1/5 stars: This is Nevin's British Cozy-ish Mystery stand-alone that's set in England and features a struggling British mystery author as she teams up with a crime writer and a hapless intern to sleuth out who killed a renowned (and reviled) literary agent stabbed to death after finding her body inside the book tent at a book festival. Written in multiple POV, Nevin's writing and character work are well done. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 13%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

This was a good, fun, cozy murder mystery. It takes place at a Crime Fiction Festival in a quaint little town. Jane is our FMC who wants to make a name for herself as an author when one of the most famous book agents at the festival is murdered. She decides to take her sleuthing from pen to real life. Along the way she meets and befriends some fun characters to make a Scooby gang of sorts to solve the murder.

I will say, the plot is a bit much (in the over the top funny kind of way) and you’re going to question every move and suspect along the way. Overall it was a light fun read and if you get the clues, you catch the killer (people reading was not Jane’s strong suit lol).

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Publishing for allowing me access to the eARC of the novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

#ANovelMurder #NetGalley

I liked that the setting was a literary festival. I liked Jane, the main character. The ending was very satisfying, especially the show-down scene with the murderer. One thing I had trouble with was the large number of characters and all their different jobs. It was hard to keep track of whether a character was an agent, author, critic, editor, publicist, or publisher. I would probably read another book by this author and/or about Jane.

A Novel Murder-A Mystery by E.C. Nevin

Jane Hepburn, author, shows up at the yearly Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival in Hoslewit, England with no credentials. Her agent Carrie Marks must have forgotten she was coming. Jane sees herself as a wallflower anyway, so it’s to be expected. Well, wallflower Jane becomes a full bouquet in bloom by the end of this story; Crime solver extraordinaire with lots of friends to boot.

Carrie Marks is found dead, by none other than Jane. There is also an attempted murder. This cannot be left up to the police to solve, so Jane takes the lead. The dialog flows, and the characters are written so you can just picture them.

My favorite part came at the end of the story where all in the crime solving group start accusing different festival participants of being the killer. You buy into one being guilty and just as quick there’s another possibility. It was just pure fun, though I don’t think many will guess the killer. Five stars from me for a super well paced story with likable characters all readers will enjoy.

A little cozy crime, a literary festival, authors who become the detective! A classic whodunit with a modern twist—there’s a touch of Agatha Christie, a quirky cast of fellow writers, tongue-in-cheek insider publishing references sprinkled throughout and a whole lot of bookish fun!

How intriguing to set a mystery at a mystery festival! When Jane discovers a dead body she and the people she meets decide to solve the murder. Of course, at a festival, there's no lack of suspects! I don't particularly like cozy mysteries so this one started off slowly for me, but picked up during the investigation. Overall, a fun book to read

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "A Novel Murder" by E.C. Nevin. All opinions are my own.

If you like cozy mysteries you will love this!! I absolutely loved the setting of this book, taking place at a mystery book festival. This was great all around.

By the end of this fun little murder mystery, I had a big ol' hankering for a cuppa and a biscuit, or at least a flat white, and a nice long chat with Jane, Natasha and Daniel.

This absolutely charming little whodunit was a delight. Yes, it's a slow start. We get a bit too much of Jane's innermost thoughts in the beginning, and Jane can be pretty depressing to listen to sometimes. We meet all the suspects, Jane makes new best friends out of Natasha and Daniel, and the sleuthing begins in earnest around the halfway mark. Everyone has a motive, even our heroine Jane, and it is so delightful listening in to Daniel and Natasha bouncing ideas off of Jane. Everyone is quite likeable, once they are cleared of suspicion. But all good things must come to an end, and the ending is here is a wowser. I briefly suspected Natasha, and Daniel at one point, but the final reveal of the actual murderer actually caught me by surprise.

I do so hope we haven't heard the last of Jane, Natasha and Daniel. And maybe the hunky Edward will pop back into their lives again, too. In the meantime, while I wait for the next installment of their adventures in sleuthing, can someone bring me piece of Victoria Sponge cake to go with my tea?

What better place to have a murder than at a crime fiction festival? Poor Jane Hepburn, unlucky at the writing biz so far, actually stumbles upon a dead body on her first day there. She and some new friends decide they’re going to solve the crime. Many of the characters in the book seem to be lacking in people skills, so Jane and her buddies have a lot of suspects to sift through.

I enjoyed E.C. Nevin’s mystery. If it’s going to become a series, I would be eager to read along. The story is exciting, and I couldn’t figure out who the killer was. I recommend “A Novel Murder.”

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Knopf for the DRC of #ANovelMurder. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is a "publishing-insider" mystery set at a crime fiction festival in the UK. Jane is the author of a female detective series. She's hoping to connect with her MIA editor at the Killer Lines crime fiction festival and maybe boost awareness of her books. But when Jane discovers the dead body of a popular agent, she decides it's up to her to figure out who did it. Along the way, she makes some friends and finds her confidence to keep writing.

This was a fun read with good characters and lots of inside publishing detail.

I was attracted to this mystery because of its setting at a British book festival, and I picked it in spite of my personal rule to avoid cozy mysteries with punning or cutesy titles. It was slow to get going, but it picks up once near-failing writer Jane Hepburn teams up with intern Daniel and new and widely praised author Natasha to find out who killed Carrie Marks, the agent many hated.

The climax of the book is its best element, and I won’t spoil it, except to say that it makes the closing evening of the book festival considerably livelier than usual. Otherwise, this felt like a pleasant, middling cozy.

2.5 stars, rounded to 3.

A Novel Murder
By E.C.Nevin

As we are told at the start of this book, E.C. Nevin is the pseudonym for an ex-publishing professional. This information provides context for the story to follow.

