Having read Sulari Gentill's The Woman in the Library, I had an idea of her writing style and the intriquing mystery she creates within her books. They aren't straight forward, but instead contain many threads that at the end will line up.

Brief synopsis: When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him.

My thoughts: The story is set in Lawrence, Kansas and I live in Kansas! I just love a good connection. Gentill is a hard author to review as there's so much in her stories and I dont want to give any of it away.

This is the first book I have seen with a plot teaser. "There’s nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory—until it turns out to be true." And this story has a lot of fascinating plot lines that surround conspiracies. You need to be able to accept the outrageous to really sink into the story. If you know a conspiracy theorist, or have found yourself enticed by a really well explained theory, this is the book for you. It will have you questioning everyone and everything you thought you knew. Lastly, heads up, the book blurb is dedicated to the last 20% of the book. Plus the reader jumps months and even years into the future in the last few chapters.

Sometimes a mystery isn't - but this one gives you some clues, some turns you didn't see coming, and a cast of characters that fill the story with humor, likable people, and scary situations.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this fascinating and unexpected mystery about writers, books and the power of a good story.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Redhook Books for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what’s it about? ⬇️

When Theo made the decision to leave school in England and follow her brother to America for the chance to finish the novel she's begun writing, the last thing she's expecting is to meet someone--a famous author, no less--and to develop feelings for him. And even more than that, she never would have expected for him to visit one day and find him brutally murdered in his home. Who could have done something like this to such a well-loved author, and why? And why does she keep finding herself wondering if Dan's vehement decision to not share her finished manuscript with his publishing house has something to do with it, especially when more and more people start coming around asking her if she has the missing copy of Dan's final manuscript that he completed just before he died? Can she trust the police to do their due diligence and find the killer and bring justice for Dan's death? And when Theo herself falls deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of the publishing world's darkest secrets and drags the people she loves most along with her, can she get herself out before it's too late?

my thoughts? ⬇️

This book took me for such a crazy ride. I went in expecting a few twists and turns, for sure, but I had so much fun piecing together the different pieces of the puzzle that Sulari Gentill laid out as the narrative unfolded. The characters were all interesting to read about and had flaws while still being so easy to root for, the tragedy of falling in love and losing that love so quickly at the turning point of the story was heartbreaking and added so much more depth to the rest of the plot, and the romance sub-plot. My god, the romance sub-plot was incredible. I really believed in and rooted for this cast of main characters and loved the forum posts that were added in throughout the story to give the reader a bit more context to try and piece together what was happening alongside Theo and Gus and Mac.

Plus, while the story was obviously sensationalized quite a bit, it had so many important things to say about the publishing industry, other media conglomerates, and the world we live in as a whole and how the things we do and say can and will haunt us for the rest of our lives...unless, of course, we stop living. I would recommend this one for the plot twist alone, seriously. I figured it out a little early just from putting things together and spent the rest of the time until the reveal desperate to see if I was right. I highly recommend going into this one knowing as little as possible about how everything shakes out in the end for the best experience!

trigger warnings ⬇️

death, murder, blood, gun violence, sexual assault, pedophilia, grief, police brutality, alcohol, child abuse, stalking, violence, gaslighting.

The premise of the story is why I wanted to read this but I struggled to finish. The characters didn’t really interest me. The sudden time jump in the middle with just explanations of what happened rather than actually reading about it all I didn’t like. A hint at romance but not really developed. An unusual ending.

Theodosia Benton leaves law school in Australia for her brother Gus’s place in Lawrence, Kansas to write a book. She meets author Dan Murdoch shortly after arriving in town and he becomes a mentor of sorts. Then Theo finds Dan dead at his home, in a pool of blood. Things get twistier and twistier, and Theo doesn’t know who to trust.

I was drawn into this story almost immediately. The characters were full of life and the story was engaging. I have read other books by this author, and thoroughly enjoyed them. This book did not disappoint. It was twisty and turny and full of mystery.

I really liked Sulari Gentill's first book, but this one did not work for me. I found it difficult to get my footing in the story. The timeframe was unclear and inconsistent and took a pretty big leap at one point with a whole lot of telling and not much showing. Additionally, the book is mostly told from the perspective of Theo, a young woman who has dropped out of law school in Australia and shows up at her lawyer brother's house in Kansas so she can write a novel. But then sometimes that perspective shifts for a sentence or two to one of the other two primary characters.

There was a bit of romance here and there but nothing well developed. I didn't care that much about the characters, and one more gripe. The Kansas setting seemed out of left field... I'm all for books set in Kansas but it didn't make a lot of sense to me why an Australian guy would land in Kansas where most people in America have not been. That could have been fleshed out more.

I really think a few more edits and this story might have been a compelling mystery.

Thank you very much @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of They Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill. This was the story of a brother and sister, she comes to live with him in Kansas after dropping out of law school. She wants to be a writer, and finds a cafe where other writers go to write. She meets a successful novelist, sleeps with him, and then things go off the rails. The novelist is murdered, as are many others. The publishing company seems shady, as we find out later. I found this hard to follow by the middle of the book. I did finish it, but not sure why. #themysterywriter #sularigentill #bookstagram #novel #fictionreader #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #readallday #readallthebooks

I ended up listening to the audiobook after publishing, and I was a bit disappointed. The premise started off strong - I mean, who doesn't love books about books and authors?! However, I found the storyline to be a confusing roller coaster rather than an entertaining one. I enjoyed the end, but it wasn't enough to make up for my confusion during the middle!

I wanted to like this. I really did. But I found it a little disjointed and inconsistent. Some characters were well developed. Others - insufficiently so for their role in the book. It had a fresh premise, at least for me. I just expected more.

I loved the first quarter of this book! After that I still enjoyed it but it didn't hold up as I had hoped.
Theo Benton has left the University she has been attending, and shown up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel.
She decides to finish her book at a local cafe where she comes across a highly successful "writer in residence"-
Dan Murdoch.
He shows her an online world of conspiracy theorists and explains how he uses these theories to get ideas for his writing.
He is then brutally murdered.
Does his death have anything to do with the conspiracy theories he has been researching?
The mystery of working this out was fun but it just ended up jumping ahead in timelines far too much towards the end of the book... it was outlandish and just too rushed.
Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable read but it could have had 100 pages less and something else done with the reveal to make it more succinct.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is about a young aspiring writer, Theo Benton, who finds herself out of her depth soon after falling for an older, high-profile, accomplished writer.

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from an online conspiracy theorist discussion forum. I didn’t mind it and thought it quite entertaining because I find such theories so ridiculous that if they were true, I’d be okay with being fooled.

The story kept me primarily engaged, but it had a lot going on and was challenging to follow at times. There were so many different characters doing all the things with spotty timeframes that I had to skip trying to piece it all together and just finish the book.

Overall, I’m glad I read it and that it didn’t end the way I predicted it to. 🤯

Thank you, @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress, for an advanced reader copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

#mysterywriter #NetGalley

This was an interesting book for me! I didn't realize it bordered on historical fiction, but it didn't really affect me. The plot wasn't what I was expecting or something I thought I would enjoy, but it actually was very good and different! I had trouble at first trying to decipher between the POVs, but I listened to the audiobook and it helped me understand it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and author Sulari Gentill for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sulari Gentill's The Mystery Writer is a gripping literary thriller that challenges perceptions and delves into the dangerous world of hidden identities and narratives. When Theodosia Benton becomes entangled in a murder investigation, she uncovers a labyrinth of secrets where storytelling is weaponized. As the stakes rise, Gentill expertly navigates twists and turns, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the final page. The Mystery Writer is a compelling read that will leave fans of thrillers craving more from this talented author.

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer? What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die. This is quite the twisty thrill ride with an unexpected ending. Highly recommend!

DNF at like 70%

I feel really bad about his rating, but I really just could not get through this book.
It wasn’t keeping my attention, I didn’t feel a connection to the characters, and I just had such a hard time getting through this. I even downloaded the audiobook to get through this… just not for me.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press for an e-ARC of this book.

The Mystery Writer follows Theodosia Benton after she drops out of law school and shows up on her brother’s doorstep ready to write a novel. As she settles into her new life, she finds a coffee shop to work at where she connects with another writer. He turns out to be a very successful and famous author and he becomes a mentor to her. Until he is killed! Theo teams up with her brother and his best friend, who is a PI, to find out what happened to him.

I flew through this book. It was quite a wild ride. The mystery was very dramatic and compelling, with a hint of conspiracy theory, and the structure was cool, which I have come to expect from Sulari Gentill. I loved the characters and immediately connected to Theo and her struggle. While I did kind of suspect the ending, I wasn’t mad about it and still found it to be a very satisfying and exciting conclusion.

Mystery Writer
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Author: Sulari Gentill

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Poisoned Press and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory—until it turns out to be true

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer?

What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die.

