Well in all honesty that is a big part of the problem: the beginning. The murder investigation, while initially interesting, gets to be a bit of a drag once you know "who done it" on subsequent play-throughs, and the idea of going through it all again to get back to the better parts of the game doesn't really excite some people.
There's just a lot of talking to be done in the town, and not many people are going to enjoy reading it all again second, third, or forth time. And just clicking through it as quickly as possible can be just as monotonous.
The "slow start" is a frequent complaint for new players and it makes the prospect of restarting very unappealing.
Actually, you do not have to do any talking at all to investigate the murder.... Fight your way through to the mortician's hut and read Thelyrons diary, break into Evelyn's house and read her diary + various conduit letters: problem solved.
To the OP: I am sure you have already considered this solution, but don't you have a save game with the reveal scroll where you would lose just a few hours of game progress (instead of 20)? Alternatively, you can go and try to speak to Aureus and/or Arhu about Evelyn's diary? Or even just leave Cyseal area when you are high enough leven and go to the Luculla Forest (where you have to go to further investigate the murder anyway)? I think it might be well possible to proceed the game without going to Evelyn's lair at all...
