True bibliophiles know how easy it is to get lost between the stacks of a well-stocked library. But in Eva Jurczyk's That Night in the Library, there may only be one avid reader left standing after a harrowing last hurrah among the shelves. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy to review.

In a situation reminiscent of The Breakfast Club―minus the detention, Principal Vernon, or the insistence that anyone eat anyone else's shorts―That Night in the Library starts with a simple gathering of students in a library. However, this isn't just a teen dramedy where they spill a few secrets and bring members of cliques together; instead, these seven college students are about to graduate and embark on the next big chapter. Holed up in the basement of the William E. Wooden Rare Books Library well after closing time, they decide to try and grease the real world's wheels by performing what's called the Eleusinian Mystery ritual. The idea is to face one's greatest fear, and, once successful, never know terror again. As in most cases, though, nothing is as cut-and-dried as it seems, and the students find themselves learning all sorts of things on the cusp of graduation, such as how fine a line resides between life and death, and how quickly fear can foster suspicion: even among friends.

Known for works like her debut The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections (2022), librarian and author Jurczyk is known for her grasp of a good whodunit. This tale, however, introduces a new element to her repertoire: mythology. The ritual the students set out to recreate is one that they've learned about from studying the Greeks, who used it to free themselves from the fear of death itself. Anyone who's been through any kind of "hell week" or the petrifying prospect of having to figure out what one is supposed to do with the rest of their life can attest to the appeal of asking the universe for a leg up. By switching points of view between equally flawed characters, the author does a great job of underscoring their desperation and the unifying aspect of apprehension and nerves that naturally accompany such a big step, all while keeping the mystery of legends close at hand for an extra layer of intrigue.

Unfortunately, intrigue turns to heart-pounding horror when the lights go out and the first victim inexplicably falls. From there, the body count rises and the plot moves forward at an almost breakneck pace. The smart thing would be to ban together and protect each other from the murderer until someone opens the library again and they can all get the hell out of dodge. But, considering they're all alone in a place they shouldn't have been in the first place, it has to be one of them, and tension rises quickly as it becomes more than clear that the only resources they can really rely on are the books that surround them on all sides. Readers who prefer a slow burn or a drawn-out investigation may not enjoy this aspect of the book, but will find that as the characters turn on one another, what each of them has to hide eventually comes to light, and thereby provides the type of in-depth development they might feel is otherwise missing from the plot. It doesn't hurt that each of these revelations also makes it harder to tell who is guilty, which will titillate true suspense lovers until the very end.

For those who enjoy the slightly overdramatized pace and hodgepodge of characters found in books like Murder on the Orient Express, or the dark humor and quick-witted references to famous and obscure literature prevalent in something like the Netflix miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher, That Night in the Library should definitely be added to your summer TBR list. You'll definitely want to know whether or not the soon-to-be graduates (they hope, anyway) can summon the gods and make it out of the library with their lives as well as their wits intact before school's back in session.

2.5 stars
I really wanted to like this book. I mean I love reading so a book placed in a library really caught my eye. However the book fell short for me. It had a good idea, but I felt like it was executed right. I was confused a lot on by what was going on. I felt like there were a lot of pages of information I didn’t really need. When the action scene happened it was good, but it just took a really long time to get there.

This one just wasn’t for me. I’m not sure if it was my mood or the writing style but I just couldn’t get into it. I tried a couple times but I just wasnt interested in any of the characters or what they were doing. The synopsis and plot idea were so cool. It just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Poison Pen Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy and chance to read

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Inc. and Eva Jurczyk for giving me this book in exchange for a honest review.
On the night before graduation, seven students gather in the basement of their university's rare books library. They're not allowed in the library after closing time, but it's the perfect place for the ritual they want to perform one borrowed from the Greeks, said to free those who take part in it from the fear of death. But just a few minutes into their celebration, the lights go out and one of them drops dead. As the body count rises, with nothing but the books to protect them, the group must figure out how to survive the night while trapped with a murderer.
I liked the plot and the grand reveal at the end but I found the characters to be irrational and illogical which was frustrating but overall it was an okay read.

One night locked in the library. What could go wrong?

