Another book that I so wanted to love based on the premise (murder in a library!) but felt a bit lacking in its execution.

It’s hard to say much without saying too much, ja feel? Just know that it has numerous layers, stories within stories oOoOo. While one storyline really captivated me, the other just felt unnecessary in the end.

I’ll always give credit where credit is due: this was a 24-hour read for me. I found myself thinking about it during meetings and couldn’t wait to pick it up again! We love a quick, easy, bingeable read.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review this copy of The Woman in the Library. As I read it, I found myself intrigued by the book-within-a-book setting, and the addition of the letters in the story. The cast of characters was thoughtful, and I enjoyed the ambiguity of the setting. Overall, I enjoyed it and rated in 5/5 stars on Goodreads.

There were a lot of fun levels to this story. An author 's murder mystery novel filled with twists and turns, and the reader providing feedback to the author. I liked the formatting of this, which did take a bit of getting used to, as it provided a mystery within a mystery, a story within a story, and added to the sense of unease and mystery when the two stories seem to become tangled by murder and characters, and reality vs. fiction is more and more difficult to separate.

This is a book written by an author who is writing about an author writing about two authors. Again, multiple layers. I found that it was easy to keep the differences and ideas separate as they were clearly distinguished by font and clear explanation. The multiple layers provided more interest for me as I was untangling two stories and watching for multiple clues. The "main" story, four diverse strangers who become entangled in a murder mystery, was compelling and propelled me through the story as I kept changing my mind on who the murderer was due to revealed secretes, lies, and evidence. A lot happens from anonymous gifts, warning texts, attacks, etc... that keeps the plot fast-paced.

I rate this a 3.5 because the main character, Freddie, kept making foolish choices and seemed to fall instantly in love in a very dangerous situation. She also got a lot of clues and warnings that seemed to go completely unnoticed while she was very aware of more implicit elements. Also, while I liked the idea of the subplot, I wanted more of it. When I got to the end its importance seemed to fizzle and wrap up much too easily.

Grab a coy of The Woman in the Library for a fun whodunnit with a unique format grab, a library setting, unexpected ending, and fast-paced read.

The Synopsis: "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."

I enjoyed this murder mystery, but I'm not sure how to describe the book. Let's just say the plot witty and intelligent and intriguing. I found the entire concept was imaginative and well done. I liked the nicknames the main character, Winifred Kincaid, gave the others at the library table: Handsome Man, Freud Girl, Heroic Chin - kind of fun. A crisis always seems to bring people together; this time these disparate people at the library table become friends and keep meeting up. Who's the murderer? I really had no idea! The twists as this mystery unfolded were well done and kept me reading.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on June 7, 2022.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 7, 2022

This is about a writer, writing to a writer, who is writing a book about a writer writing a book. It took me a bit to wrap my head around it but if you’re still with me then you’re one step ahead!

I found myself wanted to read the novel the writer is writing instead of this story about the writer writing it. Unfortunately this story within a story is a bit tiring to keep straight and I found it, along with the first person narrative, rather distracting.

I found Leo’s constant notes on things “we don’t do/say in America” to be unnecessary (especially when a number of them aren’t even correct). After reading and understanding everything (as an American), it was strange to then read a critique of notes saying Americans wouldn’t understand it. How daft does the author think we are?

In the end, I DNF around 60%. I could not wrap my head around how these characters interacted with each other—it was too unrealistic to keep reading and I just couldn’t force myself to care.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.

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.

This book was a refreshing whodunit style with captivating characters. An unputdownable beach read that was immensely fast-paced and thrilling.

Wow— this book completely blew me away. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t go into it with massively high expectations. Not for any particular reason, I just didn’t know a lot about the book so didn’t really form an idea of where it was going to go. Needless to say. I was absolutely taken aback by how sucked into The Woman in the Library I was, and how quickly!

The story follows a sort of “Inception” style format with a book inside a book (inside a book?) The main storyline follows the MC Frankie, an Australian author living in Boston on a writing scholarship. One afternoon she hears a horrible, bloodcurdling scream at the Boston Public Library. The incident unites her with her table mates— Whit, Marigold and Cain. The novel follows them trying to solve the murder and the increasingly convoluted plot that questions all of their alibis for the murder that took place at the BPL that day.

What really made this story in my opinion is the emails at the end of each chapter from a keen beta reader, Leo, to a novelist he is helping research for. The novelist, Hannah, is writing the main story we are reading and Leo becomes more and more agitated and interfering as the main storyline progresses. The inclusion of the side plot in the form of (rather unhinged) emails was a genius addition and made this a top read for me.

The characters are well developed and intriguing, though I do feel as if Marigold and Whit could have been a little more rounded as characters, though as the story was told from Freddie’s POV I can understand why she spent less time focused on them compared to Cain.

