The Woman in the Library begins with a murder that brings four strangers together. Their bond is struck when they all independently end up the library together at the same time that someone is murdered.

I enjoyed the main story itself quite a lot, I thought it was an intriguing, twisty murder mystery. I loved the background of the characters, Cain in particular. However I just couldn’t get past the letters from Leo. I found it so distracting and just took me out of the mystery. I just wanted to focus on Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit! Their story was great and fascinating and would have been a four star book on its own. It was a bit plain as far as murder mysteries go but I really enjoyed the characters and the twists! But the letters really took away from that unfortunately.

Nevertheless, an enjoyable read and getting to know the four main characters was wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sulari Gentill for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in the Library is an accomplished page turner of a mystery.
If you’re someone who enjoys a good mystery that will challenge you and keep you on edge of your seat – you will certainly want to seek this one out.

For me, The Woman in the Library cared a bit too much about its concept than its characters or plot. I’m not a giant fan of metafiction and didn’t realize from the blurb what I was getting into. That being said, even though it’s not exactly up my aisle, I do think the author did a decent job with it.

I guess there are three stories here. Australian author Hannah is writing a murder mystery feature Winifred, the woman in the library from the blurb who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. Winifred is also writing a book inspired by the three people she meets in the library. Hannah’s beta reader is Leo and most of the book alternates between Hannah’s chapters featuring Winifred and Leo’s e-mail responses. Once you get into the rhythm, it works well, but the structure did keep me off balance and at a distance from any of the characters.

We’ve got two plots here. (Winifred’s manuscript doesn’t get a plot, just characters.) The mystery involving Winifred and her new friends took some interesting turns with plenty of misdirection and a couple of good twists. It would have been a little over the top if it had been the whole mystery, but as it’s fiction within the story it worked well and kept my attention. The second plot involving Leo and Hannah in the “real” world took a turn midway through that I probably should have seen coming, but didn’t. On the other hand, I don’t know that I really cared anyway. In the “real” world there were some references to the pandemic that I could have done without. I didn’t feel like they added much to the narrative and honestly, I don’t really want COVID in my fiction.

I didn’t love the book. I didn’t hate it. It was worth reading but I can’t think of anyone I would actually recommend it to.

This wasn't at all what I expected but I was not at all disappointed. Start with a library (one of my favorite places) toss in a murder, and spin us between characters to solve the case makes this a near-perfect who done it! I highly recommend.

I loved the idea of this clever mystery within a mystery. The way the fictional reality in the story played alongside the fictional in a unique format.

A murder at the library, people bonded by a scream, another murder or two, a manuscript, lots of book talk, someone playing Nancy Drew, interesting turns that had me double guessing myself and swaying my opinion of
the identity in question

I HAD to know WHO did it! I kept wanting to read more to find out

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy for me to read and write my honest review. All thoughts are mine.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-ARC. I really had high hopes for this book but Ive come to realize that just like in movies and in life I need closure and this book did not do that for me. I liked the whole story within a story vibe but I just needed more depth. It was good overall just not what I was wanting

I used to live right where this book takes place (and have extremely fond memories of the Copley BPL), LOVE mysteries, and especially love mysteries that are out-of-the-box in some way so I'm pretty sure I'm the exact target audience for this book- and I really liked it! I gave this four stars instead of five because some of the characters felt a little off to me (maybe too naive?) and the central mystery was a little predictable (but it's not the central mystery that's the most fun!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What an exciting and different thriller! I loved this book and devoured it in a few days. The story within a story gave it a deeper layer and added to the excitement as the story moved along. The characters were vivid and interesting. Highly recommend!

The book was very well written but I just couldn’t get past all the “Metta” in the story the writer writing to the writer who’s writing a book about a writer who’s writing a book….it was overwhelming to me.

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :
The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Thoughts : It's a pretty quirky concepts but it's kind of confusing at first. Can't stop reading to know who is the murderer and the ending is pretty weak. It happens with murder-mystery thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

DID NOT FINISH!
I got about 60 pages in and this book was so boring and ridiculous that I just couldn't keep reading. The title and synopsis makes it sound like an interesting mystery/escape room type situation....except they are in the library for maybe 3-5 pages total and become instant best friends from strangers because they hear a woman scream? I don't think so. This is on par with Agatha Christie in the way that it is so illogically unbelievable that I couldn't help roll my eyes until I got to a point and could not keep reading. This was poorly written with weird, obsessive fan letters? Or was the guy a beta reader giving weird advice? It would break up the story and added NOTHING to the story. And then he is fan writing to an author in Australia who is writing a story set in Boston? Ummm most authors I know will NOT write about real places without actually ever being there. This was just a bad, bad book and I likely will not pick up anything from this author again.

A unique story, set in a library (my favorite place). A very twisty turny story among these characters with lots of subplots that keep you page turning. New to me author of this stand alone book, apparently a big award winner so will have to check her others out!

