Theodosia "Theo" Benton is a 22 year old who dropped out of law school in Australia, and flown to the US, Lawrence where his lawyer brother works. She has a dream, a dream where she becomes a bestselling author.
Her brother, Gus, is very happy that his little sister decided to pursue her dreams of becoming an author and he's warmly welcoming her to his... humble? neighbourhood. The only warning he has is that americans shouldn't be trusted easily, and of course that they might shoot you.
While Theo slowly starts to embrace her new life as a young-author-to-be, she makes various friends, one of them being a famous author himself.
What starts as a friendship turns into an innocent relationship and eventually that turns into a murder. While Theo tries to understand why someone would murder a writer; we're faced with tragic pasts, conspiracy theories and at the end, the danger of getting murdered itself.
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When I first requested this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I hadn't even read anything by Sulari Gentill herself but now i know.
Throughout the story, I wondered where Gentill was taking us with this really complicated story. At some point, I was sure that at the end there'd be some plot holes because of the amount of events and details the story literally threw at us. But, and i'm still in shock, there were none. Looking back at everything and also thinking about everything, i feel satisfied.
The middle for me was a little bit slow, infuriating even because it felt like we were going nowhere with the case. However, at some point everything started to progress and make sense. I can't tell you how many times i gasped and couldn't put the book down!! Even though Theo got on my nerve, the story was enough intriguing that I kept going and going.
My favorite aspects were definitely the connection with the conspiracy theories and how a strong story could influence the behavior of hundreds of people. Also, Mac (a private-eye) caught my eye from the first encounter and he just had my heart. Gus and Theo's Australian humour were also a breath of fresh air!!
The ending was genious, and surely Sulari Gentill knew what to do to keep us on edge. I can't wait to read more of the Gentill.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a digital copy of The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill for review.

Sulari Gentill’s has done it again! A mystery novel with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and asking yourself, what just happened!? This is her third stand-alone novel that explores some aspect of the writer’s life. The Mystery Writer takes a closer look at writers and their relationships with their agents as well as the drive to be a published, successful writer. All this is wrapped up in a murder mystery with multiple murders connecting Theodosia to each crime. Throw in an over-protective brother with a private detective best friend, a dog named Horse, and conspiracy theorists and doomsday preppers around each corner and you get quite the read! An added bonus is Theo and Gus’ Australian perspectives on America. What a fun ride!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

I wish I could say that this thriller was thrilling but, sadly, I found it to be too absurd for me to comfortably suspend my disbelief. What's worse, about two-thirds of the way through the novel, I got the sense that the author grew bored with the narrative, too, as they seemed to stop weaving a story and started reciting it. There was an abrupt and uncomfortable shift in the tone of the novel where it felt like a summarization of events, rather than a depiction of them. Still, I stuck with the novel to the end. I just wish I had more good things to say about it.

Positives: I liked the main characters - Theo, Mac, and Gus well enough.

Negatives: I don't mind being asked to suspend my disbelief and sometimes it works. John Grisham's The Firm, for example, has a ludicrous plot but it's pulled off through some deft writing. The Mystery Writer's plot, unfortunately, limps to the finish with one absurdity after enough, making it difficult to enjoy the novel. That said, my edition was an ARC copy, so there's a chance that some additional revisions will be made before the book is published, so perhaps some of the weaknesses can be resolved.

Lawyer Theodosia Benton decides leave her law career and try her hand at writing arriving at the home of Gus, her unsuspecting brother. One day she goes to Benders, a local coffee shop where she meets and grows close to Dan Murdoch, a successful writer. Their friendship evolves and she finds out that Dan is represented by Agent Veronica Cole and ask that he read her manuscript and if he likes it to submit it to Veronica. He likes her book but refuses her request to have Veronica read it.

The plot thickens when Dan is murdered and Theo finds that Dan was keen to escape his dark past and keep her out of harms way. What happens next is a twisted conspiracy tale that is astonishingly fascinating and delightfully original.

So, fasten your seat belts because you are in for an exciting treat of a thrill ride with this one.

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This book had a different way of plot the storyline and it worked great for it. Kinda thriller mixed conspiracy theories. There were tons of times I would think about the chapter I just read and could see it playing out in a movie.
I can’t wait to recommend it to my friends and family.

