Crime Writer

As a book reviewer, I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher or author to facilitate this review. I received no other compensation, and all opinions are always 100% my own.

Zoey Kozinski, crime author with a book deal, has some fierce writer’s block and a nagging agent, so she arranges to ride-along with the local police force one evening. But things quickly go awry when a busted tail light leads to a homicide, leaving a dead cop and Zoey as the only witness.

She’s given little opportunity to process the trauma, however. The dead policeman’s colleagues seem to view Zoey as a potential instigator, and it doesn’t help that the notes she was writing for her book seem to picture what happened. The new widow openly blames Zoey, calling her a distraction and trying to turn public opinion against her. On top of that, Zoey lives in a tiny house parked on an isolated illegal cannabis farm in Northern California, so she doesn’t want to give out her address. Her estranged control-freak mother is suddenly back in the picture. The icing on the cake is her budding relationship with Jimmy, who stopped at the scene of the crime in a white car a few minutes after the killer sped away in a different white car. At least Zoey is pretty sure it was a different car.

Although the story is mainly told from Zoey’s point of view, there are occasional chapters told about Ray, who is having to deal with the fact that someone moving some illegal product for him killed a policeman. He tells the kid to eliminate the witness. He can never remember the kid’s name though, just that it starts with a J.

Is Zoey in danger? Yes. Is Jimmy a killer? I’m not telling. Is Zoey’s mother annoying and yet complicated? Is Zoey herself also complicated? Yes and yes, I think I can safely say. Is Crime Writer an engrossing novel with well-drawn characters that I highly recommend? Yes. Absolutely. No spoilers needed!

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/BbIBvA5Y
Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/7Y6wWGfA

Author Bio:

A Claymore and Silver Falchion finalist, Vinnie Hansen is the author of the Carol Sabala mystery series, the novels LOSTART STREET, ONE GUN, and CRIME WRITER, as well as over seventy published short works. She is a member of Mystery Writers of American, Sisters in Crime, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. A retired high-school English teacher, she lives with her husband and the requisite cat in Santa Cruz, CA.

Author Links:  

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