ARC Review: Edited Out by E. J. Copperman

Edited Out
Author: E. J. Copperman
Series: A Mysterious Detective Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (May 9, 2017)

Description: Mystery author Rachel Goldman is getting used to the idea that her fictional creation Duffy Madison has somehow taken flesh-and-blood form and is investigating missing person cases not far from where Rachel lives. Wait. No. She’s not getting used to it at all, and the presence of this real-life Duffy is making her current manuscript—what’s the word?—lousy.

So she doesn’t want to see Duffy—the living one—at all. To make matters worse, when he shows up at her door and insists on talking to her, it’s about the one thing she doesn’t want to do: Find a missing person. But the man Duffy seeks this time around might be able to solve Rachel’s problem. He might just be the man Duffy was before he became Duffy five years ago. The only problem is she could be letting Duffy lead her into danger yet again…

Entertaining and witty, the second in E.J. Copperman's Mysterious Detective Mystery series Edited Out will delight his fans, both new and old.

My Thoughts: In this episode, Rachel is having trouble writing her newest Duffy Madison mystery. She is sure it is because she is confusing her characters with the real Duffy Madison who is quite a man of mystery. He had no recollection of his life before five years in the past when he became convinced that he was Duffy Madison.

He convinces Rachel that they need to investigate his past in Poughkeepsie which he hopes will answer his questions and she hopes with make it possible to write again. Only Poughkeepsie has many more questions than it has answers. Rachel is convinced that Duffy was once Damien Mosley who conveniently disappeared just when her Duffy claims to have begun his life. Duffy supposedly went to high school with Damien and other characters in this story but no one remembers him.

Duffy is determined to find Damien to prove to Rachel that they are not the same person. He succeeds, if finding that Damien died in what appeared to be an accident five years ago and was never identified, counts as success. Duffy, convinced that Damien was murdered, continues the investigation.

I enjoyed this mystery which was filled with entertaining characters who all seem to have something to hide. I like that the story is told by Rachel who keeps throwing in comments about writers. I like that one of the characters is a big fan of Rachel's work.

This was fun. The villain surprised me. The mystery of Duffy was left unresolved paving the way for more Duffy and Rachel adventures.

Favorite Quote:

Crime fiction writers live rich, full lives. They just mostly take place in our heads.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.