The Novelist

The consequences of a woman's decision to gain by committing murder.

Alex (Rios) is a struggling author who decides that the way for her career to reach high standards would be to kill successful novelist Arthur (Jossan Robinson), steal his manuscript and present it as her own. She does so and becomes famous and wealthy, now living in Washington DC. However, her heinous crime has repercussions that she probably was not expecting. One thing is Lawrence (Cottman), the deceased man's estranged son who returns in order to find out what happened to his late father's inheritance, as he left everything to his widow and two children and apparently left Lawrence nothing. Soon, Lawrence discovers a hidden camera in his father's home that shows Alex killing him. Meanwhile, Reese (Moore), a podcaster, suspects that Alex is a fraud and sets out to uncover the truth.

Basically, this feature explores the aftermath of a crime, following Lawrence and Alex as they pursue the perpetrator and Alex's attempts to keep it together as the tension around her builds up. It could be categorised as a murder thriller with elements of vigilantism. Lawrence ruthlessly blackmails Alex for money and is willing to resort to violence in order to accomplice his goals. Reese is determined to prove that Alex is a cheater, questioning her and people who know her. The film has murder, deception, confrontations and a few beatings, however it also has quite a lot of drama as the plot also looks into self-reflection, regrets and neglect.

The protagonists are interesting and the screenplay effectively explores them. Alex is an egocentric who desires fame and fortune and shows no remorse for the killing. She is determined to remain strong and not give in to Lawrence's threats or let Reese make her confess. Lawrence is a no-nonsense man who wants what he believes is rightfully his and his path is the most adventurous one, as he beats up people and goes after Alex. Reese is obsessed with revealing the truth about Alex and her obsession threatens to damage her relationship with her partner Marlon (Michael J. Patterson).

This is a story about murder, blackmail and the search for the truth. It is a film with strong performances and a script that never fails to be gripping thanks to the suspense, drama and tense moments and the addition of Corey Spriggs' beautiful cinematography and a soundtrack that has collection of good songs contribute in making this a viewing that is worth experiencing.