The story kept me guessing until the end and although I wished for a *little* more clarity at the ending, I though it kept just the right amount of ambiguity for a truly great thriller novel. I’d highly recommend The Woman in the Library for anyone who likes original plot structures, twisty thrillers that keep you guessing and crime novels with more of a literary feel. 4.5/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the E-ARC to read and review.

"The Woman in the Library" by: Sulari Gentill is in a word BRILLIANT! This is easily my favorite read of 2022 thus far which is not an easy title to earn as I've read several books this year. There is just something so enthralling, elegant, and absolutely enticing about the world Sulari Gentill created in "The Woman in the Library." I am an avid fan of Mystery novels since I was a child (thanks completely to Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and this novel had me on the edge of my seat and unable to read the pages fast enough to find out "whodunit?" 

"The Woman in the Library," tells 2 masterful tales for the price of 1. You have the "main" mystery which follows our 4 main characters: Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit who are all brought together after having been strangers at the library when a shrill scream pierced through the Reading Room. This singular event brings the characters together and creates friendships, relationships, and one overall astounding mystery. The subplot is told through a series of emails between author Hannah who is writing the mystery of the scream in the library novel and her fan/beta reader Leo and that story though it is not the main one keeps you on the edge of your seat and I believe I was exactly at the end of Chapter 18 when I started screaming (not in a bad way) and nearly gave my husband a heart attack. 

I will happily admit that on more than one occasion I was certain I knew exactly who had done what and how they had done it and each time I was proven wrong; I love a mystery that can surprise me which I find is hard to do these days as so many tropes have been used over and over again. "The Woman in the Library" was a breath of fresh air in the realm of mystery novels and takes what many know about mysteries and still manages to keep the reader guessing and going on a wild ride. 

As I've stated I greatly enjoy mysteries and of course, the mystery part of a mystery novel is one of the best parts, but I find what I love the most about a good mystery novel is the people. The characters that the author brings to life upon the page are the true lifeblood of any well-told mystery. "The Woman in the Library" has an astounding cast of characters and I felt a pang of sadness when the story wrapped as if I had to say goodbye to good friends. 

I can without a doubt say that "The Woman in the Library" is a must-read for fans of Mystery and Thriller novels, and it will sit proudly on my shelf right at home with my favorite mystery novels.

When a scream shatters the silence of the Boston Public Library’s Reading Room, four strangers quickly find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of lies, suspicions, and murder.

But are they all strangers?

With more twists and turns than a roller coaster, the deliciously layered plot of The Woman in the Library is wicked clever and kept me guessing right up until the oh-I-did-not-see-that-coming ending! Fabulous!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Woman is no longer in the Window, or in the Dark. She is now in the LIBRARY!

This was a fun & fast mystery-inside-a-mystery. The framing story put this a step above your typical murder mystery novel, and produced some really clever insights about fiction writing and soliciting and offering feedback before a novel is published. (I hope when I beta read books I don’t give off as sinister of vibes, lmao.)

The core mystery was engaging, but it fizzled a bit at the end for me. Maybe that was purposeful, but that last line didn’t really leave the impact I suspect it meant to.

Recommend this if you’re looking for a fast mystery read this summer. It’s a perfect beach thriller.

Full disclosure-I could not finish this book. I found the core story (the four BPL patrons investigating a murder at the library with one of them being the actual killer) interesting. I didn’t love the narrative style, but I might have kept going if it hadn’t been for the alternating chapters. The story-in-a-story did not work for me at all. I found the sections of letters from Leo to Hannah, beta reading the core story as a novel, to be distracting and annoying. I’m not invested enough in the four library patrons or the murder mystery itself to deal with Leo.

A fun story with a slew of suspects, who become friends in an unlikely situation. The story was fast paced, unpredictable, and the ending left me feeling satisfied, even if I didn’t crack the whodunit myself.

Thank you NetGalley and Poised Pen Press for a copy of this book.

This book held so much promise. At first I wasn't aware that it the main murder wasn't real inside this story. Rather, it's about a fictional author named Hannah Tigone who is writing her mystery novel in Australia during the pandemic. This brought me completely out of the main plot. Knowing that the murder wasn't real made me care much less about what was actually going on. And the fact that there is a side plot about the author's critique partner took me out of it even more. I feel that the interludes were completely unnecessary. Plus, there were some really annoying American stereotypes that felt like Sulari was being way too obvious in getting social or political points across. She calls a lot of thing reductive and that is exactly how I feel about a lot of issues touched on in this book. By the end I was neither surprised nor particularly invested in what was going on. For a book about a murder in the library, there was very little suspenseful or particularly mysterious about it.

A clever, refreshingly different whodunit with a gripping plot and mostly well-crafted characters. I was unsure initially whether I would enjoy it as the writing verged on cliché and the way the four characters struck up a friendship so quickly seemed a little implausible. However, these uncertainties were soon dispelled as the layers emerged, revealing the story in a story (in a story), each with its own quirks, and soon I was unable to put it down. There were some good twists and red herrings, and I thought the author handled the "should I / shouldn't I refer to the pandemic" question very cleverly.

