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Three authors have teamed up to write a mystery book, and they’ve decided on researching a century-old murder at Castle Kinloch in Scotland. But not long after they arrive, another, very current murder occurs. Literary bestseller Brett Saffron Presley, who runs writers retreats at the castle, is the victim.
The writers couldn’t be more different: Kat de Noir is an erotica author who dresses in eye-catching sexy outfits. Cassie Pringle is a Southern mom of six who writes a number of cozy mystery series and loves to bake. Emma Endicott comes from a distinguished but now-impoverished New England family; her focus is historical fiction based on real-life but obscure women from the past.
Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, who grew up in the area, has the job of solving the murder, and the prime suspects are these three supposed best friends from the US. Each, as it turns out, has some connection to the victim, though they’re doing their best to hide that information.
At the same time, Presley has made no friends in the area of Castle Kinloch. Locals have plenty of reasons to have done away with the American author.
The Author’s Guide to Murder isn’t just a cozy mystery; it’s a satire on the genre and the literary world, with touches of romance woven in for each character, and a story of friendships blooming among disparate women. It’s not to be taken too seriously. I found it to be a lot of fun and a pretty good mystery.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes about 15 instances of moderate profanity, 55 uses of mild language, 20 instances of the name of Deity in vain, and about a dozen uses of British profanity. Sexual content includes some kissing and closed-door scenes, as well as fairly regular bawdy talk, and references to past lurid sexual behavior that takes advantage of women. Violence includes murder, with poison and other weapons involved, and near-misses. There are references to sexual assault and drugs put in a woman’s drink.
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