“Becoming a writer is one thing, staying one is entirely another beast.”

The premise of this book has so much potential, especially for those who are into conspiracy theories.

Brief Summary
A young writer with great potential, Theo Benton, befriends a fellow writer – and successful author – Dan Murdoch, who turns up dead. Theo is thrust into the “suspect category” by the police as others around her are killed off.

If Theo isn’t the murderer, then how is she connected to their deaths? How will this change the course of her life & the lives of those she cares about?

How far would you go over a conspiracy theory you wholeheartedly believe in?

Read if you like:
• Evil corporations
• Conspiracy theories
• Doomsday Preppers
• Police & Government Agencies who are way-too-eager to arrest & questions suspects based on a hunch and no other leads.

Thoughts
• I wanted to enjoy this book <i> so much </i> but so many parts fell flat.
• The majority of the book follows Theo Benton – until it doesn’t. It’s a very choppy transition into Gus & Mac’s POVs and it doesn’t translate well at first.
• The conspiracy theories were utterly outrageous and ridiculous to even believe that someone could fall into the conspiracy theory trap.
• Can we talk about the conspiracy theory “plot point” of the book? Other than <i>how</i> we find out about how the conspiracy theories are tied in at the very end, they play no point in the overall plot/story arch. I would’ve like to see more emphasis on the importance of the conspiracy theories.
• The pacing was a mess. The bulk of the book sets up the story for the action & the mystery – just for the action and the mystery to be rushed through with little sense. There’s tons of “time jumps” that don’t read well initially.
• With the author being Australian, I do like the tie-in to the main characters also being Australians who are living in America. (The computer password being “Vegemite” seemed too “on the nose, obviously Australian” for my taste. But hey, that’s just an opinion.)
• In one of the early chapters, she begins three of the first four paragraphs as “Caleb did this, Caleb did that, Caleb was doing this.” It would’ve been more interesting for the author to <i>show us</i> what Caleb was doing rather than telling us.
• The major conspiracy theory, “The Frankenstein Project”, was never really fleshed out or deemed worthy of being more than a simple plot device to move the story along. (Seriously, what was the conspiracy theory supposed to be & why was the Minotaur important?)
• Not surprised that there’s an unnecessary amount of details over the bar that Theo frequents. I didn’t need that much detail of the sinister backstory, let alone that much detail about the sinister backstory.
• Theo is bland, utterly clueless, and easy to push over. Which I guess works for the purpose of this story, but doesn’t really work well overall.
• The writing could’ve been more developed into a more mysterious book. The author chooses all the wrong moments/details to give detailed accounts of. It makes it very hard to be attached to the story. Rather than showing the reader all the gritty details & actions, the writing is very “Point-blank, this is what happened.”
• Not surprised by the “whodunnit” ending, but Caleb definitely deserved more “screen time” within the book.
• So many typos, grammatical errors, and paragraphs that were underwhelming to the storyline.

I've enjoyed Sulari Gentill's other novels, so I only half-read the description and didn't realize a large portion of this book is based on conspiracy theories. Although, the big reveal at the end is so far out there I could almost believe it's actually true! There's a ton of action in this one as things ramp up to the conclusion. The characters were a lot of fun to follow, but I didn't particularly care about any of them. The mystery at the heart of the story is way more farfetched than a normal whodunnit. Think something along the lines of a pretty good Netflix thriller movie. It wasn't for me, necessarily, but if action and preppers and conspiracies and shadow organizations is your thing, you'll probably enjoy this. Gentill's a great writer and, while not what I expected, her story didn't disappoint this reader.

Theodosia Benton shows up at her brother's house with an unfinished novel. Her mentor, a successful author, is murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. The police begin looking at her brother as their #1 suspect and Theo has to protect him.. But the writer has left a trail. Her brother finds the trail and follows in in order to save his sister.

"The Mystery Writer" is a book that is soon to be published. Theo is studying to be a lawyer until something happens and she packs up and goes to live with her brother, who is also a lawyer. He welcomes her into his home and encourages her in her dream of becoming a writer. Theo befriends a successful author while writing her novel. However, one day he is found dead. The police have no other suspects but Theo and her brother, and she is ready to do anything not to ruin his life.

