This book gave me Murder She Wrote meets Emily in Paris energy…..if Emily had a typewriter, murder suspects, and the patience of a seasoned cozy mystery sleuth. Berit Gardner is the kind of nosy, clever heroine I’d follow anywhere, especially into a murder investigation wrapped in writerly egos and simmering secrets.

The French countryside setting? Chef’s kiss. The mystery? Twisty enough to keep me side-eyeing everyone. And the cast? A delightful chaos of writers, agents, and one very exasperated commissaire. Bonus points for the snarky journalist frenemy situation, I’d read a whole spin-off about her.

It’s a fun, clever whodunnit with a literary flair and just the right amount of sass and suspense. Would recommend for fans of closed-circle mysteries, bookish drama, and fictional authors who accidentally become crime-solvers on vacation.

A writer’s retreat in France seems like the perfect opportunity for unpublished authors to get advice and just write. Berit Gardner is one of the authors who will be teaching seminars, and everyone is excited. Everyone except John Wright. He is a well-known author, but not a nice person. His sudden death casts a pall over the seminar… Sort of. I mean really how often does a group of amateur authors get the opportunity to see the police in action. If John was murdered, except for the fact that he is dead, what an amazing chance for this group.
There were quite a few characters, and I am glad I take notes so I could keep them all straight. Berit is no stranger to figuring out whodunnit, but this case provides many motives, but very few clues. When someone else dies, Berit is determined to figure out who is the cold-blooded killer.
This was a slow burn, and I thought it lost a little bit of momentum in the middle, trying to unravel which person had a motive and opportunity. It is a cozy mystery with a lot of heart. Oh, and my final guess was correct!

Thanks to Katarina Bivald, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At a writer’s retreat in France a very famous and popular author is murdered. Mystery author Berit Gardner, who is attending the conference as a teacher, seeks to find the killer to help protect her friend, the organizer of the retreat.

This mystery is well written with engaging characters and dialog. The mystery itself is well managed and fair – the information is all there for us amateur sleuths to identify the killer. A fun and interesting read. Recommended.

Just Another Dead Author is the second book in Katarina Bivald’s charming cozy mystery series, and it whisks readers away to a writers’ retreat in the idyllic French countryside. Our clever protagonist, Berit Gardner, is attending the retreat as a favor to a friend. When keynote speaker dies under suspicious circumstances, Berit begins asking some questions. But she isn't the only one asking questions. A young journalist is conducting her own investigation but this seems to stirs up even more tension as she hunts for the truth.

Admittedly, the story starts off on the slower side, with a sizable cast of characters to introduce. All with connections to the victim and to each other, it took me a bit to keep everyone straight. However, by the end I felt confident in who was who. The mystery itself is satisfyingly twisty, woven with a quiet suspense that kept me guessing.

Berit’s voice and steady approach to solving mysteries make her a compelling series lead, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where she heads next.


Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

"The pen is mightier than the sword - but both are deadly in the wrong hands.

When mystery author Berit Gardner agrees to attend a writer's conference in the idyllic French countryside, she dreams of basking in the sun and nurturing budding talent. But her vacation takes a dark turn when the keynote speaker - a notorious literary titan known for his biting critiques - drops dead at the end of her lecture. As whispers of foul play swirl, Berit quickly realizes she's stepped into a tangled web of jealousy, betrayal, and long-held grudges.

Enter the French commissaire, who is less than thrilled to have a curious author meddling in her investigation. But as the suspects pile up - each with their own motive for wanting the egotistical writer dead - she reluctantly recognizes Berit's sharp instincts could crack the case wide open. With a colorful cast of authors, agents, and aspiring writers all hiding secrets, the stakes rise higher with every clue uncovered.

To make matters worse, a tenacious young journalist vows to outsmart Berit and solve the mystery first, placing herself in the killer's sights. Now, Berit must navigate a maze of deceit and danger while trying to keep the ambitious reporter safe. With time running out and the killer lurking in the shadows, can Berit unravel the truth before her own story ends in tragedy?"

I always love mystery authors trying to catch killers.

Thank you so much for the ARC! The book took a while to pull me in, but once it did, I found myself enjoying the storyline and especially the atmospheric setting. The descriptions were vivid and I felt very immersed in the book.

That said, I struggled with the characters—none felt particularly likeable, and even main figures like Berit and Roche grated on me. The writing style also didn’t quite work for me… it often felt more like a lecture than storytelling, with comments on writing and writers that came off as forced attempts to be profound rather than genuine insight. Add to that a predictable plot, and the overall experience left me mixed. Interesting in parts, but not one I’d rush to recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read Katarina Bivald's new book Just Another Dead Author set at a French writer's retreat. Loved it!!!

