Absolutely delightful! I truly hope this is the beginning of a whole new cozy crime series because I already want to return to this world.

Welcome to the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, an annual gathering of mystery writers nestled in a charming English village. Among them is Jane Hepburn, a mid-list author on her fifth book and desperate for her big break. Jane is relatable, witty, and has just bit of hustle—especially when she sneaks into the book tent to rearrange her own novels into a more “strategic” position. Fiction turns real when she discovers the body of her own literary agent, Carrie Marks.

What follows is a classic whodunit with a modern twist—there’s a touch of Agatha Christie, a dash of Richard Osman, and a whole lot of bookish fun. I adored the setting, the quirky cast of fellow writers, and the tongue-in-cheek insider publishing references sprinkled throughout. Jane and her friends make for an unlikely but lovable sleuthing team.

This is one of those mysteries that’s fun without being fluffy—smart, well-paced, and just begging for a sequel. Perfect for fans of cozy crime, literary festivals, and stories where authors become the detectives.

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I picked up A Novel Murder by E.C. Nevin on a whim, intrigued by the clever title and the promise of something a little different from your average crime read. What I got was a surprisingly layered mystery that blended the literary and the sinister in a way that felt both refreshing and quietly unsettling.

The story centers around the literary world—writers, critics, the tangled egos and insecurities that come with living and working in that space. What starts as a sharp look into this insular community slowly shifts into something darker, as a murder pulls everything into focus. It’s not flashy or overly dramatic; the novel leans more on mood and subtle tension than on action. That restraint actually worked in its favor, making the moments of revelation hit harder when they came.

Nevin has a gift for creating atmosphere. The characters are intellectual, flawed, and deeply human. No one is entirely innocent, and that moral murkiness makes the mystery more compelling. You’re not just trying to solve a crime—you’re unraveling people, trying to figure out who they really are beneath their carefully constructed personas.

I appreciated how the book plays with the idea of narrative itself—how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and what we choose to leave out. There’s a quiet self-awareness to it, like the novel knows it’s part of a tradition but is also nudging at the edges of it.

I love behind the scenes in the literary world, throw in a little bit of murder and you've got me hooked! I enjoyed this book so much!