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!

What an adventure! Murder, a library, a writer and found family. The fast paced plot and the untangling mystery kept me eager to pick up this book. I think it was the plot that kept me engaged though as I never really connected with the characters and the romance which also occur. I loved the 'story within a story' element of this book and thought it was an interesting look at the world in which we are currently living in. A solid 4 star rating and would be interested in picking up other books by this author.

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.

Hannah Tigone is writing a book. Leo, through letters, is helping her. The only prose we get from Tigone is what she's written of a draft of a mystery book through the lens of Freddie.

While it sounds overly complicated, it's not. It's actually a fun, interesting read. I can see some people not liking the story within a story within a story.. but I found myself involved in the mystery and fascinated by the writing process. I was still able to get lost in the story within the story within the story AND the story within the story.

While Tigone's characters (NOT Gentill's) are not the most subtle, I still enjoyed Freddie's perspective.. and I wanted to know about the dead woman in the library!

Sulari Gentill takes you on a wild ride in The Woman In The Library.
She opens the story with an email to Hannah from Leo, about her newest novel. Then you jump into chapter 1 of Hannah's newest novel, which is set in Boston and starts at the Boston Public Library. You are introduced to Whit, Marigold and Cain thru the eyes of our Storyteller Winifred (Freddie) in the Reading Room of the BPL, when they here a scream. Which leads to them finding out someone had been murdered. Freddie is an author herself and is working on her novel.
The story follows these 4 young adults as they get to know one another and try to figure out who killed Caroline. In between chapters of Hannah's novel you get emails from Leo. He is reading her novel chapter by chapter and offering his insight.
Gentill had me guessing all the way up until the end. I was on the edge of my set from 50% till the very end. This gets five stars from me.

This thrilling read had 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. 5 enthusiastic stars, a total delight.

So... a murder in a library already had me sold by page one, but the way the story is written (different from everything i have seen), adding to the atmosphere that was creates and the twists were what got me fascinated by this book. Usually I give some feedback about the carachters and the storyline but I would genuinely recommend you going blind for this one, trust me, it's worth the read.

I am brand new to this author but oh oh boy was I impressed. The writing style is brilliant and draws you in instantly. The intrigue and suspense throughout the story keeps you guessing with so many plot twists you might get whiplash figuring out this whodunit. This was a hit.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc