The mystery starts in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library, where four individuals are quietly working, until they hear a scream in the next room. Security doesn’t find anything amiss, so they are all allowed to leave the library, but the four agree to meet again. Marigold is a psychology student. Whit is studying law. Cain is a writer with a book already in The New York Times. And Winifred, Freddie, is a visiting writer from Australia, in the country for a prestigious writing fellowship. And Freddie can’t help but be inspired by what they experienced in the library.

Especially after she sees the news later and finds out that the body of a woman had been found in the library. Had she been sitting in the Reading Room with a killer? If so, having three witnesses during the woman’s scream was a fantastic alibi, Freddie can’t help but notice, as her pen goes flying across the pages.

Freddie doesn’t know anyone in Boston, so she’s happy to meet these other three and learn more about Boston’s restaurants and attractions. She also makes the acquaintance of Leo Johnson, another writer with the same fellowship she has, who can help her adjust to America as well.

As Freddie and her new friends start to investigate the woman’s murder, she keeps up with her writing and finds herself drawn to Cain. But when his phone is used to call her, and all that’s heard is a scream, exactly like the scream they all heard in the library, Freddie doesn’t know what to think. Cain said that his phone had been missing, but who would know that she’s looking into the murder, other than the three other people who were in the library with her when it happened?

As Freddie keeps writing her story, the killer comes closer, sending photos of her door and then coming after those she cares about. And when she finds out that Cain had spent time in prison, Freddie doesn’t know what to believe. But she’ll need to figure it out quickly, as her novel takes shape, because she doesn’t have much time before the killer comes for her.

Meanwhile, as readers get caught up in the story of Freddie and her Boston mates, the real writer of this story, bestselling author Hannah Trigone, is writing this story from her home in Australia, and she sends each chapter to Leo in Boston, who fact checks for her and offers her the American equivalents of the words or phrases she uses. It’s like pulling back the curtain and seeing the magic of the writing. And where these stories go will surprise and thrill.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a funhouse of thriller stories, with the details of one story bleeding into the other and sometimes making you forget where you are. It’s layers of questions, compounded by secrets and lies and danger and intrigue. And it’s an amazing story that sucks you in and won’t let go, or at least, that was my experience.

I got to listen to this book on audio, narrated by Katherine Littrell, and I thought she was masterful. She had the Australian accent I thought was perfect for Freddie (most of the story is told by her), and she hit every beat with intelligence and strength, bringing the character to life.

The Woman in the Library is a suspenseful story on more than one level, and I’m not sure any description would do it justice. But if you love a good thriller and haven’t yet visited Boston with Freddie and her library friends, then this is a trip you’ll want to take. But make sure you’re seatbelt is on nice and tight and keep your hands inside the car at all times. Things get a little wild.

Egalleys for The Woman in the Library were provided by Poisoned Pen Press, with many thanks, but I bought the audio book through Chirp Books myself.

This book was so fun & loved the narrative structure. Really look look forward to reading more books by her!

The Woman in the Library was a really fun thriller within a thriller. I loved the different viewpoints and the story within a story structure. There were a few twists that surprised me and a lot of moments that were a lot of fun to read. A few moments were a bit over the top, but that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story, and it was incredibly well-written. I fully intend to read more from this author in the future.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars rounded up. The premise is great - a quiet public library shattered by a woman's scream. While waiting for news, four strangers at a table pass the time in conversation and develop a friendship. One, however, is the killer. What a great concept, but I found the execution to be lacking in the last third of the book. The motivation was too flimsy to be believable and the mystery became messy. There was also a metafiction element that I typically enjoy, but this one distracted from the plot rather than adding to it.

I absolutely adored this book. A murder mystery taking place in the library? Truly does it get any better? Full of twists and suspense. The Woman in the Library was a quick read that kept me engaged from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Review also being posted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble pending approval.

The story itself kept me interested and engaged. I sometimes think I can pinpoint who is who in certain plots - which I did with this one BUT it was much later in the story than I usually get it. It kept a good pace even with how multi-layered it was and I did not get lost in the details which made it that much better. I would definitely recommend this to other readers!

So this is actually a book within a book ish. We meet Hannah, a popular Australian author who is sending a fan named Leo her latest manuscript. We aren’t sure how the two of them initially spoke to each but it appears there is more to this back and forth (which is unfolded in the book.) Hannah is trying to maintain Leo’s interest with Freddie, Whit, Cain and Marigold- four people in their mid 20’s / 30’s who just so happen to be inside a library when someone is killed. I did a mixture of audio and kindle unlimited this one & I thought it was a great mystery / thriller but you really have to pay attention otherwise certain details you can blink and miss.

I ended up not finishing this one. I really struggled with the characters and trying to get engaged with the plot.

This book is confusing. There's an author who's writing about an author writing a book, who is Australian but living in Boston, but the real author lives in Australia, who's getting emails from someone in Boston to help her with American culture when writing her book. Then in her character's book (the book-in-a-book) 4 strangers (who become instant friends?) hear a scream in the library, then they leave and think about it later? Ehhh.... There are 3 layers to this book and it's confusing to me which "layer" I'm reading. It really didn't add anything to the story.

Such a clever read, the plot within a plot had me hooked from the beginning! I listened to this in audio format and the narration was great! I was totally surprised by the twist!

Wow this book was a nonstop page turner.
While it started out a little slow and confusing, once I got the gist of it I couldn't read it fast enough.
A chance meeting of four strangers in the library sets off a chain reaction like none other.
Definitely a cat and mouse thriller between the four new friends. My first read from this author and won't be my last.
Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the Author, Sulari Gentill, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Boy, what a concept! Who could resist this? Not me! The writing takes some getting used to, as the author has a strong literary style that can overshadow the plotting sometimes, but it's creative and kept me on my toes. The relationships between the main characters in the library is well-crafted, and creating four unique personalities can be a feat, so I applaud the author for the execution. Hannah's "pen pal" fan is also another great addition, and overall the concept of this book had me intrigued from the first page.

I really wanted to like this one but it fell short. It was a bit boring and slow. I wanted to follow through and make the character storyline pop but it wasn’t a good fit for me.

An interesting whodunit style mystery. I loved the layers of stories that intertwined and that those involved are all book lovers. I did get confused a few times at the beginning once I figured out who was writing which story and how it flipped between them I was totally pulled in. I would definitely read more by this author.

I was intrigued by the premise but it didn't't quite work for me. For the most part I enjoyed the characters and the dialogue between them but found myself a tad bored throughout the story. The mystery was ok but overall it just wasn't for me. I would read another book by this author

I usually really enjoy dual timelines and interweaving narration but this just did not pay off for me. It read a little juvenile and I didn't get invested enough in the stakes to follow the threads of each character. I also feel that there's been a trend of writing "unreliable narrators" as characters who purposefully misrepresent the story to the reader and I find it much more compelling when the "unreliable" bits are just natural edits to the story based on how the character views themselves and others.

This mystery didn't grab me like I expected it to, however the twists and turns made it interesting. The plot felt confusing at times, but overall worth a read for a puzzling murder mystery.

The Woman in the Library was a well written, but I had a hard time with the story within a story set up. Usually, I enjoy the structure immensely, but this left me confused at times. I also felt that the correspondence between Hannah and Leo were on the weak side and took me out of the story.

✨𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀✨
• story within a story
• suspect pool is narrowed quickly
• friends made in tragic circumstances
• quick lite spice

✨ 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
The story framework of this novel was interesting and different, I don’t want to give anything away. There are a few surprising twisties and red herrings. The only reason I didn’t give this book a higher rating was because I figured out the “whodunit” extremely early on since the suspect pool was narrowed in like the second chapter. Some of the other “twists” I’d also already figured out ahead of time, so I wasn’t sufficiently shocked at the wrap up.

I started this an audio book and was so confused. It was read by a woman and even though she did a great job with the voices there seemed to be more male characters than female. When I switched over to print things seemed a bit clearer.

There are letters from Leo in Boston to the author in Australia ostensibly helping her with the scene and some of the American lingo. In the book Winifred is one of four people in the reading room at the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman scream. They start talking and become friends over the bonding experience. Honestly I don't even know how to describe the book within a book within a book. None of the characters seemed really developed and I didn't feel invested in the outcome or really even care who was the murderer. While the end was exciting it just seemed to wrap up too quickly and I never understood the reason why or what the last line even meant.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for providing me with a digital copy.