Three writers walk into a bar-the old joke is how we’re introduced to the 3 authors, each as different from one another as can be-who find themselves as murder suspects on a remote Scottish island. What follows is a twisted story about the three coming to a writers retreat at a castle to collaborate on a book about the unsolved murder of the Laird of Kinloch in 1900. His nickname, Naughty Ned, doesn’t begin to reflect his truly awful behavior as he terrorized the young woman of the village with his sexual assaults. When the castles current owner, a well known author, is found dead in a very unusual scene the local detective finds himself with three suspects who are anything but truthful.
While the book centers on a difficult subject the three main characters are so deliberately over the top in their behavior that I found myself laughing and rooting for them, even if one was actually a murderer! Emma, Cassie and Kat’s stories unfold as each tells it, we also learn more about each as Detective Euan MacIntosh (like the apple) repeatedly attempts to interview each. I cheered at the ending, it was perfect. If you love mysteries, atmospheric Scottish Islands, layers of lies and omissions being uncovered, and sometimes just outrageously funny, tongue in cheek exaggerations this is the book for you. Remember the dedication is “To the people of Scotland-we’re sorry”!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an advance copy, I highly recommend it!

For the first time ever of me reading a Team W book I think I figured out who wrote which character because certain things jumped out immediately.
The setting is a scandalously historic Scottish castle where three assumed authors embark in collaborating on a book together.
There a murder, poison, lots of baaaad sheep jokes and men in kilts.
It’s an amusing read once you wade through all the heavy brogue.
Carry on with the next tale!

The Author's Guide to Murder* by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White is an enjoyable mystery set in a gothic Scottish castle where three authors become suspects in a murder. Filled with witty dialogue and industry satire, the story combines cozy mystery elements with suspenseful twists. Readers appreciate the playful dynamic between the protagonists and the blend of humor and tension in unraveling the whodunit. It’s perfect for fans of locked-room mysteries who enjoy a touch of literary satire and well-drawn characters.

3.5⭐️

Definitely cozy mystery vibes and an overall satirical vibe. The first chunk was definitely harder to get into. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. The more you learn about them and each of their stories, how they all blend together, the more bearable they become. I wouldn’t say likable, because each definitely has its own set of eccentricities to them that make them each a bit hard to love.

I enjoyed the book being told by each of their stories main characters’ POV. Kept it interesting since each character was so different.

Things I could have done without: the insta-love and epilogue. Was a little too overboard for me. Would have been fine if it contained no romance subplots.

Overall, entertaining!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

As a long-time Team W (Lauren Willig, Karen White, & Beatriz Williams) fan, their new books go straight to the top of my reading list. The Author’s Guide to Murder was no exception. Besides the stellar line-up of bestselling authors, it had an intriguing murder mystery premise, an enchanting setting at a Gothic Scottish castle, and the promise of cheeky humor and cutting satire.

This time Team W decided to diverge from their usual dual timeline plot structure and stay in one era, alternating between the viewpoints of the three female authors who are at a writing retreat at Castle Kinloch, the historic home of literary luminary Brett Saffron Presley. Shortly after their arrival, their host is murdered in his library, inciting the start of the whodunnit investigation. The real treat of reading this mystery is the multi-layered backstory of the three authors which slowly reveals their motivation to be there. The plot is so well executed it becomes a page turner that few will be able to put down.

The Author’s Guide to Murder is a very clever homage to multiple genres – mystery, satire, humor, history, and romance. You will see gentle nods to Agatha Christie, the Queen of country house murder mysteries, followed by the atmospheric and enlightening Scottish historical details a la Diana Gabaldon, and a romantic secondary storyline reminiscent of all those too-numerous-to-name historical romance novels set in Scotland. One of my favorite characters was Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, the local man who conducts the investigation. My second favorite was Beatrice the pet lamb.

If you are in the mood for sharp wit, cheeky humor, and a well-crafted murder mystery that keeps you up until the wee hours, then I cannot recommend The Author’s Guide to Murder more highly.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow for providing me with a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was not the first novel I'd read by the three authors. I enjoyed their earlier books, The Glass Ocean and All the Ways We Say Goodbye, which they co-wrote. I have read the author's individual works as well. Lauren Willig, Karen White, and Beatriz Williams are the authors I look out for, especially in historical fiction. I was thrilled to find out that they were writing another book together. With a title like The Author's Guide To Murder , it's hard not to be drawn in. It also included three writers working on a book together. I enjoyed the book, but not in the way I expected when I initially heard about it.

Sadly, around half of the plot was flat, unlike the other books they wrote together. It took me a few chapters to get into the plot, and I thought that nothing seemed to be occurring and that some of the information in the book was dull. I am pleased I gave a book a try because I couldn't put it down once the story started. I couldn't help but wonder whether any of them were responsible for the murder; everyone had a reason for doing so. I enjoyed reading the interviews with the three of them at the beginning of the book; they were all so different that it was difficult to believe they were friends. The mystery element of the book was my favorite part of it.

