A story within a story. It took me a little while to realize there were two mysteries at play, or at the very least that the main characters we were getting to know were only characters in another book. I did have to start the book over at around 5% through because I didn't realize that at first. The fact that the main character in the main story is ALSO writing a book really threw me off balance. You really have to be paying attention, though to be fair it is a mystery.
When a group of four strangers hear a scream in the library, they are bonded by the bizarre experience and begin a friendship that is soon convoluted with murder accusations and romance. Each character is fleshed out and could easily be the killer. There were no loose ends, and even the aspects that made the characters suspicious also made sense- a rarity in all the recent mysteries I've read.
I loved how this is truly a TWENTY TWENTY book. In every capacity. The race discussion, the ACAB implications, the fires and overall pandemic. It was so strange to read, but I enjoyed it.
A really great whodunit mystery that still left enough room for a twist while also being a thriller within the email correspondences outside the mystery novel's world. It reminded me of the very first Bones episode, where a killer is recreating the murders from a novel.

In every person's story, there is something to hide...

A Book within a book, what a clever premise. It's been done before but not as cleverly as this!

Hannah Tigone is an Australian mystery writer who is writing a book set in Boston. In her book, Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid, who is also an Australian writer, has come to Boston on a writer's scholarship. She went to the Boston Library looking for inspiration when she heard a woman's terrified scream. She along with others, who were sitting at her table, begin talking when the library tells them no one can leave right away following the scream. Everyone has their own reasons for being at the library that day. One of them is also a murderer.

Hannah Tigone has a beta reader who she corresponds with throughout the book. You will be privy to their correspondence throughout the book.

As the book within a book progress, readers learn more about the characters, their motivations, their suspicions, their unease, and their connections. Who can be trusted? Who has secrets? Who is not as they seem?

This was a clever whodunit. I was fully invested and did my own detective work while reading. There were sections in this book were things slowed down a little, but I didn't mind. I was enjoying the book too much.

I had the privilege of having both the audiobook and e-book versions and enjoyed going back and forth between the two. This one kept me on my toes as there are many characters and of course, there is the book within a book. It never got confusing and yet I needed to pay close attention.

Clever, entertaining, original, and captivating.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alas, a book to captivate my interest and relieve me from the book rut that had plagued me. The Woman in the Library blends two mysteries at once. It is one part "present day" emails addressed to author, Hannah from Leo, an early reader/fan/fellow aspiring author eager to improve the authenticity of her book-who may not be who he appears. It also reveals chapters of Hannah's manuscript- chronicling the aftermath of a scream and murder in the Boston Public Library and four strangers that are brought together through the event. I loved the format and the way it added an extra layer to the story. I have been fearful of hyped books lately but this was one that lived up to the high praise it has been receiving.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this gifted copy.

Sigh. I finished this book feeling so disappointed. This review might be a bit spoiler-y but I don’t know how to critique this particular book without inadvertently maybe giving some things away - so let this be your warning.

Unlike some other reviewers, I actually liked the book within a book plot. Of course, if an author is going to write 2 separate plots, you expect them eventually to come together. Unfortunately, that never happened so essentially there was no point to Leo (either of them). A big part of what kept me interested was the expectation that the events of the book within the book would eventually cross over in the author’s life - real murders and real suspects among the friends she was basing her book on. But no. So the only twist (which was predictable btw) happened to characters in a book in a book which just leaves the reader an extra degree away from caring. It also stalled a bit for me in the middle. Gentill tried something new and I would’ve liked it had it been executed differently. Instead, a book that initially had me really intrigued left me feeling meh by the end.

Murder Mystery in a library, well sign me up!! 🥳🥳

First, I’ve never read a book like this. I enjoyed this book greatly, however. At times it was confusing. I can’t wait for more readers to get their hands on this book so we can chat. This was a book within a book, within a book. A lot, right?!!! This is definitely a book I’ll be doing a reread on as I think knowing what I know now, I’d be able to “pick up” on more things or I’d get a better understanding the 2nd time around. With that being said .. this is a super interesting concept no doubt!! It had me guessing to the very end and I was still wrong with my prediction. This would make for a really good book club pick as the discussion surround this book would be great.

Although, this book was a bit of a slow start, the narration was very good and I enjoyed listening to this one. It was really engaging and kept my attention, even though the ending was a bit lackluster unfortunately. Overall, this book is twisty, smart, clever & uniquely written. It’s a 3.5 star for me bumped to a 4 star because the concept was so unique. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more. Simply a genius storyteller.

