Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook!

After reading and enjoying The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill I was so excited to get my hands on this one- especially with that incredible cover! As an avid reader and thriller lover, the idea of a thriller about writing really enticed me.

The prologue definitely grabbed my attention as did the first few chapters as I was introduced to the characters. The storyline was definitely unique and as soon as Daniel was introduced, I knew there was going to be a lot more going on than meets the eye.

While I do think that the twist was creative, it just didn't connect with me and I struggled to understand what was going on at times. While there was so much going on, it still didn't hold my attention in the way that I hoped it would.

I still think this will be a big hit for a lot of readers!

This will be available on March 19th!

Have you ever read a book and figured out the twist fairly early on in the story, but you dismiss it out of hand because it sounds too far-fetched?

Yeah, this is that book.

Again, here's another story I really wanted to like, but it was just too ridiculous to take seriously. I don't mind stretching believability to a certain extent, but the ending of the book just stretches too far. The main character, Theo, makes so many bad decisions and poor choices that you can't help but feel like she's just an oblivious, walking disaster. Her brother, Gus, is never quite flushed out enough-it starts out looking like he's a hotshot lawyer/playboy/doofus but this characterization is almost immediately abandoned. Everyone else is a cookie cutter cliché, so I won't bother going into to it.

I mean, it makes sense to want to explain why some people are so obsessed with conspiracy theories and obviously untrue narratives, but I'm not sure this book has a credible solution.

OR DOES IT?? Nah, just kidding. It does not.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I will admit first off, that I struggled to get into this on first listen (primarily distraction, secondarily not quite connecting to Theo) so I put it down, and tried again, and I am really glad I did. This is the type of audiobook/ thriller where you need to pay close attention as if you blink once n this excellent narrative, it is easy to miss the trajectory and insodoing, the point

Theo Benton has had her life decided for her in the Trust left by her grandfather (hideous control freak) but she decides to leave Uni and travel to America to join her older brother to finish her novel. Gus has followed the path laid out by their grandfather and qualified as a lawyer. He also tries to convince Theo not to tell the trustees she has left Uni, that she is just taking time out to get work experience with her brother

However, Theo's lover is murdered and she is desperate to seek justice and find his killer, but, the murderer turns out to be Gus, but don't worry, this is not a spoiler, it is only the beginning of a very, very intricately woven thriller that is so beutifully written and so brilliantly read that you will be absolutely gripped to the end

Sulari Gentill is an awesome author and I really like her structures and character development. It's like when you whip out a washing line after the rain and the line shakes of the droplets in an arc leaving only the most tenacious clinging on and that is the one to focus on to wipe off.

The narrator Katherine Littrell brings the ambience and drama, her mastery of setting the scene through tempo is simply chef's kiss

A fantastic listen, I highly recommend

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Sulari Gentill and narrator Katherine Littrell for this phenomenal ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This is such a fun ride through a world in which conspiracy theories (at least some of them) are true. 'The Mystery Writer' will delight those of us who enjoy cult stories, or think QAnon would make a gripping thriller if only there weren't people who actually believe the fiction.

Premise - a young writer is delighted when she develops an informal mentorship (that eventually becomes more) with a renowned author. When said author is murdered right after reading her manuscript, and his agent shows up offering her a contract, she's sucked into a web of conspiracies and wickedness that goes deeper than she would have ever believed.

Well-paced and packed full of chronically online 2020s-type personalities, this was hard to put down!

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: psychological thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of cult thrillers

💕 Characters: 5/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 4/5
💕 Pacing: 4/5
💕 Unputdownability: 4/5
💕 Enjoyment: 5/5
💕 Book Cover: 5/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Throughout this story we get to follow Theo -- former lawyer now writer as she transitions career paths and navigates both professional and personal relationships. When someone close to her is found brutally killed, Theo knows justice must be found. From there the story picks up quickly as we unravel the mystery of his death and all it entails.

This story started slowly for me, but picked up after about 15% and was intriguing from that point on! The ending left a bit to be desired, but didn't decrease my overall enjoyment of the novel.

I couldn't get past the 54% mark, the plot dragged a lot and most of the mystery has already been given away on the back of the cover and in the synopsis and i can't fathom why??? The starting was really interesting and i listened to most of the first half in a day but then it got ridiculous and boring
So i came to Goodreads to reas reviews with spoiler to see what I'd miss out on if i Dnf, and found out I'd be better off quitting this book