Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
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Book Review: Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

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Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne is about Lenny Marks who keeps the same exact schedule each day and plays Scrabble with her made up friend, Monica Gellar while watching the television show, Friends.  Lenny also doesn't remember much from the day her mother and stepdad disappeared.  But then a letter from the parole board arrives via mail and turns her world upside down.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review.  What drew my interest in this book was the synopsis, so I was happy to be approved to get a copy in my hands before the general public!

At first, the main character, Lenny Marks, got on my nerves and was just super annoying.  It wasn't until I was approximately 3/4's of the way into the story that we find out her entire back story and why she is the way she is.  From that point on, Lenny wasn't quite so annoying, and I found myself liking the character a lot more.  The main character is somewhat of an unreliable narrator, so there were some twists and turns . . . a couple of them surprised me in a big way.

This is not a cozy mystery in the least as I was expecting.  It's a suspense story that is a slow burn.  Not a lot of action takes place in the first half, and I found myself a bit bored and was sure it would be a three star read.  However, the second half is full of action, and I found myself rushing through at that point. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen! The difference between the halves couldn't have been more different.

Going into the story, I thought it might be similar to Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano.  Boy, was I ever wrong!  However, if you liked that book, you should like Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne. Four out of five stars is what I gave this book.


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