Expected publication date is set for 06.07.22.

A very special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an advanced audiobook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Winifred "Freddie" Kincaid is an aspiring author who comes to the States on a scholarship to work on her next novel. She spends her days writing at the Boston Public Library, hoping to get inspiration from the people around her. On one such day, she's sharing a table with three others when a scream pierces through the silence. While security tries to figure out what happened, Freddie and her tablemates strike up a conversation that leads to an unlikely friendship. When the news breaks that a body was found in the library, Freddie and her new friends set out to discover the truth about what occurred. But things aren't all that they seem, and Freddie quickly learns that the killer has been in front of her the entire time.

I didn't realize going in that this was not only a story within a story, but a mystery within a mystery as well. Had I known that, I probably wouldn't have picked this up because it got more and more convoluted as the story progressed. I didn't love the writing style or the characters. I didn't find myself taken with either storyline/mystery, so I didn't care much about how either played out. I think if the author just focused on one plotline, the story would've been more intriguing and interesting. Instead, it felt clunky and disjointed. Unfortunately, it was just one big miss for me.

What a FUN read!! I loved this story within a story premise!! I was hooked from the very beginning, “Dear Hannah,” and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next with Freddie, Cain, Whit, and Marigold in the unfolding story – not to mention the writer’s muse and confidant!! THAT was interesting!!!

I LOVED the Author’s Note at the end of this book! Please don’t miss that – she explains how she came to the fantastic idea that helps structure the entire novel!

I thought the narrator did an excellent job of shifting tones/dialect for the novel’s American and Australian characters. That’s a true talent! In addition to the well-accented narration, I thought the narration was done extremely well, especially considering how many characters were central to the story.

Give this one a shot if you like mysteries, stories within stories, unreliable characters and red herrings!!
I am incredibly grateful to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, as well as Dreamscape Media, for the opportunity to listen this audiobook in advance for an honest review.

this novel really fell flat for me, for several reasons.

first and foremost, the entire plot felt scattershot - random, disjointed, and thus hard to emotionally invest in. i started this book expecting a twisty whodunnit concerning the murder of a woman at the boston public library (almost like an adult version of one of us is lying); in actuality, this particular murder feels tangential to most of the unfolding narrative. there's a lot more that happens beyond just this one catalytic event, and i think the book blurb does the novel a disservice by not mentioning the heaps of plot that occur beyond the woman in the library.

this story is split into two different narratives: first, we have letters (e-mails?) written by leo johnson, a writer in boston, to hannah tigone, a writer in australia. leo serves as a beta reader for hannah's manuscript, providing feedback and critiques - as well as increasingly unsettling updates about his own life - in his missives. second, there is a narrative arc centring four individuals who become friends the day they happen to overhear a bloodcurdling scream at the boston public library; this narrative follows the four friends as they become entangled in an ominous mystery in which one of them is a murderer.

the two storylines don't dovetail particularly neatly or interestingly. it might be me, but i was utterly confused by the book's ending.

i also did not find any of the characters in either storyline to be likeable or memorable. in fact, the characters all felt, to me, like two-dimensional renderings on a page - no one jumps out as a fully fleshed individual, and it was hard to immerse myself in the story when each person felt like a caricature.

lastly, i really was not a fan of certain statements made throughout the book. for example, houseless people seem to be interchangeably referred to as "junkies" (whether intentionally or not), while generalizations about gender, race, and other identities remained largely unchallenged (e.g., one character says, "They're immigrants. They get the job done." yet when another character attempts to explain why this is problematic, they can only come up with "I'm not sure... It just sounds reductive."). there was even a wholly unnecessary reference to "gestapo" that took me aback. most of these statements - but not all - were articulated by a character we later realize is a highly unreliable and bigoted narrator. i took major issue with the fact that this character is the only one who speaks on sociopolitical topics (e.g., gender, race, the pandemic). in other words, despite knowing that this person is an unreliable villain, i didn't find that the problematic and callous things they voiced were challenged or critiqued or subverted nearly enough - simply because their unreliable narration is the book's only (apparent) method of critique.

