I absolutely loved Finding Tessa and was hoping for another hit but I Didn’t Do It just wasn’t it. The characters were all unlikable, while the chapters were short I didn’t have the urge to keep reading. At about the 75% mark it really picked up and I was definitely surprised by the ending. Overall though, I was more annoyed by all the tweets, insider language, and bashing of self-published (romance) authors to enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley and Scarlet for the eARC.

Happy Publication Day!

I Didn’t Do It by Jamie Lynn Hendricks

The long awaited yearly Murderpalooza conference has finally arrived! Everyone is a-buzz with planning which sessions to attend and of course who will win the M-TOTY (Murderpalooza Thriller of the Year) award. But when bestselling author and the favorite to win is found dead in her hotel room; every writer becomes a suspect. Was it the narcissist, the newbie stalker, the forgotten or the up and comer? All have solid motives; all also being stalked by an anonymous phone number and social media account that knows all and won’t stop until each are ruined.

From multiple POV (all of which unreliable); this is a classic whodunnit which drops subtle hints along the way for the reader to solve the puzzle before the end. Always being a fan of a classic mystery I highly recommend picking up this next one TODAY!

Jaime Lynn Hendricks has become one of my must-buy and must-binge authors. In I Didn't Do It, the multiple-narrator format with quick, suspense-filled chapters works perfectly, making it the ultimate page-turner. Even when I'm positive I have it all figured out, I'm wrong. JLH gets me every single time, and I will always keep coming back for more!

Thanks for the opportunity to review.

I didn’t do it

Happy pub day to the incredible @jamielynnhendricks and congratulations on another gripping thriller! I Didn’t Do It takes you behind the scenes at a thriller writer convention where a murder takes place. It could be anyone and everyone is a suspect. As the killer seemingly points the finger at four authors in particular, they come together to figure out who did this and race to figure out what secrets they all may have.

Jamie does so well switching narrators between men and women especially with these flawed characters who are not very likable! And the buildup to the final reveal is so wild! I had no idea what was coming, it completely took me by surprise! After loving It Could Be Anyone and now enjoying this book, I have got to bump up Jamie’s other thriller, Finding Tessa! Her books are binge worthy and I love the characters who are never perfect and always layered with secrets!

Five authors are among the many attending the annual Murderpalooza conference. After the first night, one of them will be dead and the other four will be suspects. All of them know a lot about murder. After all, imagining how to kill and get away with it is their career. When best selling author Kristin Bailey is found stabbed to death, her fellow attendees are shocked. Well, one of them isn’t because he or she killed her but we have to read on to figure that out. With two grudges against the victim, Vicky Overton is high on the list. Both her boyfriend and agent seem to prefer Kristin and that’s disturbing (especially the agent). Suzanne Shih is trying to find an agent for her unpublished book. She’s also avoiding Kristin because her fangirl behavior moved her into the stalker category. Davis Walton’s soon to be published first thriller has brought him instant fame and success but he’s hoping to leave some secrets behind. Early fame has made Mike Brooks a recognizable name but his last four books were easily forgotten. Now he’s hoping that a new idea and manuscript will put him back on the best seller list. Each is receiving anonymous threatening messages and each is trying to discover the killer’s identity.

Oh, how I wish I could have been there with them! I loved reading these different narrative voices, all totally self-serving. The conference location was perfect and the surprise ending was shocking. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for this ARC.

Welcome to Murderpalooza, where mystery and suspense writers check in but not all of them check out!

Bestselling author, Kristin Bailey is found murdered in her hotel room. Who would want to kill her? Her rival authors perhaps? The rivals: Vicky Overton is up for an award against Kristin; Davis Walton is a hot shot author with a huge ego; Mike Brooks is hoping for a comeback; and Suzanne Shih, a writer who has stars in her eyes and is looking for her big break.

A social medial account is taunting them to confess as they band together to out the killer. Tensions rise and fingers point as the mystery writers try to use their skills to solve this mystery.

I thought I would love this one, but I didn't. The synopsis was great. I thought this was going to be fun and mysterious The writing is solid, and the author created unlikeable characters and all could be suspects, but only one can be the killer. Sounds like the making of a killer plot, doesn't it? I enjoyed the mystery but wasn't wowed by it. The ending was good, and I did not see that coming at all, so props to the author for pulling that off.

