I had a hard time reading this book. I wasn't interested in the characters because they were characters in a story within a story.

A story within a story. We follow four strangers with a newly formed friendship after a scream is heard in the Boston Public Library. As the four new friends question why someone would scream in the BPL the news reports that a young lady has been found dead with no leads. As past problems become the presents new issue the question they all have, which of the three could be the real murder.

This is the first mystery novel that I have read so I do not know what the status quo is on pacing but I felt like this book dragged in the beginning. Based on the books synopsis I was expecting a 12 angry men situation with each person accusing the next of the murder until all the clues come together. However as the book unfolds, the crazy twists and turns start to make you question each person. Overall I enjoyed this book. The real treat in this book is that this is a story within a story. Written as if we are the Beta readers we see an email exchange between the books “author,” and a fan that adds an extra piece of suspense in the book.

Overall I would give this book 3 stars.

To see/hear our full review of this book please check out our podcast episode that will be available on 6/12/2022 on Spotify and Apple.

Thank you Poison Pen Press and NetGalley for the arc.

This ARC was received with the promise of an honest review. All opinions in this review are ours.

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The Woman in the Library (Poisoned Pen Press, $26.99) by Sulari Gentill opens in the Boston Public Library reading room where four strangers—two of whom are writers—meet coincidentally while a young woman is murdered elsewhere in the building. When one of them comes under suspicion, the others rally to get to the bottom of it, but secrets emerge that call everything into question. There’s a dual, metafictional narrative that unfolds in letters to the author of the mystery as it is being written, which is very cleverly executed. For whose who enjoy real puzzler, with layer upon layer of suspenseful plotting, check out this whodunit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This story is a book within a book that I think is done very well for the most part. The deeper story within is one that is a bit surface level in its characters and almost reads as a first or second draft of a story to me. Perhaps this is the point and I still enjoyed trying to figure out the twist within that story. The story on top of that one is the one I have mixed feelings about. On one hand I really enjoyed reading the letters and having this be apart of the novel, however I wish there was a bigger reveal or epilogue of some sort to wrap that up into a better bow. I know what happens and the story is resolved but it didn’t feel as impactful as I wanted it to. Definitely recommend to someone who enjoys mysteries and also enjoys writing as this is a story about a story.

Wow. Wow. Wow. This book was absolutely fantastic and I loved the book within a book premise. I went into this one pretty blind after seeing it on a couple of people’s anticipated releases shelf. In this book we follow Freddie, Marigold, Whit, and Cain as they instantly are bonded in a breakfast club type scenario when they hear a woman’s scream in the library. When the woman turns up dead, these amateur sleuths are on the case. What follows is a novel of plot twist, secrets, and a touch of romance.

There’s a secondary storyline interwoven through the chapters of this novel and that storyline is equally if not more interesting. You cannot say much about that storyline without getting into spoilers.

Overall this book kept me engaged. I loved the characters, particularly Marigold, even though some of her decisions are more than questionable. I will say that the secondary storyline at first you are not sure why it even exist, however once you find out, it’s shocking and you are instantly invested. Then that storyline wraps up a little too quickly. This book is really fantastic and I highly recommend!

Incredibly cool and creepy and metafictive, with two interlocking stories: the chapters of the mystery novel of the title, an interesting, expertly done mystery story itself, are interspersed with email feedback on each chapter from the "author's" beta reader, which themselves begin to form a horror/mystery story of their own...

I enjoyed the well-crafted, familiarly titled "woman in the/girl on the/etc." core mystery, and as for the metafictive framing story, I thought it was absolutely terrifying, and just very, very cool. Couldn't put it down!

Book within a book within a book. AND a cozy mystery with Agatha Christie vibes! I have to say I fell in love with the cover, then the book description and finally with the book itself. I inhaled this within 24 hours - I think that says it all in terms of my enthusiasm about The Woman in the Library.

Freddie is an Australian writer on a fellowship in Boston, spending a year working on her novel. While people watching in the reading room at Boston Public Library, Freddie witnesses a woman's scream. The experience leads to a fast friendship with her table mates - Cain, a fellow writer who just happens to be very handsome; Marigold, a psych student with quirky personality and lots of tattoos & Whitt, a law student intent on failing his studies. When a body is discovered, the unlikely foursome gets drawn into the depths of the mystery surrounding the discovery. But could one of them be the murderer?

Hannah, Australian mystery writer is crafting the above described story with the assistance from her pen pal Leo who happens to live in Boston. Leo is a fan and an aspiring writer himself and soon becomes deeply invested in Hannah's story and its characters.

I absolutely loved the concept and format of the story. Each chapter consisted of Freddie's adventures followed by correspondence between Leo and Hannah. And each time the chapter ended I simply could not wait to turn the page and start the next one. If that pesky thing called sleep did not interfere I would've easily finished the book in one sitting! This is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2022!

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, Agatha Christie, and memorable characters (Marigold with her "Jesus take the wheel!") this is definitely a book for you!

