I found A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder by Melinda Mullet to be a predictable cozy mystery. I liked the cast of quirky characters, but the shifting points of view made it hard for me to engage. I especially had trouble with one character’s accent (I would read, then reread, and go huh). I questioned Maeve’s actions from the beginning. I thought someone who wrote mysteries would have more sense. I liked the unique setting of the London houseboat community (I have always wanted to live on a houseboat, but I believe it would sink under the weight of my books). I enjoyed the descriptions of the various houseboats. The mystery was straightforward. Maeve and her friends set out to prove her innocence. They often find themselves involved in dangerous situations. The story is reminiscent of a popular 1980s mystery series that was on Sunday nights. Maeve’s profession had little to do with the story. My favorite character was Maeve’s dog, Captain. I wanted to like A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder, but it didn’t float my boat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the early release ebook. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a quick and easy read with chapters that alternate between the characters' POVs. The story moves along very quickly. There are a lot of elements and a ton of red herrings but the ending is satisfying enough. The characters all have big backstories and I can see how this could turn into a series!

Overall, this was a good read.

Maeve Gardner is a ghostwriter, living on a canal boat, the Writer’s Revenge, on the Thames, working Harlan Oak, an author with early-onset dementia and famous for their Simon Hill mysteries. Captain Jack, her dog discovers £50,000 hidden inside a dock tyre – she reports it to the police; the money goes missing and the only thing found is Maeve’s ex-lover, Gav, face down in the water. From here the story envelops into a classic crime mystery where Maeve is questioned and arrested for murder, and she and her friends become amateur sleuths to solve why Gav was in the water, and where the money was from and ended up. From crime writer to falling canal-first into one, Maeve takes her friends along for the ride, all equally as keen to be a part of the investigation, including her dog.
The multiple POVs were interesting, but there wasn’t a lot of substance from all of the characters. In particular there was always some kind of suggestion that her Wiccan canal neighbours (Sage and Rowan) could have had more to do with the money and murder, but it never eventuated. Each of the other characters – India the bookshop owner, Paul the publican, and Maeve’s other reclusive canal neighbour Ash – seemed to have their own quirks and secrets to throw into the mix. Heir dialogue was more casual which reinforced the care and admiration they all had for Maeve.
This is a relatively cosy mystery that was emphasised by four friends trying their best at solving a deadly mystery. The police were a great balance up against them, sticking to their procedural undertakings quite closely, with the hint of corruption rearing its head now and then.

Maeve Gardner is a unique protagonist. She ghostwrites cozy mystery novels for a living, and hopes to write her own novels someday. She lives on a small house boat in England (with her large dog) which she once shared with her ex-boyfriend. Her neighbors and friends are similarly quirky. It all adds up to a good life for Maeve.

Everything turns around when Maeve notices her dog chewing one of the tires that serve as bumpers for the house boats. Maeve begins to repair the tire and discovers that someone has hidden a lot of cash inside. What to do? Keeping it is tempting, but notifying the police wins out. When Maeve brings the police back to her home, the cash is missing and her ex-boyfriend is floating face down next to her boat.

The police decide that Maeve has stolen the cash and killed her ex-boyfriend. It's now up to Maeve and her friends to identify the killer. India's assignment is to befriend the ex-boyfriend's, new girlfriend to see what she knows. Paul's job is to befriend the ex-boyfriend's mates through their dart team. Ash is the computer expert so he will dig into the history of anyone involved.

I found it interesting how each of the characters used their skills to advance the investigation. What I found confusing was that it was told in multiple point of views. Each of Maeve’s friends shared their part of the investigation and I didn't always know who was talking speaking/thinking. I suppose it was necessary, but still confusing for me.

My second challenge in reading this book was understanding many of the Englisg slang words. My choices were to look them up, or just skip over them.

I loved the story and the characters and would recommend this book to friends.

Charming yet wickedly imaginative mystery ghostwriter Maeve Gardner finds herself at the center of a murder investigation with more twists and turns than any story she's ever written, perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Richard Osman.
A perfect book for the cozy mystery lovers out there. Enjoyed the story, overall, and this was a fun read.

Mystery writer Maeve Gardner lives aboard a houseboat with her lovable dog, the Captain. He is a good boy with a nose for trouble and a hankering for snackies. When Maeve’s ex-boyfriend turns up dead in the canal where her home is docked, she suddenly finds herself at the center of a mystery of her own. With Maeve as their prime suspect the police have little interest in pursuing other leads. That leaves Maeve and her eclectic band of besties to figure out the truth and clear her name.
This was a fun book with all the ingredients for a light summer read. The houseboat setting adds some quirky charm. Maeve’s circle of friends-Paul the friendly pub owner, India her best friend and floating bookstore proprietor, the Wicca couple next-door, and her hacker neighbor Ash-pack the story with personality. The mystery is paced just right for a quick vacation read or weekend escape.
While the book didn’t break new ground for me in terms of plot or mystery structure it was still enjoyable and entertaining. I recommend this to readers who appreciate mysteries with a charming setting and lovable cast.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this one! It was cute and fun with all the characters working together to solve a murder. There were unexpected turns and the fact each friend had a different adventure made it that much more fun. The perfect cozy mystery!

I picked this book out because it sounded interesting and it turned out to be so much better than I was expecting! I thought this would be more about Maeve going out solo to solve the murder but I liked it being a team of unlikely detectives banding together. This added a bit of humor to the story as well. This also helped to get behind Maeve as a character because if all these people were willing to put themselves out there for her she must be good people. I am really hoping this will be a series because I really really want to know more about all of the characters and follow them through solving another mystery. The mystery here had lots of twists and turns and because everything was new to me as a reader there were plenty of possible motives and killers to keep me guessing until the end. This book was one of the best reading surprises of the year and I am so glad I found it.

A Ghostwriter's Guide to Murder is an interesting an entertaining tale about Maeve, a ghostwriter for a famous mystery series, that finds herself the primary suspect of a murder investigation.

At the beginning of the book, a large amount of money is found by Maeve's dog (Captain) stuffed in a tire floating along the canal. When Maeve reports the incident to the authorities, a team is sent out to investigate, only to find a floating body near her boat and Maeve is named as the primary suspect.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the colorful cast of characters and the great lengths her friends went through to prove her innocence. There is something soothing about books set near bodies of water that I am particularly drawn to, but what seems like a nice cozy mystery soon turns into a thriller as the team of friends are traipsing around seedier parts of town, dealing with shady characters and potential killers.

This book was an easy read but a bit longer for a mystery novel. I also didn't care for the wiccan neighbors, but that is just a personal opinion.

A set of quirky characters living or working on longboats in the heart of London? No need to say more, count me in! At first I was a bit reticent as the book is marketed as being a cozy mystery, but for me it certainly felt more like a full-on thriller in a world inhabited by drug traders, corrupt builders and promotors, dark web infiltrators, and then of course the mandatory murderer. So I can only say I was pleasantly surprised by the pace and storyline and that comes on top of very well crafted characters. They are lifelike, the dialogue sounds good, the tensions were spot on and life on the canal was rendered perfectly. In a very good way, it reminded me of the early Gamache series by Louise Penny.

I can only imagine that this stand-alone will not stay alone very long and that the characters have been set for a few more installments. I sure will be reading the next one!

Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

Melinda Mullet writes one of my favorite Scottish cozy mysteries, so when I saw she was starting a new series, I had to dig in. This time, it's a new crop of main characters, and a much darker storyline. Still in the cozy realm, but drugs, murder, violence and corruption. And it all takes place with the main character living on a boat where she writes murder mysteries for a famous author. I enjoyed the story but didn't love most of the characters. I might just be too partial to the other series.... but first books always take a while for the series to settle in. I'll definitely read the next one.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review! I absolutely adored this book both in its ebook form and as an audiobook. It has so much of the cozy mystery vibe, but also adds the higher stakes and bigger criminal players like a thriller, and I think it is an extremely successful mix of the two subgenres. The cast of characters, especially the Captain, are wonderful and you really begin to see their found family as your own as they take the case on. The most unique aspect of the book is the setting of the canal boats. The author really made the boats seem like characters in and of themselves, and the canal boat culture and neighborhood add a ton of charm and personality to the book! Highly recommend!

My 6P review: Premise, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Maeve kills people for a living. Figuratively speaking. She soon finds herself accused of a real murder. With help from her friends, she tries to clear her name and find the real killer.

This was a brilliant story and so unique with the main protagonist being a ghostwriter and living on a houseboat.

The various characters were brilliant and all of them unique including the canine friend, Captain.

I really enjoyed this story and found it a quick and easy read.

I certainly hope this is not a stand alone. I want more of Maeve, Rowan, Sage, Ash and Paul, including his wonderful pub, The Anchor.

My only criticism would be the spelling of “tyre” as “tire”. If writing a story set in England then English spelling should be used.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maeve ghostwriter mystery novel whilst living on her houseboat in London with her dog Captain. Captain has taken to chewing the rubber tyres hung along the edge of the canal and when Maeve goes to investigate she sees something is hidden in the tyre. Investigating further she finds packets of money, deciding to leave them in situ she goes off to report her find to the police. On her return, with the police in tow, they not only discover the money has vanished but a body in the canal, which turns out to be her ex, Gavin.
Things go from bad to worse when she is arrested for his murder, her friends from the local pub The Anchor pull out all the stops to prove her innocence.
A very engaging story and my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder by Melinda Mullet is a wonderfully charming and cleverly plotted mystery that kept me completely engaged throughout. Maeve Gardner, the ghostwriter for a popular detective series, is a fresh and intriguing protagonist. Her life on a colorful houseboat along London’s canals adds a unique and atmospheric backdrop that sets this story apart.

The plot is full of unexpected twists, from a murder mystery unfolding right outside Maeve’s door to the involvement of a cast of memorable characters including a floating bookshop owner, a handsome pub landlord, and a secretive neighbor. Together, they navigate a web of missing money, extortion, and dangerous conspiracies. The story moves at a great pace, balancing cozy mystery vibes with genuine suspense.

I found the characters well-developed and relatable, each bringing something special to the story. The ending was surprising and satisfying, leaving me eager for more adventures with Maeve. Fans of authors like Richard Osman will especially appreciate the clever plotting and warm tone.

Overall, this book is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery thriller with heart, humor, and plenty of twists. I highly recommend it.

I'm a sucker for books about writers, so I couldn't resist this title, even though mysteries aren't my usual genre. I am so glad I took the chance. From its delightful setting on London's canal houseboats to a plot that was engaging from the very first page, this book was a wonderful surprise.

What makes it particularly accessible is Melinda Mullet's writing. It’s clear and concise, refreshingly free of the technical crime scene jargon that can bog down the genre. This clean prose allows the compelling characters to shine—a diverse and distinct cast that feels like a genuine community of real people.

This is a wonderfully engaging novel that kept me completely engrossed.

Maeve is a ghostwriter for a popular, long-running mystery series but dreams of writing under her own name someday. She loves living on a houseboat – until her ex, Gavin, turns up floating in the canal outside her boat and she ends up at the top of the police’s list of suspects. With the help of her friends, she must clear her name… without the help of the literary hero she knows so well.

I’ve read one other book by this author, and liked it enough to take a chance on this one. I really like Maeve, and would love to spend a bit of time living on a houseboat, but I’m not sure about making it a permanent choice. She has good friends around her, each with their own strengths that come in handy as they investigate. Even the local police are mostly good and likeable characters, with a few notable exceptions.

