This was a fun quick easy read. It’s a bit meta being that it’s a murder whodunnit taking place at a thriller writer convention. I thought that was a fun concept and one I haven’t read before. Also being an avid thriller reader it was fun to read a book about thriller writers who find themselves in a story come to life! The story alternates between chapters narrated by different characters - potential future victims/or are they the killer?! Also some chapters are told by the victim herself. I enjoyed the different character perspectives. Overall this was just a fun fast paced easy book that I enjoyed. This was my first book by this author but I’ll definitely check out her other books. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley!

A wonderful suspense/thriller novel that I couldn't put down. I loved it!
I just reviewed I Didn't Do It by Jaime Lynn Hendricks. #IDidntDoIt #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thank you NetGalley, Scarlet, and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for the advanced copy of I Didn't Do It in exchange for my honest review!

I loved both of Hendricks' previous books (Finding Tessa and It Could Be Anyone) and I'm happy to say her newest thriller is just as damn good! A book set at a thriller conference? What's not to love!?

I read this in less than 12 hours, so it's incredibly bingeable and the usual elements of unreliable narrators and secrets galore are heavily present. I don't want to go into it too much for fear of spoiling, but I obviously loved it.

I am BEYOND excited to chat with Jaime live about this book!

I Didn't Do It will be on US bookshelves May 23!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of I Didn't Do It.

A thriller convention. A dead writer. Four suspects. Who dunnit?

For a story set a a thriller convention, the narrative was tedious and boring.

A bunch of writers whispering amongst each other, figuring out who killed the most popular thriller author amongst their circle, throwing one another under the bus, reading snippets of Twitter, people trying to figure out what secrets each of them is hiding from each other...there was nothing new here.

Oh. Em. Gee. The story was pretty lacking (pretty - delete) in suspense...until the very end; which was hilariously melodramatic, and hard to suspend disbelief for.

If you're one of those types who can suspend disbelief for, you're going to love this.

The writing isn't great, and there's little to no character development except that each person has something to hide (natch!).

Mike was a decent, affable and relatable character but everyone was unlikable.

I also didn't like the way the characters were written, they didn't sound like real authors, but how the author imagines authors in this genre and/or position would act.

The frequent POV shifts are distracting so most of the narrative read as filler, rehashing what we heard from the other writers already.

There's very little action or drama (when something does happen, it occurs off the pages), though there are plenty of 'twists' at the end but nothing earth shattering.

I wanted to like this more but it was too hard to suspend disbelief for me.

A dark twisty modern thriller that takes at a convention for murder thriller authors. Gloriously twisty, dark and fun with an original plot and voice that comes alive on the pages.

Amazing! I loved the setting of the writer's conference and cast of unreliable characters! An addicting, unputdownable read! I loved it!

You will quickly get immersed in Jaime Lynn Hendricks' latest novel, "I Didn't Do It". Definitely a go-to author!

Loved this book! Such a good story and kept me up all night! I didn’t want it end! I highly recommend everyone read this!

A murder happens at a thriller convention. What a great premise for a book! Who would do that and why? I had a hard time keeping characters straight. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed I didn’t do it. A murder occurs at a conference for thriller writers? What an interesting take on the typical whodunnit trope. I really enjoyed that the book took place from multiple perspectives, which allowed for excellent pacing. Each chapter gave just enough information to make you believe that you knew who the murderer was, but then the next chapter throws everything you believed into question. I did not see the ending coming at all and enjoyed watching all the pieces fall neatly into place with all the questions answered. The only thing I did not enjoy was the final chapter, which seemed oddly placed and purely for shock value. Otherwise, an excellent book that I highly recommend.

It’s the Murderpalooza conference for thriller writers when one of them ends up dead. Four of the writers have motive and are being threatened by a Twitter account @MPaloozaNxt2Die. Who’s the real murderer and can they uncover their identity before one of them is next?

This was an extremely well-written, page turning thriller. I loved the unique concept and enjoyed the four distinct, often humorous, POVs from the main suspects. It was like the breakfast club of thriller writers - you’ve got the current IT guy, the has-been, the wannabe social climber, and the one who’s always coming in second place.

