A fantastic whodunnit with a story in a story. 4 writers meet in a library and start talking when they hear a scream. The body is missing. They meet for coffee and discuss the case. One of the characters Freddie decides to write a book about the incident using her new friends as characters. Which is the killer?

An entertaining read I would recommend to any mystery book club.

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY has a good mystery at its core– four strangers are present when a blood curdling scream disrupts everything in the grand Reading Room of the Boston Public Library. However, the novel has too many layers. It’s a novel about a woman writing a book about a woman writing a book. The characters who heard the scream, Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit are all interesting, but the correspondence between Hannah ( the author of the book in which Freddie is also an author) and Leo, an overbearing fan, that comes at the end of each chapter, is very distracting and really took me out of the main story. There are also two characters named Leo– the aforementioned fan and his “namesake” in the book on which he is providing (annoying) commentary. It’s all a bit much. Yes, it leads to something, but it’s all unnecessary. If the author had stayed focused on the central mystery, I wouldn’t have had to keep recalibrating in my mind.

4.5/5- Thank you to netgalley for the Advanced readers Copy! I was interested in reading this book as both a Bostonian and a librarian. Describing this book to others sounds like a fever dream. This is a story that is being written as the book goes on. Hannah is writing the story and each chapter is a chapter of the manuscript (freddie the main character seems like a self insert for Hannah). At the end of each chapter there is a letter from Leo, a beta reader from Boston who loves Hannah's previous work. As the book goes on both stories start to unravel. It is fascinating to read.
I devoured this book in about two days. Anyone who like books that are formatted in a different way and that contain a mystery inside another mystery will like this book. There were so many twists and turns and every time I thought I had caught on to where it was going it zagged a different way. I can't say much more about why I loved it without spoiling the book. So you'll have to trust me when I say I loved it and you need to read it.
So if I loved it so much why wasn't it five stars. There is a few smallest reasons. First, the ending felt very abrupt and I am still a little confused on the details. I feel like there should have been an epilogue or something for the manuscript story and maybe a letter from Hannah to Leo. The ending just felt incomplete to a certain extent. The other reason and hopefully this is corrected before publication is that there are some Boston details that are incorrect and I am still unsure if that was intention or not. The two that stuck out was the area of Boston is Allston not Alston, and the 57 and 86 busses do not go to or from Harvard and Copley square. These are minor or non-issues for non-Bostonians but something from Boston will definitely notice.
Overall, this issues I had with the text are so minor to how fun and thrilling the book is! I definitely recommend it to thriller lovers and all readers alike with it comes out in May.

Shout out to @sularigentill for writing a mystery one doesn’t want to put down…

Gentill has created a unique story here - don’t want to give too much away but we have a Boston based mystery/mysteries! beginning at our iconic @bplboston - sign me up (always)! Now to check out Gentill’s backlist…

Highly recommend for mystery book lovers!

I truly enjoyed the format of “The Woman In The Library,” which featured a murder mystery and a story within a story. On the outer shell, you have letters written from a pen pal/fan/aspiring writer named Leo to Hannah, an established author who is sending him chapters of her current work in progress.

As the letters from Leo progress through the book, you start to feel a tension rise and curiosity about where exactly his mindset is evolving.

In between the letters, we get to read the chapters that Hannah is sending to Leo, which involve the murder mystery of a woman found dead in the Boston Public Library, and four characters who happen to be at the library at the same time, forging a tentative friendship that draws them in to the mystery and entangles them together as more and more threatening events occur.

Once I understood and got into the rhythm of the format of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed both storylines, turning the pages eagerly to see how everything was going to turn out.

I had the dual desire to both savor the book as well as quickly devour it in order to find out what was going to happen. The ending was to me satisfying and made sense looking back at all the clues we’d been given.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh I do love a book within a book. I finished this book so long ago and haven't had time to write it up and have been wanting to because I want lots of people to read it.

It starts with a murder, a young woman is murdered in the Boston Public Library. As an aside, if you haven't ever been there, it is the most glorious building and I was so pleased I'd been as I could just picture this whole scenario rolling out. Anyway, back to the story, there are four people sitting silently at the tables in the reading room, they are Freddie, Whit, Cain, and Marigold, strangers to each other until the moment when a scream shatters the silence, they begin to chat as they are held inside the library while the murder is investigated, and become friends. Each has a backstory that eventually comes to light over the coming weeks as they chat and get to know each other and become involved in each other's lives. Alongside investigating the murder themselves.

Freddie is writing a crime novel, she sends this to an independent reader who gives her feedback chapter by chapter. As real-life begins to infiltrate the pages of the book it becomes difficult to tell which is the fiction and which is the true story. Feedback is given by Leo who suddenly appears in the novel as well as in real life. Are you with me? It's complicated. And yet it is all so logical and easy to read while it is happening. There is layer after layer, suspicion rests upon every character and Freddie gets drawn into the mystery in the most delicious ways.

I loved this book. Whipped through it while wanting to savor it. It made me think and kept my brain busy while I read. What a great story and I'm so pleased I was able to read it. Thanks so NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access, can't wait to read another twisty tale from this author.

I really loved this book! The pacing and the characters keep you hooked throughout and the mystery dangles in front of you every chapter so that you can't put the book down. I loved how the story and the characters slowly unraveled throughout the book through subtle looks and specific word choices. I especially loved the character of Leo, the one who is helping the author, with the specific world events and social happenings that he chooses to focus his letters on.

For anyone who is a lover of mysteries this is definitely a book to have.

Wow, a surprising novel that starts off with a whisper and grows into a scream as chilling as the one heard in the library. The manuscript is raw and suggested edits from her American informant Leo adds a new layer to this novel. The novel breaks the fourth wall, by removing the reader from the manuscript and into the behind the scenes of the novel writing process. The sub-plot of the emails from Leo and his obsession are riveting and brings a snapshot of what was happening in the world in 2020. An original take on a traditional mystery reminiscent of an Agatha Christie’s novels. The manuscript leaves lots of room for addition and I would loved to have known what was added or changed in the final edits. Leo’s menacing last email is haunting and leaves the reader wanting more of Leo’s story. The identity of the murderer was a surprise, through the novel the reader is given many red herrings. A book that belongs on the library shelf and breathes new life into the mystery genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this exciting ARC all opinion are my own.

A woman’s scream and the discovery of a body in the Boston Public Library unites four strangers who are working in the library’s reading room at the time. Is one of them also a murderer?

The Woman in the Library is an interesting book. It’s a story within a story and it is written brilliantly. Each of the four people involved in the plot are unique individuals and the twists that occur will keep the reader on his toes. I would classify it as a smart mystery as well as clever and imaginative. I thoroughly enjoyed The Woman in the Library and will recommend it to others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

What a fun read! Many red herrings and interesting structure in the writing. This book had me guessing the whole time.

A thriller that takes place in a library? Count me in! The Woman in the Library starts off strong with a captivating plot and enjoyable characters. When four individuals sit down at a table at the Boston Public Library, a terrified scream is heard amongst the stacks. While the library’s patrons wait for the all-clear, these four individuals pass the time and develop a friendship of sorts. It just so happens that one of these individuals is a murderer.

There is an additional story-in-story plot which is interesting, but a bit confusing to follow at first. This “story” involves one of the four individuals who chooses to write a book about what happened in the library. In addition to the story-in-a-story plot, a mysterious early reader/fan of the narrator's work named Leo sends feedback in the form of letters that are downright alarming in the best way. These letters definitely kept me turning pages, but the rest of the novel fell a bit flat for me. The main character is naive and the dialogue is a bit cringy. Some elements of the story did not seem believable. There are so many moving parts that I had a difficult time keeping track of what was in the story-in-story and what was real, and I selfishly wish, as a library worker, that more of the novel took place in the Boston Public Library. While unfortunately, the format for The Woman in the Library did not work for me, other readers may enjoy it for its unique plot.

Warning: the storyline mentions the COVID-19 pandemic.

I chose to read this as I was familiar with Gentill's series based in Australia which I very much enjoyed and recommend. Initially I was drawn to this story as I live in the Boston area and am familiar with all of the settings in the book, and, of course, because the initial mystery begins in the Boston Public Library, one of my favorite places. I did enjoy how she contrives the characters to meet and how their relationships develop but found it getting a bit convoluted as Gentill drives the story to the ending. It just got a bit too complicated for my taste. I don't think it was as good as the Australia Rowland Sinclair series so was somewhat disappointed.

At first I liked where the book was going but it quickly fell flat. It was creative to end each chapter with notes from an editor and shaping the novel around that but the characters were not realistic at all. For one why did all of the characters who just met fall in love with each other and blindly ignore all the evidence against one another. Freddie was so naive and it was just unbelievable. Also the ending was very confusing. The author attempted to wrap up the Leo storyline in one page and did not do a good job at explaining anything even after reading the Authors Notes at the end.

What a fascinating read! Chapters of an upcoming Australian author's mystery are alternated with emails from a fan in the US to help her with the details of location and culture. It soon becomes evident that her fan is not only a fan. The plot twists and turns as the story of Cain peels back so many layers of his life, past and present. A mystery you won't want to put down until you know who done it

This book is a pure delight and intrigue, and I cannot wait for everyone to read it. The narrative structure of this book is brilliantly done.

