Such a fun cozy bookish mystery! I loved the quirky cast of characters with their truly amateur detective skills.

In the quaint English town of Hoslewit, the biggest names in crime writing have congregated to celebrate all things bookish and murderous. Author Jane Hepburn is determined to make her time at the Killer Lines festival worthwhile. This is her chance to change her fortunes and make her fictional Private Detective Baker a household name. And if she has to resort to sneaking into the book tent after hours to rearrange some books so hers are front and center, so be it. But when Jane encounters the dead body of renowned (and reviled) literary agent Carrie Marks, the festival takes on a decidedly different tone. Joined by Carrie's newest client, debut novelist Natasha Martez, and the agency's hapless intern, Daniel Thurston, Jane decides to put her fictional sleuthing skills to use in the real world—she's going to solve the murder. But the list of suspects is long: seemingly everyone at the festival has a motive to kill Carrie, and the more Jane and her new friends investigate, the closer they come to a dangerous truth—one that’s stranger than fiction.

This was a very well-written book by an author who develops his characters well and knows what the English landscape looks like. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and did not guest the murderer until it was revealed in the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering this book and granting my request to read it. Anyone, like me, who loves books about books will enjoy this. It also gives us a look at the way book agents work.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery set at a crime writers convention. The cast of characters was quite fun - especially the misfit main character who came out of her shell in order to solve a murder that she discovered in a book tent. I liked how they encouraged and supported each other even though they had just met and were new friends.

I would call this a cozy mystery - not too graphic or suspenseful - but more fun and interesting than a lot of cozies I've read. I would definitely like to see a second book with the same team of crime solvers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.

What a lovely book! Maybe not for the murder, that seems almost too mundane - in the world of murders, that is. There were a lot of suspects for the highly unpopular Carrie Marks, literary agent, so really it could have been almost anyone. But the evolution of Jane Hepburn, a tall, awkward, friendless author lacking self confidence, into a much bolder and better version of herself is worth the read. I loved watching her grow into the confident woman she became and I look forward to more from this author. My only real criticism is that there are too many characters and it often became hard to keep track of them all and their professional roles.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

If you like cozy mysteries, bookish books, and friendship-focused books, you’ll enjoy this one! It was a fun, easy read, and I enjoyed the concept of a murder mystery being solved by mystery writers at a crime fiction festival. TBH, a lot of the characters were a bit annoying and not fully fleshed out, but Nevin is skilled at compelling readers with twists and clues about “whodunnit?”

I always enjoy a good cozy mystery, and this one was a lovely time. It had a great main character, a nice plot that moved at a comfortable pace (didn’t drag as some cozies can do), and had great bookish elements. I would enjoy reading more from this author.

Overall it thought this was a fun story, it keep me engaged and interested had a fun setting, great characters that made it fun and enjoyable and easy to read. Really enjoyed the FMC Jane as she seems to be very relatable and definitely had a lot of character growth and the found family trop is also my favorite. Love how the ended up forming a small family at the end.
Loved that there was a mix of comedy and suspense, will definitely be recommending this book to family and friends.

I love a nice cozy as a change from the usual more violent or graphic novels I normally read. It's nice to be introduced to a new author, and possible series.

A mystery author, of a not especially successful series, attends a book festival to network and attempt to meet up with her agent. Sneaking into the main tent to try to arrange her own books in better locations she discovers the body of that same agent. Rather than returning to home she decides to prove she is just as good as her fictional detective. This doesn't endure her to others at the festival or the police.

I didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. The pacing was sloooow, where at times I wanted to just skim it or give up all together. Jane's growth as a character was great to see, as in the beginning, she was a tad annoying to me. But, I ended up enjoying her growth most out of the entire book.
A good cozy book when you need something to pass the time.

Overall it was good book. I didn’t love it I didn’t hate it. It was slow at times. But it’s a good cozy mystery. I loved the setting. Having it a crime fiction festival was super fun!

It’s obvious that the author of A Novel Murder, a debut mystery, knows her way around the publishing industry and literary festivals. This isn’t a cozy mystery, but it’s a traditional one with likable characters. And, uncovering characters and their truth is what the story is about.

Jane Hepburn is a mid-list author with six mysteries in a PI series. But, she’s never put herself forward or sought publicity. Now that her mother, her closest friend, is dead, Jane forces herself out of her comfort zone to attend the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival in Hoslewitt, where the biggest names in the crime fiction world, along with agents and publishers, will be gathering. Jane feels lonely and insecure. She sees herself as a “mediocre novelist, perpetual singleton, socially awkward giant.” She has no idea that the murder of her literary agent, Carrie Marks, will force her out of her shell.

A lot of people in the industry have reason to fear and hate Carrie. But, it’s Jane, sneaking into the book tent at 5:30 AM to move her books to a more prominent spot, who finds Carrie’s body, stabbed with a dagger. Once she’s talked to the police, Jane is ready to go home. In fact, she’s on the train when she runs into a fan who knows her books, Daniel Thurston, an intern at her publishing company. Daniel convinces her the two of them can solve the case. What would Jane’s PI do? They return to the festival, and join forces with a rising star, Natasha Martez. Together, they’re determined to find Carrie’s killer.

But, how do they know who has alibis, and who is telling the truth? In fact, Jane has a moment of doubt when a suspect asks her if she and her cohorts even know what they were each up to when Carrie was murdered.

A Novel Murder is a clever, insider’s look at the publishing world. It’s a complex mystery in which three amateurs join forces to uncover secrets and the truth. This is a treat for readers who appreciate the stories behind our favorite stories.