Each of the POVs were just the right length for me to get a sense of the character, but not so overwhelming where I couldn’t keep them straight. I loved how after each reveal we’d jump back to the victim’s POV to learn about events leading to the murder. Having that added perspective really kept me guessing about the murderer.

I definitely did not see that ending coming. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted this to be a five star review as it’s sounds the perfect book. It’s four stars and it’s great though. A group of established and self published mystery writers gather in a New York Hotel for the annual awards. Someone dies. Who did it? Do I actually care? Not really, I was more interested in the actual characters, the writers and agents. It’s fun but I felt it tried to hard to be a satire.

Murderpalooza. A conference for thriller writers to gather and win awards. If this was a real convention, I would 100% attend. Murder aside... it sounds like such a fun event for all thriller readers and writers alike! The story focuses on five writers, some of which are up for the same award for "thriller of the year". When one of the nominees turns up dead, panic ensues and everyone needs to know what happened. Each of these writers have a connection to the victim, they all have motive one way or another. Could one of them be the killer? Absolutely. Then they all start getting cryptic text messages from an unknown number telling the writers that this texter knows their secrets. Threatening and wondering out loud "Are you Next?" At the same time they discover a new Twitter account which is only following the 4 of them and keeps releasing their secrets! Clearly, that just means as secrets are revealed they begin to wonder who they can trust- and turn on each other. Everyone is a suspect.

I love that the book was broken down to first person perspectives. I loved that even with so many characters, I always knew who was talking and the storyline was very clear and yet, still so full of mystery! It really kept me reading because as soon as I finished with one character, I'm like =, wellllll I could read just 1 more.... this kept me up half the night! This is a fast-paced story I couldn't put down! It reminded me a little of one of those dinner/murder mystery places you'd go and act out the crimes - or even, the game of Clue a little bit. It was really fun to get to know all the characters first, and then hear all the different sides and get a feel for what happened piece by piece leading up to and after the murder. Such a great book, you will never guess the twists or the ending... Jamie Lynn Hendricks is officially an auto-buy author for me! High five Jamie!

Thank you #Netagalley & publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication date: May 23, 2023 --- make sure you pick this one up. It's a MUST read!

I Didn’t Do It by @jaimelynnhendricksauthor comes out May 23rd. To say it’s one of my most anticipated releases of the year is an understatement. So when I was approved by @scarletsuspense and @Netgalley my ability to show any sense of self control to read closer to the release date dissipated and I picked this up very soon after. I will say that won’t be a problem though because I will continue to sing its praises all the way to release date and beyond.

In her newest thriller we are at Muderpalooza, which is a thriller author convention. There is a prestigious award that’s about to be given out and one of the elite authors is found tragically murdered. All suspicions turn to the rival authors. They are now getting eerie text messages about how they could be next and are getting tweets from a similar handle that is only following them. Can they figure out who did it before one of them is indeed, next?!?

❤️Review❤️

I honestly can’t say enough about Jaime’s books. Each and everyone has had me hooked from page one. They are so fun and she isn’t scared to make characters behave badly. They may behave badly, but you still can’t help but be invested in their story. I must have suspected each person at least once and still didn’t have this predicted correctly. This is such a fun thriller that will keep you on your toes and flipping those pages as fast as you can. I loved the unique setting that allowed it to feel closed room without it actually being a fully closed room. I will never get enough of her books and now I’m desperate to read whatever she writes next again!

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you read her books yet? If not, please go read Finding Tessa or It Could Be Anyone and then go and preorder I Didn’t Do It!

I’m so excited to get my hands on this one physically and give it a nice big hug when it comes out!

#Bookstagram #BooksBooksBooks #ThrillerBooks #FavoriteAuthor #SuspenseNovel #NetGalley #2023BookReleases #BookReview #Books #NewBooks

Jaime Lee is a fantastic ‘new’ writer. I have yet to read a book by her that I didn’t love. Her writing style just works for me. Her storytelling flows, her characters are interesting, and her plots are unique. I Didn’t Do It was another great read. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was turning the pages quickly. Job well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

Kristen, Mike, Suzanne, Vicky, and Davis are attending #MurderPalooza in New York City. When Kristen is murdered (were her books that bad), the other four authors are targeted by an unknown Twitter account, that keeps dropping hints that one of them will be next. Which of them will be the victim and why(could all their books be that bad).

