Murder Ink

A Writer for Hire Mystery #1

by Betty Hechtman

Writer for Hire Veronica Blackstone is asked to write a celebration of life book for a former client's funeral, but was the death as straightforward as was reported?

Veronica Blackstone is a writer for hire. Be it love letters, biographies, resumes or wedding vows, Veronica has you covered. Her latest assignment is writing a celebration of life book for the funeral of one-time client Rachel Ross who tragically died one year after her wedding.

While researching Rachel's life, Veronica finds the information surrounding the circumstances of her death to be shrouded in mystery. No one quite knows what happened and her prominent family are more concerned with their image than the truth.

Was Rachel's life as perfect as it seemed or was there something dark going on? Was her fall an accident, deliberate or something else? In celebrating the life of Rachel, Veronica is determined to get to the bottom of her death.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Cozy, Fiction, Crime

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2020

About the author

I grew up on the south side of Chicago and in a very busy weekend, got married, graduated college and moved to Los Angeles.

Although my degree is in Fine Arts, all I ever wanted to be was a writer and I've been doing it in one form or another for as long as I can remember. My shining moments in elementary and high school always involved stories or poetry I'd written. I wrote news stories and a weekly column in my college newspaper. My first job out of college was working on the newsletter of a finance company. I worked for a public relations firm and wrote press releases and biographies. Later I wrote proposals for video projects and television shows that went through various stages of development.

I tried writing screenplays and wrote three. I sold one and another was a winner in a Writers' Digest contest.

I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom and did all kinds of volunteering at my son's schools including editing and writing several newsletters.

I wrote essays and small pieces that ran in the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News and Woman's Day among others. My short romantic and mystery fiction appeared in Woman's World, and Futures magazine.

From time I was a thirteen-year-old babysitter cooking for the kids I babysat, I dreamed of writing a book about babysitting. It took a little longer than I'd expected, but BLUE SCHWARTZ AND NEFERTITI'S NECKLACE was published in 2006.

My affair with crochet began in Las Vegas. I had always had a fascination with crochet, particularly granny squares, but thought there was some magic involved with making them that was beyond me. And then everything changed that day in Vegas when I saw the kids' kit in FAO Schwartz. If the instructions were easy enough for kids, I thought they might work for me.

My first granny square was missing a corner, but when I tried again, all four corners were there. I was in awe of my own accomplishment. I had found the magic. I went granny square crazy until pretty soon I didn't need directions anymore. Then I learned there were more squares than just basic grannies and I made squares with sunflowers in the middle and other patterns. I moved beyond squares and made flowers, hearts, bookmarks and more.

I was in love with crochet and began to make scarves, purses, afghans, and shawls. I started carrying my hooks everywhere. A plane trip became a pile of granny square wash cloths, or part of a shawl. A vacation in Hawaii turned into a tote bag.

And now I get to write about it...

** Sourced from authors website

Series:
* A Crochet Mystery
* Yarn Retreat

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character of this novel is Veronica Blackstone. An author who wrote a bestseller, but who has frozen when it comes to that, oh so difficult, second novel, she has used her previous success to run a writing group and as a ghostwriter. In this mystery, she has two main writing jobs. The first, to write love letters for a rather nerdy and intense man, named Evan, who is pining for work colleague, Sally. The second task is a sadder one. A year ago, Veronica helped write marriage vows for Rachel Parker and her husband, Luke. Now she learns that Rachel has died and she is asked to asked to help prepare a memory book for her funeral.

Rachel Parker came from a successful and wealthy family – enter image obsessed matriarch, Camille Parker. However, she was not as interested in the money or image, and this resulted in her teaching in a less than exclusive school and marrying bartender, Luke. As Veronica begins to look into Rachel’s life, she questions her death and what caused it.

This is a pleasurable mystery, with the author building up a good background story for Veronica and a number of other characters to help give background. I liked the way she kept all of the threads together and didn’t lose track of any of the interweaving strands. A good start to a series. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder Ink is the first book in the new Writer by Hire Mystery series by author Betty Hechtman. This is also the first book that I have read by this author. Let me start out by saying that I chose this book based on the premise. It sounded intriguing- a writer for hire who could stumble upon a mystery during one of her jobs. I liked the main character Veronica and think that the secondary cast of characters in her writing group show promise as the series continues.

