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.

Author Jane Hepburn is determined to have her novels published. She attends the.Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival. Little did Jane know that publishing books was not the only thing that was going to happen at this festival. You see Jane doesn’t have many friends. She has no self-esteem, especially in writing. Jane gets really down on her self until she meets up with Natasha brand new author and Daniel, who seems to always have’s back when she seems to run into trouble. As we read the book we find out that chain will be running into quite a bit of trouble.

As Jane is trying to get her Detective Baker books to be notice she decides to put some of her books throughout the reading tent. Little did you know that she would stumble upon a mystery of her own. She finds the dead body of.Carrie Marks one of the meanest women in the publishing field. So now instead of worrying about getting her books out to the literary Jane decides to do the sleuthing herself. Along with her new friends, Daniel and Natasha,they set out to find out who killed Carrie Marks. This proves to be a big task for the three new friends since Carrie had many enemies. Who would risk their careers to kill a giant in the publishing world? Well Jane needs to find out, but will she become a victim?

Again a new author for me. I found the characters funny and colorful. I wished the book was a little shorter. My only criticism. Totally enjoyed it. Four stars

This was such a fun and cozy read! I loved the whole vibe of the countryside crime fiction festival—books, mystery, and a little bit of murder. Jane Hepburn is such a relatable main character, and I really enjoyed the friendships she formed throughout the story. Natasha and Daniel were great additions to the team, and their dynamic made the investigation even more enjoyable.

The mystery itself kept me guessing right up to the end, and I loved that it didn’t take itself too seriously while still delivering a clever plot. If you’re into cozy mysteries with bookish settings and quirky characters, definitely check this one out!

I would give this book 2.5 stars, but I rounded up because I enjoyed the ending. I found the idea of this book very appealing. I started to have problems with so many new characters being introduced, and then the process of finding the killer seemed to go on forever. I almost gave up, which is rare for me, but I kept reading. Glad I did, as I enjoyed the end of the book. I was gifted an ARC from Netgalley, and this is my honest opinion.

Who knew that attending the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival could lead to an actual murder. Jane is an author who can’t seem to make readers see her talent. She decides to attend the festival, hoping to mingle, sell some books, and get some time with her agent (who has been avoiding her for months). Things do not go as planned, and soon Jane must solve a real-life murder, the death of her agent. She manages to make two friends, Daniel and Natasha, and they set out to discover whodunnit and why.
I have to say that Jane was a hard character for me to like in the beginning. Though as more of her backstory emerged, and her confidence grew, I found myself rooting for her. No spoilers, but after everything Jane went through, and everything that she learned about herself, I can see Jane’s dreams coming true. If nothing else she can incorporate some if not all of what happened at the festival into her next book.

Refreshing new take on the life of an author and the interactions with others at a book festival. A struggling authoress gets a much needed boost in both her literary and personal life. Well written and a unique story.

An enjoyable novel filled with a bevy of quirky characters. Set in a quaint English village, a crime writers convention takes an unexpected turn when a literary agent is found dead. Enter, struggling crime author, Jane Hepburn, who makes it her mission to solve the case before the bumbling police arrest the wrong person.

I enjoyed Jane's character who was filled with human frailties, self doubt, loneliness and a strong desire to fit in. The mystery was fun and moved along at a decent pace with several unexpected developments that held my interest. The story did move between different characters' viewpoints. But, the author did a good job of identifying the character shifts. I wish there were less of Jane's repetitive inner musings since I got her inner struggles/doubts after the first few. That said, I would definitely give the next book in the series a try to see how her character develops along with her sidekicks. Thank you NetGalley, E.C. Nevin and
Alfred A. Knopf Publisher for the opportunity to review this Advanced Reader Copy.

"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 aren't just on the page.

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."

I LOVE murder mysteries set at literary festivals ever since I saw the Midsomer Murders episode "Sins of Commission."