On the night before graduation, seven students gather in the basement of their university's rare books library. They're not allowed in the library after closing time, but it's the perfect place for the ritual they want to perform—one borrowed from the Greeks, said to free those who take part in it from the fear of death. And what better time to seek the wisdom of ancient gods than in the hours before they'll scatter in different directions to start their real lives?

But just a few minutes into their celebration, the lights go out—and one of them drops dead. As the body count rises, with nothing but the books to protect them, the group must figure out how to survive the night while trapped with a murderer. That Night in the Library is a chilling literary mystery that transports readers to a world where secrets live in the dark, books breathe fears to life, and the only way out is to wait until morning.

I started off really wanting to enjoy this novel. It seemed like a unique twist on the “locked room” mystery. Unfortunately, I forced myself to finish it, for the only reason that I wanted to know who did what.

I found myself annoyed with every character and what appeared to be nothing short of basic stupidity. I went to college, and I met a few people like these characters. However, these characters were much “too much” in my opinion. There were no self-preservation skills. Even stupid people have an innate sense of flight or fight, especially in heightened situations.

Overall, I rate this novel 2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Okay, I had such high hopes for this one. unfortunately, it missed the mark in my opinion. The plot was of confusing that while reading this I had to stop and turn back pages to see if I had missed something? There were so many twists unnecessary turns that it made me nauseous and it's really hard to keep up with that is actually happening.

With the over the top characters and messy plot, this just didn't work for me.

Insufferable grad students lock themselves in a rare book library to get high and reenact an ancient Greek ritual, but when the most insufferable of them all turns up dead, chaos (and much bloodshed) ensues.
thought the suspense elements and character work were very well done. Th fact that most of the characters are on acid trips throughout the action makes for understandably unreliable narration. The characters are drawn with a pathos that makes them sympathetic even though you know you'd hate them IRL (picture the kind people you know who would
pedantically reenact an ancient Greek ritual). And of course the rare books content was very much on point. But the actual "whodunnit" element and ultimate resolution to the mystery fell a little flat for me.

This book had an intriguing premise. A group of seniors sneak into the library to do an ancient ritual surrounded by ancient tomes. Sign me up!

However, the book itself fell short of my expectations. The plot was all over the place, and at times didn’t really make sense. Lots of irritating loose ends. The characters were unlikeable, and worse boring.

Thank you to Poisioned Pen Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

3 stars ONLY because I enjoyed reading the first 95% of it. The ending was a huge letdown and really left way too many loose ends for my liking, but it was still an enjoyable read if you don’t care how it ends.

That Night in the Library has an excellent premise; a genuine locked door mystery turns into a blood bath thriller.

I loved the setting and back story of the library. However, the characters' actions defy logic, and I required significant amounts of suspended disbelief to enjoy the story.

The reveal at the ending was clever and felt right. I just didn't quite understand how it absolved previous actions by certain characters.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

What exactly did I just read???? Seven people went into the library basement, and only two came out in the morning. When rescuers finally got there in the morning, they just let the remaining two go and treated them like victims. There were dead bodies and blood everywhere, and they just let them go. The solution to the first death might have been interesting on its own if he had been the only victim. Although I truly don't think just licking a page would be enough to kill him but I could be wrong. Very little of this book made sense.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

That Night in the Library

That Night in the Library is an intriguing thriller/suspense novel the likes of a murder mystery. There’s plenty of familiarity within its pages, bringing to mind elements of Lord of the Flies, And Then There Were None, Clue, and Glass Onion. Each of these came to mind at one point or another as I read. They all have common themes and plot points. What makes That Night in the Library unique is the setting and the vast literary knowledge required to make it feel real and believable. Jurczyk has a stunning ability to ground you in the most absurd of happenstances. Each character was distinct enough to carry their own portions of the novel, even if I found the majority of them to be terrible people once we got to see their perspective.
While I was reading, the mention of a scalpel made me take note and I jokingly wrote to myself “Chekov’s Scalpel?” And I’m delighted to say that while that more obvious element was correct, it had more layers to it than I had expected. There’s a lot in the lead up to the fateful night in the basement of this rare books library that might just seem like scene setting as a way to introduce us to each character to get us as readers to care about what happens to them, but it’s more intricate than that.
Even if it took the final pages for me to appreciate the story being unfolded, I applaud Jurczyk and her crafting ability.

