I don't normally read cozy mysteries, but I do enjoy them when I'm in the need of a 'palate cleanser' read and A Novel Murder didn't disappoint, Clever and entertaining!

I ended up not finishing this and DNFed after the first couple chapters. I didn’t enjoy the main character and didn’t vibe with the story. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this as an early reader.

Jane is attending the Killer Lines mystery fiction convention, hoping to revitalize her career and make some connections. Instead, she discovers a dead body, and she works to solve the mystery along with some new friends. I enjoyed the cozy mystery, but really loved seeing Jane grow in confidence as the story progressed. A charming British setting also made this a fun mystery book. I also liked the insight into the publishing world. This book would make a fun tv mystery movie too!

What a pleasant surprise! This was a thrilling treat from out of the blue. Cozy, indeed. Entertaining, yes. I think fans of the 'Horowitz and Hawthorne' series by Anthony Horowitz will enjoy A Novel Murder as much as I did. I can only hope E. C. Nevin has plans for this to be a series. Jane Hepburn is a wonderful character and it would be a shame if we don't see her again (even if it isn't at a killer book festival). A Novel Murder works thanks to both the colorful characters and the masterful mystery. It's a well crafted debut that will have you hooked. It's always fun when a writer (fictional or otherwise) turns their attention to solving crimes.

This was so well done, it had that murder mystery element that I was wanting and enjoyed the overall feel of this book. The concept was so well done and enjoyed the use of the crime fiction writers, it was everything that I was wanting from the description. The characters had that charm that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this world. E. C. Nevin wrote this so well and I hope to read more from them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Did not finish ... stopped at 29% ... so slow and draggy ... just couldn't stay with it ... even tho' I'd love to know who-dunnit ... story is promising, but just doesn't make it ...

A Novel Murder is as refreshing as a glass of ice water on a hot day. The story is uniquely set at the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival in a small English town. Author Jane Hepburn is paying her own way, unlike most of the authors present. Jane's mystery novels have not sold well and she sees the festival as her chance to make connections that will set her on the path to success. When Jane's literary agent is murdered at the festival Jane is shocked. Jane wants to solve the crime. She channels the skills she has written for her character PI Sandra Baker. Jane, along with some new crime solving friends, interviews witnesses and seeks out clues. Nevin's characters are what make this book special. A Novel Murder is more than a page turner. Jane not only solves a murder but also discovers many truths about herself.

Really enjoyed this cozy mystery!

I really enjoyed Jane as the protagonist; she was very relatable, and I really enjoyed seeing her growth throughout the book. There was a large pool of characters and povs but I liked reading the different perspectives and trying to guess what that character might have up their sleeve. The little found family that the characters ended up forming was very heartwarming and I would love to see this series continue with them.

The mystery itself took place at a book festival and I love cozy mysteries surrounding books. The mystery was entertaining and I unfortunately didn't guess the culprit but the reveal was pretty wild. My only gripe was that the book seemed a little long - would have loved to know more about the suspects rather than Jane's thoughts lol.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Although the setting and setup were appealing, the actual mystery at the core did not really gel for me. I felt the characters were forced and the premise labored. Dragged in the middle, but I'm willing to give the author another chance at a later date.

A Novel Murder by E.C. Nevin was a great mystery I really enjoyed.

The characters were complex and well fleshed out.

The mystery was really clever, and kept me guessing.

Nevin has crafted a murder mystery deeply set in the book publishing and promoting world. The murder victim had made many enemies so there were plenty of suspects. The sleuth is a mystery writer who actually finds herself needing to solve a murder mystery in reality. It was fun to see how she grew in the experience.

The novel is written in present tense, something I find disconcerting. There are also several viewpoints presented, though in third person. Despite my dislike of some features of the writing, I did appreciate the atmosphere of book publishing and the personalities of authors. I like the sleuthing action and the twists keeping me guessing as to the actual villain.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

I thought that premise was interesting a murder at a book festival where the main character is an author. The pacing was a little uneven at times. However, this is the first book in the series, and so sometimes those are a little more rough around the edges than future books. I enjoyed seeing how Jane developed through the course of this book. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to the author, Knopf, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

While pretty quickly into this book the murder occurs, I felt the pacing was a bit on the slower side, and it wasn't really grabbing me.
However, I am glad I stuck with it, the further I got into the story, the more I liked the characters and the more convoluted and complex the mystery became. I had fun following along and trying to figure out who the killer was going to be.

A Novel Murder is an interesting mashup of a cozy amateur detective mystery and an insider’s look into the publishing industry.

