Overall, I found this book to be pretty good but not great. The switching between the story inside the book and the email correspondence was occasionally distracting for me trying to keep up with the multiple characters, and the ending felt a "little" rushed for me. Yes, I'd probably recommend this book purely for the novelty of the storyline.

3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings about The Woman in the Library.

I enjoyed the “main” story line and thought the twists and misdirections were entertaining. But, I didn’t love the email correspondence and that additional (or parallel?) story line. Personally, I found it distracting and didn’t add to the book for me.

Not my typical genre but a very good read! I look forward to reading more Silari Gentill in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Go to IG: @entre.mi.libro.y.yo to read the full review

First, I want to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a very interesting, very different kind of book (giving all the "I'm not like the other books" vibes but in a good way, you know).

I was intrigued and hooked, once I started, I couldn't put it down.

If you're considering picking this book up, don't hesitate any further, just go for it and thank me later!

What a fun, refreshing, clever mystery! This is my first book by Gentill but I’ll certainly be going back to check out her previous ones. You know the feeling when you’re only a few pages in to a new novel, but you still let out a giant sigh of relief, knowing that regardless where the story takes you, you’re in the hands of a writer who knows what she’s doing. That was my experience with this fun romp of a mystery, with a murder taking place right under the noses of our four leading characters (who are strangers to each other) at the Boston Public Library and being informed that one of them is actually the killer, though seemingly none of them could be. Add in a clever conceit of a man who’s a neighbor of one of them and is corresponding with a well-known mystery author, trying to interest her in using the event as the springboard for her next book. Thoroughly entertaining, lively prose, and a plot that kept me guessing.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a good mystery and I loved the style of the story. If you are a fan of the Only Murders in the Building series, this would be a book for you. The twist of the book is brilliant and really helps with the intrigue of the story!

I really like the plot of this book, the characters and the drama. However, the story within the story is what detracted me from giving a higher rating. The end of each chapter ends with a letter to the author, which is the second story line. I found that this took away from the actual mystery of the book. Some of these I skipped, I found that the book was more enjoyable when I didn’t read them.

The story begins with a woman’s screams interrupting the quiet of the Boston Public Library. Four strangers, who were sitting at the same table, pass time chatting and building a friendship. Their relationship continues outside of the building over the following weeks. One of them happens to be the murderer.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

Thank you Net Galley and Sulari Gentill for giving me the opportunity to review The Woman in the Library.
They say never judge a book by its cover and I am glad I didn't. While I don't find the cover of the book very appealing,the description drew me in. I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it to be a very quaint mystery. It wasn't filled with gory descriptions and Gentill keeps the reader guessing who could of done it? This book would be a good recommendation for fans of Nita Prose's book The Maid. A charming read.

Hannah Tigone is an Australian mystery writer whose current work in progress is set in Boston. She can't travel to the US and so Leo Johnson, volunteers to be her eyes on the ground, communicating with her through emails and eventually making suggestions of possible edits. In her book, Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid comes to Boston on a writer's scholarship. Her research trip to the Boston Library gets interesting when she hears a woman's terrified scream and everyone is told to stay where they are. Sitting at a table with three strangers, she strikes up a conversation with the others and friendships of sorts are formed. Each person has their own reason for being there. Could one of them be a killer? As the book within a book progress, readers learn more about the characters, who they are, what motivates them, who they suspect and who's connected to whom. It's clear someone is not who they claim to be. Who's lying? Confused yet?

The Woman In The Library is an intriguing book within a book. While I've read books written in this format before, I found this one to be quite unique and compelling. Four strangers find themselves sitting at the same table in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library. Winifred Kincaid aka Freddie - a writer-in-residence living at Carrington Square, Cain McLeod - a upcoming published writer, Marigold Anastas - a psychology major at Harvard and Whit Metters - who has his reasons for purposely failing Harvard Law School. Freddie sits there observing each of the others while accessing their characteristics and assigning them names as characters in her book. A blood-curdling scream breaks the tranquility of the library. A murder has occurred.

The Woman In The Library is a skillfully written who-done-it thriller that will keep readers on their toes throughout. Gentill takes readers on a complex trip into the perplexing world of friendships where all may not be as it seems. While I figured this one out, the plot lines and characters are so cleverly disguised that it in no way deterred from my reading enjoyment. This story is twisted, a bit ominous and highly entertaining. Fans of mysteries will love this one. I also recommend it to fans of suspense thrillers.

An intriguing mystery, or mysteries told in an interesting style. I was drawn in quite quickly but I did find the relationship between the four characters a but far fetched in as much as they suddenly bonded over the death in the library, it just didn't feel authentic. That aside, a fun mystery.

Woah, I thought I was ready for whatever Sulari Gentill can throw at me after that mind-bending twists of Crossing the Lines but she's got a mean throwing arm! The Woman in the Library is a clever, imaginative thriller and so much fun to read.

The structure of the book is that of a letter from "Leo" and a chapter of story (which is found above in book description). At first, I did wonder which is "real" and which is fictional [remember, Crossing the Lines?!]. However, the author has something quite different in mind in this novel so it wasn't quite that long before all is revealed and pretty soon, instead of one mystery, we have 2... Bonus!

As much as I enjoyed reading about the four strangers drawn together as friends, I was also very much drawn to the other mystery for which we pretty much only get Leo's letters to read by. And yet, because of that limited scope, it's that much more creepy and therefore, thrilling.

Another brilliant offering by a much loved author, Sulari Gentill, and one I'd highly recommend as it was very much an irresistible page-turner.

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughts

A very twisty mystery set in Boston from a new-to-me author. I really enjoyed this fresh take on the murder mystery. It's told as a sort of story within a story that comments on itself as it goes. Initially, I wasn't a fan of the letters, but they grew on me as the story twisted and turned. As someone that lives in Boston, I think it was kind of clever the way that the murder mystery story-within-a-story read as though the author had just read an article about top tourist destinations in Boston. With that being said, I did find that the characters and writing fell pretty flat, and that's why this wasn't a book I totally loved. If you're looking for an entertaining and fun mystery to spend a few hours with, I recommend this one.

a really powerful story, one that will make you think! Lots of twists and turns, murder and mayhem make this a real page turner! the characters are complex and interesting. this book kept me guessing to the end! A must read!

Thank you Poisoned press, Netgalley and Sulari Gentill for the ARC of the book.

The plot was so unique and the story was addictive and fun. I loved the twists and I thought the characters were written well. I loved the style of the communication between Leo and Hannah and thought that a story within a story was amazing.

Overall a great read and I would 100% recommend.

Maybe I’m just too dumb to understand this book, but I’m not even sure what happened.

This book is a book within a book within another book. And none of it relates to each other. In one part, we have the “main” plot of figuring out who killed the woman in the library. In another part, we have someone responding to/criticizing the manuscript of the “main” plot. I found this extremely confusing because I wasn’t sure which one to really focus on. I was trying to connect the dots between the two different story lines, which was a waste of time.

Additionally, the relationship between the protagonist and the other main characters (aka the people we believe are the suspects) was just meh. They seemed to connect so quickly after hearing a woman scream in the library. It just felt odd to me that they bonded in two seconds and became close just like that. There wasn’t much substance to their relationship.

I really only finished this book because I wanted to know “whodunnit”. The ending wasn’t so obvious, which is good. And it wasn’t too far-fetched, which is also good. But it felt a little meh. The execution could have been better.

However, bonus points for having the book based on Boston as I’m a Bostonian and know the BPL area well! The author clearly did their research on restaurants in Boston, the subway and bus system, etc.

Would I recommend this book? Probably not.

I enjoyed this book! I liked the double story line. To be honest I did guess the twist but I still enjoyed the concept behind this book. It flowed well and I found Leo super creepy! It was interesting read and not something I’ve read before! I also adored the author’s note explaining where the idea came from. It was cool to be able to read from an author’s perspective and how Freddie and Cain had different methods.

