Such a fun read! Flew through this one and really appreciated how creative the ideas were. This novel is unique- it's got humor, action, and romance in a fantastic combination that will make you not want to put it down.

What an original idea for a book! I loved this way too much and am currently recommending it to all of my other true crime bookish junkies. Evie was such a fun main character and I love her constant disregard for the 4th wall - and how she wrote like her characters were her friends, real people she would see and spend time with. Jay was definitely my favorite and the rapport between the real-life characters as well as those in the novel was so freaking enjoyable I found myself cackling out loud more than once. I am so excited for more work from Dime Sheppard and feel a camaraderie with a fellow true crime, crime show, writer, funny person, etc.

I really don't know how to describe this book.
I didn't know that I needed to read this.
OMG IT'S AMAZING.
I mean, I NEVER thought that I would read something like this. I loved every single page, and the characters as well were amazing.
At first I was confused, didn't know what was happening, it took me a couple of chapters to get the hang of it.
IF IT ONLY WAS TRUE. I would start writing as well (who wouldn't?)
It's fun and easy to read, I couldn't stop reading it, i just kept turning the pages cause I couldn't get enough of it. And I'm hoping so bad that there will be another one cause I need them in my life again.
I need this book in my bookshelf right now, can't wait till it gets published.
eARC by Netgalley.

Thanks NetGalley and Ruby Books for the ARC!

I LOOOOOOVE THIS BOOK A LOT!
It's a little bit hard for me to get into it in some early chapters as I'm trying to figure out what happened, but once I get into it I really can't stop! This combination of crime/thriller/supernatural with comedy and slight-romance of forbidden-love trope, filled with suspense scenes took my attention away! This is so intense that I can't put it down.

Crime Writer is a book about a fifteen-books crime series writer, Evie, is working on her sixteen books yet seems to have a block-writer. While her wedding day is getting closer, she's getting lost trying to finish her book. As an author, Evie always interact and treat her characters like real person, though they are only visible to her. Until one day, her characters becoming more vivid and everybody can see them too. When her real world and fictional world collide, turning her life into some crazy adventurous crime thriller series, will she be able to save her wedding and put the fictional characters back to the book where it is supposed to be while facing her fears?

The whole concept of this book is so refreshing and intriguing. It's not like any books I've read before! I'm so immersed in the story, trying to figure out what happened in Evie's world, which one is real and not, how are the characters existed and such. It's mind-blowing! It's been such an exciting read for me, it took 2 days for me to recover from this book and be able to write this. Apart from that, I really love Evie's character development, the connections with her books characters and some insight from the books characters

Dare I say, Crime Writer is one of the best book I've ever read!

I must say that this was a very unique mystery and I was pleasantly surprised by the storyline and how the author weaves the characters and the mystery into a quirky readable story.

Crime Writer is one book I recommend!!

This is a very different but fun and quirky novel. It’s very well written so it was both a joy and a pleasure to read. Lots of detail, great dialogue, suspense, and romance sums this novel up. Five stars, highly recommend!

A quirky mystery about a mystery writer, Evie Howland, who is suffering from writer’s b**** (block, but don’t say that word). She talks to her characters and they seem to talk to her as well as appear in her home. Her characters are also waiting for her to finish the book and tired of being stuck in the same investigation. In her real life, Evie is supposed to be planning a wedding to billionaire Daniel Bradley while she is trying to work on her sixteenth book. It was confusing at first as to whether the characters mentioned were actually part of this story or characters from the book that Evie was writing. It was an unusual story line, but I don’t think I would be interested in a sequel. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley, but the review is my own. “Crime Writer” was not what I expected but so much fun. The genre is a mash-up of mystery/thriller and light romance and some comedic elements. The premise of characters coming to life in the ‘real’ world of a book is not new, but worked so well in the plot of a successful, introverted crime writer whose detectives and criminals come to life. I liked how Dime Sheppard had lots of sly references to writing clichés and tropes but did them anyway. As the reader, I bought in to an author who interacted with her characters as though they were real, but were imaginary; however, I started to get uncomfortable when the writer was questioning if her character were actually real or if she was going crazy. I pushed through, and once the fictional characters truly became real and the chase was on, I couldn’t wait to finish and get to the happily ever after. 4.5/5

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

What can I say? This book was amazing. I couldn’t put it down. This book is the definition of mystery and suspense.

You really need to be 100% focus when you read this book, because I had to reread some parts, since I was struggling to understand where reality ended and a new page of Evie’s next book started.

This book can be find in the romance section, but I think it’s more focused on the crime part. Anyway, I also appreciate how to author managed the romance sphere.

<i>Crime Writer</i> focuses on true crime Writer, Evie, who is balancing planning a wedding and finishing her latest novel. She's stuck in a rut, which is only made worse when the characters she's developed throughout her book suddenly show up in her real life. I wanted to like this book, but I really could not fall in love with the MC. The plot seemed to drag out and I found myself often distracted instead of engaged with the characters. I love the originality of the plot, though!

In Crime Writer, fiction and reality collide and...boom! What results is a wildly imaginative and original read with characters I fell in love with and cheered for. There's also tons of pulse-pounding action. This book whisked me away and engaged my imagination, and there's nothing I like better than to get lost in a good book.

Thank you to Ruby Books and the author for a complimentary copy of this book! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (Reviews posted on Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads.)

WOW WOW WOW. Dime Sheppard sure knows how to write an action-packed adventure/crime/romance/comedy/edge-of-your-seat type of book!

This story was SO FUN. The pages and dialogue read like a movie and the main character’s narration was so enjoyable and comedic I laughed out loud many times. (Side note: Chapter 24 may be the funniest piece of literature I have read in ages). This is truly a character driven story, with each player being so well-developed that it felt like they were my best friends and my greatest enemies. Sheppard’s ability to describe a scene with stunning similes and metaphors also made my jaw drop on multiple occasions.

Full of plot twists, backstories, and wit, Crime Writer is a true page turner. For me, this novel combined elements of high society from The Great Gatsby and the chaotic, comedic, and whodunnit elements of Brooklyn-Nine-Nine, making for a clever crime story that I couldn’t put down.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Thanks NetGalley for the Advanced Review Copy!
Evie Howland is a crime author who is struggling with writer's block and her sixteenth novel. She talks to her character to understand them better but this time, her characters are being as difficult as the plot. To top it all, she has a grand wedding to plan for herself and her fiance. Which is why all hell broke loose when a familiar homicide is reported on the city papers.
The language was good but I didn't particularly enjoy it. The real and the fictional world didn't blend seamlessly and the timeline confused me. This book might appeal to readers who would like a quirky mystery. But I prefer old-school mystery.

Crime Writer begins with Evie struggling with writer’s block. She can’t make progress on her sixteenth book in her crime series. As she interacts with her characters, they cross over into the real world, with their own free will. Then, crimes start happening in real life.

I was initially worried that this would delve into multiple worlds and timelines and follow a standard trope. Thankfully, I had no reason to worry. Sheppard weaves the story together, both the story set in Evie’s book and the story happening in Evie’s world, incredibly well and it was an enjoyable read! I thought the process of how Evie develops her characters was intriguing, and it gave me a perspective on having a level of success, but running into a block where you can’t, or don’t want to, maintain it. But, when Evie starts listening to herself, there’s a fun shift in the dynamic of how the characters all interact. While there are some mentions of traumatic character actions in the past, I felt that Sheppard allowed us to understand the characters as Evie, without horrifying the reader for shock value. I would recommend this to mystery and thriller readers!

Wow, this book was excellent! I couldn’t put it down. They say there’s no such thing as a new idea, but this felt new and exciting to me!

Evie is a writer that is struggling with writers block as well as forming proper relationships outside of her novels.. She often sees her characters around her as she’s trying to develop their story but things become too real and some characters would be better if left in the story.

This book is full of mystery, action, suspense, and romance and the author does such a wonderful job of bringing the reader into her world.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

"Daniel doesn't quite get the whole writer's thing. I tried explaining how it is for me, why I talk about Carolyn and Jay as if they're real people. Writers have less control than people think, I told him. Writing characters often feels like sitting back and watching something happen, rather than creating or deciding. The story appears, either wholly or in its elements, like it came out of the ether..."

Oh, how LITERAL this quote came to be within the context of this book. Evie, a fictional crime novelist, is trapped in the gauntlet of her writer's block. She communicates with her characters in her mind and is aware of their fictional nature and the comfort she finds in them, until the moment she realizes that other people in her REAL life can see them too.

As to not given much away, if you're into something a little different than your average crime novel, you've come to the right place. I was about 30% of the way through, and I was confused, but in an intrigued way and I wanted to know more. Reality was blending with the fictional world Evie had created in her series and I was determined to understand how and why. It took me a little time to get into the swing of the book and become invested, but once I was, I was all in.

I found this a joy to read! I think it's partially because the book wasn't afraid to lean into the crime genre--it's truly like a wedding of two wildly different genres that somehow...works. I do think that someone who is going into this wanting only a romance might not like it.

That being said, the romance did work, at least it did for me. Could there have been more? Yes, but I do think what we have really services the story and the characters well enough.

Thanks to Ruby Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and have received no compensation for it.

I don't think I have read anything quite like this book before. The novel starts inside another novel and then builds out into the author's world from there. It's a promising start to a great story.

Evie is a successful crime writer whose characters occasionally show up in her house and interact with her independently, which isn't a big deal as only she can see them. When these characters, including some of the unsavoury ones, start to inhabit the real world and mess with her actual life, Evie must face up to reality ... whatever that is! Has she been living a half-life where her characters seem more real to her than her actual relationships? Why is her fiance acting so suspiciously?

Evie's character is interesting - her combination of intelligence but lack of self-awareness can be frustrating to read, but when she begins to take charge of her story she becomes more appealing. The other characters like Carolyn and Mrs Andrews are fabulous.

I wouldn't call this a romance, though there are romantic elements. It's more of a mystery/thriller and a lot of fun to read, especially towards the end.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Ruby Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


A fantastic novel full of suspense and thrills.

Overall I loved it. Sometimes too many layers can be distracting in a novel but this was just the right amount of complicated to work. The story lines come together perfectly and the characters are all SO lovable. Side characters in the story within the story and the side characters in the real life side of things make this one a real winner in my book. I loved them all…which is apparently dangerous business ;)

I am not usually a crime novel reader. Cop shows/books/storylines don't usually do it for me but I loved the way this one was done. Definitely made it a great read for me even though normally I wouldn't resonate with the overall arc of "figure out who did it" etc. I was skeptical at first, I didn't know how she would be able to wrangle the story lines together without constantly working between the "book" and the book! I really enjoyed the outcome and the characters were wonderful, again, they made this a huge win for me as I think they all added so much to the story, even the seemingly background characters had a lot of soul