This is a novel originally published in Swedish and is the second book in the Berit Gardner series, which I didn't know when I initially started reading it. There are a lot of references to the first novel in this series and some crossover with the characters, but this is a mystery novel that can stand on its own.

While I thought this was a solid mystery and it used the setting to great advantage, there were more things about it I didn't like than I did. The main character, Berit Gardner, is still unknown by the end of the book. I had no real sense of her personality, her interests, or her motivations. In fact, the same problem occurred with all the other characters as well. I feel like a lot of this novel was lost in translation, which left the writing feeling strangely muted. I felt no connection to anyone, because I didn't really know who they were.

The plot was interesting enough and I was invested in figuring out the murder, but that's really the only thing I liked about this novel. I'll read the first book in the series to complete my understanding, but that's probably where I'll stop.

Berit Gardner, writer, and her agent, Sally Marsch, have been invited to a writer's retreat at Chateau des Livers in Lyon, France. This retreat was being hosted by her friend , Emma Scott the special events coordinator. The group consisted of. teachers from the publishing field, published authors and aspiring writers eager to learn from the experts. The main attraction and guest speaker was John Wright, acclaimed author. Just when the retreat was getting started, a sudden occurred and Berit felt that it was murder. The Lyon police are called in and find that Berit was involved in another death in her home town. The Commissaire didn't mind getting some help from Berit but the rookie was skeptical of any outsiders. As the investigation continued it seemed that almost everyone didn't like the victim but it was someone within this group that was the culprit.
A most enjoyable cozy mystery, the second in the series. Rivalries between guests, another pretending to be someone else while others enjoying the opportunity to see first hand how the police investigate and how they can include these into their own novels.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read they e-galley of "Just Another Dead Author".

Book Review 📚
Title: Just Another Dead Author
Author: Katarina Bivald

When Berit goes to a writers conference, it ends up taking a turn for the worst. A keynote speaker drops dead. Can Berit find out who did it? Is there time to save herself? I enjoyed Berit but I just couldn’t get into this story. I unfortunately didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped I would. I’m not sure if it was the writing or I just wasn’t in the right mood. I’m hoping to come back to this at some point and read it again.


Thank you NetGalley, Katarina and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!!

Publication Date: August 12 2025
Rating: ✨✨

#JustAnotherDeadAuthor #NetGalley

I loved this book because the banter’s sharp, the clues are clever, and the setting is pure escapist joy. Perfect for fans of bookish mysteries with a dash of sass and suspense.

Mystery author Berit Gardner has traveled from her home in Great Diddling to the French countryside. There she'll be helping her dear friend, Emma with a writers' retreat. Berit is looking forward to sunshine, good food and the company of other authors. When the keynote speaker John Wright, is murdered on the first day of the retreat, Berit finds herself not only an author but an amateur detective. Retreat attendees are competitive and and more than one has an axe to grind with Wright. Berit is spoiled for choice as to the killer might be but she doggedly pursues clues, interrogates the attending writers and tries to find a timeline to fit alibis. The French police team is not amused! But other writers are in danger and Berit hopes to solve the case quickly before another death occurs.
This is number 2 in the series and it makes for an intriguing read once the investigation gets going. Berit is an interesting character as are the two police detectives, but the others, not so much - and there are lots of them! The setting is lush and descriptions of French cuisine mouthwatering.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

The second book in this series about Berit Gardner - I really enjoyed the first one The Murders in Great Diddling

Mystery author Berit Gardner attends a literary conference in France where the keynote speaker dies mysteriously. Berit cannot help herself from investigating the case and of course putting herself in danger. The Detective from the first book arrives at the end to help save the day but Berit also has the local detective on her side.

I thought this was a well written book with some well developed characters. Can we hope that the English detective is going to be a romantic interest? Berit is a very interesting character and I would very much like to see more of her. Altogether a very good read.

Berit Gardner, a mystery writer, is attending a writer’s conference. Her plans of enjoying her time in the French countryside are interrupted when the keynote speaker drops dead. Berit decides to investigate. The French commissaire wasn’t thrilled to have a mystery writer involved, but then realizes that she could provide some valuable assistance. There were plenty of suspects with their own agendas and secrets. There’s also a challenge of Berit trying to protect a journalist which added additional urgency to finding the killer. It was full of interesting characters and it was an intriguing mystery. I really like it being set in the literary world. The pacing seemed a little uneven, and it dragged in part but overall I enjoyed it.

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

3 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This cozy mystery had an intriguing premise that immediately caught my attention a quirky setup, a nod to the world of authors and books, and the promise of a layered cast of characters. However, the pacing in the beginning was slow, which made it difficult to stay engaged at first. It took a while for the mystery to really kick in, and the large number of characters made it a bit challenging to keep track of everyone and their roles in the story.

