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There are currently 28 member reviews
for The Mystery Writer
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Jane B. (Chicago, IL)
Mystery writer becomes a mystery
At first the description of the book sounded a bit like Lucy Foleys-The Paris Apartment; gratefully, this proved not to be true. The Mystery Writer is a well plotted, well paced, mystery with a very interesting ending. You might have an idea about the ending but the surprising part is the depth of what you may or may not be thinking. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the slower pace of the unraveling. Conspiracy theories and "preppers" were a timely nod to modern culture. Seems like a book that would be a good book club choice.
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Elizabeth C. (Blacksburg, VA)
Fast Paced
I often stop reading mysteries before the half way mark, but this book's fast pacing and never-ending plot twists held my attention to the very last page. It will be of attract the attention of those who, like me, are fascinated by the writers and the writing process. The plot centers on three very likable players whose characters are fully fleshed out both through description and action. The idea that fiction can feed conspiracy theorists is a very contemporary one. Given that so many writers are reserved observers, I found it a stretch to imagine they could be turned into hired assassins, however.
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Barbara H. (Thomasville, GA)
Frighteningly Good!
I could not put this book down...it was so compellingly good!! Yet I was left with some questions regarding the chat room. I loved the main characters in this great mystery novel yet at times I was so frustrated with the naivety of the central character, Theo. I felt there were also loose threads at the end of this novel - unresolved...but overall I was totally absorbed in this mystery as I read it! A frighteningly good mystery!
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Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews
Elizabeth@Silver's Reviews - A slow start, but turned out good
Theo left her university studies in Australia because she didn’t want to be an attorney like her brother. She wanted to be an author.
Her brother Gus was surprised when she showed up on his doorstep in Kansas because they were told they had to follow their grandfather‘s orders that stated in the trust fund that they had to become attorneys.
Gus was even more surprised when Theo met another author, Dan Murdoch, at a cafe and became friendly with him. Was this meeting an accident or one that was on purpose?
Gus wanted to know who this author was and how they became friendly so quickly, so Theo went to Dan’s house to ask him to come for dinner since he never answered her calls all day, but found him murdered.
Now Theo is involved and the only suspect.
How did she get herself in this mess?
Why would anyone murder Dan?
Theo didn’t know him that well, but hints and conversations at the beginning of a few chapters indicated he was involved in finding out something about an organization.
Apparently, Dan's murder wasn’t the end of it, though. More murders happened, and someone kept following Theo.
Was she in danger too just by association?
Was the murderer closer than they knew?
THE MYSTERY WRITER has a slow start, but the tension and intrigue pick up as the investigation and many other things happen.
Some odd characters, but all in all it is a book mystery readers will enjoy and won't want to put down once the book continues. 4/5
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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Gretchen S. (Estero, FL)
An Easy Read with a good story but nothing to draw you back again for a reread
Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentil is a light and easy to read mystery. A great suggestion for a Teen Mystery Book Club. Action is generated out of present day Lawrence Kansas and a high end publisher. The young budding female writer blossoms from the Socratic questioning of an experienced author. Then as she finishes her book the action begins and the reader is shuttled quickly from problems and places. No notable prose or in-depth writing from which the reader would learn something new.
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Vicki C. (Franklin, TN)
The Mystery Writer
The book was a bit slow to start but quickly picked up pace. The concept was intriguing but developed in a way that was a bit unwieldy and far-fetched. It would not be a favorite.
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Deborah C. (Seattle, WA)
Farfetched plot and undeveloped characters
It looks like I'm in the minority, but this book really did not work for me. A mystery involving books and writers is right in my wheelhouse, so I was really looking forward to The Mystery Writer. The premise was intriguing--a young Australian writer with a somewhat mysterious past who relocates to Lawrence, Kansas. And I enjoyed reading about Theo's writing process and her connection with a well-known writer. But as the book continued, it seemed like Theo was defined more by the men in her life than anything else. While most of the book was a serviceable mystery, I didn't like how the last section randomly fast-forwarded in time with little explanation of how the characters got to where they were. And the events that all managed to coincide for the ending just simply weren't believable. I enjoyed a previous book by this author and hope that her future books return to form.
