This is a meticulously plotted mystery that engages from the first page before getting seriously bogged down In the middle chapters. Too many characters and confusing clues add to a lot of introspective navel gazing that detracts from a very simple plot line. The main character from is both ridiculous and very illogical and Cain's backstory is revealed not through detective investigation by Freddie but by police officers. The internet is clearly not something she thought of using to research the three new wealthy friends she had suddenly met and seems to trust immediately.
The secondary plot line of a mystery character commenting on a fiction author’s work simply does not make sense and did not add anything for me.
Sorry, This did not work for me.

The Woman in the Library has all the murderous appeal: a scream is heard in the Boston Library by four strangers and guess what? Hours later they find out someone was murdered! As the unexpected group bonds and becomes friends, questions arise when their pasts are not as squeaky-clean as they'd like each other to believe.

What also may (or may not) be appealing is that this is a story-within-a-story. Our murder mystery with an author main character is being penned by an author who reveals the story chapter by chapter as it is sent to a fan/early reader. A very fun concept, especially if you enjoy more than one plotline.

While The Woman in the Library had all the right parts for a perfect mystery, it didn't slap my whodunnit bone like I thought it might. It is creative and intriguing, but I wish the story-within-a-story was extended into two books or perhaps interacted with more in this. One of them ended up not adding anything for me.

The cast was great, although Freddie (the novel MC) was pretty naïve at times. Gentill also writes a stalker SO well, I hope she one day releases a crime focusing on those aspects!

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

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. The story within a story and exchanging of letters at the end of each chapter was just blah for me. I wasn’t excited to turn the page even though there was a murder that took place. It just fell flat for me.

While I didn’t enjoy this I know that there are a number of mystery book clubs that will find this worthy of discussion. I found it rather slow, the writer writing a murder mystery within a writer telling the story confusing at times. And Leo was just annoying with his American recommendations, not helpful at all. But the ending twist was good.

This book really felt like it was trying to do too much. It was a book about an author writing a book about an author writing a book. Trippy, right? The story with Hannah and Leo on the outside of the Freddie narrative just didn't feel necessary to me at all. I actually didn't enjoy that part very much. The internal story with Freddie and her gang of library friends was pretty slow — then that coupled with the annoying Leo made me want to scream OH MY GOD SHUT UP more times than I can count. This two-star read turned into a three-star read right at the end when there was a pretty decent plot twist. But you have to get through a lot of muck to make it there. And even then it feels like a very rushed ending that literally happens in the last 2 chapters.

Another book that I so wanted to love based on the premise (murder in a library!) but felt a bit lacking in its execution.

It’s hard to say much without saying too much, ja feel? Just know that it has numerous layers, stories within stories oOoOo. While one storyline really captivated me, the other just felt unnecessary in the end.

I’ll always give credit where credit is due: this was a 24-hour read for me. I found myself thinking about it during meetings and couldn’t wait to pick it up again! We love a quick, easy, bingeable read.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review this copy of The Woman in the Library. As I read it, I found myself intrigued by the book-within-a-book setting, and the addition of the letters in the story. The cast of characters was thoughtful, and I enjoyed the ambiguity of the setting. Overall, I enjoyed it and rated in 5/5 stars on Goodreads.

There were a lot of fun levels to this story. An author 's murder mystery novel filled with twists and turns, and the reader providing feedback to the author. I liked the formatting of this, which did take a bit of getting used to, as it provided a mystery within a mystery, a story within a story, and added to the sense of unease and mystery when the two stories seem to become tangled by murder and characters, and reality vs. fiction is more and more difficult to separate.

This is a book written by an author who is writing about an author writing about two authors. Again, multiple layers. I found that it was easy to keep the differences and ideas separate as they were clearly distinguished by font and clear explanation. The multiple layers provided more interest for me as I was untangling two stories and watching for multiple clues. The "main" story, four diverse strangers who become entangled in a murder mystery, was compelling and propelled me through the story as I kept changing my mind on who the murderer was due to revealed secretes, lies, and evidence. A lot happens from anonymous gifts, warning texts, attacks, etc... that keeps the plot fast-paced.