Where this fell apart for me was the pacing and the mystery. Understanding that this is the first book in a new series, I went into reading it knowing that sometimes it takes a bit for the story to get off the ground as the author provides some backstory for the reader. However, I never felt like this story took off for me. The pacing seemed very slow and by the middle of the book, I didn't even feel like there was a mystery to be solved. For me, I didn't feel like Veronica stumbled upon a mystery that needed to be solved, and therefore, for me, it didn't really feel like she was doing any real sleuthing. The ending seemed a bit too pat for me as well.

I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Severen House, through Netgalley. The thoughts expressed are my own.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, short little story. But just not for me.

I didn't like the MC. Her hang up with cliche statements was annoying and interfered with the flow of the story. I also found her small life details mind numbing and, again, distracting from the story. I wasn't a huge fan of her odd job - it seemed easy to not pay her all the time (I'm amazed she ever got paid.)

I can see how others who love cozy mysteries might find this as a very cute new series for them. If that's you, give it a try. It just wasn't for me.

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful twist on a cozy mystery. A mystery writer with writer's block cobbles together a living by teaching private writing classes, writing ads for businesses and ghost writing romantic letters and verses for others finds herself following the mystery of why a former client died such a tragic death, but was it the accident that everyone thinks or something far more sinister? Excellent characters that come to life immediately with realistic flaws and personality traits help create a wonderful plot in which to lose yourself. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series as I am quite excited to see what happens next for this cast of characters.

[Julesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first entry to a new series. Can't wait for the next one! I enjoyed the main character, supporting characters and plot.

Awful narrator, though. Waaaay too breathy and lots of issues with volume control. She's either whispering or shouting. UGH! Not much variation with the different character voices. I will read the next one in ebook rather than audio book if it's the same narrator.

Story: 4.5 stars
Narrator: 3 stars

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Hechtman has written a story that provides likable characters that develop into unique personalities as the story progresses, a main protagonist who is flawed but I found her to be appealing and quite a few twists as the mystery moved forward at a smooth pace until the dramatic conclusion.

[Cassie Driggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an easy read in my opinion and not so much a mystery to me in that it’s supposed to be a murder mystery when the narrator stumbled upon and then at the end discovers the truth regarding the murder Shes a writer not a detective so the story line isn’t solely on the murder but about her unique writing “gigs” and they intertwine with each other It’s well written and I enjoyed reading it—just wouldn’t label it a “murder mystery” in my opinion.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With one successful detective story under her belt, Veronica finds that she's got a bad case of writer's block--for her own work. But she can write love letters, wedding vows, short reports, whatever for her clients, and she continues to lead a writers' group. When she's asked to write a memorial book for Rachel, whose wedding vows she crafted a year ago, and realizes that the family thinks Rachel took her own life, she's shocked. But she goes about her business, collecting anecdotes of Rachel to fill the book, picking up a gig writing publicity for the gym Rachel frequented, and dealing with a very needy client's dating progress. When strange things start to happen to her, Veronica turns reluctantly to the cop in her writers' group (who is also the recently divorced brother of her best friend, and a cold fish if there ever was one) and somehow finds--and escapes from--a murderer.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica is a writer in Chicago who's in a bit of a slump. So she writes for other people such as love letters and wedding vows. A woman she worked with ends up dying, and the family asks Veronica to write a memorial book. While she's gethering information, she learns the woman's death may not have been an accident.
Another lovely cozy where we've got the divorced writer who's got a cat, a possible cop love interest, and I nosey neighbor/friend. I absolutely loved it. The descriptions were on point, I love it's based out of Chicago, and nothing is rushed.

[Caryn Zdan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nice easy read but i did get a little confused on all of the different people at one point.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

To begin with I didn't understand what Veronica's job was. That bothered me the whole time.
I asked a writer in our book group and she said that it would be considered a freelance writer and that people do place ads & take up jobs like that but it tends to be corporate gigs.
We also wondered how someone could make a living doing the personal writing gigs she did.
That aside, the narrator on the audio wasn't good.
I couldn't connect with Veronica. It moved too slow.
And what was the deal with Evan? It seemed like he liked Veronica & was using the romance w/the other girl as reason to spend time with her. Also Luke? what was the deal with him?

Overall, I didn't like this one.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent first in a new series; I enjoyed it! The characters are fun and fresh with a variety of personalities. The setting is one the author knows well and loves, as evidenced by the descriptions that make it come to life. The mystery is intriguing and kept me on my toes as I considered whodunit. It left me awaiting the next one!

Veronica is a writer-for-hire who will write for almost any need, from wedding vows to company brochures to love letters. She wrote a bestselling mystery, started the sequel, and froze. In the meantime, the side jobs and the writer’s group she leads helps pay the bills.

Veronica has two new assignments A shy head of IT at an upscale hotel wants to marry a lovely young woman where he works but doesn’t know how to ask her out on that very important first date. Veronica will write a note for Evan to deliver to Sally to arrange a first date. She will observe from a distance to coach him. Veronica insists she is not a matchmaker, but this poor guy really needs help.

The other assignment is from Camille, the mother of a woman whose wedding vows Veronica helped polish about a year ago. Rachel had been a vibrant, happy young woman back then. She recently passed away from a fall from the balcony of her high-rise condo. The cause of her fall was undetermined; her husband, Luke, was at work when it happened. Rachel’s mother made what sounded like excuses for what might have happened. The family is prominent and wealthy, so she wants to do everything properly. She hires Veronica to prepare a Celebration of Life for people at Rachel’s memorial service but gives little information other than photo albums.

Veronica arranged to meet Rachel’s former co-workers, then found the dance gym she attended to get anecdotes about her to include in the biography. The more she heard, the more Veronica knew something had gone terribly wrong with this once happy girl. She visited with Luke where he worked, also at the upscale hotel where Evan and Sally work, to learn more about Rachel’s life from him.

At the weekly writers’ group, students often ask Veronica about her anonymous clients. They are an eclectic mix of people, from the taciturn police officer to the enthusiastic friend who loves the history of the Chicago neighborhood they live in. They become interested in the deceased woman and the young man interested in his co-worker. The taciturn cop becomes a friend when he finds her bringing home a cat from the pet shop where she writes about shelter pets in urgent need of a home.

Readers familiar with Betty Hechtman’s cozy mystery series will enjoy this. While the career focal point and locale are different, her trademark humor is evident, as is the complexity of the mystery. Veronica and other characters are very likable; they are well-defined through conversations and actions, and Veronica also through her thoughts and memories. I was amused by Veronica bringing home her new cat, Rocky, with no clue about litter boxes and other necessities and Ben’s approach to the adoption. I was fascinated by the Chicago neighborhood and its history, and was trying hard to find whodunit, especially when someone began to target Veronica. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy well-written mysteries that include writers, a Chicago setting, and cats.
From a thankful heart: I received an E-arc of this from the publisher through NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder Ink by Betty Hechtman is the first book in A Writer for Hire Mystery series. This story is told in the first person from Veronica Blackstone’s point-of-view. Veronica had a successful first book, but she is having trouble completing the second book. While waiting for inspiration to hit, Veronica has become a writer for hire as well as a writing coach. She is hired by Evan to write a letter to a co-worker in the hopes of getting him a date. Evan is a nervous man who can use all the help he can get. Veronica also gets hired by Mrs. Parker to create a celebration of life booklet for her recently deceased daughter, Rachel. Veronica is shocked that the vibrant Rachel is dead. She worked with Rachel and her then fiancé’, Luke to polish their wedding vows a year ago. There are some unanswered questions regarding Rachel’s death and Veronica sets out to fill in the blanks. Murder Ink was easy to read with some quirky characters. I liked the storyline involving Evan. It was humorous. I am not a fan of stories told in the first person and that includes Murder Ink. We get too much of what Veronica thinks as well as repetition of information. I thought the pacing was a little slow. It could have been peppier (it does pick up near the end). The mystery was straightforward, though, I did not feel it was the main focus of the book. Veronica did ask people questions but I felt she missed the mark at times. There was some suspicious activity that made the mystery more interesting. I thought that Veronica got lucky with the solution. I found it easy to sus out the guilty party (might as well have been a neon arrow over the persons head). The mystery wrapped up quickly. If I did not know better, I would think this was the author’s first cozy mystery. I did enjoy the descriptions of Chicago and Veronica’s neighborhood. There were some interesting tidbits about buildings relating back to the Chicago Worlds Fair. I also enjoyed the writer’s group and Veronica’s downstairs neighbor. Will I read the next book in A Writer for Hire Mystery series? I believe I will skip it as this series as it is not a good fit for me. Murder Ink is an easygoing cozy mystery with a matchmaking stay-at-home mom, a undefine death, invigorating dance classes, a nervous Nellie, a troublesome television, and a cute cop.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

208 pages

4 stars

Veronica Blackstone is a writer with a difference. She writes all sorts of things for other people. Death notices, love letters, invitations, nothing is beyond her talents. She keeps very busy and truly enjoys her work.

She has two new commissions; one for a geeky young man who has a huge crush on a woman with whom he works and the other a celebration of life notice for a young woman who was a bride just a year earlier. She recalls writing Rachel and Luke's wedding vows. Rachel fell to her death from the balcony of her condo.

Camille Parker, Rachel's mother is an impossible woman: imperious and demanding, she sees the world as hers to rule. Talking to an ordinary person is seen as almost beneath her. Image is everything with this woman. Camille doesn't like Luke, her son-in-law either.

Luke's reaction to Rachel's death seems a little off to Veronica.

In the midst of her very busy life, Veronica begins to suspect there is more to Rachel's death than it seems. She wonders about the people in Rachel's life. Strange things begin to happen to Veronica. Things she didn't order show up and her television has a mind of its own.

I never guessed the perpetrator of the crime.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little different than the cozies I am used to by Betty Hechtman. I loved the different projects Veronica picks up and the characters it brings her into contact with. The mystery itself, however, didn’t really feel like the mystery. It wasn’t until well into the book that she actually started investigating and, even then, there wasn’t much to it. The book was very slow in the beginning and highlighted her mundane daily tasks. Her aha moment was so quick, it was as if it was rushed. All in all, it was an OK read and I will continue with the series.

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a series. Veronica Blackstone is a writer for hire. She has written a book and her publisher wants another one, but she has writer’s block. So she has started a business where she helps those who need assistance in writing projects. She has been called to write a tribute for a memorial service for someone she had assisted with writing her wedding vows. Veronica can’t believe the happy girl who got married had committed suicide. This leads Veronica into playing detective along with all her paying jobs. Great first book, looking forward to reading the next.

[Kue Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this earlier this year. It is different, but I am enjoying this author. The storylines in the books are similar but sometimes contain a little twist, like in this book. This is an easy read and is probably better suited for a young adult.

[Barb Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was happy to see that Betty Hechtman had a new mystery, even though it is a new series featuring a writer for hire instead of our usual knitting and yarn groupies. The story is even set in Chicago, which should have been cool but instead was a hindrance as Hechtman repeatedly took great pains to show us her knowledge of the city.

Even the mystery failed to excite me. The story picked up once Veronica Blackstone adopted a cat. That should tell you something.

Although Hechtman thanks her editor in the acknowledgements at the end of the book, she should have used the space to ask for an editor who would actually edit the book. Words were missing throughout the book. At one point, she wrote that "plantiff piano music" began to play.

Yup. A good editor would have been useful.

[lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I REALLY wanted to like this book because the premise seemed right up my alley. Unfortunately, I kept waiting for the pace to pick up in this story but it never did. While I did find some of the characters interesting, and I enjoyed that the story took place in Chicago (having recently traveled there for the first time), it all felt very slow to me. Sometimes the descriptions were useful and drove the story, but more often there were long, drawn out parts that didn't end up being important to the plot. The narration wasn't a problem for me (audiobook), I just wanted more out of the book and didn't get it.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute.
Truthfully, I picked this one up for the cover as much as the blurb. It gives off a certain vibe. But then the book had a very different one, in actuality. This was a cozy, and it was the first in a series, and I didn't see that coming, at all. I was expecting a stand-alone and something a little more gritty, maybe? But yeah, I can't judge it harshly because I thought it was going to be something different. That's on me.
So why not a 4? It was a little slow, with uneven pacing and very little sense of urgency. The mystery isn't much of a mystery, and very little solving actually happens. The protagonist is a writer for hire who also runs a writing class. One of the students (her future love interest) is a cop writing, of course, a procedural. The protagonist mentions several times that his prose it much too spare and minimal, with very little emphasis on how the characters feel or who they are as people. I laughed, because that's exactly the kind of writing that I prefer. Maybe not quite so extreme, but I do like a more hard-boiled approach. I found the author's style too verbose and descriptive. It wasn't to the point of being florid, but it was still too much for my taste. It very much read like it was aimed at women. Which is fine, it's just not a genre which I personally enjoy.
The main plot, with the protagonist investigating the suspicious death of a woman she had previously done some work for, was interesting enough, but not much of a mystery.
The side plots were love based- her neighbor trying to set her up with her brother the cop, and the other job she's working- ghostwriting love letters for a techie trying to romance a co-worker. I would say that I admired the writer's restraint when dealing with the protagonist's love life, but then, it's going to be a series, so it was a matter of practicality. The ghostwriting plot was cute but also... ok, the concept is a little iffy. Guy is madly in love with his out-of-his-league coworker who barely knows who he is. Like, he wants to marry her, but they've never even had a conversation. He has no idea how to talk to her so he hires our hero to covertly intermediate, even getting her to spy on them to collect intel for his love letters. Is it just me or is that a little... off? Thankfully, he wasn't a stalker, sex offender or serial killer, and he and the object of his affections had a happy ending.
So. The ending. It made sense, but it was rushed and kind of felt like it came out of nowhere. The solution came in an info dump, and came about through a chance comment and some lucky timing. It was fine, but not good, you know?
The thing is, the protagonist is an author. She is forever referring to things that authors should not do (like describing a character as though it was for an autopsy, height, weight, eye color, etc.) and suggesting better options (like describing their personality/character) and then doing the thing she says not to do. We get a lot of outfit descriptions... Likewise, she's forever cautioning against the use of figures of speech, and then using figures of speech. Again, that's fine, and it's expected in this genre, it's just funny, like, she's trying to find a way to fulfill genre obligations while also trying to show that she knows how cheesy it is? One the one hand, clever, on the other... I don't know. It feels like she could have written a totally different book with the same premise.
But no, it was cute. I'm not a cozy fan, but I liked this one.

[Alys · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the plus side, I really like the concept -- a writer for hire. All sorts of interesting possibilities. Sadly, not realized in this book. I'm not sure if the author or the copy editor is to blame -- probably both -- but the number of word errors is appalling. So much so that it detracts from the story. Examples: Using "plaintiff" (someone who sues another) instead of plaintive (expressing suffering or woe); using "illusive" (based on or producing an illusion) instead of "elusive" (tending to elude). Not good. Then there's having the protagonist repeatedly use cliches and each time state that they shouldn't be used was a huge distraction. I stopped counting after 5 uses. I would have thought that a competent editor would have caught the repeated use of the same phrasing. It did not move the story forward and distracted from the plot line. Similarly, the use of the phrase "I can use the exercise" was way overworked.

Then there is the term "gaslighting." Really? The protagonist, an author of a mystery, has not heard of the term? Nor have the police officers? Really? The term gaslighting has been in the news constantly. It beggars belief that none of these people would have heard the term.

The characters are not terribly well drawn. Again the protagonist was not very engaging. This is a series and the author should have used this opportunity to encourage us to like the protagonist. Not so much. And don't get me started on her adoption of the cat! That really felt like it was done mostly to have a cat in the book as they are popular in mysteries. It also served the purpose of getting the reader to see another side of Ben, but mostly it showed that Veronica should not have a pet -- she's not only unfamiliar with having pets, she "forgets" that she has the cat! Meaning that she forgets to feed it, among other things.

