I don’t have any perspective of being a published writer but as an aspiring one, I know all writers have an ego. You kind of have to; I mean, it takes a certain level of arrogance to think people are going to pay their hard-earned money to read what comes out of your brain. Hours, days of their lives they’re never gonna get back they’re willingly going to give you money for this experience. So yeah, you have to have one.
However, I just attended Thrillerfest — the real-life event that is the basis for this book’s fictional Muderpalooza — and I have to say: the vast majority of published writers I met were salt of the earth humans. Exceedingly sweet, unfailingly polite, quick with advice or encouragement. No doubt there are egos behind the scenes but the biggest challenge for a writer is the publishing industry itself and not their fellow writer.
So I really encourage any potential reader of I Didn’t Do It to understand going in that this book is satire. A send up of the publishing industry and the fascination readers have with the creme de la creme bestselling writers.
If you do that, you’ll have a good time. It’s a fun book. The plot is predictable, the characters are thin but the story its telling about the mystery/thriller writing world is a lot of fun and quite clever. I enjoyed how she told the story through the eyes of grubby career advancers trying to prove they’re the best writer while also definitely not having murdered the murdered person.
It’s not what I would normally read but now that I’m familiar with this world, it’s fun to watch it skewered a bit. But again, know going in, most authors don’t act like the ones you meet in this book.
