I liked it, I thought it was kinda cool how it all unravels in a writers retreat. But I also found it a bit slow, a bit too long and sometimes a bit boring. But the beginning and end were really where my attention was. The audiobook was great, I’m glad that I had the audiobook to follow with the e-book because otherwise it would’ve taken me longer to get through it.

Berit Gardner is back [!]; look out world!! Well, not the world perhaps, but France for sure! ;-)

I loved the first book in this series and while nervous about this one [book 2], I was also hopeful for another excellent mystery/great book.

Readers, Ms. Bivald absolutely DID NOT disappoint, and this was another great installment in this fantastic series.

Berit is in France, on a writers retreat and naturally, someone dies. The local French police step in [along with a character I was SURE, for most of the book, was the killer. I was very, very, wrong. LOL], and along with Berit, work to solve the puzzling death. The someone else dies and it becomes even more personal for Berit and it is a roller coaster ride until the very end [that I N E V E R saw coming].

Brilliantly written and plotted out, this was just such a good read for me; I was so glad to finally have a good mystery [I have had a run of bad luck lately] and I can only hope Ms. Bivald keeps writing these; I will be here, waiting to read them!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katarina Bivald, and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When an old friend asks Berit Gardner to be a speaker at her writers’ retreat, she agrees, planning to spend the days enjoying the sunshine in the French countryside. Her plans are turned upside down when the keynote speaker - an accomplished writer, known for his cutting remarks and commentary - dies, literally in front of her. There’s lots of suspects as the victim had lots of enemies, including many of the attendees, who had reason to hate him. About the only person who doesn’t have a strong reason to kill him is a young journalist; unfortunately, she’s in a one side competition with Berit to solve the crime, randomly accusing fellow conference attendees of all sorts of heinous acts, hoping that one of her wild accusations sticks, leaving Berit worried that she might become a victim too.
Some books take a while to grow on me, while others I’m hooked after a few pages. The character of Berit had me hooked after a couple of pages in the pervious book featuring Berit, The Murders in Great Diddling, which I throughly enjoyed - there’s something I love about the character of Berit and how she see’s the world that I enjoy. This book had lots of nice twists and turns.
It’s rare for me to fall in love with a character after a page, but Berit Gardner is one of them. There’s something I find appealing about her, how she views the world, what she values in the world. For example, in this book, the victim gives a speech about how hard it is to be writer and to give up. Berit follows with almost the same opening, but turns her message to one being caring - yes, it’s hard and you probably won’t make any money, but if it’s something you want to pursue, you should. I also found the plot of this book to be enjoyable: some nice twists and turns, plus lots of tension surrounding the journalist.
Highly recommended along with the previous book in the series, The Murders in Great Diddling. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

A group of authors, publishers and potential authors attend a writer’s retreat in France. While there, John Wright, the most famous author attending, is murdered. Berit is also an author, who involved herself on solving a murder in her small town, and she is determined to catch the killer. Roche is the police officer who fails to keep Berit away from the case. There are many characters, which complicate the case, but make it interesting for the reader. Recommended for cozy mystery lovers. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This follow-up was just as enjoyable as the first book. With a smaller cast of characters, it felt easier to follow, though it started off a bit slowly as the scene was being set. Once it picked up, the reveals landed really well, and I loved that some characters from the first book made appearances here too. A solid continuation that keeps the charm and intrigue of the series alive. I will definitely be continuing with the series