That said, once the plot picked up, it became more enjoyable. The author did a nice job creating an atmospheric small town feel and weaving in humor and charm. The idea itself centering the mystery around the literary world was something I loved, and when the story found its rhythm, the wit and cleverness began to shine through.

While this one didn’t fully hook me from the start, fans of slow build cozy mysteries with eccentric characters and bookish settings may find it worth the read.

Presented with the opportunity to speak out of conference in France, Berit for a working vacation. Little did she know that it would turn into more work than vacation, when a colleague dies and she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

Between trying to protect the young investigative reporter, dealing with a French detective who does not want her help, and just trying to stay one step ahead of a murderer, Berit finds this vacation is more work than it is worth. Can she help solve the murder and get a chance to relax, or will this be her last chance at having a vacation ever?

All you have to do is say France and cozy mystery and I’m there! Having this one set in the French countryside was absolutely perfect timing for me as I needed a little “Get away” and this book transported me there. It was also not nice to have a female detective butting heads with the female protagonist for a change. Quite the cute and cozy read.

Book Rating: 3/5

Just Another Dead Author was an interesting read, and I’ll admit, I went in completely blind. I enjoy murder mysteries, and this one definitely had that essence. My biggest struggle was the pacing. The beginning felt slow, and I had a hard time getting pulled in. Since this is part of a series and I hadn’t read the first book, I wondered if that might be the problem, but by the end, I realized it was simply the way the plot was structured.

The characters, all gathered at a writer’s retreat, were certainly... memorable. Let’s just say there were some personalities in the mix! My favorite parts were the chapters told from the killer’s POV. There was something about the tone and rhythm there that was intriguing, and I wish there had been more of it, though I understand it might have given too much away.

What really kept me reading was Katrina Bivald’s writing style. She writes beautifully, with a sharp, dark sense of humor that I thoroughly enjoyed. While this wasn’t my absolute favorite in the genre, I can absolutely see it being right up some readers’ alleys, and I’m open to picking up more of her work based on the style alone.

A writers’ retreat in the French countryside. An adorably shabby manor house with a pool. An amazing chef. And a dead keynote speaker.

After the oddly successful murder and crime festival Berit Gardner helped her Cotswolds village put on, she is looking forward to a quiet getaway. Her dear friend and bookstore owner Emma has concocted this retreat in a French chateau. She invited authors, agents, and publishers in hopes that representatives of various states of the process can connect. To sweeten the deal, she has convinced airport paperback bestseller (and notoriously unpleasant person) John Wright to be the keynote speaker to open the conference. The gambit works, the slate is full. Now she just needs the next ten days to go smoothly.

It was like they were attached by an asymmetrical link where only one of them knew they were connected. She wondered if this was what being a stalker felt like. An intoxicating feeling of power and an all-seeing knowledge. Almost…almost like when you were writing, the few times when it flowed freely. ~Loc. 4150

When Wright dies, slumped in his chair while Berit is speaking, it naturally throws a wrench in the plans. No one is going to miss the guy, but they do need to make sure there isn’t a murderer in their midst. Berit, her trusty editorial assistant Sally, local cops, and even an appearance from Det. Ian Ahmed, try to figure out how Wright died, while still trying to keep the conference on track.

I was eager to read this after Bivald’s Murders in Great Diddling, which I found to be a refreshing take on the English cozy village classic. This outing for Berit was less compelling. It was outlandish and yet somehow less believable. I enjoyed it well enough, but I missed the sharpness that she had at home.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks for the advanced reader copy. Read via NetGalley.

A writing retreat at a Parisian chateau turns deadly when one of the guest speakers turns up dead. Author Berit Gardner cannot help but to entangle herself in the investigation and try to find the murderer. But will the other writers on the retreat be a help or a hindrance as they all seek to turn this tragedy into the thing that kick starts their career.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. I loved the setting and the descriptions of the landscape. Anything set in any kind of countryside always draws my interest. The characters were interesting and I wish we’d heard from a few of the characters a bit more often than we did. Berit was a very interesting main character but I thought some of her sections could be a bit long winded. I do think the book could have been even better had some minor things been removed to make the book a little shorter. Otherwise I really enjoyed this one!

I definitely recommend this one if you like books with small town settings, nosy writers, and competent police work!

This is turning out to be such a wonderful mystery series! Singular author Berit Gardner returns in this sequel to the remarkable The Murders in Great Diddling. In this novel, Berit — an egalitarian, she insists everyone call her by first name — and her sidekick, junior literary agent Sally Marsch, attend a literary workshop in Lyon, France, as a favor to a longtime friend of Berit’s. But the main attraction of this workshop, the arrogant, dismissive John Wright, is killed on the first day. (No spoiler: It’s in the title!) The Swedish-English Berit does what she does best: observe, deduce and discover the villain.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital e-arc.*

Just Another Dead Author brought out the smartest writers who may or may not be guilty of murdering a fellow author. And they do it with such creativity that you will never figure out who did it. 💫💫💫💫💫

Berit Gardner, a well-known author and literary agent, Sally attended a writer's conference in France. Berit is doing it to help out her friend and former writer Emma Scott. Several authors attend, and some even bring their spouses. Their headliner and most famous author, John Wright, is not happy to be there and is a horrible person in general to all attendants. He is especially angered when his former agent and publisher are also in attendance. When Berit gives her lecture, John literally dies in front of her while sitting hearing her lecture.

Too many authors, all who mostly disliked John and may be the killer. I loved the pacing, how Berit takes us on a roller coaster of suspects and how creative the killer was. There is a mystery, possible poisoning, and a mistress who everyone thought was the wife!!

Thank you, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen and the author for the arc!

DNF at 15% ... I"m so sorry, but this one just wasn't for me.

A writers’ retreat goes wrong and a famous writer is found dead. Investigators come in and scope out the scene and the writers. But who knew working with writers could be so difficult, especially in a murder case.

Amateur detective/professional author Berit Gardner always seems to find herself in the middle of trouble. She’s supposed to be teaching at a writer's retreat in the French countryside, but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. The victim had more enemies than friends, and everyone in attendance is a suspect.

This book reminded me of a classic detective novel. It was a fun read and kept me guessing. When I thought I had it figured out, it turned out I was wrong! I loved the behind the scenes of the publishing industry. The author writes the book in different POVs, in the third person, which is my favorite. While I enjoy books written in the first person, with the third I like to imagine the story as an observer.

I also loved the tone of this book. Katatina Bivald drew me in with Sally trying to speak French right in the first chapter. I felt a kinship since I’m trying to learn French, and my accent is terrible! But good for her for trying. Berit is an interesting character. She wants to help the students at the retreat and is committed to the best interests of everyone. She has a sense of justice that is admirable.

The author has an engaging style, but the police share way too much with Berit, as is often the case with this type of book. Berit is a regular person, but she has a way of getting to know the cast of characters and learning their motivations.

It’s interesting how Berit describes the process of writing and shares how some authors think when bringing their creations to life. I’ve never read any of the author's other books, but I wonder if Berit’s feelings about writing are mirrored in the author. There was a large cast of characters in this book, but all were compelling and had their own story. I’d definitely check out more of this author’s books in the future.

What a fun little cozy mystery this one was! 🙌

This whodunnit kept me guessing and had some twists as well! I do like the Berit Gardner character so now I need to go pick up The Murders in Great Diddling to read more of her! Definitely recommend this one to cozy mystery lovers! 👏

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️ Looking forward to reading more from Katarina Bivald in the future!

I had a fun time with this one. The setting and atmosphere sucked me into the story. I really enjoyed each character. They all felt so well fleshed out. I will say it felt a but long. I wanted to get to the outcome faster. I got a bit bored towards the end but overall I still highly recommend this book if you love who done its.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion,

In this follow-up to The Murders in Great Diddling, Swedish mystery author Berit Gardner, who lives in England, is now in a country chateau near Lyon, France, teaching at a week-long writers’ workshop being sponsored by her favorite bookshop owner, Emma.

It’s a stressful time for Emma, because of how precarious the economics are for bookshop owners these days, but also because of her keynote speaker, the famous novelist John Wright. Nabbing him made it easy to sign up attendees, but Wright is a nightmare, conceited and demanding and, worst of all, he tells the would be attendees that they should just give up because the odds of becoming successful writers are overwhelmingly against them. Infuriating! Later, when it’s Berit’s turn to speak, Wright comes in late and sits right down front, looking increasingly bored by her talk until he actually falls asleep. But Berit realizes he’s not asleep, he’s dead.

As in the prior book, this one has Berit, with her keen eye and understanding of people, working to solve the murder despite the opposition of the local police detectives. But unlike so many mysteries, in which the amateur detective and the professionals are at loggerheads at all times, Berit earns the grudging respect of the locals and even a little bit of cooperation. It is Berit’s doggedness and knowledge of the workshop’s attendees that gives her the edge, though.

The cast of characters is large, but Bivald makes them easy to distinguish from each other. Her police detective locals are full characters as well, and ones I wish would have their own series. The story is well paced, has humorous moments, and is engaging—even if I did figure out the whodunnit fairly early.

Bivald is a Swedish writer and this series is translated into English. I see that there are four Berit Gardner books in Swedish. I look forward to reading the English translations of the next two.

4.5 stars, rounded up