The writing is solid, and the author created unlikeable characters that all could be suspects, and the ending was satisfying.

4.5 stars

Murderpalooza is the place to be if you’re a thriller lover, the conference has all the hottest authors and panels. However this year the thrills and suspense are coming to life as best selling author Kristin Bailey is found dead in her hotel room.

Now an anonymous Twitter account is taunting four authors connected to Kristin, claiming one of them is next. They band together to find out who is behind the account because who’s better at solving a mystery than the people who write them for a living. But is the murderer targeting them or among them?

The concept for this thriller, a murder at a thriller conference, is absolute gold. I love it, so unique and intriguing!

Told in multiple POV, this quick paced book kept me in suspense and entertained from start to finish. I definitely had popcorn in hand while I was flipping the pages to see how it would all come together. Even though I did see some of the twists coming, I still enjoyed seeing it all play out. Plus there were some twists thrown in that did keep me on my toes.

This is my first by @jaimelynn and I am kicking myself for taking so long! The writing, perfectly suspenseful with subtle humor was perfect. Her previous two books have been sitting on my shelf for far too long. I will be moving those up my tbr ASAP!

A book centered around a thriller conference? An anonymous stalker? Sign me up. Told by the perspectives of four authors, you are given insight and a front row seat to all the chaos happening at Murderpalooza. Vicky was a bit passive. Davis was cocky, narcissistic, and essentially a douche. Mike was landlord a has been, and insecure. Suzanne was a social climber, and delusional. There was even a perspective from Kristin before she was murdered.

All four authors had a connection to Kristin, and I wanted to know who murdered her and why. I loved that this book was centered around a book conference. I really thought I knew where the story was going, but Jaime Lynn Hendricks tricked me. This was a wild ride that had me second guessing my theories, rolling my eyes at some characters, and laughing outloud at some of the inner dialogue. This was fast paced, had short chapters, and there were also a few twists I didn’t see coming.

Writer’s have secrets, too! That’s what I got from this. I Didn’t Do It was a standard Everyone Has a Secret So They All Could Have Done It book. But…as the title says. The book was standard and ok until the end. It is impossible to say why the ending ruined the book so much without saying what the ending was but it was the death of this book.

I wish I could say that "I Didn't Do It" ... finish this book, that is. I struggled with this book for almost a week and dreaded each and every time I had to pick it up. I stuck with it until the end for a two reasons:

1.) I loved Hendricks debut Finding Tessa even though I disliked her sophomore effort, It Could Be Anyone. This book was to be my deciding factor as to whether or not she's an author for me. She's not.

2.) Most of my friends really enjoyed this and I wanted to be able to agree with them. I can't.

A murder at Murderpalooza, a writing conference for thriller and suspense writers, should have been right up my alley or so I thought. Hendricks crafted two of the most unlikable characters I have come across recently. Think obnoxious, not interestingly unlikeable. I would physically recoil whenever either of these two people spoke. I also loathed the entire twitter / tweets that played such an important part to the story. The writing itself came across as juvenile and amateurish. The ending left me utterly dumbfounded. It was so elaborate and unlikely that I kicked myself for not tossing this one aside earlier even though my inner voice told me to many times. I'll never ignore my inner voice again. 1 star!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishing for my complimentary copy.

Thoughts~
What a fun game of cat and mouse this was! First off these are writers at a thriller conference when someone ends up dead. With alternating chapters between the characters we learn that in one way or another they are all connected to the murdered author.

This was such a fun read. I didn’t know who to trust and who to hope was next on the murderers list. Their secrets ranged from being minor to being completely off their rocker. I did not see that twist coming, and it made me change my thoughts on some of the characters, but not all. It’s what happened after the twist that was predictable! Grab your copy this coming Tuesday!

Having enjoyed Jaime Lynn Hendricks's previous thrillers, I was excited to read I Didn't Do It. Once I picked it up, it was a wild "whodunit" ride and the meta factor worked so well for this story. There were times I forgot to breathe at the end of some chapters, when she left things on a mini-cliffhanger. I was so nervous for everyone and wondering who the killer was and who would be next to die.