This one was okay. It was a good thriller for people who don’t read many thrillers. I’m finding that the older I get, the harder it is for me to read about college aged people. The premise of this one was really great but it fell flat for me. There were some parts that were very repetitive and it appeared to be intentional but it made the book feel longer than it was. There were also no redeemable characters. I did really like the twists and the view of how people react when trapped somewhere.

This is a mixed bag. The premise has promise, but the execution was half-baked. The pacing for a novel under three hundred pages is uneven, filled with pages of boring information only to be followed by an intense action scene. The action there was entertaining, but it took forever to get there. The ritual part wasn't explained well and never really occurred. All of our characters are self-absorbed, but they are college kids in the USA, so what else to expect? The ending was a fun twist, but I can foresee people hating it and thinking it was cheap.

Overall, this was not a very memorable read and had pacing issues. It's still a relatively short read, so if you like unhinged college students give it a go.

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the advance copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Seven students gather in the basement of their university's rare books library on the eve of graduation to perform a "ritual" to dispel fear. It was intriguing initially - unfortunately as the situation spirals out of control for the participants and truly horrible things happen, I became less invested. The characters are not endearing in any way - but maybe that's the intent.

Not what I was expecting, unfortunately.

Senseless murders, characters acting in the most weird and unrealistic way, and the strangest plot ever. Plus, in the end, no explanation, characters who murdered people act like it never happened. Seriously.

A disappointment.

I liked but didn't love this one. I really liked the overall plot and the way that it ended, but I didn't really like any of the characters so I found it hard to care about what was happening to them. Also I felt like the ritual could have been explained better.

⭐️⭐️That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk. Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this ARC. This is my first shared 2 star read, and I absolutely hate that! I feel so guilty because the author spent so much time on this novel, but I truly don’t think this book was for me, (which is totally okay).

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. A locked room mystery set in a library, surrounded by rare books, and a ritual rooted in Greek myths, how could I say no?
However I felt this book fell flat. It
was slow and was confusing to read, almost like a bunch of scattered thoughts. I truly think the idea behind it was good, the execution just didn’t work for me.

This story has multiple perspectives, which I normally love, but some of the backstory was not necessary or confusing. None of the characters were particularly interesting, so I wasn’t necessarily rooting for anyone! To be honest, I struggled to finish, and wish I had abandoned early on, and trusted my gut, but I hate not finishing a book.
Maybe I wasn’t the right audience for this, but this book just wasn’t for me.

🏷️
#bookreview

Overall really enjoyed this read! It was compelling and full of adventure, mystery, and suspense! I enjoyed the writing style as well and the characters (which is a pet peeve of mine). Overall would recommend!

A group of students stay behind after hours at the library to participate in an ancient ritual ceremony in the basement. The requirements are to fast beforehand, and then take drugs during the ceremony. They’re all the right ingredients for a night gone horribly wrong.

I liked the premise, and the cast of characters were certainly eccentric enough for this ritual. Admittedly, none of them are likeable which plays into the plot. Anyway I don’t necessarily need likable characters, they need to be compelling. That said, I wasn’t entirely overawed by these folks. The writing was good; I just felt that sometimes the POVs went on longer than needed, and my mind wandered. Each incident that occurs gets more terrifying and gruesome thanks to everyone being out of their minds. There was a point when I just wanted it to be over, and then it was, and OH MY GOD THAT ENDING!!! WTF just happened?!!?? I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief! I still am.

80% of me thinks it’s genius, and makes up for the middle of the story that dragged for me. Jurcyzk wins the shock value here! (In fact, she liked my two-sentence review on Goodreads as soon as I finished it. I loved her response.)

Highlights:
* Locked door mystery/dark academia
* Multiple POVs
* Unreliable narrators
* Library & ancient books/manuscripts/languages

Be aware of: violence, drug use

I say give this one a go. The ending will elicit various reactions which I think is the most fascinating aspect of this read, and a win for the author.

Thanks to @netgalley & @poisonedpenpress for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.