I ended up not loving this one the way I wanted to. I felt like the pacing was pretty slow in parts and it took me a long time to get through. Normally I love amateur sleuths, but the main character was pretty insufferable to read from her perspective. She just seemed to have such a “woah is me” attitude that I just couldn’t get on with.

An agent murdered at a literary festival and a crime author who thinks she can solve the crime make for a fun and funny cozy mystery. Jane Hepburn simply wants to make her author profile a little better but she discovers the body of her agent she sets out on a quest to solve the murder just like the heroine of her novels. A Novel Murder started slowly for me but gained speed with quirky characters aplenty. It's full of humor, mystery and plenty of twists. I recommend A Novel Murder to all cozy mystery fans.

I went into reading this novel with high hopes of loving it - there was the location! A author/reader event all about mysteries, what's not to love! An 40's main character? Even better! And she's a mystery author with 6 books under her belt? Yes, please. And an insider glimpse into publishing? YES, sign me up!

What I found was that I expected a faster pace - the prologue starts with Jane, our protagonist, stumbling across a dead body in the book tent, but then Chapter One begins the previous day. The victim and situation are described on the back of the book, so it felt like an unnecessary time jump that took me out of things from the very beginning. I also found the perspective shifts off-putting - most of the time, we were with Jane, but then we'd jump to another character's perspective for a paragraph or two, then back to Jane.

And ultimately, I was SO frustrated with the amount of self-loathing and self-flagellation from Jane. She DOES grow over the course of the book, but I want better for her! Maybe it's because the author a) isn't in her 40's or b) isn't plus-sized (from what I can discern), but it didn't read as authentic as someone who IS in her 40's and not petite.

E. C. Nevin sets their debut mystery novel in an English village where authors have gathered for a crime fiction festival. Jane Hepburn is an up and coming writer who intends to use the gathering to get herself more notoriety. She never dreamed that would come as a result of finding a dead body. There are many characters to keep track of and twists and turns to follow.

I'm late on this review, but I just finished listening to the audiobook and I loved, loved, loved it!

I think the narrator - in all of her character voices - brought a lot to the story and kept me interested the entire story.

For the book (story) itself, I enjoyed the feel of an old fashioned murder mystery.

All the things and characters that were British - ah, so fun. Even the American characters were a hoot.

My only "complaint" is the story may have been a bit too long and the murderer was a bit predictable.

Nonetheless, I think readers will enjoy Jane and her newfound tagalong friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an e-copy of A NOVEL MURDER to review.

I rate A NOVEL MURDER four out of five stars.

A Novel Murder by E.C. Nevin
ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5 stars

This cozy mystery is a delightful mix of charm and suspense, packed with quirky suspects, juicy drama, and plenty of small-town gossip. Jane heads to the book festival, laser-focused on making her detective character a household name, but her ambitions take an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon the very dead body of cutthroat agent Carrie Marks. No problem! She teams up with debut author Natasha and Daniel, the hilariously awkward intern, for some amateur sleuthing. The only hitch? Everyone seems to have a grudge against Carrie, from authors to festival organizers. Let’s just say Carrie had a talent for making enemies.

I picked this one up because it was compared to the TV series “Only Murders in the Building,” which I absolutely adore. “A Novel Murder” delivers on the cozy vibes and charming characters, but it moves at a slower pace, which makes it feel kind of slow. Still, the witty cast and clever twists kept things enjoyable.

This was my first time reading this author, and while their style might not be my favorite, don’t let that stop you. The book has plenty of glowing reviews!

Big thanks to the author and Knopf for this #giftedARC, provided via #NetGalley. Opinions are all mine.

This book has a fun premise with lots of characters. I’m not sure why, but I struggled to get through it even though my only real complaint is that I found Jane’s self esteem issues tiresome. I read several favorable reviews and while I agree with the points they make, for me it wasn’t a hit. 2.5 stars rounded up.

A fun cozy mystery. However, very slow paced and I struggled to stay focused. MC was not engaging or likeable.

This book reminded me of a game of Clue! I was happy to see the underdogs winning in this novel about murder at a book festival. There were enough quirky characters and surprises to keep a reader of cozy mysteries interested and curious.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook ARC of this novel. Unfortunately, I will not be able to read this book, because - as with other titles I have been unable to finish - it is written in present tense, which is fine for reviews and short pieces, but I truly cannot stand it in a novel.

A Novel Murder by EC Nevins, Jane Hepburn shows up at The Killer Lines book festival determined to make a difference in her career as an author of six murder mysteries, with protagonist Sandra Baker. Up untill now she has lived a very small life and since the death of her beloved mother a very isolated one. she’s also worried her agent Carrie is going to drop her as she hadn’t heard from her in months. to Jane‘s surprise she becomes friends with debut author and talk of the festival Natasha and an intern named Daniel but this is just the beginning of surprising events at the book festival. For one thing her agent Carrie is found dead and secondly she is surprised when new friend Daniel convinces her to try and solve the murder. The tention only heightens when there’s a second attempted murder on one of their suspects but even when everyone thinks the case is solved and the arrest breaks Jane’s heart for more than one reason. In the end however it will be Jane’s great logic and relentless questioning that brings out the truth but will it be too late? I just want to make it clear how much I absolutely loved this book and can only hope the author sees fit to have Jane and her friends solve more mysteries I loved Jane everything about Jane her friendships with the Mötley Crüe the laugh out loud writing in the unputdownable plot just made this such an awesome reading experience. I woke up in the middle of the night and started reading this book hoping to go back to sleep, but stayed awake until the book was over and I knew what happened it is that good I love love love this book!#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #ECNevins, #ANovelMurder,

I really enjoyed the setting of this book - the small English village and the literary festival were both super cozy and fun. Honestly, the girlies yearn for the English countryside and this scratched that itch. The behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world and the mix of eccentric literary personalities were highlights for me, and I liked how the book poked fun at the whole crime fiction scene.

The book started strong. I was intrigued by the concept and liked the idea of an author playing detective at a crime festival. But somewhere along the way, it lost steam. There were just too many suspects with motives, and not enough momentum. It dragged in the middle, and I found myself rushing to finish it.

Jane, the main character, was honestly kind of annoying at first, and it wasn’t until she started bonding with Natasha and Daniel that I began to warm up to her. Her sleuthing was fine, nothing groundbreaking, and while the mystery was decent, it often felt like a subplot to the satire and character banter.

That said, I did enjoy the atmosphere and the idea of the book more than the execution. It wasn’t a terrible read by any means, but I probably wouldn’t revisit it or rave about it either.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Knopf for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has a great premise,but I had trouble keeping track of everything as I read it, especially all of the chararacters. A mystery book writer’s festival , set in the English countryside sounds just perfect- but murder awaits! I loved the idea; the book festival, authors, agents, and adoring fans, and a good who done it?
I’d be willing to give this author another try- maybe a sequel?

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for this advanced copy. These opinions are my own.

3.25 ⭐️

A Novel Murder is a cozy murder mystery that feels pretty standard for the genre. I enjoyed it well enough, but I wasn’t super blown away by it. If anything, I think my feelings on it are pretty much neutral.

The pacing was alright for the most part. It probably could have been sped up just a bit, and sometimes the plot felt sort of circular. It just felt very repetitive to me at some points. I wasn’t as intrigued by the mystery aspect as I would typically like to be with a mystery book. The end reveal was sort of meh, though I did like the way the core sleuthing crew worked together in that scene.

If there is another book in this series featuring Jane, I would probably be willing to give it a chance. She did become more likable towards the end as her confidence grew, so maybe I would like her more in future installments.

Thank you to Knopf for the early review copy of A Novel Murder. All opinions are my own!

As a seasoned mystery reader, I found the plot a bit lackluster. While the setup is strong and the tone cozy, I was hoping for more suspense and surprise. The mystery unfolds at a slower pace, and I never quite felt the high-stakes tension that would have elevated it from enjoyable to gripping.

Still, fans of cozy mysteries, bookish settings, and light amateur sleuthing will find a lot to like here. It’s clever, it’s self-aware, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review.

