Really enjoyed this meta mystery that combines some of my favorite literary styles: locked room(ish) murder, book within a book, writer as detective, and an epistolary twist. I wanted just a little more “meat” to Hannah’s parts or the story, but still loved that extra creative and engaging layer. Compulsively readable, and I’m still thinking about that last sentence - this would make an excellent book club selection!

*3.5*

The Woman in the Library was a novel that was supposed to be my perfect mystery cup of tea, but sadly it kind of wasn't. It was a good book for sure, and I enjoyed reading it, but it missed something for me, and I'm really disappointed about it. I really wanted to love it, and I just kinf of liked it.

This book follows a writer, and a group of people he met in the library, and they are bonded by a scream of a woman they heard while they were there. I really enjoyed the fact that this group came ouf of nowhere but ended up really bonding and become friends with each other. I was so rooting for this part to be more explored, but right at the beginning something is revealed that makes doing it a little bit impossible.
A thing I didn't particularly enjoy was that from the beginning the author kind of gives away where you could find the killer and who could it be, so the choices were kind of restricted, and you could imagine right away who did what, or at least among which people you could kind the person who did it.

The "whodunnit" style is a genre I actually really enjoy in mystery books, and that was also the case, but I would like to have more option from which to choose, usually. Maybe it's me being kind of picky, because sometimes I found myself in mystery books saying "the field is too wide, and the possibilities are too many", so again, just a personal preference.

One element I really liked was kind of the "novel within the novel" aspect. At the beginning I found it to be a bit distracting from the actual plot, but after I found out some other things about these letters and exchanges, this was a part I found to be innovative and original.

In the end, the part I enjoyed the most was the depiction of the characters, how the four of them had their distinctive characteristics and how they carried the novel in my opinion. The ending was quite rushed, but I was okay with it, I think it matched the pace, and the last page of this book. How I enjoyed that!

In conclusion, if you like "whodunnit" mystery novels with a character heavy component, I think this could be your cup of tea.

There is no hiding the fact that this one got off to a slow start. But with clever writing it turned into a very engaging story.

We’ve all seen the ‘book within a book’ books - but this was a book within a book within a book, and very cleverly done too! Hannah Tigone is an Australian author writing a story set in Boston. She gets contextual advice from Leo Johnson who is in Boston. Her character, Winifred (Freddy) Kincaid is an Australian author who got some sort of award to enable her to spend a year in Boston to write her novel. The fictional Freddy also gets contextual advice from Leo Johnson. Within these two stories is the story that the fictional Freddie writes. It might sound confusing but you soon get the hang of it and it gets quite immersive.

Four soon-to-be friends meet at the Boston Public Libray. None of them knew each other but they end up sharing a table. Then they hear a scream. This is what binds them and the friendship starts spontaneously from there. Or does it? Freddie has given the others nicknames before they all introduce themselves - Heroic Chin (real name Whit Metters who is trying to fail law), Freud Girl (Marigold Anastas who is studying psychology), and Handsome Man (who is Cain McLeod, an already published author).

The scream turns out to be from murdered journalist Caroline Palfrey but it is only the first of quite a few deaths and attacks. Not bad for a cosy mystery! Freddy’s ‘adviser’, Leo seems to be pushing the line that the killer is one of the four and tries to convince Freddy that it is Cain. Cain does have a murky past but, as so often happens, things are not what they seem. All the characters seem to be hiding something and it was fun trying to unravel all the threads. Leo’s ‘advice’ gets quite snippy as he sees that Freddy isn’t taking all his suggestions on board. Even the real Leo is a shady character.

So this was a fun, cosy story to read. There were not too many characters which allowed the author to develop the main characters quite well. It was not action packed but moved along at a steady pace that didn’t have any flat spots. All in all I found this to be a lighthearted, entertaining mystery and I enjoyed the read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

3.5 rounded up.

7/10

I kinda wanted to not like this book, but gosh golly, it’s a page turner. Couldn’t put it down.

It is, in essence, a murder mystery - but one with a twist. Imagine a book written about somebody writing a book about people writing books being critiqued by somebody writing a book.

It sounds complicated. It isn’t. It’s unique. At first I didn’t think the style would work. It wasn’t going anywhere. And then about 1/3 of the way into the book it began going everywhere.

Four people meet in a library and, coincidentally, there is a scream. Somebody gets murdered. Suddenly the four people are bonded as they attempt to find out who committed the murder. But oh if it were only that simple.

I’m not going to ruin it for you because I think you should read it. And it’s well worth a read for anybody who likes mysteries and suspense novels.

The only downside of the book is that I figured out who did it after about 2/3rds into the book. I was expecting/hoping for a big twist and an out of the blue surprise at the end of the book. It wasn’t a bad ending, but a bit of a let down based on the creativity of the rest of the novel.

#netgalley #thewomaninthelibrary

This book was so good and totally kept you on your toes. At one point I suspected almost every single character. I will say the ending/resolution wrapped up a little too fast. I would have liked to see maybe a longer explanation between victim/murderer. And the subplot.. I was definitely not expecting that either. A thrilling read.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill sounded like it was going to be right up my alley what with the whole murder mystery in a library thing. Unfortunately, in the end, it just didn't work out for me. The more I read the less interested I became in the mystery itself and the cast of characters.

What an amazing piece of mystery!! The added layer found in the emails is exceptionally chilling. The plot will keep you guessing up to the very end.

This one, from the blurb, sounded like something up my alley. Never thought I would read about a murder in a library but here we are, lol.

I’m not going to lie, I had a hard time with this one. It was really due to the writing itself. I couldn’t connect to it in any way and it also didn’t add much to the personality of the characters. They felt a bit flat and made the book more plot driven than anything.

There are also these letters that are written by one of the character spread out between the book. They weren’t a favorite and kind of distracted me from the main plot. Since this is how the book started, I actually didn’t realize it was part of the book and thought the dedication had been in the front of the book. *facepalm*

Although there were some interesting plot twists that I didn’t see coming, it just didn’t make up for the disconnect from the writing.

Overall, I wish I had liked this one but every writing style won’t be made for me.

(4.5 rounded up to a 5)

The Woman in the Library is a closed-room literary mystery novel by Sulari Gentill. The ebook version is 288 pages. We follow our main character with a first person point-of-view.

Four strangers are sitting at the same table in the Reading Room at the Boston Public Library, when suddenly they hear a woman's scream. To pass the time they are confined in the room while security figures out what's happened, the strangers strike up a conversation and become friends. Freddie is our point-of-view character, who is an Australian novelist present in Boston due to a fellowship she was awarded. She befriends Marigold, a psychology student and former ballerina, Cain, a fellow novelist with a mysterious past, and Whit, a law student desperate to get out of the family law business.

I really liked the framing device used for this book. The basic idea for it is that we are reading a manuscript chapter-by-chapter and said chapters are followed up by correspondence from a fan of the author writing the book. At the back of the book, there is a Reading Group Guide with discussion questions, along with A Conversation with the Author.

Tropes in this book include: closed-room mystery, book within a book

CW: stabbing, murder, death

Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

The Woman in the Library is a delight! I don't want to give anything away, so I'll try to stick with the basics. 4 strangers meet in the Boston Public Library, they hear a scream, and a group friendship is quickly formed. Later they find out that someone was murdered, and we start to find out a lot about the characters as they get to know one another. This part felt really true to me, when you meet some people and quickly become a tight group of friends, this is something I've missed during the pandemic! Freddie, the lead, is an Australian author on a fellowship in Boston, and she is using the other characters as inspiration for her mystery novel. It becomes a puzzle book, with a story inside a story inside a story, and in some cases I would find this contrived, but somehow it really works. I found myself really connecting with characters at all levels of the story. I really liked all the nods to the writing process and the feedback one gets. The author's note at the end explains this really well.

My only complaint is that I'm sick of books being called "The woman..." or "the girl..." But I forgot about the title throughout much of the book. The characters were all so fun and interesting.

I will definitely be recommending this one to my friends.

... if not 4.5! This was a really solid story, and told with a great device!

As meta mysteries (book in a book, story in a story type writing) continue to gain traction among readers, Sulari does a great job of taking two simple stories and weaving them together in a way that builds the excitement and suspense! While this style can take one out of the story (I mean... its designed to, after all), I felt that it added to the simple mystery set out with a host of red herrings, double guesses and a very real look at societal problems and world events.

My only drawback was that it was SUCH as simple core mystery. Without the Meta aspect, this would have been a 3.5 or 4, tops.

My thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book starts out in the Boston Public Library. All of a sudden a woman’s scream is heard and four people develop friendships because of this. The book is a story within a story that goes back and forth between the incident that happened in the library and letters sent back and forth between Leo and Hannah. The book started out strong for me but fizzled out at the end. It got a little far fetched but I wanted to continue reading to find out what happened. I give this one three and a half stars. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I'm just gonna say it.....this is my favorite book of 2022 so far!!!!

Wow!!

Sulari takes you on a captivating and unusual ride of intrigue, murder, sleuthing, and the writers experience of writing a book.

The book starts at the library with four characters sitting around a table, minding their own business, not paying attention to each other (or were they?) and then a woman screams and the four are bonded by the scream and by the grisly discovery shortly thereafter.

