled into a murder that occurs at his best friend’s gallery show. He does anything and everything to get both of their names clear. He’s not your typical crime protagonist. As Maddy describes him, he’s smart and alluring. He, too, gets swooped up by Maddy. Soon they’re divided by each other’s worlds, and as the reader, we have to figure out—or choose—which one we’re rooting for. 

This review is spoiler-free as I don’t want to get into the juicy bit. It’s highly recommended to read with a five-star rating. There’s a bit of everything, from romance to thriller, mystery, and crime!