A book within a book, wrapped in a mystery. This is “The Woman in the Library” by Sulari Gentill. A woman is writing a book about four strangers who are sitting in the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman scream. Later a woman is found dead and one of the four is the murderer. Meanwhile, the woman writing the book is sending early chapters to a man who might be a murderer in the real world. This book was WILD.

In this book everyone is wrapped into a murder investigation and the audience knows immediately that one of four people in the murderer. I find it so interesting how the four characters were connected and how each person could have possibly been the murderer. There was a lot going on, but the chaos aided this story well.

In the end, this book earned 4 stars from me. It was twisty and wild, but I felt like there were moments that it was trying to do too much. I loved the premise, but the mystery wrapped in a mystery made me want to know more about the man the author was writing with than the story she was writing. Overall, though, it was a very interesting premise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Four people come together at the Boston Public Library after hearing a woman scream. They develop an unusual friendship when the scream they all heard emanates from a woman apparently murdered in the library. Being an eclectic mix of college students and rising writers they decide to investigate as well as put everything in literary form. Sound interesting yet? Oh keep reading, it gets better.

A subplot of letters written by a creepy , shall I say unhinged, budding writer to a well known Australian author whose manuscript he is beta reading rounds out each chapter. I kept saying to myself, what is going on here? What is real and what is fiction?

Keep reading because everything becomes clearer at the end and what an ending it is! Plus, I don’t think it’s over with yet.

A story within a story that features a murder in a famous public library?!? Count me in!

I was drawn to this book because of its setting in the iconic Boston Public Library - a beautiful library I visited five years ago. The format of this book is 'story within a story' which is an interesting concept but despite the library setting and murder mystery, this story didn't quite work for me.

The premise is this: Australian author Hannah Tigone is writing a murder mystery and as she writes she emails back and forth with her beta reader Leo. Due to Covid restrictions, Hannah is unable to come to Boston so Leo, who lives in that city, becomes her sounding board for all things Boston. We get to read their communications which becomes increasingly darker.

The other part of this book focuses on the story Hannah is writing about four strangers who are sitting in Boston Public Library's beautiful Reading Room when they hear a woman scream. A body is later found, and these four people's lives become entwined. The four strangers are: Winifred "Freddie" - a writer-in-residence; Marigold - a psychology major at Harvard; Whit - who is hoping to fail out of Harvard Law and not follow in his family's legal footsteps; and Cain - a published author. This group creates incredibly (unbelievably?) fast friendships as they try to solve the murder.

The story within a story is an interesting idea but often felt confusing to me and the bonds between the four characters felt contrived and forced. Hannah and Leo's emails distracted me from the mystery and although their inclusion becomes clear later, I couldn't shake the feeling as I read that I wasn't quite grasping all that the author was laying out.

This story has an interesting concept and I appreciated getting a look into authors' writing processes and the tidbits of social commentary. Unfortunately, this book didn't meet my expectations, but it is getting rave reviews from others so take this review with a grain of salt.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for this complimentary advanced copy of this book provided in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

This was a whirlwind of a mystery! With so many important details and essentially two storylines, I really had to take my time reading this, but it was so worth it.

This story is told through two POVs: Freddie, a fictional Australian character written by Hannah Tigone, and Leo, an aspiring writer who is critiquing Hannah’s manuscript via emails. But there is also a character named Leo written into the story who plays the role of Freddie’s neighbor. At times I found that a bit confusing, but also really creative as the story progressed.

Freddie gets caught up in a murder mystery after befriending three strangers at the Boston Public Library. They are all present when a scream is heard throughout the library, and they quickly become engrossed in the details of what led to the young woman’s murder. But as they get closer, they discover secrets about one another and suddenly they aren’t sure who to trust. A budding relationship blurs the lines for Freddie and now she must decide between following her heart and trusting what her her new friends believe to be the truth.

Overall, I thought this was a captivating story, and it was so difficult to put down. Since Leo was reading Hannah’s story, I thought I knew who the murderer was because he kept alluding to the suspect, but Freddie, on the other hand, still wasn’t convinced and she pushed through until the very end to prove his innocence. I definitely didn’t see the big reveal coming, so that was a nice surprise. However, I’m still a little confused by the very last scene. I have my theories, but I guess in this case, the reader will never know.

Highly recommend!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Sourcebooks for providing a copy of this book to review.*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4510219929

Thank you Poison Pen Press and NetGalley for this Arc.

I don't read too many thrillers, due to being a complete wuss and getting too scared. I'll admit this book had a few occasions of inducing scared goosebumps. I loved how this was conceptualised, having both the actual book as POV and a reader POV, allowed me to basically have a buddy read within a book. In the beginning switching between these two POV was a bit confusing for me, but as I got used to it I started looking forward to what Leo had to say. 👀I found the characters well written and pacing great! Really enjoyed it!

Overall, I found this book to be pretty good but not great. The switching between the story inside the book and the email correspondence was occasionally distracting for me trying to keep up with the multiple characters, and the ending felt a "little" rushed for me. Yes, I'd probably recommend this book purely for the novelty of the storyline.

3.5 stars

I have mixed feelings about The Woman in the Library.

I enjoyed the “main” story line and thought the twists and misdirections were entertaining. But, I didn’t love the email correspondence and that additional (or parallel?) story line. Personally, I found it distracting and didn’t add to the book for me.

Not my typical genre but a very good read! I look forward to reading more Silari Gentill in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Go to IG: @entre.mi.libro.y.yo to read the full review

First, I want to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a very interesting, very different kind of book (giving all the "I'm not like the other books" vibes but in a good way, you know).

I was intrigued and hooked, once I started, I couldn't put it down.

If you're considering picking this book up, don't hesitate any further, just go for it and thank me later!

What a fun, refreshing, clever mystery! This is my first book by Gentill but I’ll certainly be going back to check out her previous ones. You know the feeling when you’re only a few pages in to a new novel, but you still let out a giant sigh of relief, knowing that regardless where the story takes you, you’re in the hands of a writer who knows what she’s doing. That was my experience with this fun romp of a mystery, with a murder taking place right under the noses of our four leading characters (who are strangers to each other) at the Boston Public Library and being informed that one of them is actually the killer, though seemingly none of them could be. Add in a clever conceit of a man who’s a neighbor of one of them and is corresponding with a well-known mystery author, trying to interest her in using the event as the springboard for her next book. Thoroughly entertaining, lively prose, and a plot that kept me guessing.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a good mystery and I loved the style of the story. If you are a fan of the Only Murders in the Building series, this would be a book for you. The twist of the book is brilliant and really helps with the intrigue of the story!

I really like the plot of this book, the characters and the drama. However, the story within the story is what detracted me from giving a higher rating. The end of each chapter ends with a letter to the author, which is the second story line. I found that this took away from the actual mystery of the book. Some of these I skipped, I found that the book was more enjoyable when I didn’t read them.

The story begins with a woman’s screams interrupting the quiet of the Boston Public Library. Four strangers, who were sitting at the same table, pass time chatting and building a friendship. Their relationship continues outside of the building over the following weeks. One of them happens to be the murderer.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

Thank you Net Galley and Sulari Gentill for giving me the opportunity to review The Woman in the Library.
They say never judge a book by its cover and I am glad I didn't. While I don't find the cover of the book very appealing,the description drew me in. I really enjoyed reading this book, I found it to be a very quaint mystery. It wasn't filled with gory descriptions and Gentill keeps the reader guessing who could of done it? This book would be a good recommendation for fans of Nita Prose's book The Maid. A charming read.

Hannah Tigone is an Australian mystery writer whose current work in progress is set in Boston. She can't travel to the US and so Leo Johnson, volunteers to be her eyes on the ground, communicating with her through emails and eventually making suggestions of possible edits. In her book, Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid comes to Boston on a writer's scholarship. Her research trip to the Boston Library gets interesting when she hears a woman's terrified scream and everyone is told to stay where they are. Sitting at a table with three strangers, she strikes up a conversation with the others and friendships of sorts are formed. Each person has their own reason for being there. Could one of them be a killer? As the book within a book progress, readers learn more about the characters, who they are, what motivates them, who they suspect and who's connected to whom. It's clear someone is not who they claim to be. Who's lying? Confused yet?

The Woman In The Library is an intriguing book within a book. While I've read books written in this format before, I found this one to be quite unique and compelling. Four strangers find themselves sitting at the same table in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library. Winifred Kincaid aka Freddie - a writer-in-residence living at Carrington Square, Cain McLeod - a upcoming published writer, Marigold Anastas - a psychology major at Harvard and Whit Metters - who has his reasons for purposely failing Harvard Law School. Freddie sits there observing each of the others while accessing their characteristics and assigning them names as characters in her book. A blood-curdling scream breaks the tranquility of the library. A murder has occurred.

The Woman In The Library is a skillfully written who-done-it thriller that will keep readers on their toes throughout. Gentill takes readers on a complex trip into the perplexing world of friendships where all may not be as it seems. While I figured this one out, the plot lines and characters are so cleverly disguised that it in no way deterred from my reading enjoyment. This story is twisted, a bit ominous and highly entertaining. Fans of mysteries will love this one. I also recommend it to fans of suspense thrillers.

An intriguing mystery, or mysteries told in an interesting style. I was drawn in quite quickly but I did find the relationship between the four characters a but far fetched in as much as they suddenly bonded over the death in the library, it just didn't feel authentic. That aside, a fun mystery.

Woah, I thought I was ready for whatever Sulari Gentill can throw at me after that mind-bending twists of Crossing the Lines but she's got a mean throwing arm! The Woman in the Library is a clever, imaginative thriller and so much fun to read.

The structure of the book is that of a letter from "Leo" and a chapter of story (which is found above in book description). At first, I did wonder which is "real" and which is fictional [remember, Crossing the Lines?!]. However, the author has something quite different in mind in this novel so it wasn't quite that long before all is revealed and pretty soon, instead of one mystery, we have 2... Bonus!

As much as I enjoyed reading about the four strangers drawn together as friends, I was also very much drawn to the other mystery for which we pretty much only get Leo's letters to read by. And yet, because of that limited scope, it's that much more creepy and therefore, thrilling.

Another brilliant offering by a much loved author, Sulari Gentill, and one I'd highly recommend as it was very much an irresistible page-turner.

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughts

A very twisty mystery set in Boston from a new-to-me author. I really enjoyed this fresh take on the murder mystery. It's told as a sort of story within a story that comments on itself as it goes. Initially, I wasn't a fan of the letters, but they grew on me as the story twisted and turned. As someone that lives in Boston, I think it was kind of clever the way that the murder mystery story-within-a-story read as though the author had just read an article about top tourist destinations in Boston. With that being said, I did find that the characters and writing fell pretty flat, and that's why this wasn't a book I totally loved. If you're looking for an entertaining and fun mystery to spend a few hours with, I recommend this one.

a really powerful story, one that will make you think! Lots of twists and turns, murder and mayhem make this a real page turner! the characters are complex and interesting. this book kept me guessing to the end! A must read!

Thank you Poisoned press, Netgalley and Sulari Gentill for the ARC of the book.

The plot was so unique and the story was addictive and fun. I loved the twists and I thought the characters were written well. I loved the style of the communication between Leo and Hannah and thought that a story within a story was amazing.

Overall a great read and I would 100% recommend.

Maybe I’m just too dumb to understand this book, but I’m not even sure what happened.

This book is a book within a book within another book. And none of it relates to each other. In one part, we have the “main” plot of figuring out who killed the woman in the library. In another part, we have someone responding to/criticizing the manuscript of the “main” plot. I found this extremely confusing because I wasn’t sure which one to really focus on. I was trying to connect the dots between the two different story lines, which was a waste of time.

Additionally, the relationship between the protagonist and the other main characters (aka the people we believe are the suspects) was just meh. They seemed to connect so quickly after hearing a woman scream in the library. It just felt odd to me that they bonded in two seconds and became close just like that. There wasn’t much substance to their relationship.

I really only finished this book because I wanted to know “whodunnit”. The ending wasn’t so obvious, which is good. And it wasn’t too far-fetched, which is also good. But it felt a little meh. The execution could have been better.

However, bonus points for having the book based on Boston as I’m a Bostonian and know the BPL area well! The author clearly did their research on restaurants in Boston, the subway and bus system, etc.

Would I recommend this book? Probably not.