his was a cleverly written mystery, with two stories running parallel before coming together - in a way - at the end.

Hannah, an Australian author, is writing a new murder mystery, set in Boston, and is corresponding with someone called Leo Johnson, who is a fan (?), and who is giving her advice about Americanisms and landmarks in Boston so she can make the story sound more authentic.

Over the course of a few weeks (months?), Leo becomes increasingly dark, telling Hannah about murders he’s happened across, and sending her photos, ostensibly to help her with writing.

He’s increasingly annoyed by her lack of reference to the current pandemic, and eventually becomes dangerously unhinged.

The actual murder mystery is a bit tame in comparison, with one character named after Leo, acting in a slightly odd manner as well towards the MC of the novel, and overall it moved a bit slowly for me and stayed that way until the end. The reveal of ‘whodunnit’ was likewise a bit flat after everything.

It was a clever idea but, for me, it needed a bit more tension and - dare I say it? - drama to make it more engaging.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is an epically clever mystery novel that offers a book within a book as well as an epistolarian feel with the letters spliced between each chapter from their pen pal, including their comments & critiques on each chapter. It’s an absolutely brilliant mystery & an easy 4.5 stars!
Elle Marney, who wrote one of my favorite books I read in 2021 called None Shall Sleep, recommended this book in her newsletter & after reading the blurb, j immediately requested! I felt so fortunate to receive this arc.
I was completely enthralled in both the book within the book & the critiques from Leo about the book. I found it to be a fascinating view into a brilliant writer’s mind.
To be self aware enough to simultaneously write a book within a book & critique said book within the book is next level, amazingly unique & genius tier of writing. I was completely engrossed reading Leo’s critiques of the book & his corrections of sayings & slang from American vs. Australian. I found this whole novel & concept extremely clever & well executed. I devoured this book in two days.
I felt the part leading to the climatic reveal dragged a bit & then the chaotic reveal scene itself was a little too rushed but perhaps that’s just me. Overall, this book is fantastic & I will happily read anything else from this author.
I was so invested in both the book & the book within the book. I loved this & I’m now a fan of Sulari Gentill.
If you are a fan of mysteries, thrillers, intelligent books &/or books about books, I would definitely check out The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill!
The woman in the Library comes out June 7, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Extra things I loved:
-Cain & Able is brilliant.
-The mention of Tim Tam biscuits warmed my heart as it has been a nickname of mine for many years. As someone who doesn’t drink coffee, I’ve never heard of the Tim Tam slam though!

Trigger warnings: This book mentions &/or contains murder, gore, violence, abuse, stalking, harassment, addiction, drugs & gun violence.

My thanks to Net Galley and Poison Pen Press for this ARC to review.

This read was a very unique concept about someone writing a book about someone writing a book.

Winifred (Freddie), Marigold, Cain,and Whit become friends when they meet and bond at The Boston Public Library over hearing a woman scream. This event sets off a chain of events of mini mysteries tied to the friends. Each chapter ends with the author writing the about the author writing the book receiving letters from someone feeding her book suggestions and from an FBI agent.

Quick read, a bit confusing with lots of twists, but different and unique.

This book is uniquely framed as a mystery novel as it is actively written within a separate narrative of letters received by the author. As someone who is constantly trying to work out "who done it" from the first word on the page, I found it to be wonderfully paced with the twists and turns placed at moments that kept you turning the page to continue on to the next chapter. I've never read anything by this author before and was impressed with the wonderfully descriptive writing and how it painted the very real and contemporary world through both the manuscript and the letters.
The initial description of the book makes it seem like the characters are kept locked up in one place and must solve the mystery from there. That is not the case, however, as the book takes place all over the Boston area over a short period of time. Description aside, I found myself gasping out loud multiple times at the events and revelations as I read this novel which has ignited an interest in other works by this author.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC that allowed me to read and review this fantastic work!

A story within a story, very interesting idea and made for an interesting read. Freddie falls quickly for Cain, but Cain is accused of murder. The other story of Leo sending edits to Hannah to guide her away from Australian verbiage to American, becomes increasingly alarming as Leo begins sending crime scene photos. I would have loved to see Hannah and Leo's story more developed, however, then it may have overshadowed the main story of the four friends. Overall, I really enjoyed the read and definitely kept turning the pages.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I’m not generally one for the mystery/thriller genre because I think a lot of authors think they’re smarter than their reader. I requested this and immediately regretted it because it meant I was going to need to read it - but I’m so glad to be wrong. This is a book about a woman (Hannah) writing a book about a woman (Winnifred) writing a book. Each chapter is interrupted by the response of Hannah’s beta reader, and the purposeful break in immersion does so much work and really builds the tension. By 20% of the book I had the “oh no” TikTok sound going the whole time I was reading. I can’t say more because, like with most good thrillers, what makes the book good is the surprise - so I will just say that I read the book, and I wanted to discuss every question in the “suggested book club question” section at the end.

