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The Write Way to Die
From USA Today bestselling author Beth Prentice comes a brand new series filled with humor, romance, and deadly deceptions...
A writing retreat. A famous author. A deadly fall.
Aspiring novelist Aubrey Jackson never expected her big break to be wrapped in crime scene tape. Invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by the legendary author Willow Fox, Aubrey was excited to sharpen her plot twists and finally finish her first book. But when Willow is found dead—pushed from a third story window—the peaceful getaway turns into a real-life investigation.
With a retreat full of suspects, and the police pointing the finger at one of her best friends, Aubrey’s instincts kick in. After all, she’s read enough murder mysteries to know this wasn’t an accident! So with her writer buddies, Ellie and Spencer, by her side, she sets out to find a killer!
Only problem? The sharp detective with gorgeous eyes and enough muscles to be on a magazine cover, who has a frustrating determination to arrest the wrong person.
Can Aubrey uncover the truth before the killer writes her off for good? Or will her first big break end in a plot twist she never saw coming?
And don't forget to pick up Aubrey Jackson's debut novella, Murder for Shore!
A writing retreat. A famous author. A deadly fall.
Aspiring novelist Aubrey Jackson never expected her big break to be wrapped in crime scene tape. Invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by the legendary author Willow Fox, Aubrey was excited to sharpen her plot twists and finally finish her first book. But when Willow is found dead—pushed from a third story window—the peaceful getaway turns into a real-life investigation.
With a retreat full of suspects, and the police pointing the finger at one of her best friends, Aubrey’s instincts kick in. After all, she’s read enough murder mysteries to know this wasn’t an accident! So with her writer buddies, Ellie and Spencer, by her side, she sets out to find a killer!
Only problem? The sharp detective with gorgeous eyes and enough muscles to be on a magazine cover, who has a frustrating determination to arrest the wrong person.
Can Aubrey uncover the truth before the killer writes her off for good? Or will her first big break end in a plot twist she never saw coming?
And don't forget to pick up Aubrey Jackson's debut novella, Murder for Shore!
- GenresCozy Mystery
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2025
20 people want to read
About the author
Beth Prentice
53 books173 followersBeth Prentice is the award winning, USA Today Bestselling Author of the several series and standalone novels.
She was born in Manchester, England, but after moving backwards and forwards across the world 13 times in 14 years she decided that at the age of 18 that Australia was to be her home. She now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia where every day is a good one. She is the lucky mother of two grown up children, and, along with her ever-patient husband, she is the proud but sometimes flustered owner of four dogs, a cat, and a canary. She has always had a love of reading, and even though her background is in accounting, she has now discovered her love of writing. Her main wish is to write books you can sit back, relax with, and escape from your everyday life...and ones that you walk away from with a smile! When she's not writing you will usually find her at the beach with a coffee in hand, pursuing her favorite pastime --people watching!
She was born in Manchester, England, but after moving backwards and forwards across the world 13 times in 14 years she decided that at the age of 18 that Australia was to be her home. She now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia where every day is a good one. She is the lucky mother of two grown up children, and, along with her ever-patient husband, she is the proud but sometimes flustered owner of four dogs, a cat, and a canary. She has always had a love of reading, and even though her background is in accounting, she has now discovered her love of writing. Her main wish is to write books you can sit back, relax with, and escape from your everyday life...and ones that you walk away from with a smile! When she's not writing you will usually find her at the beach with a coffee in hand, pursuing her favorite pastime --people watching!
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 12, 2025
I do love a good cosy mystery and this is the start of a new series, yay, a writers retreat a New York Best- selling author running it and then a fall from a window or was it a push?
Aubrey Jackson is an aspiring mystery writer and she has spent all of her savings to attend this retreat run my Willow Fox, famous author she is determined to finish her first book at this retreat she has support of a few fellow author friends Ellie, Spencer and Jenna, who also co-writes stories with Willow Fox but when Aubrey finds Willow in the garden after a fall this getaway changes direction very quickly but what else can a group of writers do but investigate?
There are many suspects in this case and the more that the friends uncover the more red-herrings that are thrown their way, blackmail amongst the clues and discovering Willow’s personality and secrets, the head detective Tate is onto Aubrey and her friends instantly when he uncovers their nosing around this of course is sure to bring danger to Aubrey but Tate is determined to stop them interfering, but will Aubrey get the answers first?
