The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White promised an intriguing blend of mystery and literary drama but ultimately fell flat. Despite being written by three accomplished authors, the novel suffers from uneven pacing and a lack of cohesive voice. The plot tries to balance too many elements—murder mystery, historical references, and writerly intrigue—but fails to excel in any of them, leaving readers with a confusing narrative.

The blurb on Goodreads and NetGalley for The Author’s Guide to Murder says “Agatha Christie meets Murder, She Wrote meets #MeToo in this witty locked room mystery and literary satire…” and yes, that’s true. All those things are parts of the story. They don’t always work quite right in tandem with each other, but they are there. And in the end, the story comes to the neat, more or less happy conclusion that a classic murder mystery in novels and Hollywood do.

The story is about three writers on a retreat in a castle on a far-flung Scottish island so the setting of the story is mysterious and atmospheric and strong. The writers are all Americans, who are sometimes wont to lean into the brash American tropes that are both true and a little awkward. The retreat is hosted by an American writer who created some sort of convoluted deal with the Scottish laird to rent/borrow/adapt his castle and ancestral home (complete with murder mysteries in centuries past) to be, more or less… Disneyland, But With Sex.

King Edward VIII’s infamous ‘sex chair’ plays a surprising supporting role in the story.

As the blurb states, though, it is a locked room (or rather Island) mystery and there is a murder. The Americans are all prime suspects, what with being the only foreigners on the island, and the sexy police investigator soon finds himself with three writer-sleuths helping, whether he wants it or not, to solve the murder.

The #MeToo part comes in to play when the American writers reveal what their American host did to all of them, and none of it is easy to read although it happens.

What they suffered because of him is what bound them in the first place, and brought the island. And they became true friends over the course of trying to prove their innocence.

That is where the story comes full circle and redeems itself after an inordinate amount of tropes being met, stereotypes being used as props, and even the actual authors name-dropping themselves through their characters. It was a perfect ending to an occasionally wonky story.

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I received a copy of The Author’s Guide to Murder through NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest & original review. All thoughts are my own & freely given.

Three veteran authors team up to write this wacky whodunit mystery. Acclaimed writer Brett Saffron Presley is found murdered in his ostentatious Scottish castle. The local detective must interview the guests to solve the crime, including three female authors from America — who all appear to have something to hide. This skewering satire of the publishing world is both hilarious and heartwarming.

Three very different authors.
A writer's retreat at a Scottish castle with a sordid history.
A body found in scandalous attire following a night of drinks and dancing.
All crafted by a trio of exceptionally talented and acclaimed writers who lead their readers off their well-loved path into a literary quagmire.

Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White have collaborated on several historical fiction books that remain favorites on my shelves. So, when I saw their latest effort, I leaped at the chance to read an Advance Reader's Copy from publisher William Morrow and Netgalley. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll seek out a copy of The Author's Guide to Murder for my bookshelf.

What's it about? Three authors meet at a conference. Along with their shared agent, the women discover something they all have in common: disastrous, distasteful, and despicable encounters with the same man. The writers (encouraged by their agent) hatch a plan to travel together on a writer's retreat to Scotland. Posing as best friends researching their next collaborative book project, they plan to seek out their not-so-illustrious host and exact a measure of justice. Not a bad plot! At least in theory. In execution, the tongue-in-cheek nature of the three authors writing as what feels like caricatures of themselves was uncomfortable and even cringe-inducing at times. I felt like the authors were hiding just off-page, watching for reactions, ready to lean forward with a wink, a nudge, and a whispered, "Did you see what I did there?

As I always ay, every book isn't for every reader--and that's okay! Fans of the cult-classic comedy film Clue! will likely adore this contemporary mystery story.

Kat,Emma,and Cassie are Persuaded by their mutual editor to write a book together to hopefully bolster their sagging careers. She sends them to an historic Scottish castle where renowned author, Brett Saffron Presley, holds writing workshops. He is murdered soon after they arrive, and they become the main suspects. As they unite to solve the murder, the reader discovers the real reason they are at the castle. The reader is entertained by the almost slapstick actions of our characters, as we becomes invested in a happy ending
This would be an entertaining Hallmark movie.

