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 !!!

A Dramatic Turn..
French writers retreat takes a darkly dramatic turn when a speaker drops dead and mystery writer Berit Gardner turns amateur sleuth. With a host of seemingly unlikely suspects, Berit has her work cut out - not to mention being a thorn in the side for the French authorities. With a deliciously colourful and eclectic cast of characters, a frothy and pacy plot and a satisfying backdrop, this is an enjoyable and entertaining romp.

Real life drama has a way of following around the mystery writer Berit Gardner. Now in France, participating in a writing retreat at the request of an old friend, Berit once again finds herself at the centre of a crisis, beginning with the discovery of the body of a hugely successful and very unpleasant fellow writer, who was one of the big draws at the retreat.

The problem is, there are so many suspects! And the French investigator incharge of the case is also not too thrilled to notice Berit's gift for inserting herself - intentionally or otherwise - into the thick of things...

I very much enjoyed meeting Berit in book, and it has been a joy to visit with her again in this second eventful, clever and darkly humorous adventure. Bring on the next book please!

This book was interesting with an enticing setting, but it dragged on for too long. It was overall not too bad to read as a stand-alone. While the ending was predictable by partway through, I liked the chaotic and temperamental cast of eccentric characters.

This is the sequel to last year’s The Murders in Great Diddling, which I had not read prior to picking this up. A murder takes place at a prestigious writing retreat in France, and almost all of the suspects are writers themselves. Berit Gardner is the protagonist. She’s a Swedish author of mysteries, and she aids the police in their investigation, before eventually ending up right in the killer’s crosshairs! I found this to be very exciting and suspenseful. Though it did begin to drag after the halfway point, I remained invested, and finished this in less than three days - which is mightily quick for me. Three and a half stars, rounding up to four!

hell yeah brother this is how you do a modern detective

All great fictional detectives have an aspect of the mystery they gravitate towards - the physical evidence (Sherlock, Dupin, Poirot) being the most common, but others such as new-to-the-scene Berit Gardner focus on the all too human foibles involved. This mystery was subtle, and had enough foreshadowing for me to say "aha I thought something was strange about [spoilers]!" after the reveal, but without the twist being obvious on my first read. Berit herself was also just interesting as a person and a writer. Calm, cool, collected, and methodical without coming off as cold or uncaring. This is a minor tangent, but so many stories have a throwaway sidekick that you never feel confident the detective truly cares for. Not so with Gardner, thank goodness, because why should I care about a detective that wouldn't care about me? I hope this series is continued because I love it.

A murder happens at a writers’ retreat/conference in the French countryside. This book sounded right up my alley and I was excited to read it, but unfortunately the book didn’t come together for me in a way I enjoyed. I think that to plant a variety of red herrings the author created a number of side stories that made the narrative feel disjointed to me rather than a cohesive build toward the murderer’s unveiling. Berit Gardner as an amateur sleuth was just okay for me. I preferred the interplay between the two investigating French detectives and would enjoy more books with Roche and the Mayor. My favorite character was the cook from the chateau. Though she had a secondary role, I thought stole the scenes where she played a part.

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

What a great second title in the series. A mystery that brings along the main character from A Murder in Great Didding and is a my assisted by two other characters from the first title. Set in Crance with wonderful descriptions of Lyon, with a snarky commentary on today’s publishing industry, and the murder of a well known but not beloved, well by many, author. The cast of characters provides you with seemingly endless choices of the killer(s). So many red herrings. Well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable.

I just couldn’t get into this one. I had to dnf at 30%.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a charming and clever mystery that blends cozy small-town vibes with a sharp wit and a cast of endearingly eccentric characters. The main character is both relatable and refreshingly flawed, making her easy to root for. And the bookish references throughout were a treat for any bibliophile.

If you love character-driven mysteries with a dash of humor and a whole lot of heart, Just Another Dead Author is definitely worth your time. It’s like curling up with a good cup of tea and some literary mischief.

this book was decent! I think there should be a bit more editing to make things more clear, but otherwise the story was good!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Berit Gardner, Swedish mystery writer living in England, has been invited to be a speaker at a writers' conference being held in pastoral France. She has already been instrumental in solving a murder in Cornwall, and now a preeminent but egotistical fellow contributor dies quietly during Berit's lecture. Imaginative writers, language confusions, secrets, and lies make for a fun adventure of solving the murder.
translated from Swedish
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital galley from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you! Pub Date Aug 12, 2025
#JustAnotherDeadAuthor by @katarinabivald #BeritGardnerBk1 @poisonedpenpress #NetGalley
#writers #cosycrime #cozymystery #crimefiction #suspense @goodreads #*****bookreview @bookbub #thestorygraph @booksamillion #Sourcebooks #writerconference #unsufferablevictim
#policepersonalities #france #secrets #amateursleuth

A writing retreat followed by a murder !! What else do you need. I enjoy stories like this and lately I’ve seen a lot of these but this was super original. I didn’t find it redundant or what I’ve seen in other stories with the same topic. I loved the ending.

I really didn’t see this ending coming—and for someone who reads so many murder mystery stories, that’s saying something! As a writer who has considered attending idyllic french writing retreats myself a time or two, it was so easy for me to picture the setting exactly as described and to imagine all these writer characters in play. Well done!

I got right into this book from the very first page and couldn't put it down. A fun cosy mystery that I read in one sitting. I can't wait to read more by the author

When Berit Gardner, a mystery writer who settled in the village of Great Diddling in England gets invited to a writer's retreat in a Chateau in the French countryside, she thinks it will be a peaceful 12 days with breathtaking views. The views are beautiful but it is far from peaceful.
The characters include the retreat attendees, a handful of other authors, a few agents, and the bookstore owner who planned the event.
Everything goes well until a popular author dies while attending Berit’s workshop. She can't help but get involved. She already has a reputation for solving a murder the previous year in her small town of Great Diddling. A few familiar characters return with Berit in this next installment, but we are also introduced to new characters in this book.
Berit is a stellar detective, but it does become a problem for the local police who try to protect her and the other attendees. This series that was translated from Swedish is a fun read. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a cozy mystery about books and authors.
This is the second in this series and this book was as enjoyable as the first. It translated well and I enjoyed the writing style and complexity of this charming cozy. I love books that introduce me to different countries and this did not disappoint.
This book will be released August 12, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Publishing for giving me an advanced readers copy for my honest review. This book will be released around August 12th.

I loved this sequel to one of my favorite new mysteries, The Murders in Great Diddling. I think one could read this as a stand-alone novel without missing much, although the first book is well worth reading. This one takes place at a writers' retreat. As before, the author did a wonderful job bringing the cast of both recurring and new characters to life. Not only is the book a clever murder mystery, but it also gives a great behind-the-scenes view of writers and the book publishing industry. Once again, our protagonist, Berit, collaborates with the local police, and readers are able to observe the dynamics in the police department. Unlike many other crime novels, the police are shown to be intelligent, and the main investigator appreciates Berit's insights. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book. I look forward to the next installment of this wonderful series. Highly recommended!

This was a fun little mystery, and I enjoyed my time with it. The writing is solid, the characters are relatively well-drawn, and the plot kept me engaged enough to keep reading. The middle part was maybe a bit too long. 3.5 stars.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Enjoyable, but very long, mystery set at a writers’ retreat. The book starts off strong, but starts to bog down and become repetitive at about the 50% mark. Murder motivation isn’t very strong and the epilogue kind of sappy. The protagonist becomes less sympathetic as the book goes on