The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is a super intriguing read if you're into mysteries with a twist. The story follows a famous mystery writer named Rowly, who’s living his best life in a small town, until things start getting weird. He’s got this new character in his book that might be based on a real person, and suddenly, life starts to feel a little too much like fiction.

What I really enjoyed about this book is how clever it is. There’s so much attention to detail, and the way the mystery unravels makes you want to keep reading just to figure out what’s going on. Rowly’s character is super interesting, he’s not just a writer, he’s also dealing with his own personal stuff, which adds a nice layer to the story. The pacing is slow at times, but it builds the suspense, so you’re constantly wondering what’s going to happen next.

The plot twists are great, and just when you think you’ve got everything figured out, the book throws something at you that makes you rethink everything. It’s not a super fast-paced thriller, but it’s definitely a good one for anyone who loves a mystery that’s a little more psychological.

Sulari Gentill knows how to twist a plot! The whole book is seething with tension and filled with miscues. It's the best kind of mystery. By the time I was at the end, I was thoroughly confused and I enjoyed every minute.

I have enjoyed some of this author’s books. They were clever and imaginative. Unfortunately, this book was slow and the plot was convoluted and preposterous. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I was first introduced to Sulari Gentill two years ago—  The Woman in the Library absolutely captivated me! When I saw her name on The Mystery Writer, it was an immediate NEED TO READ for me! And it did not disappoint! Theodosia Benton does a life-180 and decides to pursue writing instead of law, showing up on her brother Gus's doorstep hoping for his support as she writes. As Theo works on her novel at a local cafe, she befriends a man— who turns out to be a super famous author. A few weeks later, he's murdered. The police are on the case, but when they start looking at Gus, Theo starts going down some unconventional— and unsafe– paths to discover the true murderer. I loved this book and can't wait for Sulari's next one!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately this was a DNF. So confusing--I just couldn't figure out what was happening and wasn't drawn in enough by the writing to try and figure it out.

The mystery Writer is an interesting combination of people and very strange lives. Theo is a young Australian woman who drops out of Law School and moves to a Kansas to be with her older brother, Gus. They both hold dual citizenships with the US and have sort of escaped their lives with their parents who brought them up on a commune. Gus is a successful lawyer and partner in his law firm.

Theo wants to become a writer and starts hanging out during the day on the local cafe/bar where she get to know other regulars, one of whom is a very successful author. Theo and Dan become good friends and he helps her with her writing. When she finishes her book she asks Dan to submit it to his agents at Day Delos and Associates. She is stunned when he says no, that they are not the agents for her. Nothing is remotely the same for Theo after that. There are murders and harassment and the police suspect her even though she is clearly a victim.

Gus' friend and associate, Mac, is a private eye type who just happens to come from a family of preppers. It is easy to see how Gus and Mac became friends, each with their own rather messed up childhoods. The two guys along with Theo try to solve the mysteries before getting drawn in too tightly. I really liked the characters and their relationships. About 70% into the book I was a little thrown by the change of course but I had faith that it would all come together in the end and it did.

Thanks to NetGalley.

I had not read previous work from the author, and dove into The Mystery Writer fully! I really enjoyed the twists and turns! The wording did seem a little much at times which sometimes made me want to skim some, but ultimately, this book was a winner! Thankful for the ARC and intro to a new author to follow!

Solid 3 star. The Mystery Writer started out with a bang and somewhere around the middle it really fizzled for me. I loved the premise and the MC Theo plus her brother Gus kept my interest in solving the murder.

With all the hype for Woman in the Library, I couldn't wait to read The Mystery Writer. I own Woman int he Library and looking forward to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press.

I received an ARC of The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill through NetGalley. This was my first time reading this author, and while the book had some intriguing elements, it didn't fully meet my expectations. The story follows Theodosia Benton, an aspiring writer who abandons her law career in Australia and moves to Lawrence, Kansas, to pursue her dream of writing. She arrives at her brother Gus's doorstep with an unfinished novel and a lot of uncertainty. Theo soon meets Dan Murdoch, a highly successful author, who becomes her mentor. Their relationship takes a tragic turn when Dan is brutally murdered the day after Theo gives him her manuscript to read. Theo is determined to find Dan's killer and clear her brother's name when the police start suspecting him. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a hidden literary world where identities can be lost and remade. Theo's investigation leads her into a labyrinth of conspiracy theories and dangerous secrets. With the help of her brother and a private investigator named Mac, Theo must navigate this treacherous path to uncover the truth. While The Mystery Writer offers a compelling premise and well-developed characters, some plot twists felt predictable, and the pacing could have been tighter. Theo's character is relatable, and her journey from a naive aspiring writer to a determined sleuth is engaging. However, the story's reliance on conspiracy theories and abrupt time jumps towards the end detracted from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the book's intriguing concept and strong character dynamics kept me invested. I did finish the book! #netgalley #themysterywriter

I really enjoyed the concept of this story. I can appreciate all of the thought and work that was put into it. However, this fell a bit flat for me. There were possibly too many elements to the story to make it feel like you could really get immersed. The character of Theo is hard to connect with. I’m not sure if I just couldn’t find a common thread or if the constant reference to the character being from another country was putting a wall up for me. I wouldn’t call this a total loss or waste of my time, but I don’t think that I would recommend it to anyone any time soon.

The Mystery Writer was an incredibly unique and gripping story. The story follows Theo, a young woman who drops out of law school to pursue her passion of being a writer. She gets involved with another writer named Dan Murdoch, who is then tragically murdered.

The beginning of the story was incredibly captivating and had me hanging on every word. I thought the idea driving the story was also super fun and out there.

However, after the beginning, I felt like the flow of the story plateaued in the middle. This may be because I started to get confused with the story, as it quickly got hard to follow. Additionally, I struggled to relate to Theo and found it hard to connect to the characters at some times. Because I couldn’t connect with them, I found it hard to root for them throughout the story.

Still, I had a fun time reading this story, and would give it three stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

I tried multiple times to get into this book, but I just couldn’t. I did not like the characters or the writing style. There was one point where I was pretty intrigued and was able to read a good chunk in the course of a day, but unfortunately that was short lived and this book took me months to finish. The only reason it was not a DNF is I was intrigued by the concept. I knew early on who was a bad guy, but just didn’t quite know why. I thought I had to be missing something and that their would be an epic twist so even though I struggled to get through it I kept coming back it. I was not met with a fantastic twist; only ridiculously long time jumps so that they could attempt to wrap up the storyline.

I thought this book was entertains. You defiantly had to suspend your disbelief a little. The story was a little out there. Over all I thought it a fun time . I have read other books by this author and they have been similar i style

This is the second book that I've read by this author and it won't be the last. Not in the least predictable, every page brought the characters in a different direction but ultimately led to a satisfying ending. I really enjoyed the twists and turns and will definitely be reading more by this author.

In Sulari Gentill’s THE MYSTERY WRITER, an aspiring young writer from Australia finds herself entangled in a murderous conspiracy - in Lawrence, Kansas of all places. The blurb for this mystery novel actually tells us quite a bit - maybe too much? - and based on that, I was eager to read this one. I was all about the setting as a college town in the Midwest, and these characters are somehow very engaging even when they’re not entirely likable. I was unfortunately left somewhat underwhelmed and perplexed by what felt like absolute plot chaos. There were so many elements that felt unnecessary - like going steadily through a check list of genre tropes. This book just wasn’t for me, and that’s okay - I know plenty of readers who would love it. If you’re fascinated by QAnon and love espionage, this book is for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

One of the qualities of a great writer is the ability to write different styles of books and still have them be good. I feel like this defines my thoughts on Sulari Gentill's two novels - The Woman in the Library and The Mystery Writer. Since I was absolutely addicted to the first novel, I thought it would be the same for the second. Spoiler alert: it was not. However, I did end up really enjoying The Mystery Writer. I actually stopped and started this book a few times before finishing it.

This was a solid mystery novel - focusing on the relationship between Theodosia "Theo" and her brother, Gus, and her new friend/mentor/possibly something more, Dan. Theo has dropped out of law school, moved in with her brother, and is embarking on a career as a writer (all with the side story of her Australian heritage, past trauma, and a family inheritance). There are also sections throughout the book related to crazy, outlandish conspiracy theories. There is a LOT going on in this book. It was a lot to keep track of, but the pace picked up once the murder begins... and we have to figure out what is real, what is imagined, and what is actually going on. Once I got into this book, I found it highly entertaining and intriguing, and was rooting for the characters through a particularly tense plot twist. This was a bit of a surprise because I didn't actually like them all that much. I did find the ending very satisfying and appreciated the author's use of humor/conspiracy theories to lighten the mood in this mystery.

So to sum it up, this is very different from the debut but still worth the read in my opinion!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Sulari Gentill does it again. If you read and loved Gentill's novel "The Woman in the Library" you will love "The Mystery Writer", but I think even if you didn't enjoy Gentill's first novel you may still enjoy this one. One mystery after another and a twist at each turn, Gentill keeps readers guessing what will happen next and who is the one that started it all. The main character, Theodosia Benton, wants to be a writer and gives up her future as an attorney to chase the dream but runs into problems after arriving at her brother's doorstep. Someone close to her is killed and brother is suspected of being the killer. We follow Theodosia as she goes tries to find the killer herself and save her brother. Gentill's writing will captivate you and pull in right next to Theodosia as we ride alongside her until the end.

The plot is convoluted. Theo gives up on college and shows up on her brother’s front porch in Lawrence, Kansas. She’s decided she wants to be a writer. Hanging out in a local cafe/bar, she befriends an established writer. No sooner have they become romantically involved, that she finds his dead body in his house. Interspersed with this storyline, the reader is privy to a group of conspiracy theory nutjobs and their messaging. It would be easy to say this group was too crazy to be believable. Our family has a QAnon idiot in our midst, and some of her theories are so unreal as to beggar belief. Conspiracy surrounded all players with intrigue and control at its heart. It just felt off kilter with me and was hard to relate to the characters and get into the story line. My thanks to Netgalley, the author and Poison Pen Press

The title alone of this book interested me from the beginning when I first saw it. The story did not disappoint at all! I enjoyed it a lot.