Three authors, a Scottish castle with a dark history and a murder.

This was a fun mystery to read. The three main characters were all quirky and very likable. I am only familiar with Beatriz Williams, but I enjoyed the writing styles of the other authors. The Scottish accents took me a bit to get used to, but it added to the charm of the story. The plot moved along at a decent pace and there were plenty of revealed secrets to keep you wondering “who done it.”

Thanks so much to the authors, NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC In exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. Each of the main characters was quirky and interesting in their own very different ways. The Scottish setting was great and the authors certainly had fun playing with all the stereotypes and cliches. I’ve read and enjoyed many books by the three W’s, but this one was totally different. Although there was a mysterious murder, the road to solve it was a hoot. A fun read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

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

I chose to read this book because I am a big Beatriz Williams fan. But I was disappointed. If found it to be very slow.
I decided to push through it and found the last part better than the first part. It was a predictable ending but I recommend to give it a try.

I this was a very entertaining read, however it wasn’t what I expected from this trio. It’s my fault for not reading the description—I pick up everything with Beatriz Williams’ name on it! I felt the first half was a bit slow, but I was intrigued throughout the second half. It was also just too vulgar for my tastes. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, but I much prefer their usual historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book in exchange for a review.

Initially, I said I wasn’t going to read this book as I had difficulty reading it because I thought hte authors were a bit too tongue in cheak. I read a review and thought I’d try it again. I read it…I finished it however…the latter part was better than the first but again it was self indulgent. A little too cutesy and really these authors are better than this. A definitely one thumb - and I have no idea why I finished it as i suspected the person responsible for the murder from the beginning. I must not have had anything else to read.

What do you do when you mix a bunch of authors from a bunch of different genres? And pair them all up in a Scottish village? 📖

You get one heck of a good time! And my little reading heart had the best time! Beatriz, Lauren, and Karen created a mysterious book and turned it into a soap opera on Murder She Wrote steroids! AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!! 🎆

What a creative idea to bring three authors of three different genres to make a book that will take any reader on a puzzle solving ride! I felt as if I was watching a TV show and I didn't know what was going to happen next! I was sticking with this book all the way! I hope the authors get together and do this again soon! 📰

Bravo!! 🍻

Take 1 cozy mystery author, 1 romantasy author, 1 historical fiction author, 1 scumbag who has wronged them all and a secluded Scottish village; this combination of elements gets you The Author’s Guide to Murder. Our three authors start out as fake friends but end up as true lifelong besties after they find themselves solving the murder of said scumbag in order to clear their names.
While it took me a while to warm up to this story once I was sucked in, at about 60%, I did not want to put it down. I enjoyed how different the three POVs read as you were able to see the trio’s friendship form in three different ways, because we actually had 3 different authors writing, each voice was distinct from these of the others. I wasn’t a fan of just how many stereotypes were scattered throughout the novel it felt that these moments cheapened both the story and the characters. Overall, I’m glad I stuck with it to the end as it was a fun read.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure if it is because there are multiple authors but it sometimes felt like this was all over the place. Overall, I enjoyed the book but I did find myself getting pulled away from the story easier, and not feeling immersed and invested in the characters.

What could go wrong when three writers who can't stand each other reluctantly agree to collaborate on a murder mystery? They attend a workshop at a Scottish castle rented by a despicable best-selling writer who has wronged all three of them. When he's murdered, the three women must work together to solve the murder and exonerate themselves amongst an island full of suspicious Scots.

In the meantime, the three co-authors of The Author's Guide to Murder throw every Scottish trope and pretty much every romantic mystery cliche at you. Though I stuck with the book to the end, I can't say it was as amusing as intended. I wish I could have liked it better.

Thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC.

This book surprised me--only after I started it did I realize that the unique premise of the plot (three women authors decide to co-write a cross-genre mystery in Scotland) is based on the actual circumstances of the book. Not your typical meta fiction but plenty of parallels to the real world.

