I enjoyed this book! I liked the double story line. To be honest I did guess the twist but I still enjoyed the concept behind this book. It flowed well and I found Leo super creepy! It was interesting read and not something I’ve read before! I also adored the author’s note explaining where the idea came from. It was cool to be able to read from an author’s perspective and how Freddie and Cain had different methods.

The Woman in the Library is a unusual mystery novel. There are two separate plots going on that provide insight as you get deeper into the story.
The main story follows Freddie, an Australian writer who's spending a year in Boston for a writing fellowship, how finds herself investigating a murder after she hears a scream at the Boston Public Library. Helping her investigate are the other people sitting with her that day: Cain a fellow writer, Marigold a Harvard Psych study, and Whit a Harvard Law student/journalist.
The second story is more epistolary in nature. Leo, a Bostonian and a virtual friend of Hannah, the Australian responsible for Freddie's story, is providing feedback on the chapters as he receives them. At first he seems harmless, but soon his feedback becomes darker and sinister.

I found both mysteries enjoyable, though I liked the epistolary framing story more than the main narrative. It reminded me of The Screwtape Letters, which is one of my favorite books. I also appreciated the slow unraveling of Leo's character. I did wish that part of the book was given a few more letters and a little more development.

The Freddie storyline is ok, but somewhat predictable. Its obvious that one of our four main characters is the murder and has joined the investigation to throw a wrench in the plans. The characters, other than maybe Cain, came across somewhat flat as the story progressed. I did appreciate the attempts at red herrings and misdirects in the 2nd half of the narrative, including the Leo character popping up. Th e pacing of this section was ok, thought a bit slow in the middle. It felt like a chapter or two could have been condensed or reediting to allow for sustained tension and mystery.

I would still recommend this book if your looking for a fun easy read that isn't too scary.

Four strangers are seated at a table at the Boston Public Library when a scream pierces the silence. Later, it’s discovered that a body of a woman was found in an adjoining room, and the four strangers become fast friends, bonding over their experience. However, there are secrets lurking beneath the surface as the now four friends become embroiled in the mystery of the Woman in the Library. This is a riveting, multi-layered story, almost a story within a story, with subplots and a unique, refreshing narrative that propels the mystery that totally engrosses the reader. Great characters and plenty of surprises, with authentic and smart dialogue all add up to a fantastic read, and this was completely entertaining from start to finish. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intriguing book by an author I haven't read before. It begins in the Boston Public Library where an Australian woman (Winifred Kinkaid, known as Freddie), who is on a fellowship for writing in Boston is in the Reading room with three other people. They are an older man, she thinks of as Heroic Chin, a younger girl who has lots of tatoos, she calls Freud Girl, and a younger man she IDs as Handsome Man. Suddenly they hear a scream. The police come and they can't leave for awhile, so the four exchange names and become friends. She finds out Heroic Chin is really Cain McLeod, a published author; Freud Girl is Marigold Anastas, and Handsome Man is Whit Metters, a student at Harvard Law School from a wealthy Boston family. The next day they find out that a young Boston woman was found dead under a table in another room the previous night.

Each chapter of the book has a chapter of the story taking place in Boston, supposedly written by an Australian author who can't come to Boston because of COVID. Then at the end of the chapter is a letter beginning Dear Hannah (who is the Australian author) from Leo (who is an aspiring writer). I am assuming the letter is sent via email, as the chapters appear to be consecutive days. Leo makes comments on the current chapter, correcting writing with more Boston terminology and making suggestions. As the book goes on, he is less polite and wanting to add his own ideas. He also appears in the book occasionally and lives in the same building as Freddie. In the first chapter, we are informed that one of the four is a murderer!

As the story continues, we learn a lot more about the four people, but it is still very difficult to figure out who killed the young woman. It becomes more exciting, and as we near the end there is a great deal of suspense and excitement. It took me a little while to get used the the format of story, but by the end I couldn't put it down. I will definitely look for some of Gentill's other books. I thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for the ARC so I could read it and write an honest review.

This is a story within a story within a story and I could probably keep going. I thought the premise of this book was quite interesting and as a book lover it was very interesting to read a novel about the process of writing a novel, but in fiction form. I thought the idea was clever and well written and it kept me entertained.

I really enjoyed the writer writing about a writer, writing about a writer. I thought the plot was clever and different. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if it wasn't so unusual, it does seem to kick you out of the story when it changes perspectives. Hannah's writer friend, Leo, who writes her letters about what she just wrote is also intriguing. It's almost like having a book club discussion with the book. Completely fascinating!

The Woman in the Library is a great read for those who enjoy crime fiction. This one has mystery along with twists and turns. The characters meet in the library after a woman is murdered. I enjoy a book-within-a-book and found this to be clever and surprising.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is a quiet, tranquil place until a woman's terrified scream is heard. Security guards instruct everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning, it just happens that one is a murderer.
This is the best mystery I’ve read this year, so far. I love the way the novel was written. The story within the story was very intriguing, and kept me wondering what would happen next. I loved how the subjects of race and the Coronavirus pandemic was addressed. The characters were shown through their actions and behaviors, not just by their looks. The suspense kept me at the edge of my seat. There was a little on the page violence and sex in the book. I recommend it to everyone who loves a great mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this advanced reader’s copy. This review is my honest opinion.

I told a friend that reading this was like trying to read an M.C. Escher drawing. A writer, writing about writing, with interspersed chapters critiquing her writing.

I actually loved the format of this book, even though I found it a bit brain bendy. Did I guess who was "bad guy"? About 30 seconds before it was revealed in the book, so YAY for me. That said, it didn't feel super obvious, and there were enough layers to the story to keep you guessing.

Loved this fun twist on mystery writing and look forward to more from Sulari Gentill.

I listened to the audio of this book. It was well done and kept my attention. The plot is fiction written by an Australian author. She is sharing her chapters with Leo, a struggling writer and fan of Hannah’s previous work. Leo is based in Boston and shares his opinions and suggestions with Hannah about the setting of her book. Travel restrictions due to the COVID pandemic render Hannah unable to travel and Leo attempts to help her in her research throughout the writing process. We come to know Hannah's characters and the storyline of a "murder" in the library that bonds them all together. The story is somewhat slow and goes off course a few times. Overall, I liked the story, but it was not great, everything was tied together in the end...it just didn't pack a punch. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
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The Woman in the Library is a cleverly written and twisty story that was hard for me to follow at first. When I realized it was a story within a story and jotted down some notes for myself, it was much easier for me. This book is very different and will keep you guessing and on your toes till the very end.

This novel begins with a "book within a book" synopsis. Hannah Tigone is writing a novel with the help of Beta-reader Leo Johnson, who she also writes into the book as himself. Fictional Leo is also helping Winifred "Freddie" Kincaid with her novel. With this nature, it is easy to get lost in what is real and what is fiction. Hannah is based in Australia writing her novel, while her protagonist Freddie is in Boston. Freddie goes to the Boston Public Library where there is a scream which leads to a murder investigation. While in the reading room, Freddie meets Cain, Whit, and Marigold who become the main characters of her novel. The three of them form a relationship based on trying to figure out who killed the young woman who screamed. While Leo writes Hannah letters informing her of mistakes she's made or other things she can add to her novel, his letters become more and more suspicious and incriminating. This novel is a whodunit that gives the reader reasons for suspecting each of the characters. There is also the subplot of how Leo is getting his information. I really enjoyed the "book within a book" aspect of this read. The author did a great job of keeping me on my toes. It was also fairly creepy with the information the real Leo was providing. Overall it was a great novel and worth the read. Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was kind of a whole new experience for me. I'd never read any quite like it, and I must admit, it was a very intriguing adventure.

What was so different and special about it, you may be wondering? Well, let me tell you. Each chapter was presented in a very peculiar way. They started, and mainly consisted, of a narration in first person of the mystery of The Woman in the Library, but then, at the end of each chapter, there was a segment written in e-mail format. Correspondence between Hannah, the author of what we learn is a fictional story we'd been reading up until that point, and Leo, a faceless pen-pal, who sort of gave her feedback on that chapter and other general writing advice.

Those e-mail exchanges were kinda fourth wall break-y a lot of the times, since at the start of the story, Leo mostly expressed the thoughts and hypothesis running through the reader's mind regarding the enigma of who murdered the woman in the library.

What added another layer of curiosity was that the main character of Hannah's fictional book, Freddie, was also a writer, writing her own novel. In that sense, reading this book was kinda like looking into two facing mirrors. It was a very Inception-like experience, where there were stories inside stories, not unlike a mamushka (those Russian wooden dolls that fit inside each other like the layers of an onion). There was Freddie's fictional story, her "real" life which was nothing more than Hannah's story, and then Hannah's "real life" e-mail exchanges about both those two inner layers. It was like there were three levels of story-telling running simultaneously.

As fun and original as the idea was, however, I must admit it didn't 100% work for me. The switch between the "novel" and the "e-mails" was a bit too jarring for me. Going from the intensity of a murder mystery thriller to correspondence between friends lessened the general sense of danger and pulled me out of the story.

Of course, then we learn there's a bit more to pen-pal Leo than first assumed, and the e-mail exchanges become a separate story all on their own, which was a twist I didn't expect. But then the end came about which was kinda unsatisfying for me due to how abrupt it felt. Also, it sort of gave a bit of the spotlight to a character that had been very much in the background the whole time, which was weird and mildly off-putting. I was caught off guard and left strangely off kilter by the ending of the book. It somehow felt unfinished and like there was something missing for it to properly stick its landing.

Overall, though, this book was a very novel experience. It didn't fully work for me, but I'd still say it's worth giving a read. I think this one would be a great choice to discuss for a book club.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

I’m having a little trouble with what to say about this book. I have not read this author before so I can’t compare this book to her previous work. It was a little confusing at first because of the story within a story and the fact that there is a character named Leo in both stories. Also the ending was a little unclear because of what happened right at the very end. I would likely give this author another chance because her series is a historical mystery and I might like that but this book was a bit of a job.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Here's the thing, I thought this was going to be a murder mystery set in a library. Literary references galore. Instead, it was a book within a book with multiple narrators that never really flowed. The murder is set in an author's upcoming novel, so none of the character's are necessarily real. However they do parallel characters in the "real world." I didn't like the constant switch between the murder mystery, the real world, and the letters from a beta reader. I honestly kept getting drawn out of the novel. I can see where everything kind of makes sense in regards to the how the book world and the real world are similar but it just didn't work for me overall. Also, the reveal was super underwhelming. So much potential that was just unfulfilled.

Thanks NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Sulari Gentill for an ARC to review.
Wow! What not to love in this refreshing book! Starting from the cover till the very last word. Loved the creative structure of the correspondence and the manuscript, loved the characters and the setting.
" with a great readership comes great responsibility " " and so we go to the Map room to found a friendship and I have my first coffee with a killer"
Four supposedly strangers bond over a shared mystery in a library. An excellent page turner that you won't be able to put down till the very last end.
First book for me by the author and I'm already looking up the rest of her work.

Freddie is a young writer from Australia living in Boston. The story opens as she is sitting in the Boston Library with 3 other people and they hear a scream from somewhere nearby. The library is locked down and searched but nothing is found. The four young people decide to have coffee and later learned that a body has been found in the library. The story switches to a correspondence between Hannah and Leo where Leo gives his input on how the story should progress, areas of Boston she should explore and character development.
Sularii Gentill provides a wonderful change to murder mystery. It took me a moment to adjust to the two stories going on at the same time but once I understood it quickly left me waiting for the next letter from Leo. Like a mystery novel should be, I spent most of the novel wondering who was trustworthy and who had the means and motive.
Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for this ARC.

An enjoyable mystery within a mystery - good for a beach read but was very predictable at times and wrapped up much too quickly.

Four strangers are bound together by a bone-chilling scream overheard at the Boston Public Library, and the mysterious events that soon follow.

How very clever of Gentill. It's quite easy to dismiss any mistakes/plot holes/character descriptions/deviations in a book when the book is in fact supposed to be read as a manuscript in its editing phase being sent to a mysterious proofreader...The Leo chapters were...interesting? I can't say I really enjoyed them or cared about either Leo or Hannah (the actual author of <u>The Woman in the Library</u>, for the purposes of the story). Regardless, this novel was quickly paced and highly readable. It felt very Agatha Christie-like. While this wasn't anything remarkable or super memorable, it was enjoyable enough to finish within 2 days.

A book within a book! Although it took me a few chapters to figure out what was going on, I have to say the way this was written is brilliant! Speaking on setting first, I enjoyed that we got both Boston MA local places listed, as well as some Australian tidbits, so contrasting elements. I've never been to Boston, but the way in which the author describes the city (and if the places are real), there are some restaurants I'd love to visit! Looking to our characters, I found all of them to be mostly likeable, but the plausibility of them becoming such fast friends I found to be a little lacking. I understand they all endured the trauma of hearing a woman being murdered in the library, but for all of them to suddenly go to hanging out at each others apartments and meeting for dinner sharing life stories just seemed quite fast to me. Of all the characters, I actually found Freddie to be the most annoying because she constantly talked about "losing her muse" in writing her book. I have never written a book, and maybe this is true, but I don't see that as an excuse for rude behavior. Other than those small things, I enjoyed the journey of each character. This is probably the first book I've read that addressed both the pandemic and Black Lives Matter (indirectly). Our lovely Leo, the friendly fellow writer and mentor/editor, offered great advice in suggesting authors provide context so that we may know our characters' race and background. It's definitely something I've never considered as a reader. Overall, I really loved the plot...it kept me on the edge of my seat, and I liked that the story didn't follow Leo's recommendations every single time. There were twists I didn't see coming, and I was desperate to uncover the killer! I will recommend to anyone who loves true crime and mysteries!