I had some guesses as to what was going on and I was partially right. However, I was also surprised by a lot of what happened. It was interesting to see all the different perspectives, including those of the victim prior to the murder taking place. Jaime's descriptions made it easy to visualize everything and everyone without taking away from the narrative.

Overall, really well done and I can't wait to read what Jaime has in store for us next!

Movie casting suggestions:
Kristin: Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Mike: Victor Webster
Davis: Jason Ralph
Suzanne: Devyn Nekoda
Vicky: Libe Barer
Jim: Finn Wittrock

I Didn’t Do It by Jaime Lynn Hendricks is an extremely intriguing book! A fast paced story told in multiple point of views. An author writing about authors, publishing and the effects of social media on all of it. This is an amazingly suspenseful psychological thriller. Ms. Hendrick’s takes you on a roller coaster ride of twists and turns that is just shocking. Suspense, murder, mystery and secrets! The secrets in this one will keep you reading way past your bedtime. I have read other books by this extremely talented author but this is my favorite. I highly recommend this one…… you will not be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley, Scarlet/Penzler Publishing and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for this suspenseful story to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley. #scarlet/penzlerpublishing #jaimelynnhendricks #ididntdoit. #arc #psychologicalthriller

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. I first heard of this book from one of my favorite authors, so I immediately requested it. The irony is not lost on me, given the setting and characters in this book. I really enjoyed this novel - I couldn’t put it down, then I thought I had it figured out. Then I wasn’t sure. Then I was partially right and temporarily wary of the resolution. THEN I was satisfied. It was a ride I was happy to be on and an author I will excitedly read again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fun one. I found myself guessing (incorrectly) the whole time and definitely didn't see the twist(s) coming. A bit slow in the middle, which knocked off a star, but still a good read.

Hundreds of thriller writers gather at Murderpalooza to celebrate their craft. Before the festivities get started, popular author, Kristen Bailey, is murdered. Four authors with a secret connection to Kristen realize they might be next when they begin receiving cryptic messages. This is a good popcorn thriller. The ending dragged a tad. Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read. It's time for the big award at Murderpalooza, the time for suspense writers to gather and honor one of their own. Too bad the front runner for the award is found dead in her hotel room. It isn't long before four authors are the focus of a killer. A Twitter account has targeted them and secrets they have kept are known to the person who opened the account. Who will be next? They begin to suspect each other but are bound together to unmask the killer. Let the fun begin.
As people the main characters are not very nice but it fits the mystery. There are twists, turns, red herrings and humor. The publishing industry will have a spotlight focused on it and I was hooked from the start.
My thanks to the publisher Scarlet and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars - I really liked this book.

The book takes place at a thriller authors conference. Beloved author, Kristen Bailey is murdered. Four other authors are targeted by an anonymous Twitter account, putting their secrets out there for everyone to see and insinuating that they might be next.

Davis - the golden boy, highly anticipated up and coming best selling thriller author
Mike - the washed up, previously famous, slow burn mystery author
Suzanne - the slightly obsessive fangirl who is new to the author world
Vicky - the established thriller author, trying to get by with everyone else slightly out shadowing her

I’ll admit, I anticipated the plot twist of who was behind the Twitter account, but I didn’t put together the twist as to why. I also didn’t anticipate the final ending.

I loved that this was a thriller book about a bunch of thriller writers, and seemed to poke fun of things that happen in real life in the industry. It was humorous in ways.

It contained all the necessary thriller elements: murder, an affair, stalking, identity theft, and the list goes on.

I picked this book up on a rainy Saturday afternoon and couldn’t put it down til I went to bed. You

The Murderpalooza conference is in full swing in NYC when the death of one of the writer's and award nominees spreads across social media like wildfire. Four rival authors are sent texts that they could be next, and when their deepest secrets (which make them prime suspects) are spilled across Twitter, the entire community of authors starts to turn against them. Who is better suited to figure out a complex case than thriller writers? But can these four authors work together, or will they turn on each other to protect themselves? Original, twisty and fast-paced enough to keep you a little off-balance. I did figure out the big twist, but still found the trip to the end of the book to be delightful.

What a wild ride!! Holy crap did I enjoy this one. It’s rare I read an entire book in less than 12 hours unless it’s a novella but when I say I couldn’t put it down, I really couldn’t. Who knows more about murder than thriller writers after all?! Such a unique and fun concept with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.