A big thank you to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Poisoned Pen Press I'll be on the lookout for your other releases

What most intrigued me about this book were the reviews from others that said it read like the movie Inception - a book within a book.

A woman writes a story about four strangers who are in a library when a terrible scream rings out - and one of them could be the reason why. Friendship, mystery and even romance unfolds as the question of who killed the woman in the library becomes more and more complicated. There were lots of characters in this story (though not too many to keep track of) and I enjoyed (almost) all of them.

I really did love the “story within a story” aspect of this book - a writer writing about writers and being written to (are you lost yet?) - as the double narrative definitely kept me on my toes! I really didn’t know how this book would end and when it did, it felt sudden. I’m giving this one a solid three stars because it’s unlike anything I’ve read in the past!

Thank you to @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for my ARC!

I had such high expectations for this one, I mean a murder on a library, what more can we ask?

But this one was a let down unfortunately 😢 I don't know why, but I thought the book would have taken place in the library until the end but the characters were in there for the first chapter and that's it.

I didn't understand the point of the letters, well yes I did but it was pointless and not that good of a twist.

I must say that I did read this one really fast, I read it in less than a day, so it's bingable but not amazing 🫢

Thank you so much @netgalley and @bookmarked for the digital arc, all thoughts are my own.

The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill is a clever murder mystery that involves a story within a story. It begins with a Bostonian named Leo writing to an Australian author, Hannah Tigone. Leo is a fan of Hannah’s and he describes trying to write at the Boston Public Library. Leo has been unsuccessful in getting his book published. He is thrilled when Hannah decides to set her next mystery novel inside the Boston Public Library and lets him read the story chapter by chapter. Leo then sends suggestions and comments to her, which become increasingly bizarre.

Hannah’s new novel is about an Australian writer, Winifred “Freddie”, who is seated at a table at the Boston Public Library with three strangers when they all hear a scream. Later the body of a female reporter is found dead in the library. This incident bonds the four of them and a fast friendship forms. We quickly learn that one of them is a killer, but we don’t know which one.

The regular email correspondence between Leo and Hannah reminds the reader that Freddie’s story is fiction, but that doesn’t make it less interesting. I was drawn into the intense friendship that was formed out of a shared experience as well as the author’s insight into the life of a convicted murderer. There are several potential suspects and I didn’t figure out whodunit.

4.5-stars rounded up. This book was published on June 7, 2022. Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced reader copy.

Pub date: 6/7/22
Genre: mystery, suspense
In one sentence: A scream echoes through the Boston Public Library Reading Room, bonding a group of new friends - but one of them is a murderer.

As a former Bostonian, the setting is what made me request this one! I loved following main character Freddie's adventures throughout the city. The novel is a book within a book, so we also get asides to writer Hannah from her pen pal Leo. The beginning of the book gave me major Agatha Christie vibes, and I was drawn into the mystery. Unfortunately, the mystery lost some steam about 75%, and the ending didn't match up to the strong beginning. That being said, I would be happy to try another book by Sulari Gentill.

Text vs audio: Both have their pluses here - I enjoyed the variety of voices in the audiobook, but it was easier to keep track of the characters with the text.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for my NetGalley ARC and Libro.fm for my ALC.

#netgalley#thewomaninthelibrary

Wow this book is so unique I have never read anything like it. I loved that it was set in a library and I loved the murder mystery. I would definitely recommend this book. 3/5 stars

Four strangers become fast friends at Boston Public Library after they hear a terrifying scream. The next day the body of a woman is found and these new friends find themselves wrapped up in a murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this one and it was not like anything else I’ve read! It’s a book within a book. Hannah is in Australia writing a book which she sends to Leo in the US to be a beta reader. Her book is the story about Freddie, Cain, Whit and Marigold and the murder mystery. Freddie is also a writer taking inspiration from these people she is becoming fast friends with. Some of which have lots of secrets.

I love books about books and that it is set in a library just pulled me in. I wasn’t shocked by the ending but found it was a book I couldn’t put down for long. I wanted to see how it all tied together. It gave me an old mystery feel, like Agatha or Hitchcock or something.

Thanks to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for an eARC for review.

Enjoyment: 4.5
Total rating: 4.5


Wow. I am not going to lie. Much like I had to do with The Mayfair Witches trilogy, I had to pull up paper and pen in the beginning, to keep track of each set of characters, as Sulari's story was too advanced for my feeble brain to grasp at first. Regardless I was here for it!! We got to try and identify at least two killers, which got me excited. You see, there is a book inside a book inside a book! A delicious literary turducken.

Hannah is an author who is writing a mystery novel about an author writing a mystery novel. I bow to Sulari for not making it hard to follow once you realize what is happening! Even though we didn't meet Hannah (early or at all), we got to know her thought process through correspondence with a friend. Freddie's world was fantastic, she is writing a mystery book, but murders start happening around her in real life.

