The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is a gem disguised as a literary thriller. It has single handedly reignited my love for literary fiction with its cast of characters, mysterious circumstances, and superb storytelling. The writing immerses you into the story from the depictions of the characterizations to the coffee shop environment. I enjoyed the easy nature of this book. Annnddddd it's a book about books one of my favorite tropes.

The Mystery Writer is a standalone literary mystery thriller by Sulari Gentill. Released 19th March 2024 by Sourcebooks on their Poisoned Pen Press imprint, it's 400 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a competently written and plotted mystery featuring an author who fled a career path as an attorney to become a full-time writer. There are some aspects of the story which will require the reader to bring a hefty suspension of disbelief including conspiracy theories and reasonable (?) motives for murder. Ms. Gentill does (as always) a stellar job of characterization and the interplay between the adult siblings in the story are nuanced and very well rendered.

It's a long book for the genre. The middle third of the book felt disproportionately long and tended to drag somewhat, and the ending was unequal to the task of tying the whole into a cohesive narrative. The choice of alternating PoV was also quite jarring and disconnected and didn't help the story coalesce into a coherent unit.

Three stars. Probably worth a look for particular fans of the author.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Another book by Sulari Gentill that hooked me in from the beginning!
Theo Benton is a young woman, newly moved to the US from Australia. She settles in Lawrence, KS, where her older brother lives. She just wants to start over and become a published author, but ends up caught in all kinds of conspiracy and misunderstanding.
I really liked Theo as a main character. She's young and a bit naive, but she is also determined to follow her dream and is fiercely loyal to the people who matter to her.
The first 70% or so of the book was fantastic. One thing after another happening, which kept me wanting to constantly pick up the book and find out what was going to happen next. I really liked the side characters as well, Theo's brother, Gus, and the friends she makes who help her along.
The last 30% of the book was a bit jarring. The timeline had several abrupt jumps and the pacing changed completely. While the events taking place in that time do make the change make some sense, it made it less enjoyable to read. I still finished that portion in one sitting though because I just had to know how everything wrapped up.
Overall, a good book, and I look forward to what Sulari Gentill writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this book. I really like the beginning of this story until it seemed to be more conspiracy people then the story I thought it was going to be.

I really enjoyed this book! The author’s writing style was different than I'm used to, but once I became more familiar with it, I was able to get more into the book. I find conspiracy theories intriguing, and this book provided a unique take into that world. The characters were interesting, even though I couldn’t really connect with them; and I appreciate the humor sprinkled into this book that had an otherwise more serious tone.

The pacing of the book was a bit off to me, with the first half being a bit slow, and the second half a bit too fast. However, I find this pacing issue to be quite common in mystery/thriller books. I would have loved the ending to be a little more clean, because it felt too rushed.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press, Sulari Gentill, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved The Woman in the Library and I had high hopes for this one. It was just okay. The first half was interesting enough, but it all devolved in the second. It felt clunky to me. I really enjoy Sulari's writing style regardless.

Oh man, I'm a little conflicted here. I read Gentill's "The Woman in the Library" and "The Mystery Writer" back to back. I gave "The Woman in the Library" 4 stars. I think I'll land on giving this one 4 stars as well with the note that there are some issues that would definitely make this a lower rating (which I'll touch on later) if I didn't just someone get sucked in and had a really good time anyway.

The Mystery Writer follows Theodosia Benton, failed Aussie law student turned aspiring writer, as she starts over in the U.S. with the help of her brother, Gus. She meets a highly successful author at a cafe who becomes a mentor to Theo. When he is brutally murdered and both Theo and her brother come under suspicion by the police, Theo is thrust into a dangerous search for the true killer.

The Iffy: Both of the novels I've read from Gentill use mixed media. I think it was used really well in "The Woman in the Library," but it almost seemed like there wasn't enough in "The Mystery Writer" to truly make an impact. I wanted more. Next, Theo is insufferable. She makes the craziest choices and is just so naive. Finally, the ending was very OTT. Like...just wild.

