For a relatively short story, I felt a high level
of uncertainty right up until the mysteries
are all cleared up. It is very different than
anything I’ve read in a long time. For the
suspense/thriller crowd it might feel like
goals were not met, but really this is far
more subtle. All. questions have been
answered, and I’m as happy as intended
by the Author. My thanks to Brash Books.
My thanks to NetGalley for the download
copy of the book for review purposes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Brash Books for a review copy.

Lit is unlike any other cosy mystery I have read. There is a murder and a small town where everyone knows everyone, which fits into the cosy vibe very well. However the book doesn't feel cosy. It has a grit to it which I wasn't expecting. Nothing was ever too scary or too tense, yet there was always a sense that anything could happen to any of the characters at any point.
I really enjoyed reading Lit, however. The plot was gripping and the characters believable and engaging, if not always likeable. I would definitely recommend this if you like a mystery and maybe want to try something with a bit of a different feel to it.

I've been reading Brash books for a while now. Most of them hit the same "amusing but nothing special" note with me, and this one was no exception.
It's billed as a sort of cozy with twist, which I suppose it is.
The book's protagonist is a forty-nine-year-old who acts like he's decades older and lives in a middle of nowhere Wyoming. One way or another, he becomes tangled with a bunch of colorful locals and falls into a romance. It's all pretty quaint with a sort of gee-haw charm to it that seldom works for me but may prove swoonworthy to others.
Overall, a mildly entertaining read that passed the time and was forgotten soon after. User mileage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.

I was initially attracted to this book by the cover and then pulled in completely with the description. I'm always down for a literary (or literary adjacent) mystery with a unique setting and this fits the bill for me in both categories.

From the opening, I was hooked-- a book burning at a library, a pretentious author protecting his books, a couple librarians videotaping the whole things, and our hapless protagonist who comes upon this scene and feels compelled to act. There's humor but also darkness in this tale (indeed, the bonfire could have turned into a young man's death by fire if not saved by Kasey). I don't know if this falls into "cozy" for me, but it is fun. I found the voice to be a unique one in this genre--if we do call it cozy--as it's decidedly more masculine than that of most others in the genre.

I had a little trouble with the writing style at first (it's Hemingway-esque with more fragments) but once I caught onto the rhythm, I was good to go.

This is my first book by this author, but I'm interested in reading more in his oeuvre!

What a brilliant romp. Set in Gro Vont, Wyoming, where the residents love and hate each other, a chain of events is kicked off by a book burning. Leading to murder, we follow the characters as they try to solve it all the while finding out about each other.

I needed this after reading a series of flops. It was witty, funny, a sort of spoof of a cozy mystery. It was a fresh read and the type of mystery I definitely enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley & Brash Books for this ARC.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Brash Books for providing me an advance copy of Tim Sandlin's upcoming release, Lit, in exchange for an honest review.

#Lit is an offbeat satire couched in a "cozy" murder mystery of a plot, with a cheeky tone and quirky cast of characters. Set in an affluent town in Wyoming, the story probes a sweeping collection of themes ranging from religion to politics to 20th century literature, and even manages to cram in jabs about penning a novel as well as the differences between the residents of mountain country versus coastal elites.

Don't be fooled by the charming blurb on the cover. Although the novel eventually delivers on murder and a mystery in its own meandering way, the genre is more akin to literary fiction than thriller. Emphasis is on the characters and employed literary devices rather than the predictable plot. Nevertheless, the well-crafted introductions for each character primarily remained superficial and did not extend past the eloquent prose. Omitting a few tangential passages, and replacing said passages with substance to flesh out key secondary characters, would not only strengthen the overall novel, but also the reader experience.

This was my first encounter with the author's work, and certainly, will not be my last. The stylistic choices, unique voice, and observations were intriguing, as was the witty commentary. The author is exceptionally adept at interlacing minutiae and recurring gags throughout the text. Considering I had been duped by the description (never judge a book by its cover), I was pleased to discover a new (at least to me) and refreshing perspective in fiction; especially, given some of the heavy topics mentioned, such as addiction, dementia, mental health conditions, and abortion.

The novel possesses a je ne sais quoi that prompts even the most "elite" readers to continue flipping pages. Saturated with a midwestern vibe, unconventional descriptors, and meta-criticism, this relatively short book packs a strong punch. Based on this draft alone, I would happily read other works written by Mr. Sandlin. With a handful of keener edits and logically refined topics, this could easily be a four-star novel. To conclude, 3.5 stars rounded down until edits are complete and the final draft is published.

This is written like a dream - the plot is great but the writing style absolutely makes it. Every character and description is perfectly suited to this odd story of murder and other stuff in a small town. The author has a way of describing people and events that is funny and clever and disconcerting all at once. Every character adds something critical to the mix, from the cat, to the writer’s daughter to the grizzly bear. A real experience to read this.

I really enjoyed the subversion of this story, I've read a lot of cozy mysteries and was excited to get into this book based on the description. The plot was everything that I was looking for and thought worked well in telling the story it needed to. The characters had that overall feel that worked with the story and the mystery element in this. Tim Sandlin was able to weave a strong writing style and was able to create a strong read.