I read this book fast. It definitely let my attention and I enjoyed the unique concept of the letters as well as the “writing a novel” portion. I just didn’t care for the racism of the villain and the way the author wrapped up the reveal in a bow. I felt like the romantic and non-romantic relationships were difficult to fully understand their depth. This was lacking for me.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Four strangers sit engrossed in their own quiet pursuits at the Boston Public Library when the silence is broken by a scream. During the ensuing lockdown, which lasts only a short time, the four become fast friends, something the narrator muses can only happen in times of crisis. Released by library security, the four head for coffee at a cafe called the Map Room to chat some more. “And so we go to the Map Room to found a friendship, and I have my first coffee with a killer.” So ends the first chapter of The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Gentill, but it certainly will not be the last.

Told from the perspective of Winnifred “Freddie” Kincaid, an Australian writer living in Boston on a prestigious scholarship. Freddie sets up in the library’s impressive and imposing Reading Room in hopes of focusing on her writing. Unfortunately, she is unsure where to begin and is distracted by the three library patrons sitting near her. Deciding to focus on them, toying with the idea of creating characters to construct her novel, she dubs them “Freud Girl,” “Heroic Chin,” and “Handsome Man,” and sketches some backgrounds for them. Once the scream shatters the invisible walls that held them in their communal solitude, Freddie learns their real names, Marigold Anastas, Whit Metters, and Abel Manners, respectively.

The scream, which had been dismissed initially by security as a harmless prank, becomes the impetus for Freddie to learn more about her enigmatic friends when the body of a young woman is discovered in the room next to the Reading Room. All are fairly certain they are innocent, given the fact that they were together when the scream happened. But all is not as it seems. Ultimately, Freddie has reasons to mistrust some of what her new friends tell her.

The Woman in the Library is about friendship, specifically way we can become close friends with people very unlike us in a moment of crisis. It also explores the imperfect way we get to know others, sometimes misinterpreting signs that go against our preconceptions.

Ms. Gentill cleverly employs a frame narrative to underscore these themes. Beginning with a prologue and ending each chapter with an email correspondence, mostly from an erstwhile author, known only as Leo for most of the book, to the fictional author of the story, Hannah Tigone, the fictional Australian writer of the novel. Within these emails, Leo acts as a beta reader and fact-checker from afar. Set during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Hannah cannot travel to Boston, so Leo, reading the chapters as they are written, researches locations and makes suggestions for Hannah. He also makes some predictions about who the killer might be. The chapters that follow each email act as Hannah’s response to Leo. It is amusing to be privy to Leo’s thoughts about the mystery. And it is also amusing to follow how Hannah incorporates his suggestions in each ensuing chapter, not always in the way he intends.

Within this frame, Ms. Gentill explores the nature of the relationship between writers and readers, between fiction and contemporary events, and even between different genres of writing. The frame allows the author to introduce contemporary concerns, not just about the pandemic, but about racial justice as well, from the perspective of a white reader. Her fictional author is not white, nor is Ms. Gentill, and not keen to address either subject. This is a canny move by Ms. Gentill to draw attention to the way that the narrative surrounding minority agency can easily be hijacked by the majority.

These serious issues, however, don’t weigh the story down. It moves along at a nice pace to a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend this novel.

An intriguing book within a book about friendship, love, loyalty, morality, obsession, and murder.

It starts off a bit slow, and that may be due to getting into the flow of format it’s written in. However, once I got used to the format, I was hooked.
I thought it was well done and I was surprised by the ending and ultimately “who done it”.
I love that the author was able to raise thought provoking topics such as whether to include global events like the pandemic in literature and whether race is something that should be explicitly outlined by the author and if not what the impact could be on the reader and their perceptions.
I felt that there were a few plot holes that weren’t tied up at the end which was a little disappointing.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and I’m interested in reading more of Sulari Gentill’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC!

Interesting mystery book-actually a “ book within a book”. Four strangers meet in the Boston Public Library. A terrifying scream and subsequently discovered body initiates their friendship, and early on we learn that one of them is the killer.There are enough twists, turns, surprising revelations and “ red herrings” to stump even the most astute reader.
An entertaining, well written mystery that will keep you guessing until the last reveal. Quite good!!