The Good: I liked a lot of the other characters a lot. I didn't expect to be drawn in to a story that utilizes a lot of current issues and leans into conspiracy theories, but here we are. The preppers ended up being a highlight of this novel for me. The OTT ending worked for me for some reason - like it was just so out there that I found it kind of fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital arc. All opinions are my own.

DNF. When I requested I was in the mood for a read like this, but it didn't catch my attention when I started it.

I've enjoyed Sulari Gentil's books in the past, but The Mystery Writer is not a good fit for me. The heroine is teary and insecure, conspiracy theorists abound, and the constant gun warnings are feeling preachy. I hope this was just a one-off mismatch!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After reading The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentil, it did not surprise me at all that The Mystery Writer was a rollercoaster of a read from start to finish. Every single time I thought I had a handle on what I was reading, something else would happen that left my mind spinning in an entirely new direction. The unexpectedness of the story and the progression of the story led to a unique reading experience that had me eating up page after page.

It was interesting to watch the development of the story unfold, thanks to the switching of POV’s every once in a while. There was just enough change that it had me doubting everything I thought I knew. While I thoroughly enjoyed the different POV’s it was jarring from time to time to be yanked out of one perspective and into another. The jarring nature of those changes emphasized the tension as the mystery unfolded, but again, could be a bit jarring.

The main character, Theodosia, was a rare character who started the story as an unlikable, difficult to understand protagonist, to a young woman who’s trauma developed throughout the story leaving her sympathetic and much more understandable to readers. Her relationship with her brother and his protective nature gave me something to root for. Their relationship became fully formed as the story went on and each character's backstory became more fleshed out little by little. It was a little frustrating to get tiny little hints at the trauma that had unfolded in their lives, but took so long to get the full stories.

There are so many layers to this book and an seemingly unending number of conspiracies. It was such an interesting take on the world of publishing and the hidden influences within the world that it was very hard to put down. It was a crazy hole that the only way to find out the truth was to immerse myself fully until the end.

⅘ stars for this incredibly wild ride.

Please be aware of the heavy topics that this book deals with. Please check trigger warnings if necessary.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

ALC from pub
This book started so strong. I was invested in Theo and what she was doing with her life after leaving law school. I always enjoy a story with an author plot line and I felt like this is what really got me invested, especially after she met another author. I knew from the synopsis that this other author would die. However, the parts that came after this murder started really strong, but fell apart for me by the end of the book. I think sometimes ending a mystery, especially with plot lines that are in this book that I don’t want to say and give away, can be tricky. I felt like the ending was too long and drawn out and convoluted, and it really impacted my enjoyment of the story. Overall, while this wasn’t my favorite, I would be open to reading this author again in the future.

This has an intriguing plot to get me hooked in the story. It is all about a conspiracy theory until it becomes true and real. This might be one of the books that makes you keep reading and I read a lot of those things in the past. The plot drags and it felt short as it was finished abruptly. The writing was inconsistent but it was fine. Also, there were a lot fonts so it was expe ted of the story but it was so vague and left unattended but it kept me going. This was such a love and hate one for me so I will say I may recommend it but not enough because I might forgot about this in a few days.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this in exchange of an honest review.

I don't want to say too much in this review and spoil the book for anyone, so I'll try to talk a little broadly.

I really wanted to love this one, but I think it would have worked better with a revised format. The book was written with a time jump about 3/4 of the way in. I think it would have been better to have a little faster pace at the beginning and put the time jump 1/4 of the way in, and then have the clues come out and work through the mystery from there, after one of the main characters goes missing. As written, the first 3/4 starts to drag, and the disappearance and time jump breathes life back into the story.

Very slow paced beginning, enjoyed the way it wrapped up.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

It was certainly a thought-provoking whodunnit swirled with quirkiness - only an engaging author could evoke.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an E-ARC.

When Theo (Theodosia) Benton left school and a promising career in law, she could never imagine the twists and turns her life would take. From becoming a writer to finding her mentor brutally murdered, her life takes the shape of a novel. Will her carefully constructed house of cards collapse under the scrutiny?