This is a fabulous start to a new series one that had me turning the pages and guessing all the way through, twists and turns that I did not see coming and we get two stories as we can read a long with Aubrey’s story that she is writing, the characters are fabulous I loved Aubrey and Detective Tate, could there be a friendship growing between Aubrey and Tate? I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good cosy mystery, and as a bonus there is another book that will be available soon which is Aubrey Jackson’s story Murder for Shore which I am looking forward to.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
Aubrey Jackson is an aspiring mystery writer and she has spent all of her savings to attend this retreat run my Willow Fox, famous author she is determined to finish her first book at this retreat she has support of a few fellow author friends Ellie, Spencer and Jenna, who also co-writes stories with Willow Fox but when Aubrey finds Willow in the garden after a fall this getaway changes direction very quickly but what else can a group of writers do but investigate?
There are many suspects in this case and the more that the friends uncover the more red-herrings that are thrown their way, blackmail amongst the clues and discovering Willow’s personality and secrets, the head detective Tate is onto Aubrey and her friends instantly when he uncovers their nosing around this of course is sure to bring danger to Aubrey but Tate is determined to stop them interfering, but will Aubrey get the answers first?
This is a fabulous start to a new series one that had me turning the pages and guessing all the way through, twists and turns that I did not see coming and we get two stories as we can read a long with Aubrey’s story that she is writing, the characters are fabulous I loved Aubrey and Detective Tate, could there be a friendship growing between Aubrey and Tate? I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good cosy mystery, and as a bonus there is another book that will be available soon which is Aubrey Jackson’s story Murder for Shore which I am looking forward to.
My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.
September 18, 2025
The Write Way to Die is a great start to a new cozy series set in small town Washington state. A group of writer friends and others are at a writers' retreat when someone is killed. Told from the viewpoint of Aubrey, who finds the victim and from there on, she cannot stay out of trouble along with her two friends, although warned by a handsome detective. This is a page-turner with danger, action, lots of suspects, humor, and a hint of romance.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. These are my thoughts.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. These are my thoughts.
August 21, 2025
I love everything that Beth Prentice writes! They are descriptive. The storylines are fascinating. The characters are worth following. I throughly enjoyed this book. A small town, close friends, a possible romance and a murder! Can’t wait for the next one!
November 1, 2025
This is a unique cozy mystery in that it instantly had me hooked, and not with one but two cozy mysteries.That is right, I was hooked by the end of page one and it was really the first chapter of the cozy mystery that fictional character Aubrey Jackson was writing. Then the real story begins, and bits of the secondary cozy are sprinkled throughout. In addition to being twice as intrigued as usual, I also found solace in the challenges that Aubrey, our aspiring author/sleuth is facing when trying to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be. The writer’s seminar and one on one time with successful author Willow Fox were supposed to help with her writer’s block. It did seem to help but mostly because Aubrey and friends are drawn into sleuthing to keep Detective Tate from pursuing Jenna Mulgrady, a friend of Aubrey’s, as a suspect in Willow death.
Aubrey is one of the only characters that I have come across who actually freaks out when discovering the body. I can completely appreciate what I think would be a very real reaction. I for one would probably scream and pass out, hit my head and wake up with a massive headache. Not that the negative reaction causes any amount of hesitation on Aubrey’s part when looking for clues, asking questions, entering crime scene areas, or otherwise annoying Detective Tate. Ah yes, Detective Tate, he is tall, athletically built, and makes Aubrey’s breath catch. She also has this reaction around Spencer Stratford, published writer, group friend and present crush. Supposedly, Spencer does not reciprocate, but I will let you be the judge of that as you read the book. Aubrey’s bff and successful writer, Ellie Symonds thinks that there might be something there with regards to both eligible bachelors.
I did not figure out who the killer was even though there were plenty of suspects and plenty of clues. Willow Fox was not such a nice lady even if she did have multiple men enamored with her. Her own assistant was not even a fan. One could even wonder if Willow’s sister Isla was a little jealous of Willow’s achievements and the fact that Willow had to buy the BnB for Isla and her husband, Chris, to have a business. So many suspects, so many rabbit holes filled with red herrings. All in all, this was a very enjoyable read for a series starter and I look forward to reading the next one. Be sure to check out Murder For Shore, written by Beth Prentice and Aubrey Jackson. How else will you find out what happens to Aubrey’s fictional sleuth?
Aubrey is one of the only characters that I have come across who actually freaks out when discovering the body. I can completely appreciate what I think would be a very real reaction. I for one would probably scream and pass out, hit my head and wake up with a massive headache. Not that the negative reaction causes any amount of hesitation on Aubrey’s part when looking for clues, asking questions, entering crime scene areas, or otherwise annoying Detective Tate. Ah yes, Detective Tate, he is tall, athletically built, and makes Aubrey’s breath catch. She also has this reaction around Spencer Stratford, published writer, group friend and present crush. Supposedly, Spencer does not reciprocate, but I will let you be the judge of that as you read the book. Aubrey’s bff and successful writer, Ellie Symonds thinks that there might be something there with regards to both eligible bachelors.
I did not figure out who the killer was even though there were plenty of suspects and plenty of clues. Willow Fox was not such a nice lady even if she did have multiple men enamored with her. Her own assistant was not even a fan. One could even wonder if Willow’s sister Isla was a little jealous of Willow’s achievements and the fact that Willow had to buy the BnB for Isla and her husband, Chris, to have a business. So many suspects, so many rabbit holes filled with red herrings. All in all, this was a very enjoyable read for a series starter and I look forward to reading the next one. Be sure to check out Murder For Shore, written by Beth Prentice and Aubrey Jackson. How else will you find out what happens to Aubrey’s fictional sleuth?
October 14, 2025
The Write Way to Die is the first book in the Murder By the Book Mystery series by Beth Prentice and it has a lot to love .... a story that grabs you instantly, a cast of strong characters, one stronger than the other as they are a murderer, a great setting for this first of hopefully many in the series, a story within a story, plus much more !!!
In The Write Way to Die main character Aubrey is going on a weekend writing retreat with her best friend, Elle and another good friend Spencer. Another good friend of Aubrey and Elle's is co-hosting the event with a popular author that they cannot wait to spend time with and learn from .... unfortunately Willow, the author, is found dead outside and Aubrey is the one to find her !!!
It is soon ruled murder as she was pushed from her third floor room window. And with the retreat consisting of authors and individuals that want to be authors, everyone is talking and they all have their own ideas. Except one of them is most likely the murderer so .....
Aubrey is there to work on the story that she is writing, a cozy mystery, so when she can't focus on her writing she wonders about Willow's murder and cannot help but start to do her own investigating. And Elle and Spencer are just as bad and go along with it all. Even though Aubrey gets in too deep and the handsome detective is constantly telling her to stop !!
Prentice has a great foundation with this first book in this series. There is so much to love as I stated already. And the way that she ends this story, you know you are in for it all and be waiting for the next book ... I know I will be.
In The Write Way to Die main character Aubrey is going on a weekend writing retreat with her best friend, Elle and another good friend Spencer. Another good friend of Aubrey and Elle's is co-hosting the event with a popular author that they cannot wait to spend time with and learn from .... unfortunately Willow, the author, is found dead outside and Aubrey is the one to find her !!!
It is soon ruled murder as she was pushed from her third floor room window. And with the retreat consisting of authors and individuals that want to be authors, everyone is talking and they all have their own ideas. Except one of them is most likely the murderer so .....
Aubrey is there to work on the story that she is writing, a cozy mystery, so when she can't focus on her writing she wonders about Willow's murder and cannot help but start to do her own investigating. And Elle and Spencer are just as bad and go along with it all. Even though Aubrey gets in too deep and the handsome detective is constantly telling her to stop !!
Prentice has a great foundation with this first book in this series. There is so much to love as I stated already. And the way that she ends this story, you know you are in for it all and be waiting for the next book ... I know I will be.
August 26, 2025
This includes a story within a story. The main character, Aubrey, is a new writer attending a private writing retreat being hosted by Willow Fox, a famous author. Aubrey is excited to be there, but there are a lot of underlying tensions that she picks up on. The book opens up with Aubrey working on the first chapter of her book, “Murder for Shore”, a cozy mystery. But after the first workshop, a real murder mystery occurs as Willow ends up dead. Aubrey’s friend, Jenny, is the prime suspect and she feels that it is up to her and her other two friends to prove to the handsome detective Tate that Jenny is innocent. But there are a lot of suspects and everyone seems to have a secret—and a motive. When Aubrey and her friends go snooping, they discover that even the building has secrets. As the mystery unfolds, so does Aubrey’s writing so you get to read Aubrey’s story as she’s writing it. (But it’s not finished before the book is, so you need to read the entire one in “Murder for Shore”.