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC

A writers' retreat in beautiful France, near Lyon, in a charmingly dilapidated chateau should be fun. Unfortunately, writers are not always fun people and so someone does have to die. Thankfully, Berit Gardner is on the scene to provide writing tips and to try and solve a crime. I had a fun time with Just Another Dead Author and even got some writing inspiration out of it! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Writers are amongst the weirdest people in the world. Whether it is an extensive knowledge of poisons available in the nineteenth century or a complete obsession with replicating historical details of the specific year 1652, writers have their special interests and get stuck in them. So, naturally, with this attention to detail and obsessional nature, writers make for an excellent cast in a detective novel. They also make for excellent detectives themselves, or at least, in fiction they do. I enjoy novels that take the publishing industry and the writing process itself as the backdrop for the plot, especially when the plot is thrillery. Most recently, I had excellent fun with The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (trans. by Ho-Ling Wong) and How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold, who both use this to great effect. In Just Another Dead Author we have the same fun, except that it is a little more grounded than either of the above, being neither as claustrophobic as the first, nor as gory as the second. However, the dynamics largely align, the figure of The Great Author ™, the ingenue, the flashy agent, the strict editor, and adding the wise older female author. I really enjoy dabbling in this sub-genre of mystery/suspense/detective novels and like seeing how it is slightly adjusted by each author. I had read a previous book by Katarina Bivald, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, translated by Alice Menzies, which I really enjoyed. I also interviewed her as part of the blog tour.

Berit Gardner is taking part in a writers' retreat, organised by her friend Emma, which is taking place in the beautiful French coutryside. It is crucial that this retreat is a success for Emma and all seems (mostly) well, aside from some tension between the star guest, John Wright, and some other guests. Unfortunately, this tension quickly boils over and John ends up dead. Berit has some experience solving crimes, aided by her writerly attention to detail and character, so she can't help but get involved. Unfortunately, all the other guests are also very keyed in to this chance to see a crime investigation up close. Commissaire Roche has seen plenty of crimes, but being surrounded by authors who can't decide between being scared they're next and being excited about all the inspiration is something new to her. A somewhat uncertain alliance forms between Berit and Roche as confusing clues and various motives are uncovered. I really like Berit as a main character, but that is because I have a fondness for mature women solving crimes. She is a very observant person, but she also isn't someone who wouldn't put her own morals and beliefs before solving a crime, and that creates a nice kind of tension. I also really liked Sally, her editor, who is a nice side-character, as well as Commissaire Roche, who is a nice twist on the usual dark and grim detective-trope.

I had no idea Just Another Dead Author was a second in a series, mainly because I didn't look up the book on Goodreads or StoryGraph before requesting. But this didn't prove to be an issue because important elements of the previous story get recapped or addressed so that I never felt like I was missing out on anything major. The novel is told through an omniscient third-person narrator, who mostly focuses on Berit but also jumps into the minds of the other characters where relevant or interesting. This is interspersed with small chapters from the killer, which serve to make everyone seem suspicious but also to ratchet up some of the tension. There's weren't necessarily my favourite bits, because they seemed a bit cliche at times (i.e., isn't it freeing to kill someone), but they did add to the overall experience. The writing style is, in many ways, very straightforward and doesn't focus on the more sensationalist angles of crime and suspense novels. It very much read like a Cozy Thriller to me, in that sense, and I had a fun time with it, even if maybe I could have used a little more tension and darkness. One very frustrating thing is that I couldn't find any information on the translator either in the book itself or online. It was initially published in Swedish as Döden på Château des Livres. There is a Q&A with Bivald at the end in which the translation process is addressed, so I think it's super odd the translator isn't credited in the general copyright info at the beginning? It could be that I have utterly misunderstood the Q&A, but I ended up emailing the publisher and I'll update if they get back to me. The cover design by Sandra Chiu is delightful though!

Just Another Dead Author is a fun time in the French sun. While technically the stakes are deadly, it is definitely a cozier book with a lot of fun asides about authors being weirdos.

Mystery readers who enjoy books about books should be sure to pick up Just Another Dead Author, book two in the Berit Gardner series by Katarina Bivald. While this is the second in the series, the book can be read as a standalone. Although of course, I’ve now added book one (The Murders in Great Diddling) to my overflowing to-be-read list.

As a favor to a friend, mystery author Berit Gardner is attending a writer’s conference in the French countryside. This certainly isn’t a difficult favor to complete, as the setting is beautiful, and Berit is looking forward to time to write, as well as time to mentor newer writers.

