In the quaint English town of Hoslewit, the biggest names in crime writing have congregated to celebrate all things bookish and murderous. Author Jane Hepburn is determined to make her time at the Killer Lines festival worthwhile. This is her chance to change her fortunes and make her fictional Private Detective Baker a household name. And if she has to resort to sneaking into the book tent after hours to rearrange some books so hers are front and center, so be it.
But when Jane encounters the dead body of renowned (and reviled) literary agent Carrie Marks, the festival takes on a decidedly different tone. Joined by Carrie's newest client, debut novelist Natasha Martez, and the agency's hapless intern, Daniel Thurston, Jane decides to put her fictional sleuthing skills to use in the real world—she's going to solve the murder. But the list of suspects is long: seemingly everyone at the festival has a motive to kill Carrie, and the more Jane and her new friends investigate, the closer they come to a dangerous truth—one that’s stranger than fiction.
A Novel Murder, the debut novel from E.C. Nevin, will be published on June 17, 2025. Knopf Publishing provided an early galley for review.
I was intrigued by the plot concept (a murder at a murder author festival). Stories about authors and publishing are also in my wheelhouse. So, this was difficult to resist.
Nevin presents the reader with an interesting cast, both in our mystery-solvers and potential suspects. I like how the narrative viewpoint shifts around, keeping the reader informed of who is doing what when but also keeping the mystery in place. From her own experiences in the publishing industry, she also injects the story with plenty of insider details and references that resonate.
I enjoyed the story and writing enough to keep the author on my radar for the future. Per the author's website, there is a sequel in the works - A Killer Plot.
No comments:
Post a Comment