I loved the easter eggs about a mystery writer process; the overall mystery of the book was well-plotted. The narrative is engaging and fast-paced, and the characters (all of them) are delightful and multidimensional. I always appreciate it when the twists are impactful and organic to the plot.

I enjoyed this fresh take on an author as a character and felt that Sulari pulled it off very well. With that said, I was hoping to get more from Hannah's PoV. I literally could not put this book down. Even though I wouldn't call The Woman in the Library a cozy mystery, it read like a modern golden age book. It has all the right feels.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Woman in the Library.

**"4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account***

The Woman In The Library by ingenious author Sulari Gentill is a remarkably clever story about an author writing a book about an author writing a book!

Reading and listening to this smart plot was pure fun. Four strangers at The Boston Library are startled by a woman's deadly scream and then a hidden dead body. Freddie (Winifred), Marigold, Cain and Whit are forced to stay together while security searches the library. They become fast friends but soon Freddie realizes, as she finds her book characters becoming more like her new friends, that one of them may be a murderer.

Now the brilliance is that it is author Freddie and her group who are the characters in successful author Hannah's latest novel in progress. But Hannah has real problems when her beta reader doesn't like the direction her murder mystery is taking and who he believes should be the killer.

Narrator Katherine Littrell was magnificent with a full cast of characters and numerous emotions to navigate throughout this creative thriller. A fun suspense to figure out as clues slowly reveal themselves.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written. A story within a story.The characters were well developed and for the most part likeable. I had my reservations about the corresponding Leo, who somehow always had crime scene photos to share with Hannah. (He definitely was on my suspect list.)
I enjoyed reading the Boston scenery and could picture the characters as they moved through the city. I did not see the ending coming and there wereplenty of twisty turns and intrigue to keep me engaged and guessing.

This one is unique. It’s like a book in a book in a book and I love a book in a book. It did require a little concentration in the beginning. I wasn’t exactly sure what all the layers were, but figuring that out was part of the appeal. And the insight into writing for this reader was interesting.

I liked the characters and their nicknames (heroic chick, handsome man, writer and Freud girl) it was clever and had me connect with them from the start.

I don't want to give anything away, so I’ll avoid any more plot talk, but I do think everyone will be talking about this book

3.5 stars.
The first thing a reader should a know about is about the epistolary format/Dual storylines in it. What we read appears to be an ARC of a murder mystery written by Hannah Tagine, with a lot chapters followed by emails from a beta reader, Leo, providing his thoughts on it and also advice/information. Hannah is Australian, and Leo is her “eyes and ears” in Boston. Eventually, a second mystery/thriller of sorts emerged from the email plot line, but it takes a while—-about 52%. Some other reviews I’ve seen didn’t know about the emails going into the review and didn’t see the point of them, stopping before their true relevance is revealed. While certainly a disturbing and enticing elements the pacing is a bit off. In Hannah’s novel, a woman in murdered in the Boston Public Library and 4 strangers at the library resolve to look into it (the main character in this story is another mystery writer). I found they became friends so quickly, it was unrealistic, and I didn’t really care for the romance plot line either. A lot of their time is also spent not investigating the murder, but rather possibly connected events, and there’s a lot of subplots to keep together. The reader is also invited to solve the mystery, as the main character reveals at the end of the first murder chapter, that one of her new friends might be the killer. Although there were parts where I grew a bit bored, it was a nice summer mystery for me. Might just not be the book for me, although I love the creative concept.

It begins in the Boston Public library.
Four strangers sitting at the same table.
A woman’s blood-curdling scream.
And so begins a thrilling adventure into the lives of these four people-all suspects with secrets and motivations of their own. 👀

“A group of people united by a scream.”

📙The Woman in the Library By Sulari Gentill
📙Mystery/Thriller/Fiction
📙Publisher: @poisonedpenpress & @dreamscapemedia
📙Pub Date: June 7th 2022, out now!
📙 🌟🌟🌟🌟4 stars

📚Things I Loved:
✔️This book was a twisty and cleverly layered murder mystery and it kept me guessing until the end.
✔️Every character had something to hide, no one was innocent! This provided just the right amount of tension as the characters and their relationships began to unravel.
✔️The plot was very well-developed, intelligent and funny! The chapters are quite short, which makes this a pretty fast read.
✔️The audiobook was narrated by Katherine Littrell and I enjoyed going back and forth between both the book and audio.

📚Not so much:
✔️This was a story within a story within another story and even though I thought it was written well, it felt confusing at times.

Overall, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 is an engaging, sly, cleverly done story that certainly kept me guessing from start to finish.

A big thank you to NetGalley @netgalley Dreamscape Media @dreamscapemedia & Poisoned Pen Press @poisonedpenpress for this gifted copy of the book and audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Okay, so it took me longer than I care to admit to fully understand the book-within-a-book premise (I get confused easily OKAY?!) but once I did I was absolutely enraptured. This is a wonderfully twisty mystery that really kept me turning the pages and waiting for the next chapter. Strong 4 stars! Off to read more books by Sulari Gentill. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!