As with any good mystery, though, things do not stay calm and peaceful. The keynote speaker drops dead at the end of Berit’s lecture, and the suspect list is long as the victim was tremendously unlikable. Of course, Berit begins her own investigation, despite the French commissaire discouraging her.

What a fun mystery, full of twists and secrets and grudges. It took me a minute to settle in and organize the characters in my mind (there are a lot and all so colorful and dynamic). Once I was in, though, I was immersed in not only the beautiful setting, but also the whodunit. With almost every page turn, there were secrets and deep-seated jealousy revealed. I had a guess as to the murderer, but that did not spoil any of my reading fun.

In addition to an arm-chair travel worthy setting, an eclectic cast of characters and a thoughtful sleuth, the book also has a list of book club questions included at the end, making this not only a fun personal read, but one readers can share with their reading friends. I do hope we get more Berit adventures in the future!

I enjoyed the book overall, but found the pacing inconsistent. Certain sections felt slow, while others moved too quickly. The writing style reminded me of a Miss Marple novel, and I felt I anticipated the ending somewhat. To improve the book, I would suggest increasing the overall pace and perhaps making the ending a bit less predictable. While not a bad read, it lacked a certain "je ne sais quoi" for me, especially after reading the first book in the series.

Included in August Chill Quill at BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/2025/08/12/the-chill-quill-august-brings-the-heat-and-the-horror/

I quite liked this book, but it felt quite a bit slow in some spots, and a bit fast in others. In addition to that I often felt like I was writing a Miss Marple, and I kind of would have liked to not anticipate the ending as much and for it also to pick up a bit more pace. Not a bad book overall, I read the 1st one in the meantime as well, just it was missing some jujj for me.

I loved the premise of this book, especially the locked room writers retreat. Unfortunately I really struggled with the beginning slow pace and lost interest in continuing

I really enjoyed this book. The author’s writing really had me captivated. I would enjoy ready more by her. This book had me at the edge of my seat. I didn’t want this story to end.

JUST ANOTHER DEAD AUTHOR by Katarina Bivald (The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend) follows Swedish writer Berit Gardner after her initial adventures in The Murders in Great Diddling. She is now in France as a guest speaker at a writers' conference. Once again, Berit utilizes her powers of observation and analysis to unconventionally aid the local police in solving a murder. The dead author is John Wright, a distinctly unpleasant character who has managed to offend or alienate most people, resulting in plenty of suspects amongst the speakers and guests at the conference. To further complicate the investigation, they are all writers ("basically in training to become liars") and therefore prone to flights of imagination: "... used to bending the truth to suit their needs and wishes. An intoxicating habit of playing God, of being able to control reality, change it, stretch it according to their own ideas and wishes." Secrets and surprises are rampant in this entertaining tale in which Bivald deftly employs humor and Berit's refreshing perspective on the writing life: "When writing is at its best, it lets us imagine things and play like a child ... see the world with the wide eyed fascination of a child, talk to imaginary friends inside our head, travel all over the world without leaving our chair, befriend dragons, find love, save the world." A Reading Group Guide and notes from a Conversation with the Author are included.

4.5 stars overall

When mystery author Berit Gardner heads to a writers’ conference in the dreamy French countryside, the last thing she expects is a dead keynote speaker collapsing at her lecture. Suddenly, she’s knee-deep in rivalries, grudges, and a killer who may be hiding in plain sight.
This reminded me of a novel version of Clue.. It was a twisty, keep you guessing, Who Dunit Mysteries. At times I felt it was a bit slow but overall it was pretty good! It did feel like a lot of characters to keep track of too. I loved the cozy French Countryside setting, the quirky world of writers and publishers, and of course the sleuth in Berit. I definitely guessed who did it but I didn’t get the why correct, so that was a fun twist but I will say I kept doubting myself if I would get it correct.
I would recommend this if you are looking for a cozy, fun and French setting mystery.

