This was just OK. Being in the head of the character and subject to all the over the top histrionics was really exhausting. The "murdered just like the book" thing can be tricky to do with originality, just because it's been done so many many times. Alibi checking went on too long. ( )

Fiction Can Be Murder by Becky Clark is the first tale in A Mystery Writer’s Mystery series. Charlemagne “Charlee” Russo is at her writer’s critique group when she hears the news that Melinda Walter, Charlee’s agent, was found dead. She was murdered using the method in Charlee’s unpublished manuscript—Mercury Rising. Since only a handful of people have read the manuscript, Charlee is propelled to the top of the police’s suspect list. Charlee is left with no choice. She must investigate Melinda’s death to clear her name. With the suspect list narrowed down to her critique group, Charlee must discern who killed her agent and is trying to frame her for murder. Charlee’s imagination goes into overdrive especially after she notices a SUV following her. Is she the killer’s next target?

Fiction Can Be Murder had an interesting premise. A mystery writer whose own work was used to murder her agent. I wanted to get a peek into the life of a mystery writer. Unfortunately, Fiction Can Be Murder has a terrible main character in Charlemagne “Charlee” Russo. Charlee comes across as paranoid, annoying, judgmental and unstable. She thinks that anyone on the street can be a killer and they might attack her at any moment (she wonders if the lady with the double stroller is carrying an Uzi). I forgot to mention she is also clumsy. She is known for having coffee spills on her clothing (she needs a sippy cup). Of course, Charlee is also scattered brained. She forgets to charge her phone and is frequently late (let’s face it—she is never on time). I could have done without her using an alley for a restroom. There is a lack of character development, so the characters come across as flat. Now and then the author sticks in a detail or two. The mystery consists of Charlee “questioning” her friends (verifying their alibis) in an accusatory manner (when she is not hiding in her apartment) and endless speculation. Charlee was not subtle in her questioning. I am amazed that any of these people are willing to be her friends after the case is solved. The term “bull in a china shop” is apropos for Charlee. The solution was laughable, and the ending was rushed (considering the 90% of the book was devoted to Charlee questioning people). I did find the method of murder unique and imaginative (I liked it). Fiction Can Be Murder is told in the first person and the story rambles (there is also repetition—Charlee’s Kia is mentioned 20 times). The writing lacked an ease and flow. I found the story to be disjointed. Please be aware that this book does contain a small amount of foul language. Fiction Can Be Murder was not a good fit for me (It felt more like a rough draft than a finished novel). Please get a sample and see if Fiction Can Be Murder is the right book for you. We are all individuals with different reading tastes. ( )

Mystery writer Charlee Russo is at her author's critique group meeting when she receives a call that her agent has been killed in suspicious circumstances. The police are on their way to interview her because the suspicious circumstances match the plot in an unpublished manuscript that she is working on. The police want to talk to everyone who has read the manuscript, which is a fairly lengthy list of people. When press coverage starts to report that Charlee was accusing her agent of embezzlement of funds, she feels the pressure of becoming the main suspect. This causes her to investigate to find the murderer.

Charlee is a really interesting protagonist, She's enthusiastic and intelligent, but impulsive and short-sighted. This brings her grief as she goes about her investigation of the alibis of her manuscript readers. Of course her exploits also make it an exciting book to read. On top of that, there's an uneasy atmosphere over Charlee's investigation: she thinks she's being watched and followed and there's a wild car chase which she barely manages to escape. There's several quirky characters introduced in the story, even the two cops are weird.

The ending and solution of the mystery seems like there was a random selection made amongst all the suspects and a backstory created to fill the gaps. The killer's motive seems contrived. Having said that, it's a good readable mystery story: light and entertaining with a likeable and interesting protagonist.

I liked the book. It's a good start for a new series. There's several quirky characters who can be easily carried over to future books with good results.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reading copy of the book. The opinions expressed above are mine alone. ( )

This was a wonderfully entertaining mystery novel which provided some great company while battling a nasty cold, where I was not able to digest anything other than light fare in more than one sense.

It was so much fun to follow Charlee while she was trying to solve the murder case, more than once putting her foot in her mouth on the way. Though she sometimes acted silly, often hasty and most of the time so naive it almost hurt, it never failed to kept me glued to the pages.

However, the solution to the mystery was disappointing - unpredictable and rushed, like she ran out of options and had to invent something at the last minute just for the sake of it. Good thing is, the ending is only a smaller part of the whole, so most of the time I had a great time reading this and I also will give this series another try with the sequel.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own) ( )