Winifred (Freddie) is an author who is sitting at a table in the Boston Public Library when a murder takes place. While waiting for the police to let her leave she strikes up a conversation with the other three people at her table. Marigold who is studying psychology, Whit who is a law student and Cain who happens to also be an author. Could one of them be a murderer? The four become friends but soon it seems they are being targeted or harassed. Freddie is falling in love with Cain but do any of them really know that much about each other? The secondary story is told between Hannah an author and Leo an armchair editor who correspond through emails discussing a book that Hannah is writing a book about the woman in the library who was murdered. A bunch of misdirection, an unreliable narrator in Freddie and not knowing how the emails fit in make for a tight little thriller that will have you sure that you know whodunnit until you don't know. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I'm sorry to say this is probably my biggest book disappointment in a long while. I was very excited about this, so I was thrilled when Netgalley approved me for an early copy. Unfortunately my disappointment was almost immediate when I realized I'd misinterpreted the blurb (which I still feel is vaguely misleading) and assumed the entire book took place in the library during the lockdown. When the characters left at the end of Chapter 1, I was surprised but still willing to see where the story went.

Unfortunately it was only downhill from there. This book is actually two novels smashed together. The main story, the one in the blurb, feels like a standard and trope-filled thriller because... that's what it is. It's a novel being written by someone in the second story, which is told entirely through emails. We only see one side of the emails (with the exception of a few extra pieces of correspondence from a third party), so it feels like an extended monologue.

The result is that neither story feels engaging or complete on its own. Why would you make the decision to end every chapter with an unseen character dissecting what just happened? Leo, the email writer, is like an annoying friend who summarizes every chapter with theories, mistakes (the in-story author is Australian writing America), and suggesting possible changes.

I think this novel wanted to be a meta exercise. A book about someone writing a book in which someone is writing a book. But it just doesn't work on any level. There's no reason to get invested in characters when you never have a chance to believe they're actual people. You know from page 1 that they're fictional characters in a story, so why do I care what happens to any of them?

The email sections are also just a... bad, bad idea. It might have worked as a short story by itself, but it was flat, extremely predictable, heavy handed, and ended with an anticlimactic thud.

By the time it finally reveals the truth about the title character and the scream, you don't care. The resolution isn't particularly clever or interesting, it just... is.

My first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! Such a gripping novel that made it hard for me to put his book down once I started it. Highly recommend!!

I've been a fan of Sulari Gentill's historical mysteries for ages and I hope there's going to be other Rowan Sinclair novels.
That said I liked this novel but i didn't love it. It's well written, the different genres work well together, and the characters are fleshed out.
That said it kept me hooked but it wasn't one of those I-HAD-TO-READ-IT-IN-ONE-SITTING novel as I found a bit forced at times.
As I think I had too high expectations it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Woman in the Library is a smart, engaging and unputdownable mystery that surprises and intrigues in equal measure. The story within a story element of the book was clever, gradually built tension and moved the plot in a way that was exciting and fresh. As a reader you pick up on the subtext you’re meant to pick up on and you spend each page analysing the main characters to unravel the whodunnit. Great storytelling and commentary on writing and writers. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Superb literary thriller and an unique storytelling as a book inside of a book, make this one an endearing and fascinating read. My first but definitely not my last novel of Aussie author Sulari Gentill.

Thank you NetGalley / Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free advanced copy of this Ebook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very interesting book, it is kind of like a book within a book. 4 people sitting in a library at a reading table, all strangers. Then a blood curdling scream is heard through the library, and everyone is on lockdown while the matter gets investigated. The 4 strangers become friends through this incident.

The characters are interesting and the book is definitely a page turner. There’s a lot going while you try to figure out who did what. And I didn’t guess the ending.

I rate this Ebook 4 Stars.

