Reviews

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

Only show reviews with written explanations

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review

2.0

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill is a story that I found challenging to finish. I was not a fan of the weepy and whiny Theo. She frequently needs to be rescued (it gets tiresome) by her brother, Gus, and his friend (as well as associate), Mac. It is good that Theo and Gus are supportive siblings (they are there for each other and Theo really needs Gus). The first three quarters of the book is setting up the plot (which we basically know from the blurb) and the conspiracies (which were really not needed). The conspiracy theories were tedious, implausible, and repetitive. I did not enjoy the repetitive dialogue on Americans and their personalities. Their beliefs on gun violence began to grate on my nerves (they made it sound like every American carries a gun). I believe Mac’s family of preppers are supposed to be funny, but I found them scary. The political chat room discussions were tedious (and irritating). I did not enjoy the political undertones in the story (I can turn on the news for politics). The author exaggerated Christians and conservatives (while there are some overzealous individuals, the majority are not). Over exaggeration and implausibility applied to most components of the book. I found the story to be too long, and the first third moved at a snail’s pace (actually, that is an insult to snail’s). In the last third, the tale begins jumping forward in time (sometimes months, sometimes years). After the slow pace of the rest of the book, the ending is rushed with loose ends (I find unanswered questions frustrating). The Mystery Writer was an unenjoyable reading experience.

nickyalex23's review

Go to review page

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bookishbek's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Another book by Sulari Gentill that hooked me in from the beginning!
Theo Benton is a young woman, newly moved to the US from Australia. She settles in Lawrence, KS, where her older brother lives. She just wants to start over and become a published author, but ends up caught in all kinds of conspiracy and misunderstanding.
I really liked Theo as a main character. She's young and a bit naive, but she is also determined to follow her dream and is fiercely loyal to the people who matter to her.
The first 70% or so of the book was fantastic. One thing after another happening, which kept me wanting to constantly pick up the book and find out what was going to happen next. I really liked the side characters as well, Theo's brother, Gus, and the friends she makes who help her along.
The last 30% of the book was a bit jarring. The timeline had several abrupt jumps and the pacing changed completely. While the events taking place in that time do make the change make some sense, it made it less enjoyable to read. I still finished that portion in one sitting though because I just had to know how everything wrapped up.
Overall, a good book, and I look forward to what Sulari Gentill writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts are my own.

kristainobarnes's review

Go to review page

4.0

Okay, so I originally rated this as a three but since then I’ve not be able to stop thinking about the book, so I think it deserves an extra star for that. I really enjoy Sulari’s writing; I particularly loved the woman in the library. While this one isn’t 5 star, like that one was, I did thoroughly enjoy reading it. Some parts of the book were slow but thinking back, I actually think it worked well. Sulari does a great job at building her characters out and setting the scene. While the main character was a bit annoying at time, and very naive, I kind of got why. Her brother and friend, Mac, more than made up for it.

I figured out who was behind the killings early on, but I think we were lead that wag anyways. The i eye resting part was the why and the how. So yeah, overall a good read!

purplepenning's review

Go to review page

I knew this involved conspiracy theories but didn't anticipate — and wasn't in the mood to read — comments/posts in conspiracy theory discussion forums. The idea is intriguing, though, so I may return to this one later, possibly in audiobook form where (hopefully) some Australian accents will help me get through it.

Content Warnings