Stars: 3.5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

What if those conspiracy theories floating around the internet were actually real? And what if you found yourself caught up in one? Would you be able to find your way out or would you end up joining in? In Gentill’s latest novel, one young writer finds herself embroiled in something quite sinister and she isn’t sure where to turn.

Theo Benton is a young Australian woman who has left law school and finds herself on the doorstep of her older brother’s house in Lawrence, Kansas. She doesn’t want to be a lawyer, instead she wants to write. Gus Benton loves his sister and tells her to stay, write her novel and they will figure it all out. So Theo writes and as she does, she becomes friends with a fellow novelist who acts as her mentor. And then one day he is found dead. And when other people also start dying around Theo, the police begin to suspect she might be the killer. It is up to her, her brother, and their friends to clear her name.

That is about all I can say for the plot without spoiling it, since this is a thriller and you know, I don’t want to completely uncover all the conspiracy bits.

There is some spoiler-y stuff below so if you don’t want too much, quit reading now!

It took me a little bit to get into this book, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Theo, especially because I felt like her stated age in the book (22) didn’t translate well for the story. Or her brother’s either - I felt like they all needed to be a bit older. But once I got over that and got into the heart of it, it didn’t really matter. The pacing in the beginning and middle were good and the story moved along at a good clip but then we had a huge jump and it felt pretty jarring. Gentill spent a lot of time setting up the premise, establishing the relationship between Theo and Gus and going into a fair bit of detail about Theo’s writing process and her novel, all good things and a way to draw the reader in. And then somehow we manage to condense two or three years into a really short section but without really signaling to the reader that is what happened. I think there could have been a way to do this, say divide the book into Part I and Part II, so that you knew that significant time had passed. And I think I wanted that time-lapse discussed in a different way, Gentill peeled back some layers as the last third of the book went on, but I think it would have been ok for the plot to have revealed them soon.

All in all, I would certainly recommend this book. I enjoyed this one as much as I did The Woman In the Library, which I read a few years ago and was set in Boston. And I have to say one thing that I find truly amazing is that, according to the readers' guides in both books, Gentill has not been to Boston or Lawrence. Instead she relies on research and locals to help her create a sense of place. I am not a conspiracy person myself, but I am not sure how she manages to do this so well without being from these places! I mean, her understanding of Boston was amazing. And maybe it was the research, but the the little bon mots she throws out to Kansas and Missouri are great (Thomas Hart Benton, Melissa Etheridge, Bleeding Kansas).

Gentil’s latest novel follows the story of Theo, a young Australian woman who comes to her brother in Kansas, hoping to become a writer. Everything seems to be going smoothly, as she nears completion of her manuscript and befriends a fellow writer, until someone dies and Theo becomes a suspect. The story was propelling, but some of it was a bit underdeveloped and hard to believe.

Theodosia Benton went to school in Australia to become a lawyer. Halfway through she drops out of school and runs to her brother in America. What she really wants to do is become a published author. She has a burning desire to create wonderful stories and get a traditional publishing contract. Her brother, already a prominent attorney and a partner in a Kansas law firm, wants her to have her dreams and agrees to allow her to live with him while she writes her first book. She devotes the next six months to doing just that. She hangs at at the local coffee/bar down the street from their house, meets published author who takes her under his wing. He doesn't talk about his personal life only about the writing and helps her develop her story. When she figures out he is a 'famous' author she asked him to help her get an agent.

Theo is so excited about her writing coming togeher, her budding relationship with a published author and the friends she has made while living with her brother. However, all of that is about the change because in the background there is a web of lies surrounding them and their friends. The spark happens when Theo finds her author friend murdered. The actiion, suspense, and intrigue just keeps going from there.

I thought the action and intrique, twists and turns within the story were excellent. I read the entire book in one night and hope you will purchase a copy and read it as well.

I began reading this book with high expectations. I read Sulari Gentill's previous book, The Woman in the Library, and loved it. In The Mystery Writer, Theodosia “Theo” Benton drops out of law school in Australia and heads to Lawrence, Kansas to fulfill her dream of being a writer. She moves in with her brother, Gus. Theo meets Dan Murdoch a successful writer who agrees to help her. Dan misses an arranged meeting and Theo goes to his house. She finds him stabbed to death. Theo becomes the number suspect in Dan's death. Dan's agent, Veronica, agrees to take Theo as a client and also to find Dan's killer, and the manuscript he was working on, which was stolen.

The author adds to the whodunit with a group of doomsday peppers , who believe in The Shield and someone named Primus, who is their leader. Maybe Dan was Primus? We find out that Gus and Theo's parents were part of peppers group.

All in all, the author does a good job of tying it all together with some twists and turns along the way. I got bored in the middle, but the pace picked up toward the end. It seemed to me that the author was trying to put too much into the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for an ARC. The review is my own.

This is the second book I've read by this author and they have both kept me quickly turning the pages. Great characters, and a well paced plot, with enough intrigue and unexpected twists that I had to hurry to finish it. I read it in two days. I love the book/writer themes in her novels and found the characters discussions about writing particularly interesting, of course, while they were solving murders. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced reader copy.

When Theodosia (Theo) Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brothers doorstep with two suitcases and a half finished novel, she expects to face new challenges

Theo never expects to be drawn into a hidden literary world where identity is something that can be lost and remade.

When her mentor is suddenly murdered, Theo does everything she can to draw out the killers and bring justice for her friend.

I quite like the premise for this story but I think it was almost trying to do too much.

There were a lot of subplots involving minor characters which actually ended up being quite important at the end but got lost in everything else.

The timeline was also a bit confusing. Suddenly they’re talking about how it’s been over a year or over three years and there’s no mention of what has occurred durian that time.

What I did like though were the characters. Theo is a great character, and while she does have the need to be rescued from every situation, she does go above and beyond to help her family.

Mac is another great character. I wish that we had more about his upbringing as his family is a riot and I feel like this could have been built on a bit more.

I am putting this at a very solid 3/5. While I loved the idea, the execution for me fell a bit short, but I loved the character building and the way the story ended.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poised Pen Press and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Theo, a law school dropout and aspiring novelist, strikes up a friendship/mentorship (and eventually a morally questionable “relationship”) with a famous writer… who winds up dead a few days after their tryst. Somehow the murder is connected to a QAnon-like conspiracy, which drags down Theo and everybody around her as it spirals out of control.

I was excited for this book based on the premise - mystery, murder, conspiracies. I have a few qualms with the execution. How is the main character, Theo, SO naive? She misses so many obvious red flags. Several elements of the story were too obvious and took the mystery out of it. If Caleb’s connection to the story and the true nature of the agency were supposed to be twists, they fell pretty flat for me - I was sure of those things early on. At the same time, there were times I was sure I’d missed something because I was getting lost, but going back to reread proved that the issue wasn’t with me.

The conspiracy premise was timely and intriguing to me, and I appreciated Theo’s fear, as an Aussie in the US, of the omnipresence of firearms. However, the writing itself felt stilted and weak. The time jumps were very confusing - after the first ⅔ of the book happen in a matter of days, it felt disjointed to be jumping months and years ahead. The passage of time could have been handled more smoothly.

This was a quick read and I’m glad I got a chance to read it - although there were some frustrations, I still enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.

What did I just read? I jump on books about writers, but I should have explored this one a little more before I requested it. Conspiracy theories play a large role in this book, probably playing a part that I still don't understand. It was a mystery, but the story seems to jump around between characters, and there are some large jumps in time that certainly didn't help the storyline any. Between the conspiracy theories of the government building new people from parts and the big gaps in time, I was just kind of lost.

I did like the three main characters. Theo and her brother Gus are Australians who have become transplants in Lawrence, Kansas. That's strange enough, but it's even stranger that my son has recently been accepted to KU for his doctorate program. (Insert Twilight music here). Max is a guy who works with Gus's law firm as an investigator. He's a good guy, but his whole family is whacky. They are preparing for the end of civilization as we know it, and it seems that each of his brothers believes a different bizarre thing.

The ending seemed rushed and also very strange. Just not the book for me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

She wants to pursue a writing career, but finds herself a suspect in a string of murders instead.

Theodosia (Theo) and her brother Gus were raised by free-spirited parents in Tasmania, but a traumatic event led to Gus being sent to the US to live with his far more traditional grandfather while Theo ended up at a boarding school. Years later, both have been left an inheritance by the grandfather stipulating that they will receive the money if and when they complete law school. Gus did just that, and has recently bought into a law practice in Lawrence, Kansas. Theo on the other hand realizes that the law is not for her and has decided to drop out of law school to pursue her dream of writing a novel, landing unannounced on her brother’s doorstep. Gus is happy to support her as she follows her instincts, but what starts out as a rewarding period of writing in a local bar/cafe and finding a community of fellow authors (including the attractive but mysterious Dan, whom she quickly considers a mentor) takes a decidedly bad turn. First, Theo discovers a dead body, and others to whom she has a connection start turning up dead as well. The police have Theo, Gus and Gus’s friend/investigator Mac in their sights as the likeliest suspects, a QAnon-like group of online conspiracy theorists want Theo dead, and that’s just the beginning. Can Theo, Gus and Mac figure out what is going on in Lawrence before their livelihoods and maybe even their lives are forfeit?
An interesting twist on mysteries where the main character finds themselves the main suspect in a killing. Theo is a likable young woman, if a bit naive when it comes to stumbling about crime scenes and talking to the police without first consulting her brother the lawyer. The mystery of what happened when Theo was younger and how Gus factored in to the matter is teased out and eventually becomes a part of the plot. The character I most enjoyed was Mac, the quiet but effective “researcher” who refuses to consider himself a PI and who comes from a notorious (and highly entertaining!) family of doomsday preppers (he is the Marilyn in that particular Munster family, if you will). Throw in the conspiracy theorists who believe that a worldwide plot to reanimate dead bodies is unfolding in their midst and for whom Theo’s mentor Dan may or may not be their “Q”, known here as Primus, as well as a literary agency which catapults unknown authors to the heights of bestsellerdom (but at what cost?), there are plenty of potential villains, red herrings and motives floating around to grab and hold the reader’s attention to the end. As I read The Mystery Writer, it had elements that reminded me in one way or another of books I’d recently read by Alexandra Ivy, Jenny Hollander and Sarah Ochs, so those who have read and enjoyed one of those authors might want to give this one a try, as should aspiring mystery writers and conspiracy theory aficionados. Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a lively and entertaining read.