What is so unique about this book is Freddie who is writing a mystery novel corresponds with a man named Leo, who reads her chapters and provides feedback in the form of letters to Freddie. The book goes between the action and the feedback from Leo.

Freddie uses the three other characters that were at the table in the library as the inspiration for the characters in her mystery novel. But what story is Freddie telling? Her own?

You must read this to find out!!

This book is a gem and a must-read.

Thank you NetGalley and the Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

This was quite an interesting story and I don’t know if I’ve ever read a story within a story like this before. The creative structure of the story really makes you pay attention because if you don’t it’s easy to get confused. I really enjoyed the narrator and each of the main characters. This book will have you doubting what you think you know and being suspicious of everyone. Such a great read for mystery lovers.

I have just read The Woman in the Library by Author Sulari Gentill.

The Woman in the Library is a twisty little adventure of a book that starts off in the Boston Public Library, when a group of people in the library hear a terrifying scream, and a woman is found dead, under a table.

I did enjoy this book and liked the characters who are all quite an interesting bunch. It was a bit slow for me at times, but overall, an enjoyable read

Thank You to NetGally the Author and Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy to read and review.

#NetGalley

The premise sounded so promising but I only finished the book to find out who the killer was. The story was really hard for me to follow and I had a hard time connecting with it.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A clever, interesting book within a book... within a book? An Australian crime writer is writing a book about an Australian crime writer who has won a fellowship to live in Boston, who is writing a murder mystery set in the Boston Public Library, where she herself coincidentally was when a murder occurred there. Don't worry about the plot, it sounds confusing, but it's actually really fun and layered, and I loved the one-sided correspondence of a beta reader who gets more and more creepy as the novel progresses. The story drew me in and I couldn't put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital review copy.

A story within a story within a story.
This story begins in the reading room of the Boston Public Library as many individuals are separately involved in research, reading or musing on life. Our narrator, a writer on a grant in Boston, is seeking inspiration in this famed room and checking out her immediate neighbors when there is a sudden scream. Also suddenly, Winifred, Freddie to her friends, now meets the three people she has been surreptitiously studying as everyone in the room reacts to the sound. Her new acquaintances are Whit, a law student, Marigold, a psychology student, and Cain who also writes. And just like that, Freddie now has some friends in Boston. She also has now become involved in murder.

The Woman in the Library is a well-crafted mystery on multiple levels and is a twisting, turning story that moves in multiple directions. Once I reached midway in this novel, it became an involving race to see where it would end. I was not disappointed.

Definitely recommended. Do remember that this is not just any mystery, however. There are levels to it that slowed me down initially but then became intriguing.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a great mystery inside a mystery! The pages turned easily and quickly. Readers will have to pay close attention so as not to confuse the two mysteries. It kept me guessing! I’m definitely recommending you read this fabulous book! It was the kind of book you need to read in one sitting. The writing was exceptional and although I had not previously heard of this author I’ll now be looking out for more books by her. Exceptional and a best read so far in 2022.

The first thoughts that come to my mind as I write the review for this novel, is “WOW! What a great read!” I was utterly shocked at how much this book grabbed my attention and did not let go until the very end. I read this book in one day because I simply could not put it down. The twists and turns had me literally gasping aloud and on the edge of my seat. This book is a murder mystery with many winding plot twists. All the reader knows is that one of the main characters is a murderer and they all have their own reasons for committing the crime. The reader is left guessing literally until the very last pages of this book. Let me say that I did not see the ending coming even though the author tells us at the very beginning that one of the main characters is the murderer.

This book will stay with me for a while. I read a lot of mysteries. Pretty much every book I read is a mystery, so for me to say that this book took me by surprise, it is a big deal. Gentill is a remarkable writer who engages her readers from the very first page until the very last page. The setup of this book is a little different and it is hard to describe for me in words, but I would suggest that the reader just roll with it and take it for what it is. You will not be disappointed. Basically, there are two different stories in this novel that overlap slightly but together create a mystery masterpiece.

Typically in my reviews, I outline the storyline of the book, but with this one it just wouldn’t feel right for me to detail the story on this blog. I feel like I would be doing the book an injustice and might give away some of the twists and turns that really make this book truly unique. All I can say is when this book is released in June of this year, run and get your hands on this one as it was phenomenal in every single way. I have a feeling this book will be a huge hit and everyone will be talking about it. I am absolutely honored I had the chance to preview it and read it early. From a chronic mystery reader, I give this book a huge standing ovation and cannot wait to see what the author writes next.

Overall Rating: 5+ stars
Author: Sulari Gentill

Series: N/A

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Publication Date: June 7, 2022

Pages: 292

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.