A Novel Murder by E.C. Nevin offers a cozy mystery with a classic setup and a bookish charm. While some plot elements felt familiar, the setting and premise were engaging, and the story moved along at a comfortable pace. (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) A solid read for fans of traditional mysteries looking for a light, entertaining escape.

This was a cuteish cozy mystery. Authors are gathering for the Killer Lines festival and Jane Hepburn is attending for the first time. She's feeling like she might be loosing her agent for her books so she decides to sneak into the book tent after hours to move her books to a more advantageous spot. In doing so, she stumbles on the dead body of her agent. Jane tries to get into her detective characters shoes and works to solve the murder. In the process she gains some friends and some confidence she didn't previously have.

I found this to be a nice easy read that kept me entertained.

A murder mystery set at a crime fiction book festival?? Sign me up!

Jane is an author whose detective series isn’t getting much traction. She’s just found the dead body of a literary agent at the festival. What should she do? Join forces with some fellow festival goers and put on their detective hats of course!

I loved the cast of characters Nevin delivers for this story from our main star, Jane, to our social media famous author to our willing-to-do-anything assistant. Each person felt utterly unique and their interactions with each other were genuine. There’s a delightful mix of comedy and introspection among the group that allows the reader to feel at home and committed to tagging along with our sleuths.

In addition to a great cast, Nevin has chosen a location that is sure to appeal to readers of the crime fiction genre and one that we don’t see often. A book festival gives the depth of characters needed for a decent amount of suspects to investigate, but the small town location helps to keep it feeling isolated and removed from the day-to-day of regular life.

This one was fun, cozy, and entertaining. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from Nevin!

This book took me a little while to get into. I don't think I've ever read a "cozy mystery" before. The writing style reminded me of a pair of satires I've read, and I think it's mainly that several of the characters felt like caricatures, or were at least described in a way that felt exaggerated, like in satires. I also got a little defensive when the main character was first described, because she's a six foot tall woman and it sounded like the author was going to be negative about that. By the end, I think the author did a really good job of showing the character's height as one of the things about herself that she is insecure about, but something everyone else either thinks is great/attractive or doesn't really notice or care about. So as a man who married a beautiful six-foot-tall woman, I accept this. I enjoyed Jane's characterization and growth as she realized she is worth more than she gives herself credit for, and I enjoyed the bits of other people encouraging her and "discovering" her. There was a point where I realized I was really rooting for her to be successful in both solving the murder and in her career.

It was an interesting setting, and meta in many ways: our heroine is a crime writer caught up in a murder mystery; a murder occurs at a festival of authors (many of whom write that kind of story); most of the characters are in writing and publishing and the author talks about two prominent characters who are in publishing and are each secretly writing novels of their own, and if you read the credits of this story, "E.C. Nevin is a pseudonym for an ex-publishing professional." So even if exaggerated, I see a lot of truth in the characters across the publishing world in this book, lending legitimacy to the story.

Overall, I had fun reading this book and thought the main characters were very likeable and easy to root for.

authors gather at a book festival and murder ensues. They are gathering clues and suspects to investigate. Lots of twists and turn, complex interesting an quirky characters and a fast past story make this a page turner and a must read!

Following her mother's passing, and long-time relationship ended, due to cheating by her boss/boyfriend, 42-year-old author Jane Hepburn finds newfound courage to attend the lively Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, where she hopes to connect with her recently unresponsive agent and editor. Her plans take an unexpected twist when she stumbles upon the murder of her agent, Carrie Marks. With the police not following the clues obvious to Jane, she takes it upon herself to solve the murder and, if successful, be celebrated by her peers and hopefully revive her career. Jane finds moral support from her agent's intern, the young and extremely handsome Daniel, who is not only a huge fan of her work but also genuinely believes in her talent, and her newfound friend Natasha, an up-and-coming star author everyone is eager to sign. Together, they embark on this journey to solve the murder, discovering friendship and courage.

E.C. Nevinn's debut novel is filled with moments of laugh-out-loud humor and an abundance of twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the final page. Jane's relatability makes it impossible not to root for her as she builds her confidence and forges genuine friendships throughout the story. While cozy mysteries aren't typically my preference, this one captured my enjoyment, and I hope to see Jane and her friends return in a series. I'm eagerly looking forward to more!

A Clever Whodunit Where Fiction Bleeds into Reality

Killer Lines is a sharp, witty mystery that pulls back the velvet curtain on the world of book festivals with a body count. Jane Hepburn, an underdog author with more ambition than book sales, finds herself in the middle of a real-life murder investigation that reads like one of her own thrillers. With a quirky trio of amateur sleuths, endless literary egos, and more red herrings than a fish market, this page-turner is a love letter to crime fiction and a sly jab at the industry itself. A delightfully meta mystery full of charm, secrets, and the ultimate writer’s fantasy: turning a murder into a breakout hit.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Although Jane is not a character for everyone to love, I felt she was probably more down to earth and realistic than most. Everything I've read about the publishing world is cutthroat. So kudos to E.C. Nevin for that. I do wish the pace moved more quickly. But overall a good cozy. Thanks #Netgalley and #KnopfPantheon,VintageandAnchor for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

I disliked this immensely. It started off with a fast pace, but I came to loathe the main character. She is a sad, dithering woman, struggling to be noticed by her publisher, editor, and pretty much everyone else at a crime writers awards weekend (think Bloody Scotland). It reads like an episode of Murder She Wrote, only less campy and therefore less fun. The prose is okay, the investigation tedious, and the solution an annoying cliche.