Just Another Dead Authoris a wryly humorous second outing for Berit and friends by Katarina Bivald. Released 12th Aug 2025 by Sourcebooks on their Poisoned Pen Press imprint, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
Writer and observer-of-life Berit is off to the French countryside to a retreat for writers, hoping for a quiet working holiday, when the awful keynote speaker drops dead at her literal feet. She's soon following her insatiable curiosity, trying to solve the murder and stay alive herself.
The author's dry comedic timing is a wonder to behold, and the book is delightfully *full* of delightful bookish tie-ins and sly unforced bibliophile in-jokes which will bring smiles to lovers of books.
The author/publisher has also included suggested discussion topics and questions for book clubs and personal analysis. It's not entirely clear from the publishing info provided, if this book was translated into English (the author is Swedish), but if so, the translation work is perfectly seamless and invisible. There are currently 5 works in the series (book 2.5 and 5 are currently only available in Swedish). Book 3 is due out from the same publisher in late August 2026.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 11 hours 33 minutes and is masterfully read by Helen Lloyd. She has a perfect voice for the read, slightly gravelly and practical, and easily switches between numerous regional accents, from cut-crystal RP to a pretty credible regional mix, as well as MC Berit who is of mixed Swedish/English descent. Sound and production quality are very high throughout the read, and the narrator is an absolute delight.
Four stars for both print and audiobook. Highly recommended for public library acquisition, home use, and bookclub/buddy discussions.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment