Roxie Mitchell loves travel, adventure, and romance novels. At least, romance novels by her favorite author, Anna Matthews.

So when a chance encounter with a busker turns into what seems like a textbook meet-cute with a man named Jack, it feels like a gift. Things start to unfold a little too neatly, a little too much like a story — and when Roxie tracks down the busker to ask, she learns her offhand wish has been granted. She’s the lead in the new Anna Matthews novel. As unreal as it all is, Roxie decides to go with it. She has an adventurous spirit, and a fling might be exactly the right next adventure.

And then Jack tries to stab her.

As Roxie runs for her life, she discovers that Anna Matthews is taking a break from romance. Roxie isn’t the heroine of a love story. She’s the lead in a crime thriller.

Lucky for her, she’s just accidentally kidnapped an English lit professor with a penchant for the genre. If she can convince Grant to help, Roxie might have a real chance at surviving her favorite author’s experimental new novel.

I love when an author pokes a little fun at the tropes that define their genre, and Kate Eberle does it with obvious affection rather than a sneer. If Books Could Kill is funny, fast-paced, and a lot of fun.

The characters are quirky and memorable — Grant especially, who is anxious and bookish in a way that never tips into caricature. You can spot the plot twists and tropes coming from a mile off, but that’s the point in a story where the characters know they’re characters. Watching Roxie try to reason her way out of a plot using rules she learned from a completely different genre is the best running joke in the book.

This one will land especially well if you loved Ashley Poston’s A Novel Love Story. Same joy in watching a devoted reader try to survive inside the pages, with considerably more knifework.

Action, adventure, humor, and romance, all stacked on top of each other — a page-turner that brought me a lot of joy.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher (Penguin) via NetGalley. My thoughts, as always, are entirely my own.