Having enjoyed Woman in the Library, I’ve been looking forward to finally getting to read this one. One of the things that I enjoyed about Woman in the Library was the story around the story, writers writing about writers. It was this notion that I had in my head from the get-go as I delved into this story with a very similar storyline/plot.

The very first sentence of the book summary is kind of a spoiler, “There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory—until it turns out to be true”. So, from the get-go, I’m thinking, “ok, it’s about a conspiracy theory that’s actually true”. The rest of the book summary basically just introduces the main characters siblings, Theo and Gus (a lawyer) and how the story started, so I’m not going to repeat any of that here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is Gus’s friend and co-worker, Mac, who is an investigator at Gus’s law firm. It also doesn’t mention how this “conspiracy theory” started and that mystery is in itself a potential conspiracy theory compliments of the conspiracy theory trolls that live online fanning the flames of conspiracy theory nonsense.

There is also a secondary storyline that the book summary alludes to and that is that there is some event in Theo and Gus’s past (back in Tasmania) that the family had buried and has been hiding ever since. This is just one of the catalysts for Theo’s act of protecting Gus. Also, it doesn’t help that Mac comes from a somewhat nefarious family of doomsday preppers, whose suspicious behavior has been on law enforcement’s radar for a very long time. Personally, I’ve always found these people to be some of the wackier types of conspiracy theorists. JMHO

Most of the story flips back and forth between Theo and the online posts of a bunch of conspiracy theorists that revolve around what happened to another member of the forum that they refer to as Primus, who they believe is Dan Murdoch, who was Theo’s mentor/lover that was murdered. The conspiracy theorists believe Primus’s postings were revealing another conspiracy theory regarding a book he was posting about that would reveal another conspiracy. Getting the picture now? Yeah, me neither, but it does make the story more interesting. Anyway, none of this is a spoiler since it all transpires pretty early in the story.

The second half takes a crazy turn and that is where a good chunk of the story goes off the rails. For me, I actually like crazy twists and turns; my enjoyment of a story is not contingent of a story’s level of believability. Unfortunately, it’s not long before the ending begins to become just a humongous, hot mess, which is the same issue that I felt Woman in the Library had too. I really dislike messy endings; they’re kind of a pet peeve of mine. It’s really sad when a writer spends a lot of time, energy and effort creating a good storyline and developing interesting characters only to get to the end of the story and just kind of lets the whole story go up in a blaze, and not in the glorious kind of way either.

The elements of a story that has the most effect on my overall enjoyment of a story are strong characters, interesting storylines, a pace that keeps me engaged and the author’s writing style, which for me includes how well the writing flows and how a writer wraps up the story. Based on the first three elements, I’d give this book a 3.5star rating, if I could. When vacillating about whether or not to round up or down on a story, I rarely feel inclined to round up on stories with clunky, messy endings. This is the case here. I want to thank NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #PoisonedPress #TheMysteryWriter

Compelling storyline. Even though, I did not like the jump in years after the main character disappears. Maybe that could have been a more smoother transition? After following the character day by day and then all of a sudden years went by. It just felt a bit abrupt. Other than that, it was a great read with surprising twists and turns. Great book!

Small note to publisher: there were still a few typos in the books, you probably already found them but wanted to at least mention it.

I started reading this as an audiobook and felt very confused on where it was going. I had to stop due to this and also not really finding any joy within the book either. I possibly will read it if it's in a physical copy or as an ebook, but not anytime soon.

Provided by NetGalley

This story had lots of action.... and murder.... and F words! Wherever Theodosia Benton goes a murder seems to follow. However, when Theo goes missing for several years, will the killings stor or will they escalate?

Only four stars because of the language and the periods that it seemed to move too slow. It picked up during the second half and held my attentiion, though. Thank you, NetGalley, for the early read.

had very high hopes and expectations for this book and unfortunately some of them weren't met, i didnt like how the pov would constantly change, i had to keep checking back to see if i had missed something every two seconds like there was even a time jump of five years that was only mentioned ONCE and thats it? it never developed whatsoever, had me wondering what couldve possibly happened to the characters in those five years like that plot hole couldve been filled with something but i guess not. i liked the idea of this book actually, the plot was really nice, there were a lot of twists and turns here and there, theo was amazing i adore her, i mostly liked mac and his chaotic family they were very fun. nonetheless i enjoyed this book, not as much as i hoped but it was definitely something!

This is the first book I have read by this author. It started out well with likable characters and an interesting story line. But then I think it crossed over into an unrealistic plot line. The premise just didn't seem believable. However, I will say that is was well written and if you are able to suspend your disbelief, you might enjoy it.
The story involves a young woman who has dropped out of university in Australia and shown up on her brother's doorstep in Kansas. Hoping to escape family criticism, all she wants to do is find some quiet time to write a novel. So she ends frequenting a cozy local pub where she can sit and write undisturbed. There she meets a fellow writer, one who is already has a successful career. They hit it off and all is going well until it isn't.
When she goes to meet up with her friend and finds him dead, the trouble starts. Too much conspiracy theory here for me.
I was enjoying the book until the last part when the plot resolution just seemed too far fetched.

This book is about a woman who decides to go against her parents and grandparents wishes to become a solicitor like her brother Gus. Theo was raised in a compound style living environment. Theo decides she wants to be a writer and moves to Lawrence to be closer to her brother and try and get a writing contract with a top publisher in America. Throughout this book we meet a variety of different characters some of them mysterious, dangerous, likeable and some of them very unlikable. This book was well written but I felt it could have ended at least four different times. To be honest the actual ending made no sense to me. It made it seem as if there was more left to be said. I’m really not sure how I feel about this book, as it was my first book by this author I always give an author another chance and read another book before I make a decision not to read again. I found most of the main characters likeable, and even relatable. Overall, this story was fast paced, but the ending just fell flat for me. I felt like the action ended up being in the last 50 pages or so and it was crammed in for a grand finale. I just reviewed The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill. #mysterywriter #NetGalley
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This one started off as your typical murder mystery as an aspiring writer tries to discover who killed her friend and best-selling author lover only to quickly devolve into an over the top conspiracy theory ladden action-driven adventure. Recommended for fans of movies like Enemy of the state and people who like creative, somewhat implausible plots. This was good on audio and definitely entertaining if not quite believable. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Theodosia Benton arrived from Australia on her brother Gus' doorstep in Lawrence, Kansas, completely unexpectedly. Theo had quit her law course at the University of Canberra to pursue a career in writing. She didn't let Gus know she was coming because she thought he'd send her back. His successful career as a partner in a law firm was something Theo no longer was interested in, for herself. Gus was happy to see his kid sister, and had no intentions on sending her home. As Theo settled into her daily writing at a nearby coffee bar, where other authors also congregated to write, Theo met up with well known writer, Dan Murdoch, and he became her mentor. But then he was brutally murdered, and Theo found his body.

When the police decided Theo was their #1 suspect, Gus immediately stood by her as her lawyer. And his good friend and work buddy, Mac, also worked at their side. But another person was murdered and with evidence thin on the ground, the police continued to question Theo. But Gus was in the frame as well, and suddenly Theo was missing; nowhere to be found. What had happened to Theo? It seemed that she had vanished into thin air...

The Mystery Writer is another brilliant mystery thriller by Aussie author Sulari Gentill which I could NOT put down. Conspiracy surrounded all players with intrigue and control at its heart. As I turned the pages toward the end, I wasn't sure what would happen - but it couldn't be good! I always love Ms Gentill's writing, and this one sure didn't disappoint! Highly recommended to all who love a twisty, intriguing thriller!

With thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

My head is still spinning after finishing this book! Conspiracy theories, corruption, murder, ruthless corporations —The Mystery Writer has it all!
Theodosia Benton is a fledgling writer, and a good one. When her mentor is brutally murdered, Theo, her brother Gus and his friend Mac all become suspects. Gus is shot by the police when they go to arrest him, and after visiting him in the hospital, Theo disappears. Two years go by and Gus and Mac continue to search for Theo. One day Mac reads a bestselling book, and realizes that it's Theo's novel., published under someone else's name. The race is now on to find her, before her publisher decides to silence her permanently.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sulari Gentill for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Mystery Writer coming out March 19, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really wanted to love this book! I loved the first book and was definitely excited to get the second book. The first half of the book awesome. I loved the way the story was progressing. The last third of the book felt like a completely different book to me. I really didn’t understand where things were going. I wasn’t a fan of the time jumps and plot. I was rooting for Theo in spite of a few little things, but I just couldn’t get behind her choices at the end.