This story had a premise to die for! A story about an aspiring writer getting caught up in a murder, what's not to love? Unfortunately, I didn't love it. The idea was clever and writing kept an engaging pace for the most part. However, the story suffered from pushing just how far a reader can suspend their disbelief. Sometimes simpler is better as this plot got convoluted. Gentill had to include several unnecessary twists and time jumps to get everything to line up, and it just didn't work for me this time. Great idea, poor execution.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill, author of the thriller The Woman In The Library has once again outdone herself in this new exciting, unpredictable and imaginative story. With so many elements for a terrific read...mystery, conspiracy, murder and disappearances, no one could ask for more in this psychological nail-biter.

Theodore (Theo) Benton has decided to give up a budding career as a lawyer and while still in law school she decides to drop out become a writer and lands on her brother Gus' doorstep armed with an almost completed manuscript. Gus, an attorney adores his sister and supports her decision.

So, Theo begins to write her novel in a diner, someplace away from Gus' apartment. There, she meets another writer, a bit famous who himself is trying finish his novel. He becomes a mentor to her of sorts and they grow close. But then Theo's life begins to unravel as he is found dead in his house, and she unfortunately is the person who found him. All she remembers is seeing a man run from the scene. She discovers the manuscript he was writing has disappeared.

Suddenly, she and her brother become unlikely suspects in this murder with Gus never even knowing the other writer. At the same time two unusual situations occur. First, a secret conspiracy group who believed the writer to somehow be the leader of their cult have decided Theo killed him and second, the publishing company which published the dead writer has informed Theo they would like to represent her and publish her novel.

But when more murders occur the police find evidence that Theo's brother Gus was the killer. Gus injured and, in the hospital, awakens to find Theo has confessed to the murders and disappeared. He knows neither of them did any such thing. He begins to search for her, but years pass and although he doesn't give up, he feels as if he will never find her.

Until suddenly someone gives Gus a book which is on the best seller list. As he reads it something seems familiar. The writing...could it be?

The Mystery Writer will keep you entertained and captivated as the story plays out and all the different worlds begin to collide into one unforeseen ending.

Thank you #NetGalley #PoisenedPenPress #SulariGentill #TheMysteryWriter for the advanced copy.

I read another book by Sulari Gentill that didn’t work for me, but that doesn’t mean I write the author off…and I’m glad I gave her another chance with The Mystery Writer. I love a good conspiracy novel and the mystery grew the more I read. Books about books add another level of interest.

Theodosia Benton left her career path as an attorney behind and came to the United States, showing up on her brother’s doorstep. She wants to be a writer, but she never anticipated the path she would travel to become successful…and neither did I. I knew there was a conspiracy, but those behind it and the way it unraveled, took me by surprise.

The characters came from colorful backgrounds and I fell in love with Mac’s wacko family. Sure, they were off the charts, but when it comes to family, they have their backs.

“…genetic predispostion to lunacy…”

Theo’s instincts are correct when it comes to Veronica and Day Delos and Associates. To save her brother from being charged with murder, she takes drastic action. The pacing creates a tension that had me racing through the pages

I want to tell you so much, but I don’t want to spoil the twists and turns hinted at in the synopsis. I will tell you…if you love a conspiracy, a mystery that has you scratching your head, and some danger to keep the thrills coming, you might want to give The Mystery Writer by Suleri Gentill a read.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Mystery Writer: A Novel by Sulari Gentill.

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A fun ride into the world of writing - characters to root for and enough clues to help you along the way. Would love a sequel!

I enjoyed this mystery. It had some good twists. This one messed up family. It was interesting, the characters were well written.

it was my first book by sulari gentill and I went in blind, which was the right decision! I really enjoyed this book and loved the way it was written and the mix of mystery and thriller aspects had me hooked from the start! I would definitely recommend it to everyone who likes a good mystery with plots and turns where you can't see the end coming!

(thank you netgalley for this arc-copy!)