Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy of The Mystery Writer in exchange for an honest review.

"In Sulari Gentill's 'The Mystery Writer,' I found myself thoroughly engaged from page 1 to finish. The plot was filled with twists and turns that kept me enthralled and guessing until the very end. I particularly enjoyed the clever integration of conspiracy theories, adding an intriguing layer to the story. 'The Mystery Writer' is a captivating and thought-provoking read." I found this book to be a unique sort of experience written for people that love thriller mysteries but anybody can truly enjoy it.

I was a huge fan of Sulari Gentill’s The Woman in the Library, so I was thrilled to access an advance copy of her latest novel, The Mystery Writer (publication date March, 2024). But what a huge letdown. As with her previous novel, the protagonist in this book is an Australian writer, but the setting is Lawrence, Kansas. Theodosia (Theo) Bennett was a law student in Australia, but she has decided to follow her passion to be a writer by dropping in on her lawyer brother (Gus) who for some reason lives in Kansas. The first 75% of the book follows Theo as she settles into her new home and meets an older, fellow writer, who she starts chatting with at a bar/café where they both go to write. She falls for him, but when she drops in to invite him to dinner, she stumbles onto his dead body, literally.

Naturally, the police immediately label her a suspect, along with her brother and his best friend, Mac, who is a private investigator. Mac also happens to be the white sheep in a family of preppers who live on a compound they call the Ponderosa. One of Mac’s brothers is one of those people constantly caught up with conspiracies (think QAnon). It’s all a pretty standard mystery/thriller (with a couple more dead bodies) until we get to the final 25% of the novel. For me, that’s when this book really went off the rails.

I won’t bother to go into details about that last 25% of the book. Suffice it to say, it is beyond ridiculous unless you find it easy to believe in an evil cabal of a book publisher and their writers. There are leaps of reasoning, time jumps, and plot holes galore.

I gave The Woman in the Library 5 stars, but this one is at best 2.5, rounded up to 3. First, because I know she is capable of writing a much better novel, and second, because the craziness in this book is no crazier than all of the other QAnon conspiracy theories out there.

The Mystery Writer kept me on my toes. Theo is an aspiring writer who wants to get her story out there. After her mentor gets murdered shes on a mission to figure out who killed him. The plot of the story was well developed and very interesting.

I got sucked into this book and finished it in 2 days! The mystery is interesting and the characters are likable which is different from my normal mystery novel. The twists and turns kept me turning pages to see if my theories were right, and I just had a really fun time reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy, I really enjoyed it!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Woman in the Library and therefore happily and excitedly requested The Mystery Writer, but it didn't live up to my expectations. Whereas I felt the writing style of The Woman in the Library was unique and intriguing, a good fit for the odd novel, it felt less quirky and more disjointed in The Mystery Writer. I didn't realize it wasn't merely a style choice on the part of Gentill, but their manner of writing across the board. That said, the pacing and character development of this novel felt severely lacking, and I did not enjoy it nearly as much. The ending also left something to be desired. While it's an interesting tale, I always felt like we were two steps back from the real action and bulk of the story.

3.5 stars rounded down

It's my first book that I've read from Sulari Gentill and I'm pretty excited bcs I was expecting the cozy mystery, books, coffee shop, writers, secret agency, and murders. The plot is interesting and I keep turning the pages bcs I'm curious for what will happened next. I love how Gentill made the characters, It feels natural and realistic for me. Theo, Gus, and Mac are top-tiers. Gus protectiveness to his only sister is one of the things I love. Mac, how to unlove him? Gus and Mac, they has the flows as the duo.

I enjoyed the book although at first I kinda a lil bit confused with the chat room conspiracy theorists or whatever you called it is. The pace is kinda off sometimes, like.. it's fast paced but suddenly Gentill insert unimportant side story that made the pace slower and then suddenly fast forward to 3 years later in the story . The romance part? Not my cup of tea oops. And... I keep confused to how Gentill write her characters' name on their first name and suddenly changed it with their last name, like.. I don't remember that many of full names of her characters, so... It's my struggle.. and last the execution not meets my expectation so.. hffftt..

Overall it's a good reading experience for me, it's a worth to read book. Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Sulari Gentill for the ARC in exchange of my honest review..

I had trouble getting into the author's previous work but still like their captivating writing style so was looking forward to this one. I would rate it as a 3.5 rounded down to 3.

A good story but gets bogged down at times and the second half really slows down. Pretty decent read overall though

Rounded up from 3.5⭐️

Theo Benton shows up unannounced on her brother, Gus’s, doorstep after dropping out of law school in their native Australia. While the law was her late grandfather’s dream, Theo longs to write. With her brother’s support she sets off to finish her novel.

As she establishes her daily writing routine at a nearby cafe, Theo meets a well known author and the pair strikes up a mentorship of sorts. As they spend more time together talking about writing, their relationship begins to deepen until he his brutally murdered.

As she tries to solve her mentor’s murder, Theo is drawn into a world she never could have plotted, leaving those she holds most dear in danger. But ever the writer, she plants the seeds of a story that will serve as a lifeline if she’s lucky.

I loved the pacing of the first 2/3 of the book. I was hooked quickly and liked how the story was unfolding. After the first twist however, it felt like someone had slammed on the breaks. By the end of the story the change in pace made sense and I appreciated the slow down, but it was a bit jarring in the moment.

Theo had layers and flaws which made her an interesting character. I loved the relationship between her and Gus; the sibling banter was spot on as was the desire to keep each other safe.