Then there's the story. It had promise. Unfulfilled promise. Veronica failed to ask incredibly obvious questions of her informants. She never did ask Luke about his inheritance. The book plodded along, raising all sorts of interesting, potentially helpful, information. Then the reader was left hanging. And then suddenly, Veronica figures out who the killer is, without using most of the information she has gathered.

I had high hopes for this book. I really wanted to like it. I even finished it, in spite of its flaws, since I kept hoping that things would improve. Nope. A huge disappointment. I'm amazed that there are additional books in the series.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I debated whether to give this book 2 or 3 stars. It is a solid 2 1/2. Veronica Blackstone is a freelance writer. She has one detective novel under her belt, but after experiencing writer’s block she shelved the follow up novel and, to make ends meet, she writes resumes, cancellation letters, love letters, wedding vows, business brochures, pretty much anything unless it is illegal. She leads a writer’s group in her home as well. She had written the wedding vows for a wealthy young couple. Now, a year later, the young bride Rachel has fallen off a balcony to her death. Everyone assumes that Rachel committed suicide. She had gone from a happy, blushing bride to a neurotic wreck. The ultra-nasty stepmother wants the memorial book to be a fiction - in other words nothing that the self-centered snobbish woman would consider unflattering to her. Veronica undertakes the assignment by looking up friends and coworkers of Rachel as well as her husband Luke to get anecdotes about Rachel. But what she finds is suspicious. Why did Rachel deteriorate so rapidly? Why was she so unhappy at the end when Veronica finds that she had a fulfilling life as a beloved teacher? Luke seems so nice. Or is he? Rachel took dance classes and Veronica joins in order to learn more about Rachel. Meanwhile, she is helping a nerdy young man write notes to his pretty coworker to get her to date him. Veronica gets too involved with him and ends up being his dating guru. She also shares too much of her Rachel assignment with her writers group (in my opinion). Veronica ends up finding the real reason for Rachel’s decline and the real circumstances of her death. In some ways this book felt like a creative writing assignment- a little unpolished. But it was a decent quick read.

[Cozy Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the debut of the new cozy mystery series "A Writer For Hire" Mystery series by cozy author Betty Hechtman. I am a long time fan of the author's other series and was pleased to receive this new series for review. My review opinion is my own. Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher. This is such a fun series that has a wonderful new cozy theme of a writer protagnist. I found it fascinating with a well crafted sleuth that kept me guessing to conclusion.

Veronica Blackstone is a writer for hire. She has one book published but cannot get through her second book so she takes on all writing jobs. She writes everything from biographies to resumes and wedding vows, She even writes love letters for a man who is in love with someone he works with. She runs a writers group that meets once a week at her house of fellow writers and good friends. Her current assignment is writing a celebration of life book for the funeral of one-time client Rachel Ross. Rachel died one year after her wedding. Rachel died in a terrible fall. Once Veronica begins her research she finds suspicious clues that may lead her to believe Rachel was murdered. She ask her writer's group to help and soon clues abound and suspects are leading Veronica and friends to the conclusion of murder.

I loved this new fresh protagnist with a unique job in the world of cozies. I like the supporting charcters and the fun sleuth that kept me guessing. I look forward to the next in series. Very well done to the author !

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veronica is a best-selling author who is struggling to write her next book. In the meantime, she leads a writing group – who expect her to have all the answers, even if they don't want to listen to her critique – and she is, literally, a writer for hire. She'll write resumes, love letters, wedding vows or anything else someone will pay her to write. While gathering information for her current job, writing a celebration of life for the funeral of a woman whose wedding vows she helped write just a year ago, she uncovers things that make her question the circumstances of her former client's death.

This is the first book in a new series by an author who writes another series that I have enjoyed, so I was eager to get in on this series from the beginning. Maybe it's just the first-in-a-series thing that I've seen in so many books, but I wasn't as invested in this book as I'd hoped to be. The characters are well-developed and I can see the beginning of relationships developing between some of them, but the story itself just seemed to drag. While cozy mysteries aren't known for being as fast-paced as other types of mysteries, the pace of this one seemed slower than most.

That said, the mystery was good, and I was surprised by the ending, perhaps because there weren't many clues that would lead a reader to that particular conclusion. With all of that, though, I look forward to reading the next book in this series, so I can learn more about Veronica and her friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book confused me. I like the premise - the main character is an author, struggling with writer's block, so she takes on freelance writing jobs and runs a writing workshop out of her home. I would love to have a job like this, but I kept wondering how much this person could possibly be earning per hour when her gigs require her to, for example, take multiple dance classes (to write blurbs about each class), and surreptitiously join a person on multiple dates (so she can write love letters for the guy to give his intended).

Maybe this book was actually written 20 years ago, but a good editor should have helped to update it. As published, I kept finding anomalies that had me double checking the 2020 release date. For example, the main character suggests that her client (a young man) watch some Hugh Grant films, but he can't figure out how to do this on his own, so he ends up having to come to her house to watch a video on her television (really? in 2020?) The term "gaslighting" also comes up the story, and it's presented like the average person would not have heard of this.

I like the crochet mysteries by this author, so I'm blaming the editor for the problems I have with this book. I'll give the next volume a try - hopefully the editing is better.

[Kristen K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book at the beginning. There seem to be lots of extra details and waffling going on, the actual mystery didn’t start until halfway through. Once it did, the book became much more interesting and enjoyable. The main character also adopted a cat halfway through the story, so that might have sold me too…since I am a crazy cat lady.

Anyway, the book is a cozy mystery about a professional writer who writes whatever anyone hires her to write. She is hired to write some love letters for a man and then she is hired to write a memorial book for a young woman who died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, Veronica, gets involved in figuring out what happened to the woman who died.

This is the first book in the series, so I am going to get the second from the library and give the author another chance. Again, the book improved by the end, so hopefully the series improves as well.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but I kept mentally editing as I was reading, both because there were editing errors (which seems to be a thing with Severn mysteries) and because the story was fun but not engrossing enough to really take me away. This is told in first person by Veronica, a single woman living in her own apartment in Chicago, earning her living by taking writing jobs. When Veronica is called in to write a celebration of life for the memorial service of a young married socialite, she begins tracking down people in Rachel's life for quotes for the memorial book. She begins to have suspicions about what really happened to Rachel. The mystery was good and the pace worked well and I liked having such a smart protagonist. I would probably read another in this series, but I wouldn't expect to be wowed by it.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veronica, a novelist with writers block, has carved out a niche writing smaller things- wedding vows, love letters, and, here a tribute for a dead woman. This is an interesting start to a new series, which sees Veronica unconvinced that Rachel's death in a fall was accidental or suicide. After all, she worked with Rachel only a year earlier to write the vows for Rachel's wedding to Luke. Something seems not right but she can't put her finger on it. Of course, she feels the need to investigate but then odd things begin to happen to her- is she being warned off by Rachel's powerful family? No spoilers from me but this has enough twists to keep you guessing. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read and I'm looking forward to seeing Veronica again.

[Ppcfransen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow read.

Veronica is a writer for hire and she is hired to write a celebration of life book for a young woman that fell off her balcony. Veronica goes in search of stories and learns that in the last months before her death the woman was behaving strangely. She finds strange things were happening to the woman, and soon, strange things start happening to Veronica too.

Not much sleuthing going on in this story. At most as a quest to find stories about Rachel. There are a few side plots with a man that needs help writing notes to a woman he likes and a writing group. They are entertaining and make up for the subtle presence of the mystery.

Too bad the ending is rushed.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Was very ready for this one to be over. I just don’t think I cared for the premise. The main characters job seemed pretty unbelievable. I mean her mentoring some amateur writers was believable enough. But her writing love letters for people and getting just way too involved in things just to write up a description of a dance class and a memorial. It was way over the top. Especially the storyline with Evan. Those were the parts where I started rolling my eyes in earnest. Eventually it seemed like this woman had zero boundaries. And I thought that the culprit was pretty obvious (or at least what was going on with the gaslighting) but we had to wait quite a while for our heroine to catch on.