When Theodosia Benton decides she'd rather be a writer than a lawyer, she leaves university in Australia. She appears on her brother Gus's doorstep in Lawrence, Kansas, all set to begin a new life. She quickly falls in with a crowd of local writers, including the mysterious Dan Murdoch, who becomes her mentor and lover. When Murdoch is brutally murdered, Theo becomes the prime suspect. She also becomes the target of a conspiracy group and finds her own life in danger. Feeling her options are limited, and with the focus of the police investigation shifting to Gus, Theo decides to forfeit her ambitions and try and save her brother by confessing to a murder she didn't commit. But will her plan work?
This is an imaginatively plotted book with many subplots and red herrings. The reader is kept in the dark as to how Theo's plan of confessing to the murder will help find the killer, and with the slow reveals, I was kept guessing until the end. "The Mystery Writer" is a fast-paced murder mystery with a glimpse of the world of conspiracy theorists and doomsday preppers that is both a captivating and rewarding read.
4/5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is March 19, 2024.
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