The blurb sounded promising, and the cover was quite captivating. I have to admit that the book got off to a rough start for me. I did not particularly like the author's writing style. I was wondering if I should read it at all, but when the murder happened, the action picked up and became quite interesting. Theo, her brother and his friend Mac, who is a kind of private-eye, try to find out who is behind the murder, and the bodies keep piling up. Although I couldn't fully sympathize with any of the main characters, I found their dynamics and relationships interesting. I liked Mac the best.

I found the conspiracy theory part pretty weird. It wasn't something I liked overall, but a lot of things became clear as the story progressed. I had fun with Mac's crazy family and would definitely read another book with them at the center of events. It was interesting to try to connect the clues and look for the culprits. I can't say I fully support Theo's reasoning for what she did, but I kind of understand her. I liked that there was a love thread, but it was shown quite subtly and didn't intrude on the story. In general, I liked the plot, I read the second half of the book in one sitting.

The Mystery Writer grabs you right from the beginning. It was incredibly fast paced and there were so many misdirection's, that any time I thought I had an idea what was going on, I was completely and utterly wrong. It was very hard to put the story down, I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this story. A great follow up to the woman in the library.

You're not in Kansas anymore. I take it back. Maybe you are. Theo quits law school and heads to her brother's house to crash and figure out what she wants in life. She wants to write a novel. She finds that she does her best writing in a coffee shop where she meets the town celeb who is an author. The author becomes her mentor. The next thing we know the mentor gets murdered. I could tell you the rest, but then I would have to kill you. This was an entertaining read, but about 50 pages too long.

Interesting plot

This starts with chat room postings about conspiracies. New chats are included throughout the book, Although they ultimately made sense and show how people are influenced by others through them, I found them a bit disjointing.

The plot was good. A young Australian woman, Theo, longs to be an author. She meets a successful author, Dan, while spending her days writing in a restaurant. After spending many days writing and talking with Dan, she thinks she might be falling in love with him. When Theo tries to get Dan to submit her finished manuscript to his publisher, he refuses. She is hurt and and embarrassed. When Dan does not show up in the restaurant the next day, she goes to his house to talk to him and finds him murdered.

The story wasn't very tight. Some parts were very jumbled and I hope will be corrected in further editing. I thought this was a good first book. Then I looked up the author and found she has written many novels. It could definitely use more editing. The part in Dallas was very confusing when it switched between characters in nearly every paragraph. People were exiting a hotel before the alarm was activated. It was kind of a mess and could use a lot of clarification.

Thank you net galley for an ARC of The Mystery Writer in exchange for this review.

The Mystery Writer follows Theo, who has recently left her law school program in Australia and flown to Kansas, where her brother lives, in order to pursue her dream of becoming a published writer. Her brother immediately suggests that she find a place where she can focus on writing her book and Theo ultimately meets another writer at the coffee shop she works at each day. The story develops when she finds a dead body and tries to unravel the murder mystery. Theo’s brother and business partner both come to her aid and soon all three find themselves caught up in the unfolding action.

The setting of The Mystery Writer is mostly, Lawrence, Kansas, with some action occurring in Australia. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to those who enjoy thinking about authors’ processes, and following twists and turns in a mystery novel. The characters in this book are believable and likable, which makes it easy to spend hours in their company.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced reader copy of Sulari Gentill's "The Mystery Writer".

The is one of my 5 star rated books of 2023 and one of the few arcs I will be buying a physical copy of to add to my bookshelves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this arc.
I was really looking forward to reading this book! It was well written and I do recommend it to others that enjoy slower novels. I felt that it was hard to get started but the middle was great. Ending was a bit rushed.

THE MYSTERY WRITER by Sulari Gentill was a thrill ride with dips and turns around every corner. I LOVED IT!

When Theo Benton leaves Uni in Sydney, Australia and shows up in Lawrence, Kansas at her older brother, Gus’s house, all she tells him is that she left Uni so she could write her mystery novel, UNDERNEATH. She takes up shop in Benders Bar where she meets fellow author Dan Murdoch. They begin a love affair but when Dan dies, public opinion is that Theo was involved; maybe even a suspect. After Dan’s death, Theo is approached by his publisher about her book. But they represent some serious secrecy rules, etc. Will she sign with Day Delos & Associates even though Dan tried to steer her away from them? And is someone stalking her?