I loved all the mystery and thriller writer secrets that were shared throughout this book. Told in chapters that alternate between these five authors, four in the now, and Kristen in the time leading up to her untimely demise(#JusticeforKristen).

Last year was tough for me and I’ve been recovering from surgery and building up my endurance on my treadmill. I can only read page turners because to be honest getting back to sixty minutes is hard. I Didn’t Do It was the perfect read to keep me going. The pacing kept me flipping my Kindle pages, and pats self on the back, I even guessed whodunnit but not why.

Such a fun read with lots of thriller author tidbits along the way. These fictional authors weren’t the nicest people and I sure hope they weren’t based on any real life experience! Now all I have to do is figure out what to read next that will check all of my must have fast paced morning treadmill boxes.

Murderpalooza is a premier mystery and suspense writer conference. It is a massive event that many top writers of the genre regularly attend. Kristin Bailey is a best seller and it comes as a huge shock when she is found dead in her hotel room!

This was told in multiple POV's giving you every angle and personality in the world. Other authors Vicky, Mike, Davis and Suzanne all have secrets, and someone knows. A Twitter account follows only the four of them and regularly sends out threatening tweets. As secrets from these authors are revealed they begin turning on each other. This is when the pace picks up and it’s a bang bang book from here on out.

I loved the author’s previous two books so much but found this one a bit unreliable! Think more campy less realistic. Thankfully the pace was fast and I kept wondering how the entire story would be wrapping up!
I wish I could enjoy this book a little more! If you enjoy popcorn whodunnit thrillers this is the one for you debuting in May!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scarlet for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Okay — this is a book written by an author about authors who write books including a book about authors writing a book.

Does that sound intriguing enough? If not, stick around for the review. Murderpalooza, the worlds leading mystery/thriller conference, brings authors from all around together. When one of them shows up dead, leading to 4 others receiving blackmailing threats, the 4 must figure out who, if any, of them is the murderer.

The story progresses through the perspectives of the deceased and the 4 authors receiving threats. Honestly, even the characters I disliked I loved to read their views. I just felt like I believed each of their characters were written by someone with their exact character traits. The pompous jerk was indeed a pompous jerk. I loved that throughout the book as we discovered things through the 4, we’d get a short chapter on what really happened to the 1 which helped situate the clues.

It was just a super fun read that plays on the screen in your head. SUPER fun light mystery thriller, saw some twists but not all & had a bit of a giggle in the last 10 pages because that was fun!!

Murderpalooza is a premier mystery and suspense writer conference. It is a massive event that many top writers of the genre regularly attend. Kristin Bailey is a best seller and it comes as a huge shock when she is found dead in her hotel. Her competition is everywhere so there are plenty of attendees with a motive. But, what better group to try to solve this murder than this group of expert murder book writers.

I really enjoyed I DIDN’T DO IT! The storyline is very clever and bravo to Jamie Lynn Hendricks for executing it perfectly. It reminded me of the Clue and Knives Out movies immediately. I am a big fan of those types of murder mystery movies for sure. This book kept my attention and kept me guessing the whole time. I highly recommend it and will read more from this author in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scarlet for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

I really liked this book and the more I think about it, the more I start to love it. Welcome to Murderpalooza, a premier mystery writer conference, and the setting of the murder of top-writer, Kristin Bailey. A conference full of mystery writers who write about murder, are accused of murder, and possibly targeted for the next murder? Yes, please!

This was such a quick-read! The book is told from the perspective of the four suspected murderers and Kirstin Bailey (pre-murder). Each character has his or her own quirks and secrets. Secrets being possible motive, of course. I honestly had NO idea where this book was going and who murdered Kristin.

This read was perfect parts of light suspense and author satire/humor. Some scenes had me creeped out one minute and then laughing the next. The cliffhangers ensured I kept reading just one more chapter (or three thanks to the swapping perspectives). I highly recommend picking this one up when it is released in May!

Thank you @netgalley and @w.w.norton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.