Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory--until it turns out to be true
When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer?
What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die.
USA Today bestselling author Sulari Gentill takes readers on a rollercoaster ride in The Mystery Writer, a literary thriller that turns the world of books and authors upside down and where a writer's voice is a thing to be controlled and weaponized, to the peril of everyone who loves a good story.
"Theo Benton decides to move to the United States to finally finish her novel, and she is soon drawn into a literary labyrinth where identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of sales and readership. When her mentor and lover is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. But when the prime suspect turns out to be her older brother, Gus, Theo does what is necessary to protect him--to save him. Then she disappears. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. When Gus finds that thread, he follows it, and in attempting to find his sister, inadvertently, or perhaps recklessly, threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. In order to protect the carefully constructed deceit, Theo Benton, and everyone who ever looked for her, will have to die"-- Provided by publisher.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Gentill's latest contemporary mystery (after The Woman in the Library) proves she's adept at both historical novels (like her Rowland Sinclair series) and ones set in the present day. Theodosia Benton flees law school in Australia and flies to the States, where her big brother Gus lives. Gus, a lawyer himself, allows Theo to stay with him and work toward her new goals. Her passion is to be a writer, and so she finds a local coffee shop in which to write. Amid the other coffee-shop writers, Theo befriends published and well-known author Dan Murdoch. Just as their relationship begins to develop further, Dan is brutally murdered. As Theo tries to work out both Dan's murder and where his secret manuscript has gone, bodies begin piling up. The police suspect Theo first, but then more information about her brother's past becomes known. When Gus is arrested, Theo's decision to disappear in order to deflect blame from him onto herself will change both their lives. Gentill's worthwhile novels is full of compelling characters, including doomsday preppers, online conspiracy theorists, and overzealous publishing agents. VERDICT Recommended for Gentill's fans and readers who enjoy mysteries from Riley Sager, Ruth Ware, or Louise Penny.--Jen Funk
Publishers Weekly Review
Gentill (The Woman in the Library) nimbly balances the plausible with the outlandish in this sly thriller set in the publishing world. Theodosia "Theo" Benton has dropped out of law school in Australia to pursue her dream of becoming a novelist. Determined to leave her old life behind, she flees Australia and moves in with her brother in Lawrence, Kans., to hunker down and write a novel. In Kansas, she meets and befriends Dan Murdoch, a bestselling author who agrees to read her manuscript and offer notes. When Dan doesn't show up for one of their meetings, Theo goes to his house, where she finds him stabbed to death and calls the police. A few days later, she agrees to meet with Dan's agent, Veronica, who says her agency would like to take Theo on as a client. Her elation slowly gives way to terror when others in her circle, including a reporter she speaks to, are killed, and she becomes a suspect. With her life and career on the line, Theo does some digging and turns up startling details about the twisted operations of Veronica's agency. Every time readers think they've got the plot pegged, Gentill swerves in a shocking new direction. Certain late-stage reveals, which might ruin the fun in less capable hands, only serve to enhance the novel's biting wit. This is a winner. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Agency. (Mar.)
Booklist Review
Theodosia "Theo" Benton moves from Sydney to Lawrence, Kansas, after dropping out of university. She lives with her brother Gus while she works on a novel. While writing at a local bar, she strikes up a friendship with fellow writer Dan Murdoch, who takes Theo under his wing. After they finally give in to their romantic feelings for each other, Dan is murdered, and Gus is the prime suspect. When another body is found--a man who claimed to be a neighbor of Dan's, who handed Theo a misdirected letter--Theo finds herself in over her head even as a powerful literary agency begins courting her and her almost-finished book. Gentill's latest, after The Woman in the Library (2022), slowly unravels as a traditional mystery, but then evolves into a self-aware, Grisham-esque thriller. Readers will root for Theo, then for Gus, to find the answers they need to find closure. With likable side characters (including a dog named Horse) and a truly unexpected third act, The Mystery Writer is sure to please literary crime fans.
Kirkus Book Review
The killing of a famous author turns a faithful protégé into a fanatic sleuth. Australian college student Theodosia Benton has abruptly left her university in Sydney and moved to the United States with the intention of becoming a writer. When she shows up unannounced on the doorstep of her older brother, Gus, in Lawrence, Kansas, she interrupts a romantic moment he's having with a half-dressed woman named Pam, who beats a hasty retreat. Such rashness leads to the kind of sibling spats and banter that propel this story and make for a compellingly unpredictable protagonist. When she meets writer Dan Murdoch at a restaurant, Theo quickly manages to become his friend and avid writing student. Then Dan is murdered, and his agent, Veronica, hires Theo to find his killer, who also apparently snatched the manuscript of Dan's latest novel. The tale presents two intertwined mysteries. First, who slew the renowned author? Second, who are all those people with quirky screen names who comment on the murder at the beginning of most chapters? This latter thread is introduced through Caleb, someone who vaguely touts the rise of something called The Shield and the revolutionary plans of its leader, Primus. Caleb's quest to discover the identity of Primus proceeds in tandem with Theo's. He comes to believe that Dan was Primus, but was he? Primus is just the tip of an identity iceberg that includes Space Monkey, Frodo 14, Patriot Warrior, and others. Fans will rejoice that the prolific Gentill, author of the Rowland Sinclair mysteries, maintains her record of packing stand-alone novels with devilish twists on genre conventions. A fizzy whodunit with pace, panache, and surprises galore. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
TextPublisher: Naperville, Illinois : Poisoned Pen Press, 2024Description: 1 volume ; 24 cmContent type: