Barbara K

The old adage says that you should write what you know, and Sulari Gentill has taken that to heart in her most recent two novels, The Woman in the Library, and now, The Mystery Writer. Gentill definitely knows how to construct a clever and entertaining novel featuring writers, and in this one, the publishing industry as well.

The Mystery Writer is something of a hybrid between the conventional mystery in which an innocent bystander is put into the position of having to unravel a crime, and a conspiracy thriller. Overall the blending of the two genres works quite well. Although the reveals of the elaborate backstories of the main characters tended to be a bit clunky, and at times the pacing was inconsistent, neither of these is a serious flaw.

I appreciated the fact that although there were plenty of hints along the way, the specifics of the who-dunnit-and-why were left vague enough that my interest was consistently sustained. The ending was especially well done and had me turning the pages as fast as possible. Definitely a fun read.