A murder takes place at a crime fiction book fair. Seems like a perfect set up for hijinks and competing sleuths. Weirdly, only one struggling author rises to the challenge. She struggles to relate to others but manages to assemble a little group to help her solve the mystery. The characters are all over the top and the mystery is pretty far-fetched with lots of red herrings. That part was fine with me. Sometimes a too-much-too-many mystery is satisfying in the way cheap candy is. Unfortunately, all the negative self talk by the main character got in the way and disrupted the flow. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it but would be willing to give the author another shot in the future. Maybe next time the same character will have more self-confidence after her recent successes (fingers crossed)

Who would decide to murder someone in the middle of a crime fiction festival? After all the place is full of writers who specialize in mystery, thriller, and suspense, not to mention all their avid fans. One would think that would be a place to refrain from mayhem in case all those creative sorts might put their heads together and figure out whodunit. But the killer didn't take that into consideration, because well-known literary agent Carrie Marks is found dead in the middle of the book tent with the Killer Lines prize dagger through her chest.

Jane Hepburn, author of a series of books about Private Detective Baker, only wanted to make sure her books were noticed. She certainly didn't plan to discover a body or team up with a debut author and the young intern of the deceased agent to solve the murder. But after all, WWBD? (What would Baker do?) So the three new friends begin to investigate and the more they talk to the other festival attendees, the more they realize nearly everyone had a reason to hate Carrie Marks. There are the other agents who were competing for the accounts of best-selling authors, the authors whom Carrie had turned down and even publicly denigrated, the former assistant whose career Carrie had sabotaged with lies about her abilities, a best friend she had betrayed... The festival may not last long enough for them to even have time to talk to everyone.

Jane is a relatable character who works as an administrative assistant by day and spends the evenings in her lonely apartment typing up Baker's latest case. She is frustrated by the lack of support from her editor, resents having to pay her own way to the festival, and doesn't seem to have many friends or social skills (unlike her fictional heroine). The descriptions of the festival with the author panels, lines for autographs, the rather lame escape room experience, and undercurrent of cut throat competition between the agents make a good setting for the inexperienced trio to corner suspects and try out their theories.

It will be interesting to see if Jane makes another appearance to try out her fledgling skills on a different case. This one kept revealing just enough to make readers see the plausibility of each suspect before a new clue would come to light and send Jane and company scrambling to put the pieces together in a different way.

Though the book follows various characters in third person present omniscient, we mainly stick with Jane Hepburn. She's a mystery author. Or, at least she's trying to be. Neither her agent nor her editor have gotten in touch with her lately. And, of all indignities, Jane's name isn't on the list of authors at the book festival she's attending. She ends up having to buy her own ticket in.
Once there, she starts talking with Abi Edwards, her agent's assistant. But Abi soon runs off and Jane is left to her own devices. Somewhat out of character, she decides to sneak into the book tent so she can move all of her books into a more prominent position. It hasn't worked in the book stores she's tried so far but maybe this will help. Instead, she gets tossed into a real life murder mystery when she discovers the dead body of her agent.
Thought we never see the agent on page, we are given a lot of information like the fact that she was not well liked by any number of people so it may be hard to narrow down the suspects.
Jane finds herself in an interesting position - working with friends to solve the murder. She, in fact, actively hinders the investigation a couple of times which is not a favorite trope of mine.

Three and a half stars
This book came out June 17, 2025
ARC kindly provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor as well as NetGalley
Opinions are your own

DNF @35%

I dnfd this a while ago, so I forget any specific reasons that I decided to stop reading it. What I remember is that I didn't care about the main character and it was boring.

I had an absolute blast with this book! Really enjoyed the different perspectives and seeing so many different sides of the story throughout. Each of the characters had such a distinct and well flushed out voice it was such a treat. The writing was so quick witted and fast paced while still creating such a vivid scene! I was perfectly able to picture myself running around the grounds of the killer lines festival! This story truly has all the hallmarks of an amazing muster mystery but also has such a fresh perspective, it was fun and full of twists and turns that made it impossible to put down!!

E.C. Nevin’s abaility to capture so much of the human experience and make me feel so deeply for each of these characters and their backstories was truly remarkable. There was such a perfect blend of intrigue, love, and self-discovery throughout this book, it completely captivated me! Would recommend this to lovers of the murder mystery genre and also first timers I truly think this book is for everyone!!