Recommended.
Recommended.
October 21, 2025
This is the first book in a new series by Beth Prentice. Aubrey is a writer of cozy mysteries, determined to finish her first book and get it published. She was invited to an exclusive writer’s retreat hosted by Willow Fox, a famous writer. Things seem a bit off, but nothing major until Willow is found dead, pushed out of a window. Aubrey’s friend is suspected of being the killer, so she is determined to find the true killer, assisted by her friends Spencer and Ellie. The local (and very handsome) detective is trying very hard to get Aubrey and her friends to stop involving themselves in the investigation to no avail. Will they find the killer or be in danger themselves? I’m looking forward to the next book in this delightful new series.
October 6, 2025
once again a big thank you to the author and to my friend for the invite to read and review this new series and I do have to say that my friend knews me so well , what I like and what I dislike when it comes to cozy mysteries . I do have to say at first when I started reading this that I thought I might have downloaded the wrong book but then it hit me , that I had the right one that this one was the one I should have read first instead of Murder for Shore: Saltwater Bay Secrets Mystery Novella #1, ( to find out why , your going to have to read ) to read them both yourself , but lets just say that I started to laugh at myself , and I can hear my friend Crarissa.Ann laughing at me and asking me what am I going going to do with you. But back back to my review of this book, just like the novella this book had me laughing not only at the characters but of the chaos that seemed to happen even when they when they was trying to looking like they wasn't up to something , and the interaction between the friends and the detective, had me smiling as well , plus it was really hard to pick between to of the male characters I like best and which of them I wanted the main female character to ended up . will be looking forward to the next book in the series .
August 24, 2025
As a mystery writer, Aubrey attends a weekend retreat only to discover the retreat's star author lies dead in a garden. With friends and under the nose of the local police, Aubrey decides it is up to them to find out who the killer is. With the beginnings of her own story interwoven within the main story we are treated to a well-paced, interesting, cosy mystery filled with humour, a touch of romance, and a mystery waiting to be solved. Highly recommend this the first book in the Murder By The Book mystery series.
September 23, 2025
Aubrey is one of six authors invited to an exclusive writing retreat hosted by famous author Willow Fox. Things take a drastic turn when Willow is murdered and one of Aubrey’s friends is a suspect. Aubrey and a few of the other authors try to decipher what happened in order to clear their friend Jenna from the suspect list. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Especially the glimpse of the novel that Aubrey was writing. Looking forward to more in this series. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher.
October 6, 2025
The Write Way to Die has a developing cozy mystery within this cozy mystery! When a murder occurs at a writing retreat and her best friend is the main suspect, Audrey feels compelled to investigate despite being warned off by the lead detective Tate. There are a lot of suspects and a great many secrets to muddle the investigation in this interesting, twisted mystery. The reader also gets to see the manuscript for Audrey's book being written. (That book Murder For Shore will be released shortly.) I read far too late into the next morning because I could not put this book down! Very well done.
September 30, 2025
Just finished reading this fabulous book!
What could go wrong at an author retreat? This book has so many twist & turns; who did it, who killed the famous author? You'll never guess who it was.
What impressed me most was the writing of a novel inside a novel. Extremely well done Beth Prentice a definite 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What could go wrong at an author retreat? This book has so many twist & turns; who did it, who killed the famous author? You'll never guess who it was.
What impressed me most was the writing of a novel inside a novel. Extremely well done Beth Prentice a definite 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 8, 2025
Great start to a new series.
Really enjoyed this book & look forward to the next one.
Really enjoyed this book & look forward to the next one.
October 7, 2025
A writer's retreat turns deadly, and one retreat member can't resist trying to figure out what really happened.
As Aubrey sorted out clues, she simultaneously works on her own mystery story. In an unexpected format we read about the author as she introduces us to her book in progress. This new slant on mystery stories is fascinating and a brilliant idea! What is even better? The fictional author's book is also available for readers to purchase! And a shocking ending will keep readers waiting impatiently for the next book in the "Murder by the Book Mystery series! Well done Beth Prentice!
As Aubrey sorted out clues, she simultaneously works on her own mystery story. In an unexpected format we read about the author as she introduces us to her book in progress. This new slant on mystery stories is fascinating and a brilliant idea! What is even better? The fictional author's book is also available for readers to purchase! And a shocking ending will keep readers waiting impatiently for the next book in the "Murder by the Book Mystery series! Well done Beth Prentice!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews