4.5 Stars

Four strangers are sharing a table in the Boston Public library when they are united as a scream is emitted nearby. The guards in the library keep everyone there until they can investigate and come back shortly telling everyone they are free to go, as they find nothing. The four who had been sitting near each other decide to get to know each other better by having coffee together at the Map Room Tea Lounge. They spend hours together getting to know each other and joking around together. The author pulls readers in with this line: “And so we go to the Map Room to found a friendship, and I have my first coffee with a killer.” With this line, we know that one of the three people sharing that table is a killer, but it takes a while to figure out who it is. The main characters are Marigold Anastas (nicknamed Freud Girl), Whit Metters (Heroic Chin), and Cain McLeod (Handsome Man), and the narrator/author of the story as it happens is Winifred Kincaid (Freddie). It also turns out that the woman who screams actually ends up dead and makes the papers the next morning.

This is a complex story containing a lot of interesting detail and a red herring or two. Juxtaposed within the story are a series of email letters between a would-be writer named Leo in Boston and an established author in Australia named Hannah Tigone. Leo starts off as helpful and sends detailed information, corrections, and suggestions to Hannah as she fleshes out her book, which is the story of what is happening with these four characters that get together in the library Map Room. However, as the story progresses, Leo gets a bit unhinged and starts exhibiting signs of anger and frustration at the direction of Hannah’s novel. It’s a fascinating study of watching Leo unravel, as we watch the killer unravel as well, only we don’t know who the killer is yet; we just see another murder and a couple of attacks and some strange goings on as things escalate.

This book is an original! The format is uncommon, yet effective. There is a low-level tension throughout the story, but it isn’t so suspenseful as to be un-put-down-able. Curiosity about how, why, and whodunit will keep readers returning to the story until the end.

Book Review: The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Release Date: 7 June 2022

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review!

My Thoughts: 4 strangers, 1 murderer. The idea of knowing who the bad guy could be from the very beginning is always a fascinating premise to me. It doesn’t completely leave you surprised in the end, but how everything unfolds does.

I loved the way this book was written! There is a subplot between the author writing (the reader is reading the book that the author- Hannah - wrote) the book and a fellow author that adds in a cool twist. I love when details like that are added into books. I also loved how the main character stuck to her opinions and didn’t let people convince her she was crazy or stupid for decisions she made. She of course did have moments of questioning, but she stuck to her guns overall.

Overall I loved this book and think it was well worth the read. I think if you love the mystery genre, you will love this! This book’s release date is today so go get yourselves a copy! I know I am!

Pros: My favorite thing about this book is its unique format. Rather than being a linear thriller, it is written as a book within a book where the author of the book receives a letter with edits/notes after each chapter from a fan. I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end, and the reveal was a fun surprise. I also love a book that takes place in the literary world, especially one that begins in a library. I thought this book, which is under 300 pages, is a well-paced, fast read.

Cons: I read this book both on ebook and audiobook, and I did not love the audiobook narration, specifically the southern accents.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book.

3.50 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved that the author accomplished a full novel under 300 pages. Too often publishers push writers to extend the length of the book. There must be an assumption that we won't buy a novel unless we feel like we're getting our money's worth. However if you write something well and get it done without unnecessary fodder I appreciate it even more.

The plot on this book was incredibly unique. As we begin reading the book we're introduced to the character, Hannah as the author of the book. Her acquaintance, Leo is writing to her to express his opinion on the rough drafts of each chapter. Hannah's novel itself features the characters of Cain, Winifred (Freddy), Marigold and Whit. These four characters are at the Boston Public Library when a woman named Caroline screams and is later found dead.

The author did a great job of creating confusion and I questioned who the "bad guy" was even as she was revealing the dénouement. It was incredibly well played when we got to the conclusion and the characters themselves were arguing as to who the murderer was. I doubted where the book was going and second guessed myself.

I gave the book 3.50 stars because I was disappointed with how the relationship of Hannah (the fictional author) and her acquaintance Leo progressed. Sulari Gentill wrote the progression of Hannah's book in tandem with the progression of the letters between Hannah and Leo and I expected some incredible shock factor to occur. Instead, those exchanges between Hannah and Leo served no purpose and might cause confusion with readers.

In summary, Sulari Gentill is the author of The Woman in the Library but she's writing a book about an author named Hannah. Hannah is writing a book about Cain and Winifred who are also authors writing books. Ugh, what?

Readers who normally get their content via an audio book may want to skip this one unless they're following along with the book.

