A review by theavidreaderandbibliophile
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

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.