My favourite book in quite a while - I loved it! Part thriller, part romance, a little comedy thrown in. I read a lot of thrillers, and this one stands out as something different.

Freddie, Handsome Man, Heroic Chin and Freud Girl - four strangers meeting for the first time in the Boston Public Library. They hear a scream. There is a dead body. And then there is Leo. Leo is what makes this story unique - he is a story within a story. Strangely helpful, friendly, but disturbing in equal measures... very disturbing...

I received a free review copy from the publisher, via Netgalley - thank you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to be an early reader of this novel within a novel. I enjoyed this tautly written mystery about Winifred, an author on a scholarship trip to the US who meets and bonds with Cain, Whit, and Marigold over their shared experience of hearing a woman being murdered. The foursome quickly become detectives to determine who killed Caroline. Many twists and turns before the surprise ending.

This title of this book doesn't even describe how amazing this writer is.. It takes place in Boston library but it comes in from from there it leaves all over the place. Actually 2 stories going on in this book That makes it such an amazing book because she has 2 platforms going on in a destruction novel that's pretty hard to do but she pulls it off like a champ. FR ADD I EMA RIGOLD comes in for I'll be comes in from Australia on a scholarship because she wrote a book and she is trying to write another book doing researchers at the library Based on something murder.. Then she meets a guy named Calvin Turns out to be tolling somebody else but you'll friend Margaret Also in the library that day was Walt Ann Margaret. A woman was murdered in the library named Caroline Caroline. It's really interesting how they went around different parts of Boston and a lot of where things happen. Well it turns out to be somebody you really wouldn't want to know. Margaret seems to be innocent but you'll find out later she really is not. So Calvin and Freddie I'm pretty start going around talking and stuff like that.. And there's like I ermine likes Freddie a lot but she doesn't really relate to him. It's like a murder mystery as well. The letter part of it is when you're reading a to a person called Hannah in Australia. And he explains what's going on after the chapters. You read the thing and read the story and then there's a letter at the end of the chapter and explains what's really going on. Everybody has to say in this book. I love the twist in the terms and you realize that the really the bad guy is not the original guy. Calvin had a lot of problems in life and you'll find this out but he really is a good soul. I think Freddie is amazing too because she actually believed in him and we go along with them. When this book is published to the to the public please buy it. So well written. I've not read about this good in such a long time

4.5 stars
Thanks to #netgalley and #poisonpenpublishing for the advance copy of #thewomaninthelibrary
What an unusual treatment. It's a story within a story in a way I haven't read before. One story is correspondence based between an Australian author writing a mystery set in Boston and an American living in Boston. The second story is the novel she's writing which is being told in the first person so at first I was confused about what was real. But I quickly settled into the flow and it was done so well - the man in Boston corresponding with "helpful" commentary on the progression of the novel and the actual novel.

The mystery is a closed room ala Agatha Christie - a scream is heard in the Boston library and 4 people sharing a table in the library become suspects - which one is a killer? Of course, twists and misdirections abound. Good characters, unusual friendships, a peek into an author's thought processes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend you pick it up when it's out in July!

Thrilling mystery will take you for a ride! There is so much going on here. Strangers bond after a murder in the library. But, are they truly strangers? Was there really even a murder when they heard a scream? Is one of them responsible? And Leo. Oh boy. Writing too much will give too much away.

The author does a great job of bringing you into the story. It was extremely difficult to put down as I was trying to figure out whodunnit, why etc. Amy thoughts kept changing with each new development. We are presented that this is fiction, but there is also the correspondence between the fictional writer and a research assistant that takes the story into Eden more amazing places. Excellent read! I’ve never read anything like this.

I'm not so sure about this book. The concept of a novel in a novel was a bit distracting for me. I would focus on the novel being written and then we'd switch to the letters discussing it. I just wanted to stay in one story. Also, I'm a bit confused on how both stories ended. Overall, this is a unique concept but I just wasn't a fan of the style.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

The Woman in the Library is a page-turning mystery you will not want to miss. I was hooked from the first page. Thanks to author Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this ebook for review.

Wow! I loved this book! It's the story of a book within a book and I'm all for it! But also, the fact that is by an Australian author makes it even better.

This was an interesting premise! An author writing a thriller and sharing chapters with an increasingly... intense beta-reader. The two-part narrative was an interesting idea! But the execution sometimes leads to an abrupt de-escalation of tension in both narratives. However! I would still recommend this book, I actually enjoyed it a lot. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I could NOT put this book down. Seriously, I binge-read it in a day. Full of twists and turns, it had me questioning everything that I thought I knew. It was the perfect mystery, full of suspense and intrigue, with a brilliant ending.

I loved the academic setting, and the main character was a superb narrator. Without giving away too much, I also enjoyed the inclusion of Leo's POV. It added another layer of mystery to the story, which had me on the edge of my seat while reading. Overall a 5-star read for me.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill follows main character Freddy, an aspiring novelist who becomes acquainted with three other friends when they all are present when they hear a scream in the Boston Public Library reading room. When they realize that a woman has been found dead, the three work to unravel the mystery.

I absolutely loved the structure of this book. It is almost mind-boggling. Technically, the book is a book about a woman writing a book about a woman writing a book. Exactly. So confusing and yet so cool! You get letters from a super-fan named Leo who is writing to the author of the story, Hannah, and giving critiques of her novel (the storyline following Freddy and friends) as she writes it. I absolutely loved this structure and the little letters from Leo at the end of each chapter. That being said, I do think that Leo's letters could've been expanded upon a little bit to flesh out what becomes the ultimate conclusion of that storyline.

I enjoyed the main characters, and I thought the author did a great job keeping us on edge about each of them and whether we could trust them. Overall, the mystery of who killed the woman in the library kept me engaged and flipping pages.

I found the end to be a little bit rushed, and I'm not sure I totally buy the motive behind the woman's killing. No spoilers, though! You'll have to read it and see what you think.

Overall, I would recommend this to anybody who loves a fast-paced mystery that keeps you guessing. I think the structure was the strongest point of the novel and included another layer of mystery and intrigue as the story goes on.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Discovering another new author is always such a treat. The Boston setting is what initially drew me in as one of my favorite cities to visit. The author did a good job of portraying the area. This is an adult mystery/suspense novel within a novel. It's not a long book, but was a slow start as I tried to understood the unique concept. The back and forth of pen pal type letters and the character writing a novel weren't immediately clear. Some reviewers say it wasn't complicated, that kind of depends on whether you've read this style or this author before. I stuck with it and have mixed feelings.
Winifred Kincaid (Freddie) Is living in Carrington Square as a writer in residence on a Scholarship. She's from Australia and frequently goes to the Boston Public Library for inspiration. On one of these occasions she has a diverse group at her table. Cain, Whit, and Marigold all have traits and characteristics which Freddie expands on for her story.
As they're sitting there they hear "The Scream". The news reports that a body is discovered, much later, a young woman, Caroline Palfrey, a journalist from an upper class Boston Brahmin family.
The strangers from the library table form an interesting alliance to find out how the woman was killed and by whom. They strike up an unlikely friendship with some romantic liaisons, dinners, jealousy, secrets, deceit, an alias, threats, and general suspense, as they investigate. The suspect list grows and kept me guessing.
There is enough misdirection and twisty turns to keep the reader wondering who killed Caroline Palfrey. I very much enjoyed this portion. I would have enjoyed more insight to the letter writer's (Hanna) identity, more character background and a clearer premise to the letter portion. There was too much unknown. I might try reading other books by this author. If it were tied together better I would've given four stars instead of three.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "The Woman in the Library" by Sulari Gentill, and to Poisoned Pen Press. These are my personal, honest thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

This novel started off pretty strong in my opinion, but slowly began to lose me. Although it was written well, the overall storyline started to go south by the inclusion of the sub-storyline of email correspondence of a fan to the author who is writing the story of murder in the Boston Public Library. It took me a chapter or two to figure this layout out and I didn’t really get the point- to be honest, I thought it was a bit odd/disconnected. The murder in the library storyline got too dragged out and had a lot of unnecessary back and forth, making the end reveal a “meh”,
I have to say, this one was a disappointment and wouldn’t rush to recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC!

"The Woman in the Library" is a story within a story. The main story focuses on a murder in the Boston Public Library. Winifred (Freddie) Kincaid is in Boston on a fellowship writing a novel. In the reading room of the Boston Public Library, she is observing other patrons for inspiration, and focuses on a young woman (Marigold Anastas -- Freud Girl, a psychology student) and two young men (Cain McLeod -- Handsome Man, published author working on his next book -- and Whit Metters -- Heroic Chin, journalist and law student). The silence is broken by a woman's scream. The four of them go to the Map Room Tea Lounge for a drink and strike up a friendship. Later in the day, a woman will be found dead in the library. As the story progresses, there is considerable focus on Cain, who has a very significant secret in his past, and whose newfound friendship with the others places them in danger or potential danger. It also appears that the presence of at least three of the four individuals in the reading room at the same time may not have been a coincidence, although who would want to bring them together and why remains a mystery. There will be numerous twists and turns before the mystery of the woman in the library, and how she is connected to our four protagonists, is finally revealed.

The secondary story is correspondence by a fan/beta reader and aspiring author named Leo to author Hannah Tigone, who is writing the story of Winnie and her new friends, and the mysterious murder. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hannah, who is Australian, is stuck in Australia. However, Leo lives in Boston, and he provides feedback on the draft chapters, providing Hannah with information about the city, advice on what Americans would say or do compared to what Australians would say or do, and suggestions on changes and "improvements." As time passes and Leo reads more draft chapters, his advice and assistance becomes creepy and disturbing.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I received an ARC of this book. This is fascinating mystery story. With a well-written plot, and complex characters, it grabbed my attention and kept me reading. The best part for me is the unique way the author has chosen to tell this story. I highly recommend this unique book.

This book reminded me a lot of the movie Inception, and I do love some meta writing, However halfway through I found myself not getting into the book, Maybe its a situation where its not you its me. I will try to pick this up again, unfortunately right now this book wasn't for me .

Shortly after I started this book, I realized it was not for me. The cover intrigued me but I only got to 20% before throwing in the towel. I did not connect with any of the characters at all. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The premise was great but the execution wasn’t. I overall was not interested in the characters or the mystery. I also did not enjoy the story within a story. Overall it was somewhat entertaining but missing that something extra. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in the LIbrary
by Sulari Gentill
Pub Date: June 7, 2022
Sourcebooks
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I was drawn to request this book because I love mysteries and I am a librarian so anything library-related seems to get my attention. Suli was formerly a corporate attorney and felt there was something else drawing her in. Sulari became the author of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries: thus far, ten historical crime novels chronicling the life and adventures of her 1930s Australian gentleman artist, the Hero Trilogy, based on the myths and epics of the ancient world, and the Ned Kelly Award-winning Crossing the Lines. This is the first book by this author for me and you can make sure I will be checking out her other work.
This book is written in a unique, unconventional, twisty, intelligent style. This book is a great murder mystery, well-plotted, greatly executed, and is getting 4 exciting stars from me. I recommend.
4 stars

As she did to excellent effect in After She Wrote Him, the author once again simultaneously tells a story and a parallel story about writing. This nesting doll of a novel by an Australian woman crime writer (Sulari) features an Australian woman crime writer (Hannah) whose work-in-progress stars an Australian woman crime writer (Winifred) visiting Boston on a fellowship to write a novel. For all we know, it could continue for even more nested crime-writer levels like some terrifying Aussie turducken.

It's delightful to be introduced early on to characters with charm and wit—initially developed as products of Winifred's creative musings about three people sitting near her in the Boston Public Library. (Her process reminded me of Paul Simon’s lyric "playing games with the faces--she said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy”). When an unexpected scream breaks the silence and creates a bonding moment, Winifred discovers that the neighbors she had amusingly nicknamed Heroic Chin, Handsome Man, and Freud Girl are clever and friendly people. She gets to know them and enjoys spending time with her new gang while working on her novel. Meanwhile, as Hannah’s story about Winifred’s novel-writing unfolds, Hannah herself receives writing feedback from American aspiring novelist Leo, who offers advice on the manuscript, American English usage, and fact-checking tidbits about Boston.

The author clearly had fun with character names, some evocative of familiar stories. When we first meet these people, especially before we know exactly what kind of story this will be, it’s hard not to imagine possible crime-novel scenarios suggested by these names (Could Cain be involved in a murder? Is Boo going to be falsely accused? Will we find out that our heroine goes by “Han" Tigone and has a brother “Paulie" whose dead body the authorities won’t release for burial?).

Both levels of the novel are engaging, even when initial charm turns out to hide dark secrets, various forms of social ineptitude, and increasing creepiness. The dialogue feels real, the Boston sights are featured just enough, and the twisty suspense is compelling. The ending is satisfying on multiple fronts, nicely wrapping up multiple storylines.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital advance review copy.