What do readers think of The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill? Write your own review.

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!

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.

Theodosia (Theo) Benton shows up at her brother’s home with two suitcases and an unfinished novel. She isn’t sure how he is going to react because they’ve had a strained relationship since they were kids, but they quickly develop a routine. She starts to frequent a local bar, Bender’s, to sit and try to write. While there one day, she starts talking to another patron, only to find out he’s a famous author. They develop a friendship but when he’s murdered, Theo wants to find the murderer.

Theo’s brother, Gus, is a successful lawyer on the partner track at his law firm. He brings his friend, Mac, an investigator, in to look into the murder. Mac’s family are doomsday preppers and the few interchanges with them in the book provided a bit of comic relief.

Interspersed with the story of Theo, Gus and Mac are interchanges between conspiracy theorists who are not only looking for Primus but also trying to figure out who it is. “Caleb” is a part of this. We find out who Caleb is mid-way through the book.

When Gus ends up in the hospital, Theo goes into hiding but Gus and Mac never stop looking for her. One day, they finally get a clue to her location and try to track her down.

Interesting story. Moved quickly. Towards the end, the storyline jumped in time…like months and then years in time. That was unexpected. Overall, very well written. As it is an ARC, there were a few typos within the text which I’m sure (?) will be fixed prior to publication (rounded down from 4 stars to 3.5 for this).

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.

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.

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.