I enjoyed that it was set in Scotland, where I wanted to travel after reading the novel. The book was a little too long and an epilogue was unnecessary. Overall, I enjoyed the story, particularly the mystery component. I am curious to see what the authors have in store for us next

love, love, love. i adored this book from start to finish. beatriz williams is maybe my favorite author currently writing historical fiction, so I started reading her collaborative novels with lauren willig and karen white last year. suffice it to say, this trio and their books are now auto buy for me.

this novel was deliciously atmospheric and had beautiful characterization. it’s the perfect fall/winter read… reading it felt like I was cozied up in front of a fireplace in a remote Scottish castle. the pacing was perfect, the setting vivid, the prose hilarious and the side characters both likable and suspicious — a perfect recipe for a murder mystery!

my favorite part about this book was the development of the friendship between the three POV characters. it can be very difficult to portray a friendship between three people who have vastly different personalities – unless they are childhood friends. these authors did a wonderful job at portraying three very different people who start out as reluctant allies, but grow to love each other as friends. watching them go from merely tolerating each other to putting their lives on the line for one another made me smile.

the mystery itself was so fun to follow. it unfolded so well, and all of the little twist and turns throughout the novel kept me hooked from beginning to end.

In the Scottish Highlands, the famed author Brett Saffron Presley is found dead in rather, lets say unusual circumstances at his historic Castle Kinloch. The main suspects Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh has are the three American writers who are staying there. The women- 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. The women are supposedly best friends as well as writing a book together. They also all three have motive and opportunity. How ever will they manage to get out of this?

This book was so much fun. The chapters alternated between storyline and police interviews with the women. All three women were hilarious in their own way. When it looks like one of them is going to take the fall for the murder, they decide to put their knowledge to good use and do some sleuthing, and try to solve the murder themselves. This is a combination of mystery, romance and friendship. I loved it, and I think you will too!

I liked this but it's not really something I'm going to write home about. It was just fine, a cozy kind of mystery. This is why I hate when books are compared to other books. Comparing this to an Agatha Christie is QUITE the stretch. The story was well written, sometimes a multi timeline mixed with different POVs is confusing but this was pretty well done.

This book was a bummer because I’ve loved most of the Williams/Willig/White co-authored books and I’ve loved many more of Beatriz Williams books(including her great book from this summer - Husbands and Lovers, read that instead!) This book lacked the different historical perspectives of their other shared novels and it was just downright boring. It wasn’t just boring it was also confusing, the Scottish characters were barely characters and completely interchangeable (and impossible to keep straight.) I figured that even though it started out slow it would rev up as it went along like many mysteries but it was pretty much boring the entire way through. Even identifying the murderer and a helicopter rescue mission were boring (and yes still confusing.) Better luck next time, I suppose.
Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love these authors - both their individual books and the books they have written together - so I was excited to receive an early copy of The Author's Guide to Murder. Unfortunately, I didn't love it.

This book is nothing like the books they have written together previously. It took me a while to get into this one and the tone was all over the place. There were plenty of eye-rolling moments right alongside the very serious topic of sexual assault. It just didn't work for me. I think they needed to pick one and go with it - serious or the over the top satirical.

The Authors Guide To Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White. There’s Cassie Pringle writer of cozy mysteries mother earth six and loving wife to her husband Andy, then there is cat Denwa she writes romance between vampires and demons and hides behind her sexuality and she is single and last but not least is Emma Endicott, she writes
Historical fiction mainly about great women Lost to history she is a stickler for details and surprisingly she is also single. The three women arrive in Scotland to stay at Castle Kinloch, on an island off the mainland of Scotland. They’re supposed to be attending a writing retreat ran by an American who bought the Kinloch Lordship or at least that is the guys they showed up under. The real reason for being there is slowly but surely unfolded but when the American Lord is found dead a police investigation ensues trust me when I say there is way too much in this book to just give the highlights just know if you love funny fabulous books about independent women from every walk of life then you will definitely love this book. From twist to mike drop moments and there’s even a beloved pet sheep named Beatrice, oh yes I don’t want to leave out the beautiful dog Lorraine. This book has mystery more than one romance and not just modern day mysteries there’s a historical mystery there’s Naughty Ned who was Murdered in 19 oh one while having an orgy at the castle that went unsolved. Trust me when I say there is a lot that happens in this book and the three authors are always in the middle of it. I really did absolutely love this book I wish it would be a Series, Because I would definitely be their first and foremost number one fan. The only reason I am not giving this book five stars is because OMG was it long I still finished it in a day and a half but wow. Having said that they do have some eye rolling moments and having to suspend belief but it is all part of the charm of this great great novel.#NetGalley,#HarperCollinsPublishersandWilliamMorrow, #BeatrizWilliams, #LaurenWillig,#Karen White, #TheAuthorsGuideToMurder,

The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams; Lauren Willig; Karen White was such a fun mystery.
This cozy mystery is loaded with humor, heart mystery and intrigue.
I was hooked from start to finish and couldn’t put it down—I devoured this in a day! Every twist, every quirk kept me guessing, and by the end, I just wanted more. A captivating read from the first page to the last!

