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: Murder By The Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew

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Murder by the Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew takes place in Oceanside, California.
Murder by the Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew takes place in Oceanside, California.  It opens with Scarlett Gardner having a hard day at work because everything has gone wrong.  She partly blames Connor, her ex-boyfriend, because he dumped her and took off to greener pastures for a start up company when they were supposed to be running the bookstore she opened together.  Taking a walk on the nearby beach, Scarlett stumbles over a dead body, which turns out to be that of Lorelei Knight . . . the last customer who frequented her store the night before.  Now, Scarlett is the prime suspect and needs to clear her name.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Murder by the Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew.  When I read the synopsis of this book, it sounded like it was right up my alley.  I received a copy of this cozy mystery for free in exchange for my honest review.

The beginning of the story started off a bit slow, but it quickly picked up pace.  I found myself falling in love with most of the characters . . . and the storyline, of course.  The few characters I didn't care for were Connor, Detective Maxwell, Autumn, and Martin.  However, Martin did redeem himself a bit later in the book.  You'll have to read the book to find out how!

There were plenty of twists and red herrings.  My first suspect was Evelyn Maxwell, who happened to be married to Police Detective Maxwell and work for Scarlett.  She acted very strange in my opinion.  Other people I suspected were Connor, Autumn, and Lucia.  I was glad to see that the person I finally decided upon as the culprit was in fact the murderer.  However, I never did figure out the connection between Lorelei and Scarlett.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery quite a bit because it's well written and held my attention.  I can't wait to find out what happens next in this series.  Four out of five stars is what I gave Murder by the Seashore (California Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Samara Yew.

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