Chapters begin with excerpts from a conspiracy theory chat room, which added to the mystery surrounding the murder and helped to heighten the external threats to Theo. It also provided an additional, if not slightly “saw that coming” link between several main characters.

While I didn’t love “The Mystery Writer” as much as “The Woman in the Library”, it was an entertaining mystery and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of this book in return for my review.

While I didn't find #themysterywriter as compelling as #thewomaninthelibrary, I still enjoyed it immensely. Theo and her brother Gus are terrific characters, and I love their relationship. I felt as though there was too much going on here, and maybe the dénouement should've gone in just ONE direction. Some plot points are a tad unbelievable. A fun read, however long, and I highly recommend.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

I had never heard of Sulari Gentill until I stumbled upon this captivating read. I must admit that even though I had only made it through 20% of the book, I was already a fan of Gentill and eagerly looking forward to reading more of his work.
Within just a few pages, I found myself completely absorbed in this thrilling tale. The author skillfully manipulates the reader's emotions, taking us on a rollercoaster ride from intense moments to lighter ones. Furthermore, Gentill expertly guides us through a series of events, maintaining a constant level of suspense while gradually unveiling the secrets that lie beneath the surface. While at the same time making the reader ponder over what had been readily obvious from previous pages. A sudden turn of events provided intrigue, which captures attention and probes a reader to turn the pages. The book transfixes a reader to a seat throughout the whole book. The only movement that I made was moving closer to the screen of my laptop. There is no interesting novel as one that engages a reader, and I believe that "The Mystery Writer" is a book of such quality. Warning: It is addictive!
Gus Benton is a lovable character. It is through him that the book comes as humorous. His responses to questions and certain situations even serious ones contained sarcasm, satire and irony. When Theodosia Benton is followed by journalist at his home, he responds that, he’s thinking about renting out advertising space since cameras are pointed to the house.

Rounded down from a 3.5 star review.

The story follows Theo, an Australian law school dropout, who joins her attorney brother in Kansas where he has bought himself into a law partnership when she decides her real calling is to be a writer. She starts to fall in love with another writer and much older man who ends up murdered and Theo then gets caught in a web of murders interlaced with conspiracy theories.

The first half of the book I loved, tight writing and believable plot. But things went downhill in the second half - plot contrivances, conveniences and so so obvious.

Thanks to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This was a wild ride! I really enjoyed every moment. It kept me guessing and questioning everything. I ADORE the main character of Theo. She was feisty and opinionated, and I loved her strong willed character. She's the character that resinates with those of us who live life by the beat of our own drum. I loved the twists and turns, and truly could not put down this fantastic book. Another great one by Sulari Gentill!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Poisoned Pen Press!

I absolutely adored The Woman in the Library. I didn't quite connect with this one. That being said, however, I would not hesitate to read another one from this author.

I have been an avid fan of Sulari Gentill until I hit this book. The star rating is a challenge as the characters are well-formed and the brother-sister interplay is fun. The back cover description gives away FAR too much of the storyline and the “mystery”. It describes 75%+ of the book plot so instead of feeling building tension, I was waiting for it to all just happen already. The conspiracy element is not emphasised enough, there is A LOT of right-wing babble in chat rooms which I found annoying (I am not one to read a conspiracy theory styled books) and then a number of characters follow this line of thinking. On top of this, the whole thing is just wildly implausible, I can even begin to think how this could be possible but, as I say, because it’s outlined, it was also oddly predictable.

Trigger warning: violent death described

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I am so sad to say I did not love this book.
I loved the cover and had such high hopes but I was disappointed.

I found this book confusing and slow at times.

Unfortunately it did not peak my interest.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it had me guessing and questioning right up until the end! I am not usually fond of writers who write about someone who wants to be a writer and then seemingly easily become one, but the narrative worked well here in connection with conspiracy theories. I did get a bit annoyed by the lead relying on men to safe her / be there for her. I guess this is due to the fact that she is just in her early twenties and her brother threats her like a little sister.

This was a wonderful book. A great Thor ill er that kept me guessing the whole time. I would recommend this to all thriller lovers!

The Mystery Writer is about an author, Theo, who is writing her first novel after dropping out of law school. She moves to Kansas to live with her brother and begins frequenting the same bar every day to write where she meets Dan, a bestselling author. They become very close through their writing together until she finds Dan murdered in his home. She soon finds herself and her family in danger as she desperately tries to find out who did this. There are many twists and turns along the way and it definitely leaves you guessing about what is really going on in the literary world!

I love the concept of this story and was very intrigued by the initial description. I did struggle a bit with the writing as it was slightly confusing and I felt like it jumped around too much. I also felt like it was a bit too obvious as it was clear from the beginning who the murderer was and it was frustrating that Theo was so naive trusting so many people she shouldn't. That said, I think if the writing style doesn't bother you then you would love this story! It is definitely a page turner and very entertaining.

As Theo works on her first novel, she befriends a famous author. But when he is mysteriously murdered, she finds herself in danger too... Conspiracy theories abound and Theo must find out what is going on before more people get hurt.

Sulari Gentill is a wizard at weaving in two seemingly unrelated stories into one! And no matter how I try to guess how they fit together, I am always surprised. The suspense and pacing were great, I couldn't put it down! I also really enjoyed the varied cast. Each character is unique. I was initially a little confused by the direction the story went but the ending was thoroughly satisfying and also completely unexpected (which is exactly what I like in a mystery story!).

This is a book (and author) I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery, especially one that involves writers and books.

A great thriller! The storyline was unique and fast paced. I read this in one evening! I enjoyed all of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!