The fictional avatars of the co-writers felt a little stereotypical at first but as they grow more comfortable with each other they let the reader in to their complexities as well.

The authors do a great job of blending in different genres (historical fiction, cozy mystery and romance) in a book that also centers female friendship. It is a little bit corny, but sometimes earnest things feel that way.

Despite the fluffy parts the plot has darkness, bite, and a Monty Python episode's worth of random references.

I read this when I was having a terrible spell of vertigo and it turned out to be the perfect companion.

Recommended for mystery buffs who are looking for something light with real character development and deeper societal critique. And stupid sheep jokes.

Also posted to goodreads.

It's a windy 65 degrees Fahrenheit where I am today which was cold enough to send me digging for my ankle boots. I love sweater weather (as my closet can attest) and it's just about the perfect time to cozy up to an uber-meta murder mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. That's just what you get with The Author's Guide to Murder, a team effort by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy through NetGalley. You can pre-order a copy now anywhere books are sold and start reading on the novel's official release date of November 5, 2024.

The Author's Guide to Murder takes us to Castle Kinloch on the blustery Scottish Highlands where Kat de Noir, a slinky erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six juggling multiple cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood and author of critically acclaimed historical fiction have convened to co-write a novel together based on the Castle's notoriously shady history. When acclaimed author and current lessor of the castle Brett Saffron Presley is found dead in the tower, our American authors find themselves prime suspects. Perhaps with good reason as we soon learn that each woman has a secret connection with the acclaimed author.

If Cassie Soto is Back is a book for tennis lovers, this is, without a doubt, a book for writers. This is not only true because of the concept of three writers having to solve a mystery, but there are a ton of insider writer-ly references, some of which I had to look up. This could be a turn off to some readers. Likewise, there are a number of dated cultural references that had me scratching my head as to the audience of this book. I'd guess the main characters are in their early to mid-30s, which would mean they were born around 1990(!) Yet, they make a lot of references to books and shows which would definitely pre-date these characters, like multiple Murder She Wrote references, what might have been an OJ Simpson reference, Gilbert & Sullivan (what?) and that a guy was as hot as Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (who? huh?). Also making the book feel a bit dated and, honestly, a bit cringe, was the ongoing assumption and joke about whether a character was gay. You'd think that Kat de Noir with her over the top sexuality as armor personality would have heard about sexuality being a spectrum. Guess not.

I also struggled with a few of the "reveals" which were a bit obvious from the outset and what this book wanted to be. Initially I thought it was a standard cozy mystery, but some of the themes are a bit non-traditional for this genre. The description of the detective's investigation where he had access to texts, emails, and historical information immediately after the crime occurred was just way too farfetched, especially given the multijurisdictional and international law issues, and fully took me out of the story. And one of the minor character's motive was just too unreal to be believed. No spoilers, but hand delivery? I don't think so. Not in 2015.


On the other hand, I loved the climax of the story. The action was fun and exciting, the loose threads came together in a really lovely way, and I absolutely didn't figure out who the real killer was before the big reveal. I was quite skeptical for much of the novel, but when I got to the end, it had a fun and satisfying conclusion that made up for quite a few earlier picadillos.

I'm new to each of the three authors of this joint effort, but I took a look at their backlists and I have my guess as to which author wrote which author-character. Give this locked room mystery a read and see what you think and if you can identify the killer before our bonny Scottish detective.

The Author’s Guide to Murder was such a fun book. Three authors decide to write a book together in Scotland when someone is murdered in the castle. It gave me Agatha Christie vibes and made me laugh so many times. Definitely worth a read.

I was so excited to get this novel I have been seeing this everywhere. This book will keep you hooked and reading until the every end!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC!

This was a fun, light mystery set in a Scottish castle. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the book for me. The women characters were caricatures of common female stereotypes - and while I think this was intended to be tongue and cheek, it just became irritating to me.

I never read synopsis if I can help it, so with a new book from my favorite trio I trusted my previous experience. Imagine my surprise to find a hysterical contemporary whodonit instead of a multi generation saga. Still loved it, had to readjust my expectations lol.