Book started out slow but gain strength. It was confusing sometimes reading the letters at the end the chapters but the letters did give some good feedback especially in this day and age. I will be recommending this book to others and using it for my library subscription box.

Perfect for a one-sit read. The pace was okay and the characters were somehow chemistrified. Overall, a decent attepmt.

For a short book this took me way too long to read. The "story within a story" was the only thing that kept me reading until the end. I was very interested in the present day letters being sent from Leo to famous author Hannah, dissecting her forthcoming novel. I would have loved to hear more about THAT story. However, I really don't see how that story factored into the story Hannah was writing, about the Woman in the Library. I did not care too much about any of the characters and found the writing to be a little basic.

As an amateur writer I truly liked the concept of this book: a manuscript by a thriller writer being beta-read by a colleague.

Hannah, an Australian writer with some renown, is writing a book set in Boston. Four people sit close by in the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman's scream. Later the body of a woman is found. Among those four people is Freddie, a mystery writer from Australia, who uses the experience and the people she's met as material for her new book. Also, the four of them become fast friends while trying to solve the murder of the woman. And somehow they are all being drawn deeper into the case than they had anticipated.

Leo lives in Boston, somehow got in contact with the famous writer Hannah, and is offering to help Hannah with the manuscript since, due to the Covid pandemic, she cannot travel to Boston to scout the area herself.

I didn't mind the grammar or spelling mistakes in the manuscript part - I'm sure they will be addressed before the book is published - made it feel much more like a manuscript. Sadly, it had a few plot holes and the timeline inconsistencies of some of the characters; Leo could have picked up on them, but then again he's only beta-reading the chapters and not an editor. Also, he has his own agenda, like using the connection to finding an agent to get his own book out, or to getting Hannah to write the pandemic into the story.

I wish the mystery had been more thrilling, more mysterious. I puzzled it out early on.

There were a lot of great things in this book. It had a really interesting concept of a mystery/thriller where the story is being written by someone who is participating in a second outer story. The two stories mirror each other to some degree, although the main story about the murder in the library is clearly the dominant one. The writing was fun and fast paced. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and once I got started it was hard to put it down. There were a lot of plot twists that came up which kept it interesting. I think this is a great light read mystery. However, overall I did feel that the story had some minor plot holes, and could have been more cohesive. The author definitely tried to create that thrill which comes from not knowing who someone really is; but I don't think it reached far enough in terms of character development. It seemed to rely more on "told" plot devices that genuinely building it up. I also felt that the minor story with the writer creating the main story of the book should have been developed more. Overall, 3.5 stars and I recommend for a light mystery read!

Within the first twenty pages of The Woman in the Library I was hooked. I couldn't wait to continue the story and find out what happened.. I thought the author's narrative style was unique and innovative, and added a creepy factor to the tale.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There were a lot of things about The Woman in the Library that I liked.

The Boston setting was great and I enjoyed the writing. I went into it thinking it would be a modern cozy, but it was sort of a cozy meets an experimental narrative, which didn't always work for me. (I didn't mind the epistolary elements that much and I'm not typically a fan).

Ultimately this plot got too convoluted for me. I spent so much time trying to keep everything straight that I couldn't relax and enjoy the story. Your experience may vary! I would 100% try another book by this author but this one just wasn't the right fit for me!

YEP THIS IS IT, this is one of the best books i've read this year. This is exceptionally smart and doesn't fall into expected tropes or twists, it feels incredibly new and refreshing. Overall this is incredibly unique, but doesn't seem to be trying too hard to be something new, if that makes sense. Gentill, ultimately, is incredibly talented and knows how to write an incredibly good and compelling story.

WOWZA! I flew through this one in less than 24 hours (during a very busy day even) because the pages literally turned themselves.

This book had such a unique element of a story within a story and that made it super fun. I was second guessing every character the entire time and thought each character was memorable and described so well.

I highly recommend this one for a quick thriller fix!

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press for the chance to read and review this book prior to release. This will be available on June 7th!

A challenging mystery!
What booklover can resist dipping into a book that starts with a murder in the Boston Public Library? Add to that an opening chapter that ends with the narrator saying “we go to the Map Room to found a friendship, and I have my first coffee with a killer”, and I was really hooked! Four strangers happen to be sitting at the same table in the Boston Public Library when a scream disrupts the quiet and they learn that a woman has been murdered. There is nothing like being together when a murder occurs to bond a group, and the four find that their chance encounter has initiated friendship, romance, and danger.
This opening chapter is also the opening chapter in a mystery novel by an Australian author, Hannah, about an Australian author, Winifred (Freddie), who is on a Marriot writing fellowship in Boston and is the person having coffee with the murderer. It is a book within a book and also includes comments on the book by another party. If the structure sounds complicated, that is because it is. If you take this for a beach read, be sure you won’t leave your thinking cap in your room. Of course, you want to know who committed the murder, but if “the” murderer was at the table, how did they commit the crime? If not, what was their murder? What motivated the other violence in the book (not described to avoid spoilers) ?
To me the author added to the complexity unnecessarily, though, with the names. Freddie gives each of the people at the table with her names. Whit Metters becomes Heroic Chin. Cain McLeod, whose birth name is Abel Manners, becomes Handsome Man. Marigold Anastas is Freud Girl. So we have Whit and Winifed, Metters and Manners, and Chin and Cain. I wrote down the names and their alternatives until I finally was able to keep everyone straight.
As the compelling plot proceeds, things got even more complicated, but that is what mystery books are expected to do, and I really wanted to keep reading.
Each chapter in Hannah’s book is followed by a letter of comments from her fan Leo, who is based in Boston and helps her get the setting straight . He gives good comments to correct Hannah when she doesn’t use the proper Americanism, e.g., uses “jumper” instead of “sweater”. However, my favorite aspect of the comments, was the BAD advice of wannabe author Leo to successful author Hannah on her writing. There are a number of features of present-day fiction that have turned into cliches, and Leo seems to recommend them all. He wants her to mention the COVID pandemic, include more violence, make more of an issue of race, and add more romance. She actually does add more romance after that comment, and it is not a high point of the book. It makes me wonder if this could be the author’s protest at what reputedly publishers are demanding due to what they perceive to be market demand.
The ending, like the book itself, is rather complex. There was one facet of the ending that really took me by surprise, and at first I thought it was from out of left field until I remembered a little factoid from earlier on…. Now I would say it was quite clever.
As I suggested above, this is not a beach read, but it is well written and certainly sustains interest, so if you like your mysteries to be challenging in more ways than one and enjoy comments on writing, this just might be a book for you!
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

A well-paced and creatively told yarn. There are several characters we get to know well and aren’t there just to keep the story afloat. The mystery is engaging and kept me guessing. The premise was solid. I’d definitely recommend this to any mystery or thriller fans.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill.
This is a murder mystery fiction novel. 4*.
Synopsis: " mystery-within-a-mystery; But fair reader, in every person's story, there is something to hide... an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all."
3 things I liked:
1. The ending
2. Twists
3. The pace of the last half of the book and a bonus one the cover/title
3 things I disliked:
1. I do not like murder mystery style book with who dun-it vibes...
2. I do love suspense/thriller, but this was more a murder mystery to me.
3. The last half of the book was fast paced and felt more like the speed of a suspense.
I was glad to read this one.

This was a definitely different murder mystery. Four young adults find friendship in a Reading Room at the public library when a scream is a conversation starter. The narrator is an Australian and the story is set in Boston. The characters gradually become more than just described cutouts and the reader becomes invested in them. The situations seem to be ordinary ones that lead us more and more into the characters' lives. The story is offset with a letter at the end of each chapter from an admiring reader of the narrator's work. This admirer gives suggestions about the way something is expressed in America as well as making suggestions on the way this story is going. At first the letters at the end of the chapters were distracting, but they became more and more interesting. An interesting and outstandingly good mystery!! Enjoyable!

Inspiration can strike at the oddest times. Take Freddie for example. A visit to the Boston library turns dark when a scream echoes throughout the building, yet from the darkness an unlikely friendship blossoms. Yet friendship can only grow so far when dark secrets of past start to come to light. Can Freddie survive when violent acts start to occur all around her?
This is such a fun book. I have never read anything by this author previously, however I truly enjoyed the dual stories that she had going on throughout this book. I honestly was not expecting the huge twist that she throws in right in the middle of the book. It is honestly just beautifully crafted. Both stories flow so seamlessly. I do leave wondering though how the initial friendship is struck between the letter writer and the author. I would love to know how or why she was sending chapters to her reader. Regardless of the answer to that question though I truly enjoyed this book and will look forward to reading this author again and recommending this book to patrons over the summer.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

A great mystery book, I loved it! The premise itself was appealing to me, so I'm glad the story didn't disappoint. The story follows four strangers who are in the same room of a library when they hear a woman scream. The next day, they find out a body was discovered in the library and thus, the question of who did it begins. I thought the mystery was great because it leaves the reader pretty indecise on who really committed this crime. I appreciate the fact that the author made all the characters suspicious enough that the reader would doubt them all at times, but also innocent enough that we'd doubt that same doubt. The killer wasn't obvious until 60-70% of the book which is great, because other books can be pretty obvious before we even hit the 50% mark. Something I found really good and original is the letters subplot, it added more thrill to the story and made this whodunit unique.