#TheWomanInTheLibrary #NetGalley

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY is a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer for the reader. In this page-turning who-done-it, Sulari Gentill weaves two tales. In the main story line, seated at a reading table in the Boston Public Library, are Winifred Kincaid (Freddie), a well-known novelist and three others, all strangers who become the characters in her new mystery: Cain McLeod, Handsome One, Marigold Anastas, Freud Girl, and Whit Metters, Heroic Chin.
Wait until you meet these four: who they say they are, who they might be, and who they really are. As they are making introductions and chatting, a woman somewhere inside the library lets loose with a blood curdling scream, and the story is off to a wild beginning. Security guards lock down the building. A woman’s body is found, and the hunt begins for the murderer. At different times, I suspected all of characters of committing the crime.
The subplot is written throughout the book in emails between Hannah, the real author, an Australian living in Boston, and American-born Leo, a book editor who advises her. He sends his suggestions for changes along with Boston locale tidbits such as the names of streets, eateries, and shops. But then he begins to include gruesome crime scene photos. Could he have done it?
One of my favorites is a minor character, Mrs. Weinbaum, who pretends to be whoever she wants to be, including a doctor. My only disappointment is that only the beginning scene takes place in the library. A reading group guide and an interview with the author are located at the back of the book. Crime novel fans will love this tightly-woven mystery.
Publication date is June 7, 2022. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read and review this creative book.

I had such high hopes for this novel based on the description. I didn't expect it to be a story within a story type of novel.

It took me a while to get used to the flow and the dual points of view. But once the flow and narrative was established, it became a tedious read.

The characters are fleshed out enough to get a feel for their personalities and I liked how the author tagged them with nicknames such as Heroic Chin, and Freud Girl to make them easily identifiable. While the method of nicknaming the characters was cute, I still didn't care or found any of them likable or relatable.

The story is a whodunnit with the added complexity of a third party behind the scenes. Hard to describe the plotline because the main story falls within the framework of a fan critiquing the narrative. And because of this, I just could not understand how each story tied together at the end. And as far as determining the who in the whodunnit, it was a simple process of elimination and I was disappointed that there weren't any twists or turns that made for an exciting read.

Overall, The Woman in the Library was decent. It wasn't what I was expecting. But I wouldn't rule out any of the author's future works. Two okay stars.

I received a digital ARC from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

A story within a story, a murderer, a writer... and a relationship that will change their lives. This story is told in two ways- through the manuscript written by author Hannah and her email correspondence with “Leo.” The manuscript follows the story of four people in a library who hear a scream only to discover it is a murdered woman... and soon more bodies start dropping and the secret past of one of the individuals might put them all in harms way. The story follows Freddie ( main protagonist of the manuscript, an author looking to write her next book), White ( a failing law student), Cain ( a handsome author with a dark past), and Marigold ( tattooed psych student with a tendency to stalk people out of concern). These four strangers bond over an afternoon at the Boston library and slowly become friends, but more bodies start dropping and the four begin to question who is doing the killing and when one of them is attacked and they find connections between the victims and one of the members of the friend group suddenly they don’t know who could be next and who is the killer. Now onto the other portion of this book, it follows the email correspondence between famous Australian author Hannah Tigone and a “friend” named Leo, which each email Hannah sends Leo a new chapter of her book and he sends her feedback, but soon his feedback gets more sinister and dark and Hannah will have to figure out who he is and what is truly going on. This book was two mysteries in one and absolutely a fun read! I loved the formatting style and the way the mystery unfolded. Its a great read for fans of mystery novels!

*Thanks Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Four strangers meet in the magnificent Boston Public Library. Little do they know that a disruptive scream emitting from a murder victim would bind them together. Freddie, Cain, Whit and Marigold become friends, some with bookish connections. Meanwhile, Leo provides a bit of chilly darkness in the form of emails which provide a very interesting and telling layer. Various events occur and secrets are revealed as the story evolves.

Unique books are normally my wheelhouse. Whilst the rollercoaster ride of a story is beguiling, the characters feel a bit shallow, immature and unconvincing. The double story idea is a wonderful concept but for me it is not as successfully done as I had hoped. Still, it was worth the picking up for the ups and downs, ins and outs! And who can resist a library setting? I also really like Gentill's writing style, especially in her Rowland Sinclair series.

Readers eager for an original reading experience ought to read and enjoy this for what it is...an adventure.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this unusual book!

I feel bad doing this, but this is going in my DNF pile. I’ll try to finish it another time, but I couldn’t do it.

I though this was going to be a horror book, but it was a lot of mystery/who done it-ish?
According to NetGalley, I made it to 20%. I tried, but this wasn’t the book for me.

The inception book inside of a book thing didn’t grab me. The old school gumshoe Agatha Christie writing with a little Stranger then Fiction mixed in. If that’s your cup I’d tea, read this book. Based on the other reviews it got better halfway in, but I have so many books to read and so little time that I don’t have 150 pages to waste before I can get pulled in-unless you’re Stephen King.
I’ve never written a negative review, and I feel awful in case the publisher/author reads this, so I’ll just say it wasn’t my cup of tea.
Of what I read, it took too long to get to where the book should be going. 20% finished and we don’t know anything about the woman that was “killed?” in the beginning? It’s all about four strangers that magically become bffs when meeting for 2 minutes. Their lives become mysteriously intertwined that just seems too simple. Two of the characters are writers, and after seeing their connection, the other two are like, “yeah I’ll write too. Invite me everywhere. We want to hang too.” It seemed forced and I’m guessing there’s a reason for it, but I couldn’t drag it on further to read why.

If a reader wants to tell me that it’s worth the wait, and it gets better, I’ll finish it for sure, but until then, I’m not sure I can go on.

Four people are sitting near each other in the Boston Public Library Reading Room when they all hear a woman’s scream. They start chatting and learn that two of them are authors, one is a law student and the last is a grad student in Psychology. After they ushered out by security, they continue chatting and strike up a friendship.
The main story is narrated by Freddy, an Australian author in town on a fellowship. Then there a series of letters from a fan of Freddy who offers to read each chapter and critique them.
The dead woman’s body was later found and soon others connected to the 4 main characters turn up dead or involved in violent confrontations. The author plants clues leading to one of the group but the real murderer is not revealed until the very end.
I enjoyed the book and it was anxious to find out who done it. It was well crafted and should appeal to other mystery fans.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Picture a set of Russian nesting dolls, matryoshka, all identical and nestled neatly inside one another. This is what came to mind when I started reading Sulari Gentill’s latest mystery.

Winifred ‘Freddie’ Kincaid, elated after earning a writers’ fellowship, heads to the picturesque Boston Public Library to seek inspiration. She’s deep into examining people when she’s suddenly brought to her senses by a piercing scream. This intrusion provides the idea for her new piece: the friendship forged by four strangers “united by a scream.” While the strangers at her table await police for questioning, they strike up a conversation and learn why they are each at the library that particular day.

Then the author takes it up a notch and I’ll try to unravel the threads for you - Freddie’s new book is filled with letters to a famous author, Hannah Tigone, written by a character named Leo. The author, Hannah, is, at the same time, writing about Freddie. I know, right?! It’s a story, within a story, within an idea. Yes, it’s convoluted at times. Yes, it’s frustrating. This blending of reality didn’t work for me and being inexperienced at understanding/reading metafiction, I struggled to keep the stories straight in my head. It’s next-level writing. Smart, really and well-percolated! I just didn’t want to work that hard to be entertained!

Gentill examines friendships and the bonds that tie strangers together as well as dives deep into the potential of words being weapons.

Should you feel prompted to read this unique story, please Google the reading room in the Boston Public library and check out the impressive high vaulted ceiling. I can see why this is a source of inspiration for many.

I was gifted this advance copy by Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

"I am a bricklayer without drawings, laying words in sentences, sentences into paragraphs, allowing my walls to twist and turn on whim...no framework...just bricks interlocked...no idea what I'm building or if it will stand...no symmetry, no plan, just the chaotic unplotted bustle of human life...[Am I] just a woman in the library with a blank page before her?"

In the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library sit four strangers at a communal table. Winifred "Freddie" Kincaid, a writer-in-residence living at Carrington Square, is the recipient of a one year Marriot Writing Scholarship. Cain McLeod, a published writer, has been called "one of America's most promising young novelists" by the Washington Post. Marigold Anastas is a brilliant psychology major at Harvard. To avoid being forced to join the family firm, Whit Metters is purposely failing Harvard Law School. Freddie tries "to pin a version of these three to her blank page...every character's past is a mystery to unearth." And then there is a scream!

"I'd heard someone die...the words come quickly...with clarity...the story of strangers bonded by a scream..." "I'd felt unworthy, uncertain...but today I return from the library exhilarated...four strangers who seem to recognize each other, like we'd been friends before in a life forgotten."

"The Woman in the Library" by Sulari Gentill is the fictional story of Hannah, a mystery writer, penning a murder mystery crafted by fictional mystery writer Winifred Kincaid. Freddie is trying to solve the case of who killed Caroline Palfrey, leaving her body hidden under the buffet table in the library gallery. "So recently strangers, Freddie is surprised by how comfortable she is with these people...a demonstration of trust in each other."" Foursome" Freddie, Marigold, Cain and Whit, go to the Map Room Tea Lounge for friendship and Freddie states, 'my first coffee with a killer.'" Who killed Caroline Palfrey?

Hannah Tigone is writing a mystery novel from her home base in Australia. The pandemic thwarted her plans for a research trip to Boston. An exuberant fan of Hannah's novels, Leo Johnson, volunteers to be her "scout, her eyes and ears" in the U.S. Leo will do legwork to authenticate locations in Boston. Through e-mail correspondence, he forwards crime scene photos of murders in and around the Boston Public Library. As each chapter of Hannah's book unfolds, Leo proofreads to make sure dialogue conforms to typical Boston conversation. But...Leo's helpful suggestions have morphed into something darker. Many comments are now forceful, with attempts to change the trajectory of Hannah's novel.

"The Woman in the Library" is a twisty, unpredictable read. It is difficult to peal back the layers of the persona of the four main protagonists. Add the e-mail between author and her obsessed volunteer researcher/reader, and the plot thickens. I found the character development to be excellent, however, the story-within-a -story and its complexities did not work for me.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has been one of my favourite books so far this year.
I really enjoyed the author's style and the story within the story. I really enjoyed the social commentary of the emails and the issues covered.
This was a real whodunit but with the suspects all having an alibi -each other

A woman screams and four people who hear it are drawn together in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library. One of them is a murderer. Two homeless men die. One of the four protagonists is stabbed. How are they all connected? One woman is in Boston because she won a writing fellowship in Australia. One woman is studying psychology. One man is a dilettante, trying to avoid graduating from law school. The other man is a convicted murderer who is trying to put his life back together. While the plotting is well paced, I did not like the structure of the novel. Epistolary writing stuck within the novel drew me completely out of the story line. I wonder if this type of device is due to the "Anthony Horowitz effect," writing a novel inside another novel?

A story within a story. A mystery within the mystery! I loved this slow burn mystery. Full of twist and turns and I became SO invested in the plot. This will keep the reader guessing until the very end!
Also, I'm always a big fan of library mystery/settings! The author has a great way of writing which made me actually "hear" the scream in my head as I read the words on the page! Gentill has crafted a perfect mystery and I look forward to reading more of this author's work. This story will not disappoint!

I really enjoyed this one. The way that there was two stories with the actually plot and the "Dear Hannah" emails was really interesting. Throughout the whole story I kept going back and forth between who the murderer was which kept the story really interesting and even a little suspenseful. It was an enjoyable read and highly recommend for mystery fans.

What a fun book to read! I cant wait for other people I know to read it, because I need to talk this out!

The story was unique and it was well paced. I liked Freddie and her friends and really enjoyed the correspondence from Leo throughout the story. The story within a story premise worked well. I read it in two days because I couldn’t wait to see how it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a digital copy of this entertaining novel. This is my honest review.