Didn't engage me as much as the first book I read by this author. 2023 read. ( )

Honestly, I wasn't the right audience for this book and I wasn't aware of what I was getting into. I thought this was a going to be a regular domestic thriller with some *literary spice* but instead I got a whole bucket load of weird and confusing psychological thrillers within each other. Almost everyone who has reviewed this so far seems to love it and I imagine they knew what they were getting into, so I'm going to give this three stars because it was mainly my fault for not making sure this was what I thought it would be. ( )

I would have given this 5 stars but I hated the ending. This was a very fast and entertaining read. It had me rooting for the characters and I loved the way the book was written. Such an interesting story about a writer writing about another writer writing about him. Confusing? No not at all, I really loved the characters and the story itself. I only wish the ending was different. I would definitely recommend this book. You might feel differently about the ending then I did. ( )

Edward has ensnared his author, Madeleine d'Leon, with his luxurious dark hair, the fact that he is also a writer and not to mention his subtle magnetism. He may be the character in her next book but she doesn't know what facet of her mind created him.

Edward McGinnity has found the perfect heroine for his next book. Madeleine's character is all consuming; damsel in distress, doggedly enthusiastic and that soft smile that brightens any room.

When what's real starts to crumble; longing, lust and desolation blur the distinctions between author and fictional creation. When the story's killer is finally written who is he after?

"What if you wrote of someone writing of you? In the end, which of you would be real?"

The quote above sums up this book eerily well, at several instances in this book I had to go back and reread portions because I didn't know who was actually talking. The words flowed seamlessly at times between Madeleine and Edward. I imagine that people have varying opinions on who is actually the author and the character; as for me, my money is on Edward. I did not fully expect the ending, a hint of it but definitely not the full extent of Madeleine's conclusion and after all the build up from both stories it was... sudden. Yet another reason I enjoyed this book is because it is meta fiction (aka breaking fourth wall) - I happen to love when this happens in books and other media. I happen to love Deadpool, who is likely the most famous for it in the geeky world.

"Sweetheart, you know I love your novels. They make me think, they astound me with their artistry, dazzle me with their vocabulary, and when I've finished reading, I'm mentally exhausted and probably cleverer than I once was. But, you know, sometimes I read books because I want to fall in love." She shrugged. "Call me shallow."

Sulari Gentill did an awesome job at capturing both genres of writers which leads me into the reason behind the above quote. I do read books to fall in love, to experience things I normally wouldn't, for a break from my current reality, as an escape etc. Since I am not really a writer - just a reader - it does make me wonder about the relationships of my favorite authors with their characters.

After She Wrote Him was an easy and hard read all in one - it took me a bit to get into the writing style but I did end up thoroughly enjoying it. I expect that some people might have a hard time with the writing style. This book doesn't have many sensitive subjects the main ones being: mental illness, murder, drug/alcohol use and animal death. I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

After She Wrote Him is a standalone novel quite different from her Rowland Sinclair series. It begins with murder but the similarity to a standard mystery ends right there.

Madeleine d’Leon is a lawyer turned mystery novelist with a popular series character, but now she is writing something different. Inspired by her character Edward McGinnity, she focuses more and more on her writing. McGinnity seems so completely real, though his love for Willow, the artist, seems misplaced. Meanwhile, Edward is a writer of literary fiction and has become intrigued, perhaps a bit obsessed with his new character, Madeleine d’Leon, a genre writer who is married to a man who seems to take her for granted.

Who is the writer and who is the written…we think we know, but in the clever bit of meta-fiction, what we know is completely subsumed by what we don’t know.

I loved After She Wrote Him. The conceit is clever and brilliantly executed. There are no clunky transitions from one writer to the other. It is seamless. Perhaps it should be less seamless since I imagine their inner thoughts would vary in terms of language. That is my only quibble with what I thought was a clever novel that redefines what a mystery means.

It is all fair, though it seems Edward and Madeleine are both a bit lacking identifying potential suspects and plots. It seems it is easier to write a mystery than to live one.

After She Wrote Him will be published April 4th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

After She Wrote Him from Poisoned Pen Press

Sulari Gentill author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/after-she-wrote-him-by-su... ( )