Jane is an ambitious author at a murder mystery convention. When a literary agent is killed at the event, Jane jumps at the chance to solve the crime while also garnering free publicity for her new book.

The book has many details about how the publishing world works behind the scenes. The debut author is from that world so the setting rings true most of the time. Jane is a complex character who is both pushy and anxiety ridden. In fact, I enjoyed all the characters in A Novel Murder more than the mystery itself.

Sometimes a reader just wants to settle into someone else’s life without trying to be an armchair detective themselves. If so, A Novel Murder will be the perfect relaxing read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an advanced review copy.

This was a fun cozy mystery set at an English Crime fiction festival.

Crime writer Jane Hepburn is committed to finally giving her writing career the boost that it needs by putting her books front and center in the bookstore tent at the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival. She never imagined that she'd be tripping over the dead body of her agent, the generally reviled Carrie Marks. With the assistance of Daniel, the agency's intern, and new up-and-coming novelist, Natasha Martez, the mighty trio draw on their crime writing skills to solve the murder. Virtually, everyone in attendance has a motive. The question is, can Jane and her team solve the murder before everyone departs at the end of the weekend.

This was a typical cozy mystery with its many red herrings and lots of potential suspects. The sleuthing team gathers intel and ponders motivations and opportunities of each of the potential perpetrators. The writing is good, the story is amusing. It did get off to a rather slow start but the final scenes are a wild ride and quite good. This would be an enjoyable read for every cozy mystery fan.

I am grateful to publisher, Knopf, for having provided a complimentary copy of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publisher: Knopf
Publication date: June 17, 2025
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 978-0593803004

This was a very good mystery and I would love to see this become a series because I really want to read what’s next for these characters.

A murder at a thriller author award ceremony? Count me in. This book had everything I love; a crime, a group of crime solvers, and twists and turns like crazy.

I had ideas throughout the whole book on who the murderer could be but I was wrong every time. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Author, Jane Hepburn, is attending the Killer Lines Festival in the hopes of making the the main character in her mystery series a household name. When she stumbles upon an actual murder, she will have to use the skills of her main character, and some help from her new friends to solve the case. I loved the setting and the characters in this novel. Jane makes several diverse friendships throughout the festival, and they all ban together to help solve this mystery. It was humorous and had a good pace.

Welcome to the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, the place for star writers of the genre to meet their adoring fans. But be careful—this year the murders don’t take place just on the page.

Jane Hepburn is a forty-something mystery author but not a wildly successful one. She wants to make her fictional private detective’s crime-solving abilities known to everyone. In other words, she wants her fiction to be in demand. And she sees her chance at the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival in Hoslewit, England. Her plans are to sneak into the book tent after festival hours to rearrange the books so that hers are up front where they will receive more attention.

But she finds way more than she bargained for when she slips into the book tent that night. She finds the murdered body of Carrie Marks, a literary agent. And this isn’t just any literary agent: it is Jane’s literary agent. Jane decides that she must find out who did this horrible thing. After all, she does write mysteries, and her fictional detective always solves the case. This isn’t fiction though: it is real life.

Carrie Marks was loved by some and hated by others, so how difficult could it be to find the guilty party? With the help of her friends Daniel and Natasha, she begins her sleuthing. But she is at a festival for crime writers, and each one has a motive along with the knowledge how to commit a crime and get away with it, at least in a book. Turns out this might be more difficult than Jane anticipated.

Red herrings galore make it a challenge the to figure out just who is responsible, and it was finally revealed in a very tense and exciting way that some of the characters were lucky to get out of alive. The ending was fantastic! I hope this is only the first of many mysteries that Jane Hepburn solves. I want to read them all.

A Novel Murder was a great read, thoroughly enjoyable with lots of humor throughout. I got my ARC copy from Netgalley, and I do recommend this book.

DNF @ 20%. I love a good cozy mystery, especially one set in the publishing sphere, but this didn’t hit for me. The writing is solid and I got the feeling the story would progress at a decent pace, but it just wasn’t grabbing me. It’s written with a lot of snark and cynicism which becomes tiring after a while.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was right up my alley. A cozy, murder mystery at a crime themed literary festival that reads like a locked room mystery, even though it isn't. There was a fun setting, loveable characters and of course murder. The plot was slow paced and dragged at some parts. However, the quirky characters, humor and friendships made up for it. The actual murder mystery was decent and kept me guessing. Overall it was a 3.75 ⭐ read and would recommend it to any cozy murder mystery fan!
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an advanced copy of this book for review