A Novel Murder: A Mystery

This is the most inane mystery novel I have ever read and I am an avid reader of mysteries. Should never have been published.

Following her mother's passing, and long-time relationship ended, due to cheating by her boss/boyfriend, 42-year-old author Jane Hepburn finds newfound courage to attend the lively Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, where she hopes to connect with her recently unresponsive agent and editor. Her plans take an unexpected twist when she stumbles upon the murder of her agent, Carrie Marks. With the police not following the clues obvious to Jane, she takes it upon herself to solve the murder and, if successful, be celebrated by her peers and hopefully revive her career. Jane finds moral support from her agent's intern, the young and extremely handsome Daniel, who is not only a huge fan of her work but also genuinely believes in her talent, and her newfound friend Natasha, an up-and-coming star author everyone is eager to sign. Together, they embark on this journey to solve the murder, discovering friendship and courage.E.C. Nevinn's debut novel is filled with moments of laugh-out-loud humor and an abundance of twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the final page. Jane's relatability makes it impossible not to root for her as she builds her confidence and forges genuine friendships throughout the story. While cozy mysteries aren't typically my preference, this one captured my enjoyment, and I hope to see Jane and her friends return in a series. I'm eagerly looking forward to more!

I had no idea before reading this book that publishing was such a cutthroat occupation. Jane Hepburn is the main character of the book, an author who has written six books in a crime fiction series. Her book sales are disappointing, and Jane hopes to get more attention for her books by attending the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival (and also sneaking some of her books into a display of the most popular books).There are authors like herself, book readers, literary agents and their interns attending the festival. Jane also intends to speak to her agent who has not been returning her calls. Then she finds the dead body of Carrie Marks, a prominent literary agent, slumped over at her station in one of the tents. She had been stabbed with a dagger. Carrie had numerous enemies.Since none of the people there were allowed to leave the premises, Jane and two other people at the festival decided to try to determine who the killer was. I was never able to guess the identity of the killer. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more by her.

This clever cozy mystery is set at a murder writers' book festival. The plot is great. In a book tent, Jane Hepburn stumbles on the body of her agent and sets out to find the murderer. There are seven possibilities, all well-written characters with motives. The plot kept me guessing. I loved seeing Jane's confidence and self-respect grow as the story unfolded.Thank you, E. C. Nevin for writing this extremely enjoyable book. Please write more. Thank you, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor, and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this entertaining book.

authors gather at a book festival and murder ensues. They are gathering clues and suspects to investigate. Lots of twists and turn, complex interesting an quirky characters and a fast past story make this a page turner and a must read!