When four strangers hear a scream in a library they quickly band together and become fast friends. When a body is discovered many hours later, they become each other’s alibis, but as their backstories come to light and more crimes occur, they are soon questioning if one of them is a murderer, but which one? Gentill has cleverly crafted this book, as the reader finds out early on that the story being told is actually a novel that’s being written, but this novel has a rather creepy twist!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this mystery.
Unfortunately, I found this book to be confusing due to the story within a story format. The e-mailed correspondence between the author and a supportive friend interrupted the flow just when I was getting invested in the murder mystery. The relationships of the library patrons didn't ring true and the action was lacking. That said, it was interesting to read about the intricacies of the writing process. As far as the rest of it, I couldn't connect with the characters and didn't much care who the murderer was.

So this book had some strong parts and some not so strong parts. The first part of the book was really captivating and I became invested but the middle 50% was really a slow moving book.

This was essentially a book inside a book and because of the writing style it was hard to follow.

Happy Publication Day to The Woman in the Library!

I am about 75% of the way done with this and I only started on Sunday….this is one of the most uniquely written novels I’ve read let me try to explain; this is a novel by a writer who is writing a book about a writer writing a novel who overhears a murder in the Boston Public Library 😅 oh and on top of that at the end of each chapter is a note from the writers pen pal critiquing each scene and offering helpful hints! 😵‍💫 Once you get the inception of this book it’s really quite intriguing and a good old fashioned whodunnit!

This is the first book by Sulari Gentill and it will not be my last!
The Woman in the Library was impossible to put down, I read it in one day!

A group of four strangers sitting in the reading room of the Boston Public Library are suddenly startled by a woman’s scream. While they are waiting for law enforcement to give the all clear, they pass the time in conversation. When the all clear is given, they’ve developed something of a bond and friendships develop. The story centers around these four strangers developing relationships and the reality that one of them may be a murderer.

I really enjoyed Gentill’s writing style and the interesting twists and turns in this story. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery!

Four people sit at a table in the Boston Public Library. Two are published authors, Winifred aka Freddie and Cain; two, Marigold and Whit, are post-graduate students. A blood-curdling scream echoes through the building and the four become fast friends. It is through this point of view of Freddie’s novel-in-the-making that we follow their adventure. Was this meeting coincidental or contrived? The reader wonders as their storylines become entwined. The two men are victims of violence and two people are found dead. These storylines become Freddie’s novel and, the more involved the reader becomes, the more the tension builds. The framework structure of Sulari Gentill’s work is a set of literary critiques from Leo, a Bostonian colleague of Freddie who sits in Australia trying to finish her mystery. Leo becomes an intrusive advisor. All in all, each character in this novel becomes suspect and at times unreliable. The suspense builds and the reader seeks answers. One has to pay close attention.

First off thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Woman in the Library. This is one book where I’m actually scared of trying to give a detailed summary because I’m seriously worried of accidentally giving anything away and spoiling some of the various twists. In fact beyond reading the book blurb I would suggest people go into this one blind. What I will say is this is the literary equivalent of Inception. (In concept/execution not in story) While it might not be for everyone, I thought it was one heck of a wild ride. 4.5 stars rounding up to 5.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1VSU9AHQGI352/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-woman-in-the-library-sulari-gentill/1139924897?ean=9781464215872&bvnotificationId=f8d89095-e6a4-11ec-b93e-0ae1df9a143b&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/210468839

Sad to say I had to DNF at 60% for this one.
Another book where the premise sounded intriguing but I wasn’t engaged with the characters at all. I also didn’t like the story within a story - it detracted from the main plot and the overall narrative didn’t flow properly for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in The Library, by Sulari Gentill. This novel is full of intrigue and mystery and murder. Interestingly, writer Hannah Tigone communicates with Leo Johnson as she masterminds her creative masterpiece. A story intertwined within a story-as a spider stuck in a web; waiting to escape and spin its story.

Also, Winifred Kincaid (Freddie) a writer, Freud Girl (Marigold Anastas) a Harvard Psychology major with a ballerina tattoo and previous ballet dancer, Handsome Man (Cain McLeod) a published writer -a first book reviewed by NY Times as a best seller, Heroic Chin (Whit Metters) He was failing at law school and from a prominent family in Boston. Shaun Jacobs was a prominent surgeon who took painkillers and became addicted in prison; he lost everything and ended up as a corpse on the Charles River bank. Isaac Harmon had murdered a woman 20 years ago. Cain McLeod sought Isaac Harmon and Shaun Jacobs (Boo) both as persons of interest from his past.

Caroline Palfrey is the main person in the Boston Public Library Reading Room with her loud, piercing scream heard through the quiescent library. She was later found dead hidden under tables. Found by cleaning personnel. Who murdered Caroline and why? What part does she play in all the murders, hidden ploys, intricacies of puzzles, and innocent victims set up if any? Read this exciting novel to find out!
I recommend this novel to all who enjoy mystery novels and murder mysteries. This was an ARC from Netgalley.