Even though I loved the book, I did have some minor issues. One of these is that I felt the characters became friends a little too fast. They basically knew each other for three days and already hanging out together and confiding in each other. Another small issue was that I felt Marigold and Whit didn't really have a good reason to hang out with Cain and Freddie at first (but I honestly got past this after a couple of chapters, so it really wasn't something I found annoying). I did think Freddie was *too* trusting of Cain, but I feel like that was the author's goal so I'm not really complaining about that.

All in all, the story was great, the characters were interesting and the resolution of the murders was satisfactory at the end. Great book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

This standalone mystery is noteworthy for its format, which alternates between chapters of an author’s work-in-progress and email commentary from a beta reader. There is a mystery in both sections, and they build off each other up to the denouement. The question of whether current novels need to address the pandemic is both-sidesed in a clever way. Unusual and enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This is my favorite ARC of the year. I absolutely loved reading this book and I am a new fan to Sulari Gentill. I am not going to share any spoilers because I don't want you to miss any fun. The writing is amazing and I love the structure of chapters. This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys reading thrillers.

‘The Woman in the Library’ by Sulari Gentill is a wonderfully unique mystery.

The main story is told as if it is a manuscript from a renowned author who is sending chapters to her beta reader for feedback. It’s here we find the mystery of The Woman in the Library and our four main characters: Freddie, Cain, Whit and Marigold. All found themselves in the Reading Room at the Boston Public Library when a terrifying scream was heard - fast friendships were formed amongst the four during the initial search for the cause of the scream.

The mystery grows further as, page by page, we learn each of our four friends has a secret to hide… blurring the lines between innocent coincidence and premeditated events. The eagerness to read the next chapter never ceased as the suspense grew towards the big reveal.

Even more exciting, at the end of each chapter, an intriguing sun-plot is told between Hannah (the author) and Leo (her beta reader) solely from Leo’s email correspondence. Only ever seeing one side of the conversation, the reader is left to fill in the blanks. I found these sections to be the most enrapturing as I pondered what Hannah’s response was and would be. A wonderful concept built beautifully into an already thrilling mystery!

I really enjoyed this book and will certainly be recommending others read it. A wonderful new book!

This is a fun one. You’re going to want to read it.

It opens with a letter from a fan to a writer. Dear Hannah, what are you writing? he asks. They agree that the writer will send chapters to the fan, who will respond with his thoughts. The writer’s Australian, and the fan is actually in Boston where the book is set, so he provides some much-needed local color and information. The first chapter quickly pulls you in, as you read about four random people writing in the Boston Library, all drawn together by a ear-shattering scream, then a body found in a nearby room. The four agree to stay in touch, and become friends.

The breaks between chapters with the fan’s responses pull you out of the story in a way that’s self-reflexive, like a breaking of the fourth wall. There are essentially two stories going on, the world of the book, and the world within a world of the storyline. It’s fascinating. The character of the fan as revealed through his letters is masterfully done, as he inadvertently reveals more and more of himself, all in response to the developing story. Even fans have things to hide, after all. It’s also fascinating to see the author incorporate ideas from the fan–or choose not to follow his suggestions–and then see his responses to that as well.

The story itself is a really good read! The four people team together to solve the case of the murder in the library, and as they discover clues, things keep happening that keep them guessing about one another. Are they all what they seem? Almost certainly not. There are hidden secrets, past choices, things to beware of. At least one of them is a murderer. (Not a spoiler: you learn that early on) But does that have to do with the current case?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Woman in the Library. The characters are well developed, the pacing is masterful, and the clues are tightly held and slowly revealed, in ways that validate one’s reading. I highly recommend it.

HUGE fan of this book. I've loved Sulari's writing of the Rowland Sinclair series, and was excited by this departure from those period books. And I'm there for any book set partially or wholly in a library. I loved her character development, and the additions of the letters kept me on my toes, and guessing throughout. AND I was pleasantly surprised by the reveal; I guessed incorrectly. Highly recommend.