We only got to know a bit about the murder victim through Maeve’s eyes, which are admittedly biased, so there isn’t much to go on at first. As the friends start to dig into Gavin’s life, though, the suspect list grows longer. Some of the police are willing to listen to the friends’ input, while others are determined to pin it all on Maeve in the interest of closing the case quickly to make the department look good. There are plenty of red herrings to throw the reader off, and I’ll admit to briefly falling for one or two of them. One character hovered near the top of my mental list for a while, and I was on the right track, but had the wrong person in mind.

There’s no indication that this book is the start of a new series, but I hope it is. I’d like to spend more time with Maeve, Paul, India, Ash, and of course, Captain Jack, Maeve’s adorable dog :)

Ghost Writers Guide to Murder is the 1st book in what I hope is a new cosy crime series. It follows Maeve who lives on the London Canals in her houseboat with her dog Capitan. She is ghostwriting a long running detective series for an author with memory loss and settling into her new life on the boat after a bad breakup.
The mystery starts when Maeve discovers a lot of money hidden in a tire attached to her boat dock and when she goes to get the police, she returns to find the money missing, a body in the water and she as the main suspect.
With the help of her new friends, India - the owner of the book boat and nurturer of the group, Ash - her loner neighbour and ex. police tech expert/hacker and Paul - the owner of the local pub and ex. navy diver - Maeve needs to clear her name and find the real murderer.

I loved that there's not just one protagonist and we get to see the mystery from the viewpoints of everyone in the group. You get to see them all use their strengths and get their guesses on who is to blame. The mystery is cozy without being to unrealistic or corny, it has a modern take on the genre. Lots of great character moments to endear the reader to the cast and invest them in the series. Some great red herrings and action scenes as well. I really enjoyed this one and hope that there is a second in the series. I think it would be a great cozy for those who read classic mysteries and thrillers too.

Maeve Gardner is a ghostwriter for the Simon Hills mystery series. Having recently broken up with her cheating ex-boyfriend she’s now living on his houseboat with Captain, her dog.

Maeve has a couple Wiccan’s living on a boat on one side of her and a techy guy named Ash on the other side. The ladies are interesting and are handy with their knowledge of plants and new age products. Maeve knows what to expect with their brownies.

Ash is an ex-cop who worked in the IT area. He secretly has a crush on Maeve.

When Captain starts chewing on a tire bumper on the dock next to Maeve’s boat, she finds a stash of money. She sticks the money back into the tire and goes to report what she has found to the police. Upon her return, they find the money gone and a body floating in the water near her boat.

Maeve becomes the main suspect and it’s up to her and her friends to investigate and catch the real killer. Her other friends are Paul who owns a bar called the Anchor and India. Along with Ash, Paul and India become her investigative team.

As they investigate the victim, it’s difficult to find many enemies. Everyone seemed to like the guy.

I love British mysteries and this one doesn’t disappoint. It was a quick read because I didn’t want to put it down. It is a story about friendships, trust, and sometimes we must dig deeper to really understand people. I loved the setting of this story and look forward to more books in this series. This author has six books at this time in the Whiskey Business Mystery Series. I have linked a few of her books below.

I didn’t guess who the killer was until the characters figured it out for me.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery, especially one set in England.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advance reader copy for my honest opinion.

The scheduled release date for this book is: July 29th.

A standalone cosy crime tale, A Ghostwriter's Guide to Murder (2025) by Melinda Mullet is set in current day London. Maeve Gardener lives on a boat moored at Regent Canal and ghost writes books for a living. She discovers a cache of money hidden in a mooring tyre and notifies the police. Yet the money goes missing and the dead body of her former partner is found submerged near her boat. An interesting murder investigation ensues with Maeve as the primary suspect. Together with the help of her friends, Maeve must try to discover the actual culprit. An engaging murder mystery with a suave team of ordinary people investigating, makes for a four star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.