For our next March review, I’m excited to share Final Draft by Shelley Burbank! The book follows Olivia Lively, a P.I. in Portland, Maine, as she deals with a criminal ex, overbearing parents, and a plagiarism scandal that threatens one writer’s reputation and another’s future. There’s been so much rain here in the Bay, and I was happy to cozy up with a new mystery – and one that (intriguingly) features no murders. (Thanks to Shelley and Encircle Publications for the gift copy!)

Does a mystery need a murder?

One of the most intriguing parts of Final Draft is the premise of a mystery story that includes no murders. I love a good cozy mystery, but often the protagonists leave a trail of dead bodies behind them. While they’re often explained within the bounds of the episode, it can get a little tricky to keep suspending disbelief. So the idea that other types of crimes – in this case, plagiarism – can support an investigative story is appealing. After all, in the real world, plenty of scandals involve absolutely no murder.

Burbank takes a similar path to Joël Dicker – she focuses on alleged plagiarism by a week-known literary professor and author. Where Dicker’s protagonist investigates a cold case, however, Olivia digs into an active accusation. And where Dicker’s protagonist is the author’s protégé, Olivia is one step removed, investigating on behalf of a student. This removes the personal tension of Dicker’s narrative and replaces it with a more intellectual one. Rooting for Olivia to succeed requires either relating to her client or buying in to her investment in the case.

Burbank achieves both somewhat well. Olivia is fun and generally engaging (if a bit obsessed with brand names and outfits). Her client also faces disproportionate harm as a result of the potential plagiarism – he’s been kicked out of school without a degree and with huge loans to pay. But this harm reads like an academic point through most of the novel, with a lot of the emphasis focused more on the short-term emotions of the case. Ultimately, engaging with this story requires a high level of values alignment with the premise – that plagiarism is extremely harmful. If you can believe that, you will probably engage with the mystery just fine. The puzzle itself is engaging (though there aren’t too many alternatives to the solution offered – Olivia navigates obstacles but doesn’t rule out possibilities).

A lot of threads, all splayed apart

So, then, to the other element of the cozy – the community. There are a ton of interesting components – a love triangle (or tetragon?), a criminal ex, a friendship to mend, well-meaning but intrusive parents. And most of the components felt real, or engaging from a story standpoint. It’s fun to read about romances, about FBI investigations, about glitzy soirées and sleepovers.

But – as much as I enjoyed each component of the community, there were perhaps one too many for my taste. It was hard to keep track of all the subplots in the novel, and I prefer my communities with a little more focus. By the end of the novel, it seemed like the romance subplot was the most important one – but it was hard to know how to think about that while reading. Burbank wrote fun characters, and I hope to see them in a future go-round – just perhaps not this many all at once.

Reader’s notes & rating (⭐⭐⭐)

Overall, this was a fun debut from an indie author, and I’d gladly pick up the next book featuring Olivia. But I’m hoping that next read tightens up the subplot, and drops just a few of the brand name outfit mentions. Burbank clearly put a lot of work into her characters and backstory – my preference is just to leave a little of that backstory out. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, Final Draft would be an fun way to spend an afternoon. Three stars.

Final Draft will be published March 8, 2023.