Publication Date: June 17, 2025
Welcome to the Killer Lines Crime Fiction Festival, the place for star writers of the genre to meet their adoring fans. But be careful—this year the murders aren’t just on the page.
In the quaint English town of Hoslewit, the biggest names in crime writing have congregated to celebrate all things bookish and murderous. Author Jane Hepburn is determined to make her time at the Killer Lines festival worthwhile. This is her chance to change her fortunes and make her fictional Private Detective Baker a household name. And if she has to resort to sneaking into the book tent after hours to rearrange some books so hers are front and center, so be it.
But when Jane encounters the dead body of renowned (and reviled) literary agent Carrie Marks, the festival takes on a decidedly different tone. Joined by Carrie’s newest client, debut novelist Natasha Martez, and the agency’s hapless intern, Daniel Thurston, Jane decides to put her fictional sleuthing skills to use in the real world—she’s going to solve the murder. But the list of suspects is long: seemingly everyone at the festival has a motive to kill Carrie, and the more Jane and her new friends investigate, the closer they come to a dangerous truth—one that’s stranger than fiction.
A Novel Murder by E C Nevin is a mystery with so many storylines and crimes committed. The crimes take place at a mystery book festival held in a small English town, but irregularities are also uncovered. A group of misfits, two authors, and an intern decide to stick together to figure out whodunnit.
Jane has written seven mysteries starring her fictional Detective Baker, but the books are barely seeing the light of day. When Jane discovers the dead body, she decides to find out who the murderer is. Natasha is a debut author who is already making a name for herself, and Daniel is the intern who rounds out the group, and they all unexpectedly click and become friends. Seeing them in action—individually or together—was sometimes a hoot.
There are clues to gather and suspects to interview and investigate, much to the chagrin of Detective Inspector Ramos.  However, with some help from Jane and her friends, they provide him with additional information and details, along with other suspects to consider. The suspects were many and were ruled out one by one.
The book has several twists and turns, and at times, it lacks a smooth flow. However, there are clues and red herrings throughout, and some are in plain sight. They enlarge their group and pick up others to help them figure out whodunnit, and they surprisingly do. There is closure in solving the crimes, along with a few surprises.
A Novel Murder had me guessing throughout to figure out who had the motive, means, and opportunity to commit the crimes. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t who I thought.
E C Nevin is the pen name for Eve Hall, who is a fiction editor as well as a writer. Despite what A Novel Murder may imply, she really does like her book industry colleagues. Most of them anyway. Eve lives in Bristol with her partner and two dogs.