Jane Hepburn is a 42 year old "plain Jane" with aspirations to be a best-selling author. She has, in fact, written a series starring PI Sandra Baker, which has been published. Her books are technically well written, but somehow her protagonist is not well received by the book buying public.

As the story begins, Jane is arriving at the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, feeling friendless and out of place next to other more successful authors. But little does she know that she will: 1) acquire a diverse group of friends; 2) discover a murder victim's body; and 3) come upon what appears to be a second victim. On top of all this, Jane and company determine that multiple people at the festival have motives for these actions. As the complexities grow, Jane finds herself the subject of her new friends' admiration – they look up to her and follow her leadership.

This is a typical murder mystery, and may be the first novel written by an author with first-hand knowledge of how the "book business" works. I found it an interesting read and look forward to Nevin's next book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a super fun, bookish whodunnit with major cozy vibes and just enough mystery to keep things interesting. The setting—a crime fiction festival full of egos, secrets, and murder—is basically a dream come true for mystery lovers. I mean, a murder at a mystery festival? Yes, please.

Jane Hepburn is a relatable hot mess of a protagonist—awkward, determined, and kind of chaotic in the best way. Her mission to make her detective character famous, while also low-key trying to solve a real murder, adds a fun layer of meta to the whole thing. Plus, the side characters (especially Daniel the intern) are quirky and entertaining, even if they lean a little into caricature at times.

The mystery itself was solid, though not mind-blowing. I had a decent guess about who did it before the reveal, and some parts dragged a bit in the middle. Still, the charm of the setting and Jane’s voice kept me turning pages.

If you’re into light mysteries, writing-world drama, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously, this one’s definitely worth picking up. It’s like a cozy cup of tea with a splash of poison—book nerds will get it.

The main character, Jane, was soo annoying at the beginning and it wasn't until she made friends and stopped full on “woe is me” crap that it get better. It was still a cozy mystery and I’m happy we figured out who did it.


Thank you NetGalley, E.C. Nevin, and Knopf publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I did NOT expect the outcome of this book. I did expect some great writing, which I had the pleasure of reading in this book. I enjoyed that our main character was a smaller author who felt overlooked at this festival. Did I mention how cool it was to have this placed within a crime festival? I loved the characters and I loved the plot of it all. I enjoyed how we saw multiple people accused of the murder but how it all pieced together at the end was awesome. I wish it went a tad faster, especially at the beginning. I really enjoyed the book overall!

4/5 books for MURDER, authors, who-dun-it, and murder mystery games!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free review copy! I am leaving this review voluntarily!

Jane Hepburn, an author, is headed to her first book Festival. Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival (a great title) is a place to meet other authors, editors, publishers, agents and publicists. She hopes to meet with her team because they seem to be forgetting about her. On the first night there is a murder in the book tent of a famous literary agent. Several suspects are present, including Jane.
The setting is a small English village, the characters are interesting. I enjoyed it but could have been better edited for length and delineation of the younger female characters who were getting mixed up in my mind.
3 1/2 stars

E. C. Nevin sets a lively murder mystery in the publishing world, when an agent turns up dead at a crime writers convention. Naturally, struggling author Jane Hepburn finds herself on the case, trying to imagine what her own star character would do. Aside from the many chuckles I got from the combination of publishing industry egos, high anxiety, and frustrated ambitions inherent in the world of A Novel Murder, I appreciated the importance Nevin places on friendship in challenging times. A charming read for mystery lovers.

An middlingEnglish mystery writer turns eager sleuth after discovering the body of her literary agent at a crime fiction festival.

Propelled by the recent death of her mother, 42-year-old Jane Hepburn, the shy and awkward 6-foot-tall author of six excellent, if not exactly bestselling, PI Sandra Baker novels, is finally attending the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival in the Cumbrian village of Hoslewit. She hopes to track down her agent and editor, who have not replied to her emails for two months, and to “network her socks off” with the famous crime writers who flock there every year. “These next few days will be the making of her, she has a feeling.” Little does Jane realize how much her life will change when she sneaks into the book tent during the off-hours to rearrange the displays to highlight her books. There she finds the body of her agent, the much-feared Carrie Marks, stabbed to death with a large dagger. Dismissed by DI Ramos when she suggests that a book may have been the motive for the murder, a dispirited Jane decides to return home until she runs into Carrie’s 22-year-old intern, Daniel Thurston. A fan of her books, Daniel convinces Jane that she, like her fictional sleuth, could solve the crime. If she succeeds, Jane might revive her writing career. The pseudonymous Nevin, a former publishing professional, has written a fun, tongue-in-cheek debut that spoofs the publishing industry and social media’s impact (BookTok, anyone?). Although the secondary characters are thinly drawn, Jane is a delight. Readers will root for the lonely sleuth as she makes new friends and develops joyful self-confidence. In some ways, her character arc is more interesting than the mystery’s resolution.

An appealing cozy star is born.

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>A Novel Murder</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review
The premise of this novel is great - have an unsuccessful but published author attend a writers' convention in hopes of interesting others in her book series. Jane is mired in her lack of success, her lack of friends, and her lack of romance. Despite these, she sneaks into a convention tent prior to opening with the intent to physically put copies of her books in more advantageous places. Instead, she finds a murder victim.
Nevin briefly introduces so many convention attendees that I had difficulty distinguishing them. Additionally, the abrupt changes to Jane's character made her somewhat unbelievable.
Despite these issues, I would love to attend a convention like her Killer Lines, and would attempt another of her novels.

An author finds a critic dead at the crime fiction festival, and decides to help solve the murder, along with a fellow writer.