Books & Author run amok, loved it This was an awesome book that I would read over and over again !! Twists, turns surprises ! The cleverness of the main character was so realistic. And after I read the bio at the end of the book by Katarina Bivald I realized how closely the book mirrored her own cleverness, weariness and unrelenting friendships that she made along the way. Both Berit Gardner and Katarina. They were both intriguing people portrayed in the story !!! Even the people wanting to do Berit who thought she was too old for this, admired her !! There were times that Berit agreed with that too old a broad to be still doing this. I enjoyed the humor in this who dun it and the ending was great !! Did I have a suspect in mind as I read?? Yes. Did it eventually turn out to be true? Yes. But I enjoyed the whole trip.
5 STARS from me !!! And I plan on coming back to share the link to my Amazon review as soon as they send it to me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a early copy of this book.

I honestly couldn't get into this book. I've tried multiple times. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I just felt bored. 😞 I did eventually decide to DNF.

3.75 stars.

I had a good time reading this mystery. I thought that it was entertaining and kept me guessing. I really liked the couple of chapters we get from the point of view of the murderer, that was quite entertaining. Especially since majority of these characters are of a literary/author type of background (it is a writing retreat, after all), I thought that added to the intrigue of seeing those chapters throughout the clues you get during the main story line.

I have to admit, I did not guess who it was, but I quite liked how it turned out!

Book received via NetGallery ARC and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press. Much thanks for the opportunity to pick this up!

Just Another Dead Author by Katarina Bivald has Berit Gardner and her literary agent involved in a murder in France. The story alternates point-of-view between the various characters at the writer’s conference. There are a number of characters, so it is difficult to keep track of them. It also made it impossible to get caught up in the story. The pacing is glacial (the penguins waved at me as they zipped by). The characters are not a likeable bunch (I would have left that writer’s conference after the first day). Berit is a mediocre sleuth. There are a variety of red herrings that did nothing to help the story. I believe the story is supposed to be amusing, but I did not laugh once. I finished the book, and my first thought was that I wanted those four hours back. I’m sorry, but Just Another Dead Just Another Dead Author by Katarina Bivald has Berit Gardner and her literary agent involved in a murder in France. The story alternates point-of-view between the various characters at the writer’s conference. There are a number of characters, so it is difficult to keep track of them. It also made it impossible to get caught up in the story. The pacing is glacial (the penguins waved at me as they zipped by). The characters are not a likeable bunch (I would have left that writer’s conference after the first day). Berit is a mediocre sleuth. There are a variety of red herrings that did nothing to help the story. I believe the story is supposed to be amusing, but I did not laugh once. I finished the book, and my first thought was that I wanted those four hours back. I’m sorry, but Just Another Dead Author did not float my boat. Author did not float my boat.

3.5 stars. I think Berit Gardner is such an interesting detective because she doesn’t see herself as one - she’s just a writer who likes puzzles. It makes her so much more relatable.

This book had the same issue as the last one - it was too long and there were too many characters. Lots of side conversations, most of which were either repetitive or unnecessary to the overall plot. It bogged down the pace, which is an issue with mysteries!

Overall it was entertaining but not sure I’ll continue with more of Berit’s cases.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katarina Bivald, and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just Another Dead Author is a cozy mystery featuring, you guessed it —- authors. It gives us an insight on how budding writers try to get their works recognized thru agents and publishers. I like the setting of French chateau with idyllic vineyards. I think it makes for a good murder mystery. As usual, I didn’t realize that this is book 2 of Berit Gardner series (book 1 being The Murders in Great Diddling). You can read it as a standalone. Berit reminds me of Miss Marple — she’s intuitive, empathetic and very curious about human nature. However, unlike Miss Marple, she constantly throws herself into the investigation even if it means she would get killed in the process! Her fascination into human psychology is what makes her a great writer, but her recklessness makes you want to scream at her lol! Despite these, you can’t help but admire her while she tests out her hypothesis and deduces whodunnit. Katarina Bivald truly created a unique and memorable amateur sleuth in Berit. I’m drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I love her thought process and understanding of human psyche. I think this is what mostly made me adore the book. Thank you @poisonedpenpress for my e-copy. I now have a new favorite MC. Definitely need to read book 1 asap!