Unwritten in Death

Cari Turnlyle #5

by Leslie A. Piggott

The city of Brenington is shocked to learn that one of its residents is actually bestselling author Natasha Gillespie. Just days after announcing her retirement and revealing her identity to the world, Gayle Smith, a.k.a., Natasha Gillespie, is found dead in her own home. Cari is not alone in suspecting foul play; Genevieve and Alex lead the police investigation after barbiturates are discovered in the woman’s system. As they investigate the woman’s death, they soon discover writing thrillers was not the only thing mysterious in Gayle Smith’s no one seems to have known the author well. Virtually estranged from her large family, Smith was also largely without friends or close confidants. Even her publicist knows little about her. Cari and Genevieve will both need to utilize all of their investigative skills in order to unearth the mystery behind the life and death of the infamous author.

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2024

About the author

Leslie Piggott is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Buda, Texas. She and her husband, Brad, have two children. She has been a long distance runner since middle school and following college graduation began running marathons as a hobby. She has since completed fourteen full marathons. Leslie has always loved being creative and in addition to writing, she also knits, crochets, quilts, sews bags and dresses for her daughter, and does watercolor paintings. Always up for a challenge, she frequently designs her own quilt or tote bag patterns.

Leslie enjoys volunteering in her children's schools as well as within her church and community when possible. In fact, she donates many of her craft and sewing projects to a local silent auction, which she organizes annually. The proceeds from the auction support a memorial fund for her neighbors who tragically lost their son in 2011. Additionally, she also enjoys giving away many of her creations to friends, teachers, neighbors, and other loved ones as gifts.

Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, Leslie worked in the field of biomedical sciences, receiving her doctorate in 2008 from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston. After earning her degree, she worked as an adjunct professor at Houston Baptist University teaching introduction to microbiology to pre-nursing students. When their family relocated to the Austin area, she took on the role of being a full-time stay-at-home mom. She is active in her church, including helping with the food pantry as well as singing in the choir. She has assisted with the children's choir program at the church, including writing two melodramas for the children to perform for the congregation and community. Leslie began writing poetry as an outlet to express her feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has published two books of poetry with watercolor illustrations and recently branched off into writing crime thrillers.

Reviews

[SeekerOfGrace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unwritten in Death was a page turner! When a reclusive author turns up dead just after revealing her identity to her fans, investigative journalist Cari Turnlyle is all over it and once again it’s a race to beat the clock as she uncovers details with her police friend Genevieve to solve this shocking mystery. I love this series and every book I get a little closer to the characters as their relationships develop and Cari’s skills and confidence as a journalist grow. Great new release by one of my favorite authors!

[Mary Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favourite of the series so far. The apparent suicide of a famous author is soon ruled a murder investigation. At the same time, the police are under strict orders not to leak any information to the media and this means Cari is restricted in her conversations with Bob and Genevieve. We then have two totally separate investigations ongoing.

I really liked the separate investigations and loved wondering every step of the way at what point both would converge. Cari is also being pestered by a young woman who is convinced her grandfather did not commit suicide. I flew through this. It was so easy to read especially as we're now five books into the series and I am so connected to the characters. The ending was particularly intriguing leading into the next book which I'm off to read next.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[PagePilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unwritten in Death follows the mysterious case of a famous author found dead in her home. Though initially ruled a suicide, investigator Cari and her friend in the police department suspect otherwise. As they dig deeper, they uncover clues that reveal hidden layers of the author’s reclusive life.

One of the book’s strengths is its well-described characters, which made it easy to visualize them. I especially enjoyed how the story kept me side by side with Cari and Genevieve as they followed the evidence, making discoveries in real time. The pacing of the mystery and the way clues were revealed kept me engaged throughout.

Overall, I found the storyline compelling and the investigation intriguing. I would definitely read another book by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jennie Rosenblum · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! - I have enjoyed every book in this series, and this author keeps getting better! Cari is newly engaged in this, her latest adventure, and is still trying to navigate it when a famous author turns up dead in the town. Gen is back with her partner Alex, but she might have a little more going on than Cari or Alex realize. When the police department puts a lid on the investigation, there go not only Cari’s sources but also her chance to collaborate and bounce ideas off of her best friend and her fiance.

Secrets abound in this book and it kept me turning pages as quickly as I could read to find out who was going to learn what when and be the first to solve the mysterious death of the author.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, strange case. I could feel the frustration of everyone involved in this investigation as they hit one dead end after another. And when they finally found the clue to break the case open it was almost literally out of a story book which is awesome. A mystery helping to solve a mystery too cool! I felt for Cari, Gen and Bob as they were all pressured to keep silent when they all work so well together. Hopefully that doesn’t keep up in the future. Loved the race at the end it’s nice to have a fun break from the seriousness of the rest of the story. But oh boy what a cliffhanger there at the end! Can’t wait to see what that’s all about!!
I received an arc via BookSirens this is my honest review.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this easy read murder/crime mystery series. Just the right mix of shenanigans, humour and character development through the first five books. These are shortish books, I’ve swallowed the others up in a couple of hours, though this one took me a little longer to digest. They have been a sweet treat.
Cari has her hands full once again, investigating the death of an author. But murder in the air, means she’s out to join the dots.
I did not see the ending of this book coming, and I’m sure you won’t either! Book six already published, and seven is on the way - hoorah.
Thank you to Leslie A. Piggott and BookSirens for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine.

[Kathryn Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best in the series so far!

The mysterious death to be solved was trickier than ever, and the clues were well hidden.

I enjoyed the "mechanism" of how the clues were revealed (don't want to specify more in a review - read it yourself to see what I mean) and the way that the victim was such an enigma for most of the book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There are also some teasers for secondary (or perhaps primary) plot lines to come, which will be interesting to follow.

[Myra McIlvain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page-turner!

Upfront, I admit winning a contest conducted by author Leslie Piggott, which resulted in Leslie naming a character for me in Unwritten in Death. Nevertheless, despite being startled every time my name appeared, I became so involved in the twists and turns of the plot that I forgot I was the dead author's housekeeper. Leslie's Cari Turnlyle series get better and more involved with each tale. I can't wait for the next one. She's left me hungry for more.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story within a story!! How freaky is that? It gives me goose bumps just thinking of all the creepiness involved in this. My skin crawls! This had so many buried secrets. The twists and turns are edge of your seat page turners.I enjoyed seeing the pieces all fall into place. I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest opinion.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reclusive author, a suspicious death and several other deaths that the relatives of the deceased claim are also suspicious, or are they in fact, in denial? But Cari and Gen are not allowed to confer with each other, as the higher ups in the department are putting the gagging order on things as the victim is a best selling author.

Another brilliant read, looking forward to the next one!