I really expected to enjoy this book, but I did not. I thought the concept was a good one but it just didn't hit its mark for me. The characters were unlikable and unrelated. The writing was decent but it never caught my attention. Evie is well-known crime writer, she is in the midst of writing the 16th book in her popular crime series. All of a sudden her characters are coming to life. How can Evie get them back in the book? But does she even want them to go back into her book?

Evie Howland has been writing and publishing a wildly successful mystery series for years. Now, as deadlines approach, she is having trouble with book #16. The words don’t seem to flow and her thoughts are in a jumble. It only gets worse when the characters in her books begin to appear in her life.

Crime Writer has a great premise. A writer is suffering from writer’s block and then her characters come to life, demonstrating a will of their own. But, somehow it didn’t come together very well for me. The writing was a little confusing, the fantasy element was interesting but not compelling, and the first quarter of the book was difficult to get through. As the book progressed it became more interesting and the pace picked up considerably, with a number of twists and surprises. The latter half of the book has a lot of action scenes but several times they seemed to last a little longer than necessary. So, in the end I enjoyed Crime Writer but I didn’t love it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I was not sure what to make of this book when I started reading it. There’s a lot going on and it is very cleverly structured. Action packed, my interest in the minutiae of the drama did wane a bit in place but overall it’s well written and an absorbing and unique storyline.

A fascinating and unique story with so many twists and turns. Often I can predict what will happen next but this book kept me guessing the whole way through.

I really loved the premise of this book and while it took some time for me to get into - the second time I gave it a shot I really enjoyed it! I loved that the characters really came alive to the author & it was a great take on a genre I love a lot.

It was beautiful and I really liked the story, how odd and yet so good at the same time. I love the characters and how they were portrayed. I absolutely love the actions in the story, I had a mixed reactions reading throughout the story.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Crime Writer by Dime Sheppard from Net Galley and Ruby Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Quirky, charming, and all-encompassing in “the feels” department, you will laugh, and cry as you take a ride on an emotional and lively rollercoaster ride…

When I first began reading Crime Writer by Dime Sheppard, I was expecting a mainstream mystery novel, but I was so pleasantly surprised. Brilliantly unique, fun, and completely unexpected, this mixture of mystery, thriller and romantic comedy has such a unique and engaging plot, that although I had my reservations in the first chapter, I was completely hooked minutes later.

When Crime writer Evie Howland gets a brutal case of writer’s block on the overdue sixteenth book in her bestselling series, her confidence takes a nose-dive. Although introverted her social life has become incredibly busy, especially since she is in the midst of planning her wedding to billionaire Daniel Bradley and she wonders why she is struggling so. Desperate to finish her book Evie tries everything to get her characters NYPD detectives Carolyn Harding and Jay Ryan to speak to her, but maybe she tries a little too hard getting more than she bargained for. This is one of those books that is difficult to give a detailed review without giving away any of those plot gems that are scattered throughout the book.

Quirky, charming, and all-encompassing in “the feels” department, you will laugh, and cry as you take a ride on an emotional and lively rollercoaster ride of a read. I highly recommend it!

Creative, entertaining, fast paced, action packed fantasy with lots of humour and twists. When a writer creates a story characters come alive. In this book they really do come alive for Evie Howland. Writers block, her upcoming wedding and now her characters, good and evil, are in the real world with free-will and are going to mess up her life big style. Thank you to Ruby Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Crime Writer was a fun read that I didn't want to put down. I loved all the characters and the general idea of the cross over between fiction and real life. I definitely want to read more books by this author.

A not-so-typical story about a writer who is so engrossed with her characters and finishing the last book of her series that the lines between fiction and reality start to blur.

I'll be honest it took me a few chapters to really understand what was going on and in the end I still have some questions... BUT the concept was amazing and the characters were so lovable.

This book was SO COOL! A very cool concept that was well written. Who hasn't read a book or watched a movie and wished they could interact with the characters they love?!

The crime and violent elements were action-packed and interesting with plenty of curveballs.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book. The first chapter left me curious but not DESPERATE to keep reading next thing I know it’s 4am and I’ve completely devoured the rest of the book.

I absolutely loved it! Crime, fantasy and rom-com what else could you possibly need. The plot line held me captive with twists and turns that I didn’t quite see coming.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

What a quirky and original crime mystery that doesn't fit neatly into any particular genre! What happens when an author with writer's block finds her characters have come to real life? Well, a whole wild ride is what is in store! The reader has to just accept the reality that Dime Sheppard creates as its own sort of bookish reality. Those who have difficulty with changing rules or deviance from strict realism would probably not enjoy this story, but those who enjoy magical realism will like the application to a crime/thriller plot. This pharmacist reviewer also gives an extra star for actually getting the pharmacology right throughout the story, important details sadly often missed by many popular thriller authors. Kudos, kudos, kudos!

Thank you #NetGalley and Ruby Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This was such a fun read!

The story begins with Evie Howland suffering from a case of writer's block, stuck at chapter 3 of her mystery novel. As we read along with Evie's life and those of the characters in her fictional world, we get to a point where both collide! Evie finds her fictional characters suddenly in the real world, and they're ready to make a real mess of things.

I enjoyed the character development and the dialogue and banter. The story was fast-paced, with a combination of mystery, suspense, action and romance.

I highly recommend this book!

I was intrigued by the premise and the writing was good, but I ended up not loving the magical realism element. Still, I think many people would enjoy this book.

Formatting - I recommend changing the way the book with the book is formatted. Right now, it's just smaller text, which I found hard to read. Italics may be a better option.

So original! Absolutely loved this, the writing, the pacing, the characters... everything really. I'll be recommending this one to everyone who is a crime/thriller fan and wants an exciting new read.
And... this is Sheppard's debut novel! I'm definitely going to keep my eye on her as I can't wait to see what great writing will come next from her.
Could not recommend this more!!!
Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I did not enjoy this book and feel that it may have been due to me, not the writing, so I do not want to be unfair in my reivew

OMG! I loved this book!!! Fresh premise (important to a longtime mystery reader), great pacing, character development, writing, etc., etc. I stayed up reading way more than I should have. But a little drowsiness the next afternoon was well worth it.

Crime Writer
by Dime Sheppard
Pub Date 01 Oct 2021
Ruby Books
Mystery & Thrillers | Romance


I am reviewing a copy of Crime Writer, through Ruby Books and Netgalley:



Evie Bowland has serious problems, guns, bombs and murders, and that’s on a single page.




In her real life Evie is supposed be planning a wedding to adorable billionaire Daniel Bradley, but Evie is seriously snarled in the sixteenth book of her successful crime series. In fact, her protagonists are becoming impossible to wrangle: NYPD detective Carolyn Harding is volatile after a messy divorce, and Detective Jay Ryan has that heated look in his blue eyes again. They're both sick of being written. And frankly they're getting a little...physical. Evie is beginning to wonder if she's ever going to finish Book Sixteen and get them back into fiction where they belong.




When a homicide that is disturbingly familiar homicide surfaces in the city papers, it seems as if other, darker characters might have crossed the fiction-frontier too. In which case, Evie is in a lot of real-life trouble.
If she's going to survive it, Evie must face her own worst fears, and learn that real love can be the best way of writing her own story.
But can she change the ending?


I give Crime Writer five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

It’s rare that I read a thriller and I genuinely have no idea what’s going to happen next, but that’s exactly what this book delivered.

Evie is a successful crime writer with a serious case of writers block. When two of her characters appear in real life and start interacting with the real world, an action packed series of events unfolds that feels a little like Inception and also reminded me of some of my favorite YA dystopian novels in my teens. Super fun imagination and creative thriller/magical realism

This book was not like anything I have read before. It was part romance, part fantasy, part crime. I totally appreciated how unexpected it was. I found it a bit hard to get into but think that was more to do with it being really different to my normal read than the quality of the writing.