My Thoughts: I love books that contain books or writers, so I gravitated towards this one. Theo decides to abandon her career was an attorney and finish that unfinished novel that she has been working on. While Theo knows there will be challenges, she doesn’t expect what comes next. A highly successful writer takes her under his wing, then wounds up murdered. The initial suspect is her brother, Gus. Theo then shifts into protection mode to save her brother and does what she never thought she would have. Then Gus has to save his sister and follows a thin trail.

The relationship between Theo and her brother has been estranged since childhood. There was an incident involving a cult and ever since then, their relationship has suffered. Their grandparent’s will required them both to become lawyers, to get out from their parent’s cult ways, and as a bonus they get a trust fund. Theo just could not continue on the lawyer path, when her dream is to become a writer, so she moves and comes in contact with Dan. Just as she finishes her novel and wants to get in the hands of a publisher, Dan is mysteriously murdered in her house. Now she is suspect and her brother’s job is in jeopardy due to her involvement. To complicate matters, Dan’s close friend and PI, Mac, comes to aide, so she thinks. However, Mac’s family, the Etheridge Family, have some odd conspiracy theory beliefs. As Theo is trying to come to terms with Dan’s murder, she becomes enmeshed with some fans, then a hungry journalist is threatened to expose her secrets, not to mention the Etheridge Family, whom are very powerful and extremely wealthy.

The characters were well developed, had depth, were mysterious, and very intriguing. Theo was a bit naive, maybe even too much. The author’s writing style was complex, contained multilayered narrative, twisty, suspenseful, and brilliant. The conspiracy theories and doomsday scenarios really elevated the novel. The only thing that was a tad confusing was the time jumps at the end. The characters were built up with backstories. The plot was developed into twisty layers. The flow and pacing was spot on for the most part. The first 60% was paced just as a thriller is expected, then it slows for a bit, then the final chapters heat up with a conclusion that is freaking amazingly brilliant, even if some believe it was a little outlandish.

This is a little on the longer side at 400 pages for the book or 10 hours and 52 minutes for the audio. I had the pleasure of having both the audio and digital version of this ARC. This is a very unique premise. One I have not read before, and that kept me engaged.

This is a twisty thriller with a unique plot premise. Theodosia has worked hard as an aspiring writer only to find herself immersed in a massive conspiracy. Did she play a role in the death in question? This book really leaves you second guessing details you resd, checking back in earlier chapters for clarity and that ultimate jaw dropper toward the end. Join the ride, it's a twisty one!

@ghostmom_thrills

I liked the relationship between Theodosia and Dan while it was developing. The other characters where pretty well developed. Some of the plot was pretty predictable but there were a few twists at the end. Fun mystery with literary tie-in. Some romance also

Upon finishing this novel, I found myself standing at a crossroads. My thoughts were as tangled as the plot itself—swinging between appreciation and disappointment. Let me break it down…

What I liked:
* Creative whodunit/unique idea – I love the concept and I was initially engaged.
* Strong, intriguing introduction – The opening chapters had me enthralled.
* Conspiracy theory premise – I love a good conspiracy theory!

What I didn’t like:
* Convoluted plot - Unfortunately, around the 30 to 40% mark, the plot became a bit too convoluted, leaving me slightly bewildered.
* Main female character - While flawed characters can be relatable, the FMC’s naivety and excessive angst grated on me.
* Reinforced stereotypes - I cringed at moments when the narrative perpetuated stereotypes. It detracted from the overall experience.
* Ending erratic – The ending was all over the place.

As a first-time reader of this author, I don’t regret picking up the book. However, it didn’t quite “wow” me as I’d hoped. Perhaps her previous work, The Woman in the Library, will leave a stronger impression. I’m eager to read it next.

Thank you @netgalley and Poised Pen Press for copy of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The Mystery Writer is my first experience with Sulari Gentill's work and it was truly a wild ride. Without revealing too much, the story revolves around Theo and Gus Benton--a sister and brother who grew up in Tasmania and now live in Kansas. Theo is an aspiring author and when her friend and fellow author is murdered, the two team up with a private investigator to get to the bottom of his death. Ensuing twists and turns kept me reading on, but, unfortunately, the ending was a bit strange. The pacing and POV switch around and the ultimate reveals are less than satisfying.

I couldn't believe the ending hedged on a debut(!) author writing an international bestseller (translated from Spanish!) that incites a publishing cabal to spend millions(!) of dollars and commit dozens of unsolved murders(!) to keep their authors in hiding just to control their lives and all their future book sales(!). My god--truly a writer's fantasy!