Another great mystery by Sulari Gentill. I enjoyed listening to the mystery unfold with so many twists and turns. This one did take me a little bit longer to get into but overall it was good.

This book was a bit slow, but every detail matters. Having listened to it, I'm wondering if the formation of the text might have helped my understanding a bit when it came to the messages. It was quite twisted and interwoven and not what I saw coming. An intriguing read!

ALC from pub
This book started so strong. I was invested in Theo and what she was doing with her life after leaving law school. I always enjoy a story with an author plot line and I felt like this is what really got me invested, especially after she met another author. I knew from the synopsis that this other author would die. However, the parts that came after this murder started really strong, but fell apart for me by the end of the book. I think sometimes ending a mystery, especially with plot lines that are in this book that I don’t want to say and give away, can be tricky. I felt like the ending was too long and drawn out and convoluted, and it really impacted my enjoyment of the story. Overall, while this wasn’t my favorite, I would be open to reading this author again in the future.

I don't want to say too much in this review and spoil the book for anyone, so I'll try to talk a little broadly.

I really wanted to love this one, but I think it would have worked better with a revised format. The book was written with a time jump about 3/4 of the way in. I think it would have been better to have a little faster pace at the beginning and put the time jump 1/4 of the way in, and then have the clues come out and work through the mystery from there, after one of the main characters goes missing. As written, the first 3/4 starts to drag, and the disappearance and time jump breathes life back into the story.

Very slow paced beginning, enjoyed the way it wrapped up.

Thanks for the advance read.
It was a wonderfully written, plot twist of a book. Full of complexity and layers that you didn't expect.
To think it all began with two writers passing in a bar.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Theodosia Benton is making a drastic career switch; after giving up her path as an attorney in Australia, she moves across the country to stay with her brother and work on writing her first novel. Though scared at the prospect of failing, Theo dives head first into the task, taking up residence at a local bar day after day to get work done. While there, she's lucky enough to stumble upon her literary idol and *gasp* he's willing to read her manuscript. However, the next day, Theo finds out he's been brutally murdered, and Theo and her brother become prime suspects, thrown deep into the dark and complex world of authors that no one knows.

This book was SO CLOSE to being fantastic. The premise was so there and the plot was a wild ride. There was just something a little bit too haphazard about the story telling for me to fully connect to it. Theo was a great character -- naive enough to get herself into some precarious situations but smart enough to get herself out. Her main supporting characters were likeable and believable. There were some really clever surprises and twists throughout this book that kept me guessing until the end. And the end... what a wild ride! I do think this book was a bit too long and that parts of it dragged way more than they needed to. Like I said, so close to being great, but this one was just solidly... good. I like Sulari Gentill's style, though, and I'll definitely read more of hers if given the opportunity!

This is the second story I've read by Sulari Gentill, and as much as it's very different from the first one I read, I found it equally engaging and intelligently written.

Normally, I'm not into stories about conspiracy theories, but living and working in the publishing world myself, I always gravitate toward stories about books and authors. And this one did not disappoint, even though some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional at times.

As Theodosia Benton begins working on her first novel, she is befriended by well-known writer Dan Murdoch, who takes her under his wing. But when her novel is finally finished, he refuses to introduce her to his agent, which leaves her hurt and perplexed. Before that can be resolved, though, he is inexplicably murdered and Theo becomes the primary suspect.

The more she tries to unravel the mystery of what's going on, the more of a Gordian knot she unveils and the more trouble she involves her brother and his friend in. As the body count increases, it becomes a race to figure out who the murder is before one of them is arrested or killed.

I really enjoyed how the story came together in the end!

Thank you to Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was a good one! I find Sulari’s writing to be fresh and it grabs me in a more unique way than a lot of thrillers. I love that it is set in such a literary world. The audiobook narration was really fantastic.

3.5 stars.

Theo Benton moved to the United States from Australia to finish her novel. She was soon drawn into a literary labyrinth involving unexpected players, where identity was something that could be lost and remade for the sake of sales and readership.

This book started really strong! It was really good at grabbing my attention and sucking me in. I loved reading about Theo’s writing journey, including her process to try getting published. The chat forums between the chapters really intrigued me, as I couldn’t see yet how they could relate to Theo’s world.

Not gonna lie, the middle part lost me a little bit, as the story diverged even further instead of coming together. Theo as a character felt a bit naive and young for her age, and she kept getting into things headfirst without reading the red flags!

Fortunately, when the story finally converged back in the end, it all made sense to me. I still had to suspend disbelief at some details, but this was fiction after all! All in all, it was a fast, fun read (delivered well via a smooth narration in the audiobook format). I’m definitely going to read more books from the author!

I REALLY enjoyed THE MYSTERY WRITER, and I do think I enjoyed it even more than THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY (which I loved) because it was a little easier to follow start to finish with fewer ????s for the reader at the end.
The story is wildly timely in an age when the public is so easily manipulated by conspiracy theories and problematic suspicions and plots. This was a great backdrop for a murder mystery and I really enjoyed Theodosia and Gus' connection and family backstory. This was twisty and full of surprises and I loved how the tension developed. I did want to scream at Theo a bit for not taking the danger of the situation seriously enough, but then I would remind myself that she was young, not in the limelight, and would have been naturally unable to wrap her mind around the fact that she'd landed in the center of a wild plot. This was really good start to finish.
Excellent narrator!

A writer encounters a murdered friend and must deal with the repercussions. Sadly, I never really got into this. It was a little more literary and less suspenseful for my taste and I wasn’t interested at all in the conspiracy theories storyline. There was too much posturing. I may put this author aside for now as I wasn’t that excited about her first book either. The narrator of the audiobook was ok but this was hard for me to follow.

I primarly read the romance genre but occasionally I like to go outside my reading comfort zone with a good thriller or mystery. This book was perfect for doing just that! I was instantly drawn into Theo's life and the mystery that kept unfolding around Dan Murdock - constatnly wondering how all the pieces would come together. This book kept me engaged the entire time and left me as a satisfied reader at the end. The creativity to weave this story and characters together was superb! The storyline of Theo and Dan and then later the chemistry between Theo and Mac also delighted the romance reader in me.

Katherine Littrell did an excellent job of bringing this mystery read to life. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, which is kudos to her wonderful narrating!


Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an odd book. I went in expecting something entirely different from what I got - for better or worse. I was totally invested in Theo and Dan's relationship and kinship over writing and was definitely surprised with how that played out. I was also really intrigued by the conspiracy theories (which were definitely unexpected), but everything went just a little too far for me.

There were red flags and breadcrumbs that will likely be obvious to a seasoned reader, but even still, I enjoyed how everything played out. There was major suspension of belief but I think listening to the book on audio helped with that for me. I could totally seeing this play out as a Netflix series and I would be GLUED to it!

Much of the novel was focused on a short period of time, but suddenly, years passed. It felt slow and rushed all at the same time which was a little jarring.

This book is unique. Again, not what I was expecting or really wanting but overall I did enjoy it. If it sounds interesting, I definitely recommend the audio.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Press, and Dreamscape Media for the copy.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is a literary thriller about an aspiring writer who meets and falls in love with her literary idol—only to find him murdered the day after she gave him her manuscript to read.

I initially picked this up because I like metafiction and I really enjoyed the author’s last book, The Woman in the Library. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as enthused by this one and I DNFed the book at 21%.

Since it’s mentioned in the publisher’s blurb, this book heavily features the concept of conspiracy theories, and that’s never really a hook for me. I also couldn’t really relate with our main POV character, Theo. To steal from another fandom, she often acted TSTL. The story felt pretty convoluted to me, and the pacing was so slow I quickly became disinterested.

I still plan to try the next book Gentill puts out, though.

I don't know, I enjoyed this book on one level. The characters are likable, and the story kept my interest, but something about this book... it was so outlandish! SO OUTLANDISH. Like.... [A gang of shamed authors controlled by an all consuming agency?! Like What? Writers who had been through controversy eventually turning to murder and intimidation tactics, because their publishers had complete control of their lives? Too much Gentill, too much. (hide spoiler)]

I wanted it to be more believable. For a story that spans years... I wanted more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy given in exchange for my honest review.

Theodora Benton, has just decided she needs a career change. She has left her law school in hopes of becoming an author, she knows she can do it, she just needs some time to write, and show everyone what she's capable of. So her brother is the one she reaches out to, and he is there to support her in her efforts. While Theo is writing at her brother's she begins looking for somewhere other than his house to write. Her favorite place is a local Pub, which she soon takes up daily residence. Ironically, there is already a resident literary star there, and coincidently is one of Theo's idols. So as she befriends him, he offers to help her navigate some of the hurdles in the literary world. However, the day after Theo shares her brand new manuscript she discovers him dead in his house...

This is truly a bizarre book that takes you for a journey. It covers so much ground so quickly its easy to get sucked in, but also a little lost. I am still trying to figure out the purpose of some of the characters and details even after finishing the novel. It reminds me of an action movie meet book lover... The publishing industry is also not painted in a positive light. Overall, I will say the audiobook was well-produced, and the narrators were good and easy to listen. The story line however was a bit too spread-out and very far-fetched (at least for my liking).

Sulari Gentill is a new to me author, but I've heard good things about her prior book, The Woman in the Library, so I requested her new book.

It focuses on Theo, who impulsively quits law school in Australia and moves to the U.S. to pursue her dream of becoming a novelist. To save money, she moves in with her older brother. While writing daily at a local establishment, she meets and befriends a famous male author, who becomes her mentor. Shockingly, Theo goes to his house one day and discovers he has been murdered. From the beginning, the book also weaves in a message board of Internet conspiracy theorists, which play a larger role later in the story. This part of the book moved at a good pace and kept me intrigued.

I did not really enjoy how the story progressed after the initial murder. Of course, Theo and her brother Gus become prime suspects, and then additional murders start to occur. Like some other reviews mentioned, I had difficulty connecting with and relating to Theo, as she just seemed so naive and made some unrealistic choices.

Overall, this book started out strong and if it had remained that way, I would have given it 4 stars. However, the time jumps, abrupt ending, and unrealistic villain at the end did not work for me. I am still willing to give her other book a chance, however.

I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy:
*BIPOC authors
*Books about authors & writing books
*Conspiracy theories
*Anti-establishment

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Poison Pen Press for an advance copy of this book.

I was listening to the audiobook and found myself confused and irritated. The narrative seems to be shifting between three different perspectives, and one seems to be a book within a book. Problem is, that book within a book is not for me at all. There’s conspiracy and defiling the dead and an unknown villain, and it’s not my cup of tea at all.

I didn’t love the book inside a book idea. The narrator was okay and kind of took away from the book.

"The Mystery Writer" captivates readers with its enthralling thriller narrative and meticulously crafted plotline. Sulari Gentill, in her debut novel, showcases remarkable storytelling prowess that instantly captivates and leaves a lasting impression. As a newcomer to Gentill's work, I find myself drawn into the intricate world she has created, eagerly turning pages and eagerly anticipating each twist and turn. It's evident that Gentill has a unique talent for weaving suspenseful tales that keep readers on the edge of their seats. "The Mystery Writer" not only establishes Gentill as a notable author in the thriller genre but also earns her a devoted fan in me