I rate this a 3.5 because the main character, Freddie, kept making foolish choices and seemed to fall instantly in love in a very dangerous situation. She also got a lot of clues and warnings that seemed to go completely unnoticed while she was very aware of more implicit elements. Also, while I liked the idea of the subplot, I wanted more of it. When I got to the end its importance seemed to fizzle and wrap up much too easily.

Grab a coy of The Woman in the Library for a fun whodunnit with a unique format grab, a library setting, unexpected ending, and fast-paced read.

The Synopsis: "The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, 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."

I enjoyed this murder mystery, but I'm not sure how to describe the book. Let's just say the plot witty and intelligent and intriguing. I found the entire concept was imaginative and well done. I liked the nicknames the main character, Winifred Kincaid, gave the others at the library table: Handsome Man, Freud Girl, Heroic Chin - kind of fun. A crisis always seems to bring people together; this time these disparate people at the library table become friends and keep meeting up. Who's the murderer? I really had no idea! The twists as this mystery unfolded were well done and kept me reading.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on June 7, 2022.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 7, 2022

This is about a writer, writing to a writer, who is writing a book about a writer writing a book. It took me a bit to wrap my head around it but if you’re still with me then you’re one step ahead!

I found myself wanted to read the novel the writer is writing instead of this story about the writer writing it. Unfortunately this story within a story is a bit tiring to keep straight and I found it, along with the first person narrative, rather distracting.

I found Leo’s constant notes on things “we don’t do/say in America” to be unnecessary (especially when a number of them aren’t even correct). After reading and understanding everything (as an American), it was strange to then read a critique of notes saying Americans wouldn’t understand it. How daft does the author think we are?

In the end, I DNF around 60%. I could not wrap my head around how these characters interacted with each other—it was too unrealistic to keep reading and I just couldn’t force myself to care.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, 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 book was a refreshing whodunit style with captivating characters. An unputdownable beach read that was immensely fast-paced and thrilling.

Wow— this book completely blew me away. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t go into it with massively high expectations. Not for any particular reason, I just didn’t know a lot about the book so didn’t really form an idea of where it was going to go. Needless to say. I was absolutely taken aback by how sucked into The Woman in the Library I was, and how quickly!

The story follows a sort of “Inception” style format with a book inside a book (inside a book?) The main storyline follows the MC Frankie, an Australian author living in Boston on a writing scholarship. One afternoon she hears a horrible, bloodcurdling scream at the Boston Public Library. The incident unites her with her table mates— Whit, Marigold and Cain. The novel follows them trying to solve the murder and the increasingly convoluted plot that questions all of their alibis for the murder that took place at the BPL that day.

What really made this story in my opinion is the emails at the end of each chapter from a keen beta reader, Leo, to a novelist he is helping research for. The novelist, Hannah, is writing the main story we are reading and Leo becomes more and more agitated and interfering as the main storyline progresses. The inclusion of the side plot in the form of (rather unhinged) emails was a genius addition and made this a top read for me.

The characters are well developed and intriguing, though I do feel as if Marigold and Whit could have been a little more rounded as characters, though as the story was told from Freddie’s POV I can understand why she spent less time focused on them compared to Cain.

The story kept me guessing until the end and although I wished for a *little* more clarity at the ending, I though it kept just the right amount of ambiguity for a truly great thriller novel. I’d highly recommend The Woman in the Library for anyone who likes original plot structures, twisty thrillers that keep you guessing and crime novels with more of a literary feel. 4.5/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the E-ARC to read and review.

"The Woman in the Library" by: Sulari Gentill is in a word BRILLIANT! This is easily my favorite read of 2022 thus far which is not an easy title to earn as I've read several books this year. There is just something so enthralling, elegant, and absolutely enticing about the world Sulari Gentill created in "The Woman in the Library." I am an avid fan of Mystery novels since I was a child (thanks completely to Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and this novel had me on the edge of my seat and unable to read the pages fast enough to find out "whodunit?" 

"The Woman in the Library," tells 2 masterful tales for the price of 1. You have the "main" mystery which follows our 4 main characters: Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit who are all brought together after having been strangers at the library when a shrill scream pierced through the Reading Room. This singular event brings the characters together and creates friendships, relationships, and one overall astounding mystery. The subplot is told through a series of emails between author Hannah who is writing the mystery of the scream in the library novel and her fan/beta reader Leo and that story though it is not the main one keeps you on the edge of your seat and I believe I was exactly at the end of Chapter 18 when I started screaming (not in a bad way) and nearly gave my husband a heart attack. 

I will happily admit that on more than one occasion I was certain I knew exactly who had done what and how they had done it and each time I was proven wrong; I love a mystery that can surprise me which I find is hard to do these days as so many tropes have been used over and over again. "The Woman in the Library" was a breath of fresh air in the realm of mystery novels and takes what many know about mysteries and still manages to keep the reader guessing and going on a wild ride. 

As I've stated I greatly enjoy mysteries and of course, the mystery part of a mystery novel is one of the best parts, but I find what I love the most about a good mystery novel is the people. The characters that the author brings to life upon the page are the true lifeblood of any well-told mystery. "The Woman in the Library" has an astounding cast of characters and I felt a pang of sadness when the story wrapped as if I had to say goodbye to good friends. 

I can without a doubt say that "The Woman in the Library" is a must-read for fans of Mystery and Thriller novels, and it will sit proudly on my shelf right at home with my favorite mystery novels.

When a scream shatters the silence of the Boston Public Library’s Reading Room, four strangers quickly find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of lies, suspicions, and murder.

But are they all strangers?

With more twists and turns than a roller coaster, the deliciously layered plot of The Woman in the Library is wicked clever and kept me guessing right up until the oh-I-did-not-see-that-coming ending! Fabulous!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Woman is no longer in the Window, or in the Dark. She is now in the LIBRARY!

This was a fun & fast mystery-inside-a-mystery. The framing story put this a step above your typical murder mystery novel, and produced some really clever insights about fiction writing and soliciting and offering feedback before a novel is published. (I hope when I beta read books I don’t give off as sinister of vibes, lmao.)

The core mystery was engaging, but it fizzled a bit at the end for me. Maybe that was purposeful, but that last line didn’t really leave the impact I suspect it meant to.

Recommend this if you’re looking for a fast mystery read this summer. It’s a perfect beach thriller.

Full disclosure-I could not finish this book. I found the core story (the four BPL patrons investigating a murder at the library with one of them being the actual killer) interesting. I didn’t love the narrative style, but I might have kept going if it hadn’t been for the alternating chapters. The story-in-a-story did not work for me at all. I found the sections of letters from Leo to Hannah, beta reading the core story as a novel, to be distracting and annoying. I’m not invested enough in the four library patrons or the murder mystery itself to deal with Leo.

A fun story with a slew of suspects, who become friends in an unlikely situation. The story was fast paced, unpredictable, and the ending left me feeling satisfied, even if I didn’t crack the whodunit myself.

Thank you NetGalley and Poised Pen Press for a copy of this book.

This book held so much promise. At first I wasn't aware that it the main murder wasn't real inside this story. Rather, it's about a fictional author named Hannah Tigone who is writing her mystery novel in Australia during the pandemic. This brought me completely out of the main plot. Knowing that the murder wasn't real made me care much less about what was actually going on. And the fact that there is a side plot about the author's critique partner took me out of it even more. I feel that the interludes were completely unnecessary. Plus, there were some really annoying American stereotypes that felt like Sulari was being way too obvious in getting social or political points across. She calls a lot of thing reductive and that is exactly how I feel about a lot of issues touched on in this book. By the end I was neither surprised nor particularly invested in what was going on. For a book about a murder in the library, there was very little suspenseful or particularly mysterious about it.

A clever, refreshingly different whodunit with a gripping plot and mostly well-crafted characters. I was unsure initially whether I would enjoy it as the writing verged on cliché and the way the four characters struck up a friendship so quickly seemed a little implausible. However, these uncertainties were soon dispelled as the layers emerged, revealing the story in a story (in a story), each with its own quirks, and soon I was unable to put it down. There were some good twists and red herrings, and I thought the author handled the "should I / shouldn't I refer to the pandemic" question very cleverly.

The ending did seem slightly rushed, but overall the pacing was good and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thank you to Libro.fm & Netgalley for this audiobook. I decided to listen to it in the end- fantastic narrator! It made my long car trip fly by!

I was SO into this! It had some Stephen King meets Ruth Ware vibes and it would have been a 5 star if I hadn't felt the endings hadn’t rush wrapped- the reveals were break neck at the end and it just felt wonky.

Still smart, refreshing, and still going to love seeing others review this!