A Novel Murder by E C Nevin Book Review

About the Book:

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.

My Review:

Nevin has crafted a murder mystery deeply set in the book publishing and promoting world. The murder victim had made many enemies so there were plenty of suspects. The sleuth is a mystery writer who actually finds herself needing to solve a murder mystery in reality. It was fun to see how she grew in the experience.

The novel is written in present tense, something I find disconcerting. There are also several viewpoints presented, though in third person. Despite my dislike of some features of the writing, I did appreciate the atmosphere of book publishing and the personalities of authors. I like the sleuthing action and the twists keeping me guessing as to the actual villain.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

E. C. NEVIN is a pseudonym for an ex–publishing professional. E.C. worked for large trade publishers focusing on crime/thriller publishing and established brands.

Knopf, 352 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)