Happy Publication day to #TheWomanInTheLibrary
Genre:
Mystery - Thriller - Suspense- Crime Fiction.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Say hello to one of the best books of the year and the most anticipated one♥♥♥.
When I started reading it I was a bit confused and didn't
understand what was going on? But then, with each chapter things start to get clear and understood that our Heroine Hannah is a famous novelist who is writing a book so what we were reading is her manuscript and she was corresponding and sending chapters to a person called Leo for his/her opinions.
The first chapters as I said a bit confusing just so you get the hang of things but then events start to escalate with our 4 strangers Freddie, Cane, Whit, and Marigold. Their friendship gets stronger with each chapter as they're solving a murder mystery they get involved in it. Then, secrets unravel, love sparks, and things get out of control.
The book is so good.
It's fast-paced with short chapters.
Excellent, sophisticated, and sharp writing.
The thriller that will leave everyone on edge and reading till they reach the end😉.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher
for accepting my request for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book set in a book with multiple mysteries, storylines, and so much going on was just what I needed and didn’t even know. The story goes back and forth from chapters in a book and email correspondence from a beta reader with notes on the book being written. On the surface this sounds completely innocuous but as you continue on the suspense levels rise and you are caught up and off guard from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed the story within a story with another story within it all, sounds confusing but was honestly easy to keep track of everything. I really loved how your feelings and suspicions changed throughout the story, after reading so many mysteries I have come to the conclusion of most books too often. This book had me changing my mind on some characters all the way the to bitter end.

I do feel that some of the dialog between characters at times was a tad unrealistic just in the sense that it didn’t feel like the natural flow that would be happening between friends/companions. I did however really like how the author used characters within multiple stories and how it all interweaved, very intriguing.

All in all I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who is a lover of mysteries, crime books, books about books, suspense novels and the like. This book definitely felt like an old Hitchcock movie which at least for me made me love it even more.

5/5 Stars

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

✨Publication Day Book Review✨ The Woman in the Library - Sulari Gentill✨ 2/5⭐️✨
Genre: Thriller
Publication Date: Today!
Read If You Liked:
- Thursday Murder Club Series by Richard Osman

Thoughts
- This story really drew me in in the beginning - a scream in a library, a murder, and four strangers on a mission to find out who did it - love!
- The plot is kind of a Russian Doll in that its told through letters from an editor to an author but also through the book which the author is writing - a really neat idea.
- The switch backs between letters and the novel personally didn’t resonate with me as much as I wish they would’ve and I was a bit lost at times honestly. The secondary plot seemed almost kind of anticlimactic because of the ending and how removed we are from the author in the story.
- Lots of action towards the end of the novel which doesn’t disappoint, but then there’s kind of a cliffhanger ending. So much going on!

Unfortunately, for me this was a bit of a miss, although others may enjoy the unique plot and characters. Thank you to @Netgalley and @PoisonedPenPress for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

In “The Woman in the Library” by Sulari Gentill we see what happens when four strangers happen to be in the library and a situation draws them together. As they navigate their new friendships, the secrets they all hold begin to emerge – until one by one they finally realize that one of them is actually the murderer.

The book has a lot of great characters and the background story of each of them plays into the story, so you are left guessing until the very end.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley ad this is my honest opinion.

The Woman in the Library bySulari Gentill
📚
Happy Pub day to The Woman the Library! Thanks to @netgalley the arc! I was really looking forward to this mystery that takes place inside The Boston Public Library. In the book there is a suggestion that every book is a romance book- mysteries, thrillers, fiction - they are all really romances. This book wasn’t so much a mystery as it was a romance. I didn’t find the mystery that compelling. The characters seemed more interested in what they were going to eat next and connecting with their love interest than anything else. By the end, the mystery was solved but it was rather anti-climactic for me.

The Woman in the Library was a slow start for me. At first, I struggled to understand the letters and the story in the story. It was a book that took a lot of concentration for me to get into. Sad to say, it was only by 60% of the book did I somewhat start to understand what i was truly reading. The ending was pretty good but I didn’t enjoy the lead up to it. Sad to say I didn’t love this one.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC to review.

The Woman in the Library was a brilliantly written mystery, and I was shocked at how many times the narrative twists and turns surprised me. What looks on the surface to be a straightforward find the killer mystery slowly becomes a multi mystery narrative about writers, their muses, and how real life can be scarier than fiction. I highly recommend giving this book a chance to hook you, just as it hooked me. The Woman in the Library gets 5/5 stars and a huge thumbs up from this reader.