I happen to love a book-within-a-book and that's what The Woman in the Library brings to the table. On one hand we are reading a story about four people who happen to meet in the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman scream. The group ends up bonding quickly and easily. But on the other hand, we are reading letters from someone to the person who seems to be writing this story, and with each letter the person is getting more and more demanding and pretty creepy. For good reason, as we end up finding out! I really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. It held my attention completely, and when I had to go and do other things, all I could think about was reading it. It was so good! I can't wait to read more from Sulari Gentill!

Very clever! Four strangers seated at a library table hear a frightening scream. When security requires everyone to remain where they are seated. Hannah is a mystery writer and begins to take inspiration from the 3 seated before her. This mystery is presented as a story within a story. Pay attention or you’ll be thinking that the novel being written is actually the real life story. Thoroughly enjoyed this one!

This book was a novel within a novel paired with email correspondence to make what was an absolutely intriguing plot. It is the fictional story of Hannah who is writing a novel and sharing it chapter by chapter with a man named, Leo. So here we have two stories in one. Both stories add to the whole of this book.

I loved the opening setting of the library and the rich details of the surroundings. The characters were intriguing ( a couple, I found very annoying), but that just added to my enjoyment of this book. I will say, this was one that kept me guessing all the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an enjoyable mystery.

Mystery within a mystery had me by the throat. I love books in this style. The premise of the novel was so intriguing and I think she delivered it in a flawless manner.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is my first book by this author which i look forward to reading more from in the future. I enjoyed how the author was able to use their writing style to make the story come to life. The use of details gave the story a realistic feel. I had no problems picturing myself in the story with the characters. They pull you into their story with ease and keep you engaging throughout. They have great growth as well as the plot has great growth throughout the story. This made the story easy and entertaining to read. This is a hard to put down story about friendship and words are used as a weapon. I really enjoyed reading this book which I highly recommend.

Wow. I was so shocked at how in-depth this book was. It was really hard to put down. If this was a movie, I'd be gripping my seat the whole time. It was more of a difficult read to get through because of how much was going on, however, I think that's what really drew me in.

A book about writing a book, and a murder
“The Woman in the Library” is a multi-layered book within a book. The narrator is a writer, and the story unfolds in her first-person narrative. She struggles, thinks, and talks to herself as she writes. She is writing in the Boston Public Library, but that turns out to be a mistake when she meets people, a group with whom she will soon form complex relationships. They are four previous strangers, Cain, Whit, Marigold, and her. They seem to recognize each other, as if they had been friends before in a life now forgotten. The narrator, of course, is writing a book, and what good subjects they will be. They gather in the reading room. The narrator writes for a while, and then there is a scream, terrifying and chilling. In the silence after the scream stops, they realize that the quiet library will never be the same for any of them. They found friendship in the library; nothing bonds strangers better than a shared mystery, and the author has her first coffee with a killer.

Readers discover that this story about an aspiring novelist is a book about the writing of a book being written by one Hannah Tigone. Hannah is not a writer who “plots,” planning each clue in advance, but a “pantser” who writes page by page as things appear in her mind. Her mystery of strangers bonded by a scream unfolds in a first-person conversational style; clues appear; events become crystalized. Between chapters, Hannah, the writer, has correspondence with a “beta reader” Leo Johnson, also a writer and a fan, who sends comments, suggestions, and opinions to Hanna, chapter by chapter. His questions help Hanna give form to her swirling ideas, but his correspondence becomes increasingly judgmental. Then, she receives another letter, but not from Leo.

“The Woman in the Library” has many layers that unfold slowly and precisely. It is like a “locked room” mystery in reverse. Readers must uncover not only the criminal, but the crime as well. I received a review copy of “The Woman in the Library” from Sulari Gentill, Sourcebooks, and Poisoned Pen Press. It is a compelling look at the complex process of writing a thriller. Some clues are easy to follow and others are quite surprising.

“The Woman in the Library” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three star reviews are hard for me to interpret. Is it barely three stars? Is it almost four stars but the reviewer rounded down? Is it solidly in the middle?

For me, this one is solidly in the middle.

This wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought from the title and the summary that this would be almost entirely set in the Boston Public Library, which seemed like such a cool premise for a mystery/thriller. But that's not what happened at all. Also, the beginning is very slow. I was contemplating walking away from this story until I was about 1/4 of the way through it.

The story within a story within a story aspect is interesting though I think the framework hindered the thriller-ness of it. This isn't a thriller. It did not elicit that high stakes tension needed for a thriller. This is a mystery...a few mysteries, actually. I liked Hannah and Leo's storyline more than I liked Freddie's but it was fun to watch the mysteries diverge and come together. The ending wasn't as much of a shock for me because I anticipated elements of it.

All of this mixed together into a solidly okay book. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure.