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This is the newest book by Katarina Bivald, the author of “The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend” (2016), “Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins” (2020), and “The Murders in Great Diddling” (2024).
Bivald grew up working part time in a book store and always dreamt of becoming an author.
“Just Another Dead Author” is the second mystery featuring Swedish author Berit Gardner, who helped solve the crimes in “The Murders in Great Diddling” using her powers of observation and her knowledge of human nature.
Berit has agreed to work at the literary retreat for aspiring authors held in the lovely Chateau de Livres in France, run by her good friend Emma Scott. Other authors are also giving workshops, including obnoxious wealthy literary lion John Wright, and several agents and a publisher. Wright is full of self importance, and has recently fired both his agent and publisher, who happen to also be at the retreat.
While Berit is giving her first workshop in the theatre, she notices Wright falling asleep in the audience in the front row, and soon she realizes that he has died … and it is murder! He had been drinking from a cup while she was talking.
His first talk was negative and he basically told the aspiring writers that they would never get published, they should give up, and that their work would never be worthwhile. Emma was furious with him for starting off her retreat on such an awful note, plus he refused to mingle with the writers, having his meals delivered to the room he shared with his quiet and browbeaten wife.
The French police soon discover Berit might actually be able to help them, after realizing she has gotten to know the attendees at the retreat and is in place to analyze motives. Plus, she had experience after Great Diddling. Superintendent Beatrice Roche actually talks to Ian Ahmed from Great Diddling, who is on vacation hiking in France and shows up near the end of the story.
Naturally almost all those attending had some sort of motive: the spurned publisher and agent, the wife (maybe he had a mistress?) There are twists galore, and then a second murder.
Might it be the young author following Berit around trying to beat her at finding the culprit? Maybe she endangered herself by letting people think she knows exactly what happened.
(NOTE: Bivald has a book out later this year: “The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die Quietly” — another Berit Gardner mystery, set in Sweden. I can’t wait!)