The story begins with 4 strangers sitting together in a room in the Boston Public Library. Suddenly, a scream is heard, a body is discovered, and we are plunged into a twisting and turning mystery that will leave you guessing until the very end. In between chapters there is another story going on... The author of the story you're reading is corresponding with a fan. This device of a story within a story can often fail spectacularly, but Gentill makes you care deeply for both story lines.

The main story of the murder in the BPL is extremely good - it would be a great story on it's own. However, with the addition of the secondary plotline of the author communicating with a fan adds to the level of enjoyment and mystery. What Gentill does with that is incredible how she is able to tell a detailed story through one simple letter. I really can't say more about the plot without giving anything away.

This book will appeal to mystery lovers, especially those who enjoy locked room mysteries and unreliable narrators. The resolution of the book makes sense and I did not guess the ending. I'm willing to bet that it will keep many people in suspense as well, even hard core mystery fans. The revelation of "Who dunnit" is perfectly done, as the truth slowly dawns on you it blew my mind.

Sulari Gentill has hit it out of the park again. I love her Rowland Sinclair mystery series. Then Gentill wowed her readers with a stand alone, After She Wrote Him. This mystery within a mystery was fabulous, so I was excited to read this one. Gentill's mind works in very creative ways.

In this new mystery novel, The Woman in The Library, we meet Hannah, an Australian novelist, who is writing a novel about Winifred, a novelist writing her next book as a writing scholarship winner in Boston. Hannah creates the other main characters in this mystery as the people Winifred, or Freddy as she is known by her friends, that Freddie meets in the Boston public library. At first they are just characters for her book, Handsome Man, Heroic Chin, and Freud Girl, who she sees sitting at a table in the reading room. When they hear a woman scream, they all become involved in conversation that leads to friendship. Then they are Cain, Whit and Marigold and try to solve the mystery of the woman who screamed turning up dead in the BPL.

As Hannah develops the story plot with Freddie trying to solve the mystery, we are also privy to Hannah's correspondence with a fan, Leo, who is reading the chapters along with us and commenting on the story details. He starts to get more insistent and graphic as the story builds, giving Hannah tips about the differences between Australian and American terminology. Leo also gives her ideas for ways to murder and pictures of murders that he seems to find even before the police find the crime scene. Leo also gives her advice about including CoVid references and masking in the mystery novel. This is an interesting point , that the novel will be dated if you do or do not put references in about masks and the pandemic with the characters. It has been interesting reading novels written in the last two years and how they refer to the Pandemic.

I really like the way Gentill uses the Leo character to add the masks and pandemic without affecting her main storyline. This novel had a slow start and took about half way through to really become connected to the characters and the plot so that I wanted to finish reading and find out what happened.

I was able to read a copy of this book via NetGalley.

This was a fun mystery about four strangers-turned-friends, bonded by a peculiar event that takes place at the BPL. The book utilizes a framed story structure, which I was actually not fond of at first— however, the structure grew on me as the plot as well as the outside correspondence progressed.

I was very excited to see Boston as the main location where the novel takes place, seeing as I’m from MA and lived in Boston during undergrad. Most of the city descriptions and details were fairly accurate, although I personally caught a few incorrect references.

I found myself rooting for all four of the main characters as the story progressed, but enjoyed the details about Freddie and Cain the most (and the dynamic between them). There were times when I thought Freddie and Cain’s mannerisms seemed too aged when compared to Whit and Marigold, who are just a few years younger.

At the end I still had some questions and wanted the story to continue.., so I would definitely read another installment to see what happens next!

I enjoyed the book, the format of the plot was especially intriguing. I was pulled in by the fast paced plot and the character that was created through the one-sided email correspondence. I would recommend this book in general, but especially as a Book Group title, as it is quick to read, has an interesting format, and it touches on recent topics. In addition to all that, the concept of the book as a correspondence and a manuscript, really opens up a broad range of discussion.

Great for readers interested in the tone and layering of The Silent Patient and The Secret History. The ending reveal isn't as shocking, but the journey there is riveting.

Since I could not put this book down once I started it, I waited a day to write the review to see if I would feel as strongly positive about this book as I did while reading it. I do. Four stranger meet in the reading room of the Boston Public Library when they are startled by a woman's scream. They forge an interesting friendship. At the same time, author Sulari Gentil subtlety includes another story in a most ingenious way. The characters are each interesting in their own way. There is a possible red herring. It's as if Agatha Christie herself was the Gentil's muse. This is a definitely going to be a very popular stay up all night #SummerRead #BeachRead. Thank you #NetGalley for providing this preview.