The Woman in the Library is a unusual mystery novel. There are two separate plots going on that provide insight as you get deeper into the story.
The main story follows Freddie, an Australian writer who's spending a year in Boston for a writing fellowship, how finds herself investigating a murder after she hears a scream at the Boston Public Library. Helping her investigate are the other people sitting with her that day: Cain a fellow writer, Marigold a Harvard Psych study, and Whit a Harvard Law student/journalist.
The second story is more epistolary in nature. Leo, a Bostonian and a virtual friend of Hannah, the Australian responsible for Freddie's story, is providing feedback on the chapters as he receives them. At first he seems harmless, but soon his feedback becomes darker and sinister.

I found both mysteries enjoyable, though I liked the epistolary framing story more than the main narrative. It reminded me of The Screwtape Letters, which is one of my favorite books. I also appreciated the slow unraveling of Leo's character. I did wish that part of the book was given a few more letters and a little more development.

The Freddie storyline is ok, but somewhat predictable. Its obvious that one of our four main characters is the murder and has joined the investigation to throw a wrench in the plans. The characters, other than maybe Cain, came across somewhat flat as the story progressed. I did appreciate the attempts at red herrings and misdirects in the 2nd half of the narrative, including the Leo character popping up. Th e pacing of this section was ok, thought a bit slow in the middle. It felt like a chapter or two could have been condensed or reediting to allow for sustained tension and mystery.

I would still recommend this book if your looking for a fun easy read that isn't too scary.

Four strangers are seated at a table at the Boston Public Library when a scream pierces the silence. Later, it’s discovered that a body of a woman was found in an adjoining room, and the four strangers become fast friends, bonding over their experience. However, there are secrets lurking beneath the surface as the now four friends become embroiled in the mystery of the Woman in the Library. This is a riveting, multi-layered story, almost a story within a story, with subplots and a unique, refreshing narrative that propels the mystery that totally engrosses the reader. Great characters and plenty of surprises, with authentic and smart dialogue all add up to a fantastic read, and this was completely entertaining from start to finish. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intriguing book by an author I haven't read before. It begins in the Boston Public Library where an Australian woman (Winifred Kinkaid, known as Freddie), who is on a fellowship for writing in Boston is in the Reading room with three other people. They are an older man, she thinks of as Heroic Chin, a younger girl who has lots of tatoos, she calls Freud Girl, and a younger man she IDs as Handsome Man. Suddenly they hear a scream. The police come and they can't leave for awhile, so the four exchange names and become friends. She finds out Heroic Chin is really Cain McLeod, a published author; Freud Girl is Marigold Anastas, and Handsome Man is Whit Metters, a student at Harvard Law School from a wealthy Boston family. The next day they find out that a young Boston woman was found dead under a table in another room the previous night.

Each chapter of the book has a chapter of the story taking place in Boston, supposedly written by an Australian author who can't come to Boston because of COVID. Then at the end of the chapter is a letter beginning Dear Hannah (who is the Australian author) from Leo (who is an aspiring writer). I am assuming the letter is sent via email, as the chapters appear to be consecutive days. Leo makes comments on the current chapter, correcting writing with more Boston terminology and making suggestions. As the book goes on, he is less polite and wanting to add his own ideas. He also appears in the book occasionally and lives in the same building as Freddie. In the first chapter, we are informed that one of the four is a murderer!

As the story continues, we learn a lot more about the four people, but it is still very difficult to figure out who killed the young woman. It becomes more exciting, and as we near the end there is a great deal of suspense and excitement. It took me a little while to get used the the format of story, but by the end I couldn't put it down. I will definitely look for some of Gentill's other books. I thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for the ARC so I could read it and write an honest review.

This is a story within a story within a story and I could probably keep going. I thought the premise of this book was quite interesting and as a book lover it was very interesting to read a novel about the process of writing a novel, but in fiction form. I thought the idea was clever and well written and it kept me entertained.