in a similar vein, i recognize that the book attempted to, clumsily, bring up important and complex issues such as the representation of race in fiction (or, as the book club question puts it, "What does a story gain by making race explicit? What are the potential drawbacks?"). these are important issues that i'm concerned with, too. however, when they're presented solely through the perspective of a bigoted and horrid character, i'd almost rather that these issues hadn't been raised. discussion of topics such as representing race in fiction is undoubtedly necessary - which is why i wish the book had delved further into exploring these ideas beyond just the bigoted comments spouted by one character. if there had been allusion to these themes in freddie's storyline, i think i would've felt slightly less uneasy about the whole thing. as it is, though, freddie's story remained apolitical and vacuous on that front - maybe deliberately so, but i personally found this choice extremely dissatisfying.

i don't doubt that the author had good and just intentions, which is clear to me through their efforts to bring up important sociopolitical themes; i just personally don't feel that the book's impact matched those intentions. i also want to be clear that this review is a reflection of my experience with this specific novel, and not a statement about the author's politics or character.

all in all, not the book for me! though i did appreciate 1) listening to katherine littrell's multi-faceted and versatile audiobook narration; and 2) reading a story by an australian author of colour.


i am grateful to netgalley and dreamscape media for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this story, but ultimately it was not a good fit for me. The writing style was a bit disjointed and I felt like I was being taken out of the story at times. I really admired the concept and the attempt to bring it to life.

“The Women in the Library” is an intriguing nesting doll tale that certainly makes this book stand out in the thriller genre. It is a novel within a novel with in a novel that gave me Inception vibes. While I found the premise to be very compelling, and overall really did enjoyed the story, it did feel to drag on at times. I found myself stopping at several points to see how much longer I had to go. I feel like the ending could have been stronger, but did wrap up the “who do it.” I also liked the idea of a novel being written based on “true events” but this felt lost at a point and the third and primary author’s letter exchange felt like it competed with the first two plots and didn’t really add much for me. Despite these, it was a fun read and I will absolutely be returning to this author!

Winifred “Freddie” is a writer struggling to clear her mind and create her next novel. As she takes note of the three strangers who happen to be sitting at the same table as her in the Boston Public Library, she is soon bonded with them following a scream and murder in a nearby room. An unlikely friendship is formed between the four of them when things begin to go awry, and soon it is clear that one of them is the killer! Winifred is so captivated by her new friends, that she begins to write a novel with each friend as a character.
The third plot is that the author of the novel, Hannah, is receiving feedback in her book by a man called Leo. What starts out as feeling like a mutual back in forth, we soon find is something more sinister.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the free early arc of The Woman in the Library for review.

I’d heard a lot about this book before I got the audiobook, and it’s a fascinating take on murder mysteries.

In the reading room at Boston Public Library, writer Freddie and three other people hear a woman scream. This forms a friendship that ends when one of them is revealed to be a killer. At the end of each chapter is an editor note by Leo, who becomes more creepy as the book goes on.

As captivating as this book is, the format that it’s a book within a book made it hard to be fully immersed in the mystery. It doesn’t help that Leo keeps making inappropriate comments regarding the characters.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I read the ARC Kindle edition of this book and have eagerly been awaiting the audio version, and it did not disappoint!

It was lovely to hear Freddie's accented narration and see how the story came together in this format. I do think Littrell's narration missed in some parts of the story that needed tension - some of it was a bit flat.

For the most part, I REALLY loved this book. I couldn't wait to keep reading it, and I really felt like I was there with Freddie and the crew.

Gentill did a wonderful job of taking an existing format and tweaking it to make something new and interesting that doesn't become too off-the-wall unreadable. I enjoyed the layout and back and forth a lot, but I also feel like it contributed to a few of the issues I do have with this book.

It started off with a bang, but fell a bit flat towards the middle and end. When the group first became friends, I was expecting more a la Tana French with the relationship building and suspicion, but Freddie did not really suspect any of her friends. She seemed a bit too naive, and I wish the book had delved more into the mystery instead of focusing on her relationship with Cain. The end felt like it wrapped up too quickly, literally using the "so much happened at once" trope, then a seemingly (somewhat) happen ending.

Overall, a solid, enjoyable story to immerse yourself in.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Narrated by Katherine Littrell

I was thoroughly entertained by this story or stories...just how many stories do we have here? The story starts with Aussie Winifred AKA Freddie, living in Boston on a scholarship, sitting at a library table with three strangers. And then there is a scream! The ensuing chaos leads to Freddy and her tablemates becoming friends. Friendship out of chaos and tragedy, funny how the world works.

Freddy is writing a book and she decides to incorporate these three people into her book, a sort of writing what she sees. But there is another book being written and I don't mean the book being written by the guy who was sitting across from her, the guy she labels Handsome Man. I'm still thinking about this story and the layers upon layers and how one author takes the advice (or doesn't) of a beta reader. How events or suggestions can drive an author and a story but not always the way we expect it to be driven.

The narration was very good although I did stumble over a few Aussie accented words and would laugh when I figured out what I was really hearing because I was so off base. But an Aussie being in the US is part of the fun of this story. There is so much to think about here.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed the ebook , good story inside of another story. However, the audiobook was extremely hard to follow. Definitely recommend reading over listening. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Four people are sitting at a table in the Boston Public Library when they hear a scream. Later, a woman is found dead in the library. Bonded by the shared mystery, these strangers form fast friendships. But is one of them a murderer?

This murder mystery is told through individual book chapters an author has written telling the story of this murder. There’s feedback on each chapter from a fellow writer. I really enjoyed the story within a story aspect of this book. I listened to the entire book within a day because I wanted to know who the killer was! The Woman in the Library is twisty, clever, and well-written. I loved how the two stories merged.

Narrator Katherine Littrell was an excellent choice for this book. In a book filled with tension, Littrell adjusts her pacing to give more or less tension to fit each situation. She distinguishes all of characters both male and female. The believable Australian and Southern accents further enhance the narration. Littrell made The Woman in the Library a wonderful listen.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the early listening copy.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. This mystery/ thriller begins in a reading room in the Boston Public Library where 4 strangers meet and a murder takes place. I really liked this one!

I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley. I was really wanting to like this book. The plot line with a book inside a book was just too confusing for me. I couldn't get into the story. I kept on wondering how much of the story the author was writing (the murder mystery part) was from what they were actually living.

Four strangers are sitting together at a table in the Boston Public Library’s reading room when the quiet is suddenly broken by a woman’s scream. While the library’s security team investigate the source of the scream, the strangers strike up a friendship and exchange contact information. The next day they learn that a woman was murdered in the library and one of them becomes a suspect, but is everything as it seems?!

I enjoyed listening to this locked door type murder mystery! It was well narrated and kept me guessing. I would recommend if you enjoy locked door mysteries. I do have to warn that the ending is a little open ended and I’m not sure if it’s done on purpose for the possibility of another novel or to leave the reader guessing.

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited around the hype of this book, but I feel like it was a bit miss-marketed to me. I had the understanding that the book was set almost entirely in the library and our core cast couldn't leave the table due to the investigation. The book was going to unfold as we learn about each of the cast's backstory and all their secrets. That happened in the first couple chapters, and from there was an entirely different story. Only two of our core cast really had any secrets, and there was a slightly bizarre subplot of letters reacting to the chapter you just read. I say bizarre because while it was interesting at about half way through you could ignore the letters entirely and it would not change the book at all. Especially because we don't know anything about the fictional author Hannah who is writing the manuscript you are reading. If anything I just found myself getting annoyed with Leo our letter writer because it was like being in class with someone who just keeps doubling down on their opinion and you feel like they had to have read an entirely different book than yourself to get those conclusions. Also was he anti or pro mask?? I'm so confused. Also book Leo at the end of the novel appearing at the hospital was that suppose to be as ominous as if felt? I was convinced it was him the whole time, but was he just following Freddie? What was with all the desserts he sent her? I kept expecting something to be poisoned. Did I miss something?

I don’t even know how to truly write a review for this book. It was written in such a unique way that I haven’t seen before. It’s basically a story about a story in a story… 🤔

We have Hannah, an author, who is writing a murder mystery novel, while also receiving letters from an individual named Leo that consists of feedback on her novel chapter by chapter. About halfway through we get an interesting plot twist.

I can honestly say I was confused throughout the majority of this book. I think I was maybe looking too far into finding a connection between the two stories, which I didn’t really ever find. By the ending I found that maybe this book would have been better if it just focused on the murder mystery story written by Hannah. The secret letters had build up but no proper execution or link. It really did just feel like reading two separate books in one.

As for the murder mystery, somewhat predictable and not dark enough for my liking. Unfortunately I just didn’t feel the thrill in this thriller.

Just feeling very ‘meh’ after reading this. Wasn’t a true fan.

Thank you Sourcebooks for an advanced e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hits shelves June 7th, 2022