The ending did seem slightly rushed, but overall the pacing was good and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thank you to Libro.fm & Netgalley for this audiobook. I decided to listen to it in the end- fantastic narrator! It made my long car trip fly by!

I was SO into this! It had some Stephen King meets Ruth Ware vibes and it would have been a 5 star if I hadn't felt the endings hadn’t rush wrapped- the reveals were break neck at the end and it just felt wonky.

Still smart, refreshing, and still going to love seeing others review this!

This was so confusing to me.
I wanted to like it so much, but there was a lot going on and I couldn’t always keep up. I also was more interested in some stories than in others. I almost feel like I need to reread now that I know what happens.

This book was highly entertaining and engaging.
The narrative follows two different paths: One, in e-mails sent to an author (Hannah) by a fan/ prospective future author (Leo) who has, apparently, been corresponding with her for years. The other narrative is the book that Hannah is writing, and Leo is beta reading for her, centered around a character named Freddie and her new companions following a mysterious scream heard in the library. We get to know the "real-life" Leo while also reading the "fictional" story, and both are intriguing. Bouncing between the two narratives was handled really well.
Leo, to me, is one of those well-written, unlikable characters. I wouldn't want to know him in real life, but he's a good character for reading about. His communications to Hannah move the story forward without taking the reader too much out of the woman-in-the-library storyline.
I think it's relevant and important for various social views to be expressed in fiction since they are present in reality, and the author includes a few moments in this book that may take readers aback for not being politically correct by today's societal standards. They're all relevant to the story's progression.
One thing that could have been improved in the handling of Leo's narrative is when he starts referencing the COVID pandemic. It's completely relevant, if set during the past couple of years, but it won't age well with how it's introduced without much explanation. It seems it should have been explained a bit more so that future generations will know exactly what's being referenced when he begins talking about it. It makes me think of some aspects of Les Miserables that I didn't quite understand because it was written with the assumption that all readers would be familiar with the exact political and social issues of that era. The Woman in the Library should provide readers with the information necessary to understand what's going on even if they read it in 100 years, or 200 years from now.
The mystery that unfolds in the fiction-within-the-fiction story is quite captivating. I was kept on my toes, and was quite scared at a few tense points; I had to stop reading those at night, and pick back up the story during the daytime. Yeah, I'm a scaredy cat. The writing had me questioning most of the characters' possible guilt, and although I did have my suspicions mostly placed on one person in particular, I was kept guessing right up to the reveal. It was a well-done whodunnit.

This is a book that I likely would not have picked up on my own because I've been mostly into fantasy, but when I saw this as an option in Net Galley, it sounded intriguing enough that I decided to give it a go. It actually exceeded my expectations, and I'm really glad that I read it. When it is released, I will recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery and/ or contemporary fiction.

Wow, this was fantastic, clever and just brilliant. I loved how we have two stories connected by a long distance communication that has a surprisingly disturbing edge to it. I have to admit that I did guess who the murderer was but not after some very ingenious red herrings. A fabulous book.

I have mixed feelings about this one. This book is a turducken. You have Sulari Gentill writing as Hannah who’s writing as Freddie who’s writing a story. On one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed including Leo’s letters and his own story, although it confused me at first. On the other hand, there was so much happening and also not enough that I felt like I was dragging through it. Leo’s story wrapped up far too quickly, if you ask me.

The initial mystery was forgotten and came back to at the end, which I was slightly disappointed by. We went round and round with the same info for the book to wrap up in less than one chapter. I was also annoyed by the constant American vs Australian commentary as that’s all I could focus on.

All that being said, I love the premise of the story and the turducken aspect of it. As Gentill put it, she is commenting on the pandemic without making it a huge piece of her novel.

The Woman in the Library starts off in the Boston Public Library. Everything is quiet then all of the sudden a woman's terrifying screams can be heard. Security guards instruct everyone to stay up until they are given the all clear. To pass the time four strangers talk to each other and become fast friends. Each of them has their own reason for being in the library that day. And one of them might just be the murder. 

This was one that I was so excited to read and I was so sad that this book did not live up to my expectations. This book was a story within a story and it made it hard for me to keep up with what was going on. And the story with in a story added nothing to the plot other than confusion. I only kept reading because I got an ARC and I wanted to find out who the murder was. But by the time I got to who the murder was I was very unimpressed. Also, the letters from a fan to the author ( of the fake story with in the book) seemed like a waist of a plot point. I feel like that was added just to get the author more words in this book. I really wanted to like this one because a while murder in a library vibe sounded great. But this one was not for me and I am big fan of thrillers. But thank you so much Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this one. I do not think I would suggest this one.