#the mystery writer

[readingoals]

The Mystery Writer was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I still felt a little slumpy when I picked it up, in the hopes that a thrillery mystery type story from an author I love would help pull me out of it. Unfortunately it didn't quite work but I did enjoy the book, just not quite as much as her other two.

Gentill's writing is spectacular though. She does a fantastic job of making you worry for the characters. I felt so paranoid of every new character introduced and eventually of all the others too, which really fit with the headspace the main character was in.

Not my favourite of Gentill's works but there were some very interesting ideas in there around the publishing industry and online identities. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

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.

Review:

When an aspiring author's famous author boyfriend is murdered right as she gives him her manuscript the last thing she expects is to spiral down conspiracies, assassins, and finding out who exactly her boyfriend was and why someone murdered him. Theodosia Benton has just abandoned law school to pursue a career as an author. She's moved in with her brother and starts hanging out at a coffee shop... where she meets Dan, a famous author who she begins falling in love with. Yet when she gives him her manuscript and asks him to get in contact with his agents for her... and he rejects, the last thing she expects when she goes over to his place to apologize is to find him murdered. Theo wants to find out who did this and why, but Dan has left a trail of clues for her to follow and now with her brother Gus's help and a few new friends, Theo is definitely on a new path... but she'll have to find a way to find the killer without being killed herself. This one started off really interesting but ultimately lost me. I was interested in the mystery at first but found myself getting bored and struggling to want to finish the story. I adore fun mysteries but this one just didn't work for me unfortunately. I think if you enjoy mysteries with lots of twist maybe give this one a go. maybe you'll have a better time it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[mysteryspotcast]

For more information and to support the WGA please:

Follow their official social media on all platforms and only trust statements from the union itself, and articles they promote (be wary of other articles).

Read up on the issues being fought for (there are articles supported by the union in their linktree)

Be vocal in your support and inform others in your communities.

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Go to the picket lines if you live nearby.

Donate to the Entertainment Community Fund which supports non-WGA production workers whose income will be affected by the strike.

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

Theo Benton quits law school, showing up on her brother's doorstep in Kansas with a half-written manuscript and a dream to become a writer. She starts working in Bender's cafe, a coffeeshop, where she meets a famous author named Dan Murdoch, who is working on a manuscript that details various conspiracy theories. The two strike up a friendship, which turns to romance, which then abruptly ends when he is found murdered.

Before she knows it, Theo is entrenched in a mystery that puts herself, her brother, Gus, and a private agent named Mac at risk. Not only are the theory conspiracists abounding, but there are doomsday preppers as well as a shady publishing agency to contend with.

Usually I am all about a mystery-writer-within-a-murder-mystery plotline, but this one didn't land with me. Theo was too damsel in distress exhaustive for my taste. While I appreciated her relationship with her brother, especially their unconditional love and protectiveness of one another, the plot got too convoluted, too weighed down by conspiracy theory meta, and didn't focus enough on building complexity in the characters. I felt disconnected from them as a result.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

2/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[reallyunluckyrunaway]

[whendidmythoughtsgocrazy]

“You’re an actress, right?”, ”All women are actresses, dear. I’m just clever enough to get paid for it.”

k.b. // murder mystery - netflix

[floorboardchompingfridays]

Some Advice For People Leaving Comments on Fanfics:

“I liked your fic”

Nice, but basic and easy to overlook

Doesn’t compel the author to do anything other than take the compliment

Sounds like you might be a bot (ew)

“I am going to eat your floorboards!”

Unique and attention grabbing

Makes me second guess whether I should have bought that insurance

Sounds like you might be a termite (how did a termite learn to type????)

[tea-n-ink]

Homesickness is where the heart is

[pokimoko]

hi!! if you'd be down i'd love to see an aromantic or genderfluid shark! any kind of shark but more specifically a thresher shark or leopard shark ^_^

*cradles shark gently* I just think they're neat.

[leonardospoetry]

May you have to courage to live your mysteries with an open heart

[ollyrewind]

ah yes, arthur and merlin, horror junkies

[shadowseductress]

Fuck sex, let's solve murder mysteries together.

[ghostcicadas]

psst… anyone still here? any new writeblr accounts that i can follow? especially lgbt and/or fantasy and/or horror writeblrs… that would be pretty cool thank u

[brandyschillace]

AUTHORS DOING OTHER STUFF

Like putting together a bee hive. Badly. With the aid of Cheezits.

I’m not the only author who keeps bees by the way. I know @neil-gaiman used to keep them in Wisconsin. And Sherlock Holmes gave it a go, too, so it’s not a bad gig for a historian-turned-mystery-writer, either.

Yes. I might be procrastinating.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

🕯️ Shadows & Symbolism: The Gothic Writer's Grimoire 🦇

Hello writers! I hope you're all doing well. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I'm sure many of you love it too. With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be nice to start getting into the spirit a bit early. For those of you working on a gothic or fiction book, I wanted to share some themes and symbols to help bring that spooky, gothic, and dark vibe to your writing. 🦇

.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆

🕸️Themes and Symbols for Gothic & Horror Stories🕯️

🌙 The Moon 🌚

Symbol of mystery, the unknown, and the supernatural

Represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth

Can signify madness, hysteria, and the primal forces of nature

🕷️ Spiders & Webs 🕸️

Symbolize entrapment, deception, and the unseen

Represent the intricate, tangled nature of evil and darkness

Can foreshadow impending doom or the unraveling of secrets

💀 Skulls & Bones 💀

Signify mortality, the fragility of life, and the inevitability of death

Evoke a sense of the macabre, the morbid, and the occult

Can represent the lingering presence of the dead or the afterlife

🖤 Darkness & Shadows 🌑

Symbolize the unknown, the subconscious, and the mysterious

Represent the hidden, sinister forces that lurk in the corners

Can signify a descent into madness or the loss of control

🦇 Bats & Ravens 🦇

Portend ominous events, death, and misfortune

Symbolize the supernatural, the occult, and the Gothic

Can represent messengers from the underworld or harbingers of doom

🕯️ Candles & Flames 🕯️

Signify the fragility of life and the ever-present threat of extinguishment

Represent the struggle between light and dark, good and evil

Can symbolize the human soul, spirituality, and the afterlife

🧠 The Mind & Madness 🧠

Explore the depths of the psyche and the fragility of sanity

Represent the battle between reason and the irrational

Signify the descent into obsession, delusion, and the unknown

🏰 Crumbling Mansions & Castles 🏰

Symbolize the decay of the old order and the erosion of power

Represent the weight of the past and the burden of history

Can signify the collapse of the elite and the rise of the macabre

Use these evocative themes and symbols to craft your next Gothic or horror masterpiece and chill your readers to the bone! 💀 Let me know if want more post related to everything spooky!

.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆.˚⊹.🎃₊˚.˚⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆

Happy Writing! - Rin T. 🍁🎃🍂

Before you go, why not join us at The Write Right Society? We're a supportive Tumblr community where writers lift each other up. Whether you're a newbie or a pro, we'd love to have you! Share your work, get feedback, and connect with fellow wordsmiths, writers and aspiring authors. 

[keithbutgay]

What do you mean the irl Edogawa Ranpo was gay. What do you mean he traveled with his boyfriend researching the history of homosexuality in Japan. What do you mean they had a competition on who could find the most books about gay sex. WHAT DO YOU MEAN-