MURDER YOU WROTE:
AN INTERACTIVE MYSTERY
YOU become the detective…
‘Hugely entertaining’ – ANN CLEEVES, author of Vera and Shetland
‘A deliciously devious read’ – POPPY GEE, author of Bay of Fires
‘Be prepared to question what you think you know’ – ASHLEIGH MEIKLE
‘A ridiculous idea that somehow works’ - B.P. MARSHALL
‘The ending was just brilliant!’ – JENNIFER CAMERON-SMITH
A classic country manor murder mystery with a twist – you become the detective.
One story. Twenty writers. Your choice.
Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery (Clan Destine Press, 2023) is a choose-your-own-investigation murder mystery set in remote Tasmania, a world of stunning beauty, dark history and deadly creatures.
You are a retired police detective invited to speak at a crime fiction writers festival. You are looking forward to a weekend with some of Australia’s bestselling authors.
You’re staying in a convict-built country manor house along with five other guests of the festival. The other guests don’t exactly get along.
You awake to discover the homestead is cut off. Overnight, storms flooded the only road out, the internet is down...and a world-famous writer is missing.
You discover his body in the library.
Certain that one of the four remaining guests was responsible for his death, you decide to investigate.
Which suspect will you interrogate first? Which clues will you follow? Can you solve the case?
Murder You Wrote contributors included Alison Alexander, Sarah Barrie, Karen Brooks, Jack Cainery, R.B. Cole, Alan Carter, Natalie Conyer, Craig Cormick, E.K. Cutting, Livia Day, Jo Dixon, Jacq Ellem, Jason Franks, Narrelle M. Harris, Elaine Kelso, Carys King, Angela Meyer, Allison Mitchell, David Owen, L.J.M. Owen, Matthew D. Ruffin, E.V. Scott, Marion Stoneman, Maggie Veness, Sarah White, and Z.E. Davidson.
2024 SILVER FALCHION AWARD TOP 10 PICK
Murder You Wrote was chosen by the international Silver Falchion Awards as one of the top ten mystery anthologies of the year.
‘The reading judges felt your book was the best of the best.’ – CLAY STAFFORD, 2024 Silver Falchion Awards at Killer Nashville
BOOK LAUNCH BY ANN CLEEVES
Murder You Wrote launched by Ann Cleeves
Ann Cleeves, the creator of Vera and Shetland., launched Murder You Wrote while at Tasmania’s 2023 Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival (TARWF) – where she appeared as International Writer in Residence. The hugely popular UK crime author admitted that she didn’t manage to solve the mystery:
‘I’ve read this book and it is fabulous... I didn’t work out whodunnit; Vera would have done, but I didn’t... I found it hugely entertaining,’ Ann said.
Murder You Wrote can be read as one continuous narrative, or as a pick-your-own-path puzzle. At the end of each of the 21 chapters you can choose to either read straight on or pick from a Where to Next? list of options. For those who relish a challenge, there is one special pathway where the reader-detective can collect all the clues and solve the mystery in just 10 chapters.
‘I love the idea of being able to choose your own path through it. So if you’re new to reading for pleasure or you haven’t read since school, and you just want to get back into a really pacey story, you can take a shortcut through the action. But if, like me, you’re a real murder mystery buff, then you can read the whole thing,’ Ann said.
Murder You Wrote is perfect for any classic mystery lover.
ANN CLEEVES, L .J. OWEN AND VANDA SYMON at the launch of Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery
INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS
Articles
ARTSHUB - How a twisty mystery can assist literacy
GOOD READING MAGAZINE - An Interview with L.J. on the background to Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery.
CRIMEFICTIONLOVER - A shout out to our choose-your-own-adventure murder mystery
Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This fabulous Agatha Christie-style mystery is exactly like the Pick A Path books I loved as a kid…A murder-mystery by crime authors about crime authors is a deliciously devious read.’ – POPPY GEE, author of Bay of Fires
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I found myself trying to outwit Owen and a bunch of writers who collaborated to outwit us, the readers.’ – B.P. Marshall, TASMANIAN TIMES
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘The ending was just brilliant!’ – Jennifer Cameron-Smith, TASMANIAN BIBLIOPHILE AT LARGE
Recommendations
‘Do you love reading interactive mysteries? If so, we recommend Murder You Wrote by L.J.M. Owen.’ – BETTER READING
‘Be prepared to question what you think you know.’ This comprehensive write-up from Ashleigh Meikle, THE BOOK MUSE, contains mild spoilers.
BUY THE BOOK
The inside cover of Murder You Wrote paperbacks includes a full colour depiction of the body-in-the-library crime scene
Where to Buy Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery
PAPERBACK AND HARDBACKS
Available to ship now - Signed paperbacks and hardbacks are available direct from L.J. Please email ljmowen.tarwf @ gmail.com. Paperback $33, hardback $47, plus postage in Australia.
Available to ship now - to purchase a paperback from Hobart Bookshop, click here - can be mailed to anywhere in Australia
Available to ship now - To purchase a hardback from Hobart Bookshop, click here - can be mailed to anywhere in Australia
Books can be bought direct from Clan Destine Press: www.clandestinepress.net
eBOOKS
To purchase for Kindle, Amazon US, click here
To purchase for Kindle, Amazon UK, click here
To purchase for Kindle, Amazon Aus, click here
To purchase as a Barnes & Noble Nook eBook, click here
FEEL GOOD FACTOR
Murder You Wrote - supporting new writers and adult literacy
Not only is Murder You Wrote great fun, there is a ‘feel good’ factor to this book. The creation of the interactive novel began as a mentoring project for emerging Tasmanian writers.
L.J., with the support of an Arts Tasmania grant, brought more than twenty established and emerging writers and editors together to contribute to various elements of the story. Well-known authors such as Sarah Barrie, Karen Brooks, Alan Carter, Natalie Conyer, Angela Meyer and Eva Scott worked with unpublished writers to hone their story-telling skills.
‘Each contributor added their own story ideas to the mix. Readers may notice stylistic differences from chapter to chapter, which I think builds the intrigue. The plot fairly cracks along, with new details and new angles revealed in quick succession for the reader-detective. Mix in some excellent red herrings and the result is an absolute page turner,’ L.J. said.
The novel anthology is also suitable for emerging adult readers.
‘In Tasmania, and some other parts of Australia, less than half the adult population is functionally literate. In general, emerging adult readers have difficulty accessing novels that are locally set, aimed at adult readers, and edited to an appropriate readability level. I set out to address this gap,’ L.J. said. ‘I worked with our editing team to ensure the story is both engaging for avid mystery lovers and accessible for emerging adult readers. It is suitable for adults reading at a Flesch-Kincaid level of around 80 out of 100, or Grade 5.’
Enquiries: ljmowen.tarwf@gmail.com