Book review: Katarina Bivald’s Just Another Dead Author.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

This book was an absolute delight to sink into—layered, witty, and sharper than it first lets on. Katarina Bivald delivers a clever, bookish murder mystery set in the lush French countryside, where egos are outsized, secrets are well kept, and even the writers have murder on the brain. We’re reunited with Swedish mystery author Berit Gardner, first introduced in The Murders in Great Diddling, and while this sequel stands perfectly well on its own, having a bit of context makes her character even more enjoyable.

Berit arrives in Lyon expecting twelve peaceful days of mentoring aspiring writers and basking in the charm of a literary retreat. Instead, she finds herself giving a lecture at the exact moment a famously arrogant author, John Wright, drops dead in the front row. The retreat carries on, as these things always do in fiction, but the air shifts. Someone there is a killer—and Berit can’t help but investigate, despite the not-so-gentle warnings from Commissaire Roche, who’s less than thrilled to have a nosy novelist on her heels.

The first half of the book leans heavily into atmosphere and setup. It’s a slow burn that spends time introducing us to a large ensemble cast: other authors, agents, publishers, bookstore owners, and one very persistent young journalist. This could have bogged down the story, but Bivald’s sly humor and keen eye for character detail kept me engaged. Still, I won’t lie—it’s a lot to track. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, high-stakes thriller, this might feel too leisurely. But if you love a mystery that rewards close reading and subtle clues, this one delivers.

The plot structure includes brief but effective interludes from the killer’s perspective. These are never cheesy or over-the-top—they’re restrained, a bit clinical, and carefully worded to tease without spoiling. It added a creeping tension that picked up speed in the second half, especially as Berit begins to close in. I also appreciated how realistic the investigation felt—there were no outlandish plot twists, just human motives: jealousy, professional insecurity, wounded pride.

What Bivald does brilliantly is play with the literary world itself. This isn’t just a murder mystery set at a writers’ retreat—it’s also a story about writers and how they observe, embellish, and sometimes hide behind their stories. There’s a gently satirical edge here, but it’s never mean-spirited. One of the strongest themes is the role of observation—how writers see everything and say very little until they’re ready. As Berit puts it: “Being a writer means listening to people even when they’re not talking.” That line is the heartbeat of this story.

Berit herself is an outstanding protagonist—mature, steady, wry, and deeply observant. She doesn’t play the role of brilliant detective as much as someone who pays attention when others don’t. Her relationship with Commissaire Roche evolves nicely over the course of the book, from irritation to mutual respect. It’s refreshing to see two women—one a cop, one a civilian—collaborate not because the plot demands it, but because they both want justice.

The side characters are a lively and sometimes ridiculous bunch. There’s Mildred, the aging British writer who may or may not actually write anything. There’s the insecure romance novelist clinging to relevance. And then there’s the aggressive young journalist determined to scoop the mystery before Berit can solve it. Each character feels distinct and plausible in their flaws. Some are more memorable than others, but together, they make up the perfectly dysfunctional mix of personalities you’d expect at a retreat where success and failure sit uncomfortably close together.

I do wish the middle had been trimmed slightly—it gets a bit talky and repetitive as we bounce between interviews, alibis, and speculative theories. But the final third makes up for it. The unraveling of the mystery is smart, logical, and satisfying. The ending doesn’t rely on shock—it earns its resolution through slow, thoughtful buildup. The clues were there all along; I just didn’t see them clearly until Berit did.

Overall, Just Another Dead Author is a cozy, literate, and deeply enjoyable mystery that knows exactly what it is. It’s funny without being silly, clever without being smug, and thoughtful without dragging. If you’ve ever wanted to attend a writer’s retreat with a murder thrown in, this is the book for you. If you’ve ever dreamed of writing your own mystery novel, it might even make you pick up the pen.

This book started off pretty slow for me, and it took a while to get into the rhythm of the story. Things definitely picked up around the middle, and the pacing improved as the mystery deepened. There were quite a few characters to keep up with, which made it a bit hard to stay fully engaged early on. That said, the overall whodunit aspect was solid and kept me guessing. If you like a classic mystery with a bookish twist and don’t mind a slower start, this one is worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Berit is attending a writer’s retreat with a motley crew of characters, when the greatly admired and widely disliked main attraction, John Wright, has the audacity to die in the front row during her presentation. And he was poisoned. In true writer fashion, the participants of the retreat have no interest in going home and eagerly use the murder investigation as inspiration for their work. Berit and the French police have just a few days to figure out whodunnit, before the retreat ends. Is it the old publisher or agent? Is it the romance writer, desperate to save her career? Or is it Mildred, the 80-something British woman, who doesn’t seem to write at all? The changes in POV with the unnamed murderer were fun, the characters quirky and unpredictable, and the story well-developed. A very enjoyable romp through the French countryside and Lyon!

Mystery author Berit Gardner attends a writer’s retreat in the French countryside. But when one of the keynote speakers is found dead she realizes that she is in the middle of it all and decides to investigate.

Katarina Bivald's new book Just Another Dead Author is a cozy mystery set at a French writer's retreat. When one of the most notable attendees winds up dead, the investigation begins.

Because this is a hungry set of mostly crime fiction/mystery/thriller writers, no one is scared off by a real life crime. Everyone wants to know whodunnit and how, and learn as much as they can about the investigation process as the retreat plows ahead. There are a lot of suspects, and motives aplenty - did one of them take their crime research a little too far?

Like all cozy mysteries I've read, this novel is prescriptive. You pick it up and know exactly what you're getting. If you're a mood reader, there is so much value in that.

The tone is somewhat detached and the investigation itself is quite clinical. This one had a few snippet chapters in the point of view of the killer which kept things interesting, but I never felt myself in edge-of-my-seat territory.

I believe this is the second book in this series by Katarina Bivald, so if you like this, you should check out The Murders in Great Diddling as well.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, the title hooked me. “Just Another Dead Author” evokes the feeling that authors are irrelevant and murdered authors are common. The story was originally written in Swedish with the main character being a Swedish author named Berit Gardner. Berit, as most amateur sleuths and many writers, has a tendency to be very observant. Berit is attending a writer’s retreat in France as a teacher and a friend of the organizer.

The retreat continues as planned when an unlikeable but successful author is killed. The police and Berit want to solve it.

As you can imagine, there is an interesting cast of characters at the retreat. The location is beautifully described including their field trips.

The author makes the culpability of many of the attendees viable options. It is well written and has mini cliff hangars to entice you to keep reading.

I loved the book club questions included at the end.

I would recommend this book to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced readers copy.

This seems like a very fun cozy mystery book. Unfortunately there was a very personal/specific piece of content in this book that prevents me from reading it. One of the main characters stares a name with someone from my past so due to that I need to set this book down for now but I want to read this authors other books! I love the cover so much.



Thank you for the eARC! I appreciate the opportunity to sample it and leave honest feedback voluntarily.

The first half of the book was quite slow. However, I pushed through and the second half gave it some redemption. I did find the large number of characters to be a lot to keep track of and didn’t find any of them to be extremely likable. I will say the biggest bonus for me is that I didn’t guess who did it.

Overall the book was okay. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I read the first one?

In Just Another Dead Author, Berit Gardner and her literary agent find themselves once again entangled in another murder mystery. This one taking place at a writing retreat in France.

The first half of this book was, I'll admit, agonizing and slow. It was very difficult to keep pushing myself to continue reading, which was disappointing because I truly really enjoyed the first book in the series *The Murders in Great Diddling *. The book does pick up speed in the second half but you do have a very large cast of characters to keep track of and they're all writer's, which is a bit difficult.

While I didn't really enjoy the first half, I did appreciate the second half. The characters aren't the most likeable bunch and neither are the police inspectors.

Overall, my opinion of Just Another Dead Author was that this book was just ok, but I'm not sure if I'd read on in the series after being a bit disappointed in this second installment in the series.

Expected Publication Date: August 12th 2025.

Thank you to both Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked the idea of a murder mystery set at a writers' retreat in a château in the French countryside, a setting that feels both charming and refreshingly different! I haven’t read the first book, which is referenced quite often throughout, but this still works well as a standalone. (Fun fact: the prequel recently won the Lilian Jackson Braun Award for Best Cozy Crime, now I’m even more intrigued!)

There’s a light, witty tone throughout, though I could occasionally tell it was written by a non-native English speaker, some of the dialogue leaned a bit into movie-style clichés. Still, the story had plenty of charm, suspense, and character drama to keep me engaged.

A quick, clever, and enjoyable read, especially if you love books about writers solving crimes! Thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Berit Gardner, renowned mystery author, agrees to attend a 2 week writers' workshop in the French countryside, aimed at helping aspiring writers. However, when John Wright, arrogant, successful and well-published author and keynote speaker at the retreat dies unexpectedly not long after delivering a savage address, and while she is delivering her presentation, Berit is thrust into the middle of the French commissaire's investigation.

Berit can't help but conduct her own investigation, much to the dismay of the commissaire, and she is determined to assist despite being asked to stop interfering with the official investigation. However, with a victim disliked by many, suspects piling up and a diverse cast of writers, publishers and agents all with secrets of their own, Berit finds herself in danger with every clue she helps discover.

This story is the sequel to The Murders in Great Diddling, which also features the character of Berit Gardner. Despite not having read the first book, I had no trouble reading this as it read well as a stand-alone story. A cleverly written, witty murder mystery with a good mix of characters to love and despise, and some terrific book-related references throughout the story. I didn't guess the whodunnit (always a bonus in my eyes) and thoroughly enjoyed this read. A definite recommendation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really liked this book but I started liking it after the first half. The first half of the book was somehow boring in my opinion. But then it started to get really interesting. That’s why I rate it 3,5⭐️

I enjoyed Bivald's first book and was excited to see a second in this series! I like the unique writing styles and she always keeps you guessing.