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.

I really loved The Woman In The Library. Its unique structure deepened the mystery and shed important light on the characters and their motivation. This is the first book by Sulari Gentill that I’ve read but it won’t be the last.

Murder in a library? Yes, please!

This is really one story inside of another story. And it was a bit dicey trying to remember what was fiction and what was real. A woman in the Boston Public Library sits at a table with three strangers. Each doing their own writing. When they all hear a woman scream, they find themselves in the middle of a murder. And one of them is the killer.

The way this was written is not a style I enjoy. Letters between an author and a reader, everyone with their own point of view. I definitely did not find it thrilling.

I think the point was that words have a lot of power.

NetGalley/June 7th, 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press

A good, satisfying mystery with some great characters and a very interesting framing device. Once I was about a quarter of the way into it, I stopped being able to put it down.

Oh wow. Wow, wow, wow. This was SUCH a great book. I'm a sucker for anything related to libraries so was a touch disappointed that we didn't spend more time in a library but that was 100% made up for by (a) the amount of time talking/writing about writing, (b) the constant intrigue and (c) the cliffhangers. All the cliffhangers. I exaggerate.

Let me go back to the beginning. We learn quite quickly that our main character, who prefers to be called Freddie, is a writer and one day at the Boston Public Library she's trying to soak in the grandiose of their reading room when she hears a scream. Not just any old scream. A really intense, life changing scream. And it startles those nearest to her, the four of them forming a sort of automatic friendship or kinship as they react.

We also learn here that the screamer is the first murder victim of the story, and that someone sitting with Freddie is the murderer. What? How so?

This is just one of the twists, turns and truly terrific paths Sulari Gentill takes us on in her book.

What I really loved about this book (other than all the things I've already mentioned above) is the juxtaposition of the chapters of the prose with letters from someone named Leo to an Ausssie author. There are clear links with the prose, but Leo's story grows and evolves on its own too. He's an aspiring author writing to a famous author and their letters take a bit of a turn, and that's the most I'll say here - just to say that it's a fabulously fun way for the author to fill in a few gaps, keep us guessing, vying for links to the prose, it's fabulous.

4.5 to 5 stars; what an exciting read!

The Woman in the Library is a story about a fictional mystery Australian author named Hannah Tigone writing about a fictional mystery Australian author named Winnifred "Freddie" Kincaid who lives through a mystery of her own when a scream in the Boston Public Library unites her and three strangers. Lost yet? No? Good.

The story bounces between emails that were corresponded between Hannah and Leo, a fan of her work who lives in the U.S., and the story of Freddie and her newfound friends Cain, Marigold and Whit as they wonder about the mystery of the scream and eventually, the murder of a woman in the library.

While the email plotline influenced the Freddie plotline through the inclusion of a Leo and Hannah's doubts about email-Leo, they ran parallel to each other. Nevertheless, as time went on, tension rose to addicting heights, albeit with some floundering here and there.

It was quite interesting to read TWITL knowing that it's fictional to the real narrator of the story, Hannah, as the emails made it clear. I was at first unsure of how the email plotline would progress, but fortunately, it was adding another layer of mystery and tension to the story. As time went on and as Hannah continued to write Freddie's story, Leo became more tense and irritable and very insistent on getting Hannah to listen to his suggestions, inciting not only fear (and annoyance) in me but in Hannah as well.

Several great questions rose from this subplot, linking to the real-life dilemmas of writers. One of them is the dilemma of mentioning the pandemic in contemporary stories. To acknowledge its existence means to stay true to the idea of "contemporary" stories, but to ignore it while setting the story in the near future is to be ignorant of current events and the consequences of the pandemic. A similar dilemma was describing the characters' appearances: should you be concrete and detailed or be sparse with details to allow the reader to fill in the blanks? This is a more crucial dilemma for contemporary writers as they can't ignore the socio-economic effects of being of a certain race while living in our very flawed world.

No matter how interesting the email plotline was, it was merely a subplot to the main story of the book: Freddie's. Despite knowing that Freddie is more fictional than Hannah, it didn't really change my experience in reading the book; I just treated Freddie like any other protagonist and interpreted her words as hers, not Hannah's (even THOUGH...), and that the story was unfolding in front of our eyes.

Quickfire notes about the cast & other miscellaneous things:
- Marigold is such a warm fuzzy name, and I would say it kinda fits with her mama bear-ness over her friends! Don't let her tattoos, nose piercing or stalking tendencies scare you away! She's a little shy. Her background in psychology made her a valuable asset in delivering clues (to aid or deceive the reader, well...)
- Of course, we must have a debonair as part of the dynamic, and that role fell to Whit. He had me charmed... Despite his lazy personality and insistence on failing Harvard Law, he does have the brains.
- And we mustn't forget about the "person with the tragic/troubled past", Cain. I like the religious connotation with his name... or names... quite symbolic. He needs a hug. He probably packs the most punch in terms of his experiences.
- Freddie may be a mystery writer but something that wasn't a mystery from the get-go was her crush on Cain. When she believes in something, she sticks with it (with the occasional sense of doubt because she's human), may it be someone's innocence or the scream being related to the murder.
- If Oh My Cod, that restaurant with all the evocative names for their menu offerings, existed, it would certainly be considered a must-visit by Cosmopolitan magazine.
- This book makes me crave doughnuts.

I regret to say I didn't keep my detective hat on during this reading, DESPITE knowing this is a mystery novel that. is. begging. to. be. solved. Needless to say, I enjoyed the thrill and can't be mad at who's the killer; the biggest hint was there from the beginning but it was a matter of deducing if the hint was a ruse or not (especially since we're made aware that Freddie's story is being written by Hannah) and collecting the puzzle pieces (which I did not do, oops.)

To anyone that would like a hand in figuring out the clues, here's one for ya: watch out for the monikers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press (Sourcebooks) for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.