I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this book. I absolutely loved the story within a story, and the email exchanges between the "author" and her obsessed fan. So many twists and turns! I have a soft spot for locked room mysteries, and this book turned out to be about so much more than the "whodunnit". I loved the characters, especially Cain. Can't wait for this to be published and rave about it to my fellow readers and thrust a copy upon them!

What a ride of chilling crime fiction intermingled with love of books and writing!
I have to admit, when I started this the style confused the hell out of me, I could not figure out what was going on, there’s a story inside a story; a writer writing a story of a writer writing a story? Yeah, it was a bit challenging at first but I got sucked into story really fast, I loved the sudden coincidental friendship, the characters and the classics whodunnit mystery. I tried guessing until the end, changing my mind occasionally. I was especially surprised by the parallel events occurring in the real part of the story as much as “the fiction”. Definitely recommended for crime fiction fans and aspiring authors!

A scream in a room in a library leads to an intriguing puzzle whose pieces did not fit together until the end.

This book caught me from the first few pages. I really like the unique concept of the one-sided letter as well as the writer’s “novel”. At times, it was a little confusing, but it worked. Throughout the first 40%, I couldn’t put it down. The end of each chapter was a cliff hanger that made me want to keep reading.

In the latter half, the story seemed to drag on. Maybe I read too many romances, but the romantic relationships seemed forced and too serious too fast. And then I feel like the reveal of the killer was way too neatly summed up. There was really no guessing because you know very early on that it is 1 of 3 people. When Freddie guesses 1 of them, within a few pages another one is guessed and then everything is immediately revealed. All within a few pages.

The book definitely kept my interest, and I read it very fast, but I feel like it was lacking.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

A massive thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange of my honest review.

This book was amazing maybe even addicting as I just had to finish it, truly a page turner. A book inside of a book, I have to say this is the first of me reading something like this and I did like it, honestly I was hooked.

The characters were well written which I had the pleasure of reading about them that I liked. The plot was intense and had tension which kept me guessing as the book takes place in a library. I love twists and turns in books and this one aced it well and truly, what I thought I was getting into when I started was so much more. I would well and truly have to recommend this to fellow book readers.

I am so looking forward to any new novels Sulari Gentill brings out in the near future.

This book caught me by surprise. The original description was that of a cozy mystery centered within the Boston Public Library. While that is the where the story begins this is a layered mystery that explores the art of writing itself. Each chapter contains two separate narratives. One revolving around the discovery of a body in the Boston Public Library that brings four strangers together (two of whom are novelists working on their next project). The other narrative is a series of emails to the author of the mystery; Hannah, from a fan called Leo who is responding to each chapter of the story as he reads them. While the murder mystery is engrossing and fun, the meta commentary from Leo becomes increasingly disturbing as he provides critiques and “research” along the way. Leo’s correspondence touches on whether to include the pandemic in the main plot line of the story, and how knowledge of a character’s race affects how they are received by a reader. This is a unique reading experience that is fun and fast-paced. Despite the twisty plot and meta commentary Gentill’s writing is accessible and relatively easy to follow. I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending me an advanced e-copy of this title.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication date in exchange for an honest review.

I have not had the pleasure to read a mystery like this before. Without giving too much away, the format of the novel was interesting to me; an author writing a book about an author writing a book while attempting to solve a murder, and included are letters to the actual author (not to be confused with the author in the book) giving advice on her chapters and assisting with research.

I can't say that there was a big SHOCK moment, but lots of nice little plot twists. Check out this wholly enjoyable book.

I don’t know if it’s just me, right now, but I am struggling to get i to this one. The back and forth between the “book within a book” and the letters to the author of the”book within a book” keeps throwing me off. Plus the inconsistency in the “bwab” that then get explained on the letter just feel annoying. And I feel taken out of the story.

I am sure there are other for whom this hits the spot, for me…I can’t get into it.

Although I was unsure of this book to begin with mistaken it as slow, this is not the case. Once I settled down to read it properly and I was sooo attached. Once stuck in it, I was and unable to put it down. Not my usual kind of read but a thoroughly enjoying read all the same and it draws you in at a nice steady pace.
Full review to come on YouTube.

Huge appreciation to NetGalley and publishers fr making the ARC of this book available.
oh, what a read! Mystery in a mystery, book in a book, suspense is just building up and you have a huge cast of characters who could have done it. deep-dive into the brains and psyche of characters intellectual and sinister!

Delightful, entertaining, and mind-boggling read.
Writing is 8/10, suspense is 8/10, and entertaining value is 9/10.