The Author’s Guide to Murder is about three female authors - Cassie, Emma, and Kat - who travel to Kinloch Castle on a small island in Scotland under the pretense of writing a joint novel, but their true plan is exacting revenge on Brett Saffron Presley - the bestselling author who hosts writing retreats at the castle. When Brett ends up dead, the three women band together to clear their names and find out what really happened.

Unfortunately this fell flat for me. The tone was a little disjointed - juxtaposing cheesy humor and serious themes; it was a weird combo that didn’t really work for me. I also thought I’d be getting into a whodunnit mystery story, maybe something akin to Murder She Wrote with three female writers leading the narrative, but it was actually more of a romance. It felt like the majority of the book was fixated on talking about sex and relationships, and by the time the end rolled around it was like “oh yeah by the way, here’s the solution to that mystery we mentioned in Chapter 1”. Honestly after the first few chapters, not much happens to move the plot along and it’s a bit of a slog in the middle. The last 20-ish percent is pretty wild - really not much else to say; if you make it to the end you’ll see what I mean.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and William Morrow for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Beatriz Williams; Lauren Willig; Karen White for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Author's Guide to Murder coming out November 5, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I thought this was an interesting concept. I really love murder mysteries. I enjoy when the main characters is an author. Since there were three different authors for this book, the plot sometimes felt like it was going in three different directions. It was nice that they were different characters, but I think things felt a little disconnected, especially towards the end. I would check out other books by these authors though.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries!

Here’s an idea for a plot: What if three authors write a book about three authors writing a book? What if the book is set in a drafty Scottish castle with a long unsolved murder mystery surrounding a rakish laird with a reputation for being a prolific, if slightly kinky, womanizer? What if the book starts with an actual dead body in said castle? What if the official investigating the dead body has little patience dealing with witnesses whose expertise is writing fiction? And what if we throw in a sheep because, why not? Oh, yes, this cozy mystery is a parody of a cozy mystery and it is F U N.

Books that poke fun of themselves are a particular delight and THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO MURDER does this exceptionally well. The three authors are wonderfully stereotyped - one churns out book after book and series after series, the second is a perfect-to-a-fault detail obsessed writer of historical fiction, and the third writes books with enough spice to make a brothel madame blush. All three are struggling to find their next great book when their editor suggests they collaborate and sends them to Scotland to work together. Instant work besties … except what ensues is mayhem and maybe murder.

This is the kind of book you curl up with on a crisp fall weekend and then find yourself giggling out loud at the ridiculousness of some of the characters’s antics and scenarios. It started out slowly for me and I did not immediately love the main characters, but once I was hooked, I was completely enthralled. And I loved that they broke the Fourth Wall.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

A hilarious romp across a small-town Scotland solving a mystery with your best friends! It’s like “Clue” mixed with Girls Trip and whisky. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a fun mystery to solve!

There’s been a sensational murder at historic Castle Kinloch, a gothic fantasy of grey granite on a remote island in the Highlands of Scotland. Literary superstar Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead—under bizarre circumstances—in the castle tower’s book-lined study. The three suspects are…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.

Now this is not your usual “3 W’s” book. This is pretty humorous in places. I especially liked the police interviews in the first half of the book. Several of these made me laugh out loud.

Then, there are the characters. Now, I was not a big fan of any of them until towards the end, and by then, I loved them all. Their friendship and their banter will have you grinning!

Add all this together with the wonderful setting of Scotland and you have a pretty enjoyable read.

Need a quick, fun read about murder…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

What if Joanna Fluke, Sarah J Maas, and Phillipa Gregory had been hurt by the same man? And they went on a girls trip to rural Scotland to do something about it?

What an absolutely charming book! Written with so much love for authors, genre fiction, and the tropes associated. Every unbelievable twist added more charm, knowingly being unrealistic and tongue in cheek. Clearly written with a lot of care, humor, and experience.

This book has too many cooks in the kitchen, too many plot points it's trying to keep spinning, and too many genres it's trying to keep a toehold in. All three of the main characters are unbearable in their own way, and while the attempt to keep their chapters in a similar style to the mystery genres they write is good in theory, it's a LOT in practice. There's also a lot of what feels like inside jokes between its main writers here that just don't translate to actual humor as a reader not familiar with any of their solo work, and it meant that I felt like I was doing a lot of skimming towards the end as the main plot points felt more and more telegraphed/obvious.