Meanwhile, attorney brother Gus and his PI, Mac Ethridge are trying to protect Theo from protestors, gamers and the police. With all of Theo’s problems, Gus eventually losses his job and faces other horrible consequences. Then Theo admits to a crime she didn’t commit in order to save Mac and Gus. Then she disappears.

There ARE a lot of characters in this book, so bring your dance card, but they all fit so neatly into the story. I felt like a fly on the wall of Benders and while hiding out from everyone after me. I enjoyed the writing style with a bit of sibling banter thrown in for good measure.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This book turns the literary world upside down! The Mystery Writer is a unique addition to the genre. Gentile braids together contemporary topics with likeable characters drawing the reader into this clever mystery.

Hoping to become a writer, Theo drops out of law school and lands on her brother, Gus’s doorstep. She spends her days writing at a local cafe where she meets another writer, gradually realizing that Dan is a highly successful author. The two develop a writing routine while he becomes her mentor until one day he is murdered. Theo vows to find the killer as she quickly becomes immersed in a secret literary world where authors' identities are hidden and the publisher controls all the work.

Gentile turns the world of publishing on its head with this unique outlook on the world of books and the power of words. A masterfully written mystery that builds in suspense with each page. The author includes thought-provoking present day themes. The plot is full of twists and surprises while the character development brings each person alive.

Thanks to Poison Pen Press, Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I feel like I should write 3 different reviews.
The first portion of the book —the set up of how the protagonist, Australian Theo, finds herself in Kansas, reunited with her lawyer brother—is far too long. The entire book could have ended sometime around the moment that the successful novelist she has befriended (and just slept with ) dies. Around that point in the book I pondered quitting it.

But the intrigue builds, and bit by bit, a somewhat unsatisfactorily constructed frame-up noose begins to tighten around Theo, her brother and his friend Mac. Nothing about this part of the story hangs together except for the malevolence of the dead writer’s agent—who is becomes inexplicably attached to Theo. The agent is so obviously the source of evil that it was virtually impossible to even try to co spider other “suspects”. But, there are lots of red herring potential suspects to consider. It’s just that they all seem hapless rather than homicidal.

There is woven throughout a back story of horrible abuse, parental neglect, a criminal history and all kinds of other detail from Theo and her brother’s Australian upbringing. None of it really matters to the story. And so, throughout I keep waiting for all of that to matter too. It never did.

Up to that point the book is standard fare mystery/ frame-up thriller. But then, with only the advanced notice of a new chapter, everything has changed. Theo is gone. Where? No one knows. The brother and friend have been respectively hospitalized and imprisoned. None of this is narrated. It is announced. Maybe this would have felt less utterly clumsy had there been a “Part 1” and “Part 2”. But, as a segue from one chapter to the next it was jarring, and weird (not in a good way).

For some reasons, the brother and his friends go looking in Australia. Nothing about this part of the story is additive—or even makes sense. Honestly, I think the whole Aussie back story would have been better saved for a later book—maybe one that takes place in the Antipodes?

And then there is part 3… when Theo is found (returned from the weird prison of her new life?)

From there, it felt like the author just wanted to wrap up the book and get done with it. And frankly, I felt the same way. The overall concept of an evil literary agency that “rehabilitates” fallen author reputations by turning them into prisoners is an ok premise. But it feels vaguely like a poor attempt at science fiction here. There is no explanation of the extraordinary feat of getting an (ostensibly) brand new author launched to the level of success they had in their previous authorial lives. The agency is seemingly omnipotent, and the literary world so meritocratic that good writers ALWAYS make it. And so this Uber-powerful agency can make any writer into a global phenomenon simply by representing them.

I can’t recommend the book. It seems like a good idea that had no real editorial guidance. Had it been rewritten and restructured a few more times it might have been great. But as it stands, it doesn’t really feel like a cohesive piece of work.

My thank to New Galley for an advanced review copy.