Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 7, 2022
Hannah is in the United States, from Australia, after receiving a literary award. Now, desperate for inspiration for her new book, she winds up at the beautiful Boston Public Library. Around her at the table are four strangers whom she gives nicknames to in her head based on their appearance or chosen reading material, but when a woman’s panicked scream echoes through the library, the group become fast friends, bonding over the mystery. As Hannah and her new friends, Whit, Marigold and Cain try to uncover who screamed (and why), they become tangled in a mystery that serves as inspiration (and warning), to them all.
“The Woman in the Library” by Sulari Gentill is a story-within-a-story. As Hannah’s story is told, each chapter ends with a letter to Hannah from a fan (who is identified as “Leo”), who, as Hannah’s story continues to unfold, becomes more and more unsettled and disturbed. “Woman” is also about the act of writing (well before the final pages are published) and Gentill is honest with her depiction of the struggles and challenges of the writing process. Of course, the beginning of the novel takes place in a library, so that piqued my interest, too.
I loved all of the characters in this novel (regardless of their unusual names) and when the woman is found dead, and any one of them could be a suspect, I was caught up in the mystery. The mysterious “Leo” brings up the fact that none of the characters are described by race, which leaves the reader to make their own assumptions (and through that, their stereotypes). I enjoyed being able to completely develop the physical images of the characters in my head based on Gentill’s purposely scant details.
Although Hannah’s story was entertaining and suspenseful, the “Leo” subplot left me wanting. I loved the crazy, stalker, obsessed “Leo” (and the fact that his name existed in Hannah’s real world friendly neighbour), but I did not get enough of him. I wanted more of how he came to be, his relationship with Hannah (real or imagined) and every nitty gritty detail, beyond what was depicted in letters. I loved both the library and the Leo storyline, and I think Gentill would’ve done better to use each storyline in their own novel, instead of weakly connecting Hannah and Leo.
I am quick to devour any novel that has a library as a setting, or is about books, writing or libraries, so “The Woman in the Library” was a hands-down obvious choice. I thoroughly enjoyed each twist and turn, and the ending was just surprising enough that it left no unanswered questions but still managed to not be completely out of left field. Gentill is a writer that I was pleased to discover, and I look forward to her future works.

A scream rings out in a library bringing together four strangers, striking up a conversation that evolves into a friendship. A woman is found murdered in the library and there is a murderer among them.

Sounds like a fantastic plot to a thriller.. and author, Hannah Tigone, concurs and is up to the task of seeing where this plot will go. The Woman In The Library is a story within a story.. within a story. Hannah is writing a story about aspiring author Winifred Kincaid (Freddie), who is one of the four strangers in the library. Freddie is taking the events of what is happening in her life and trying to piece them into a novel of her own. Meanwhile, Hannah is receiving correspondence from a fan that at first seems to be advisory but slowly spiraling into something a little more sinister.

I was entertained by this book. I thought it to be interesting and a unique take on the thriller genre. Red herrings are thrown all over the place keeping the reader guessing until the end. While I enjoyed the correspondence from the fan and I felt it added a quirkiness to the story, I was at times distracted by the switch in story and also that ''story'' didn't feel complete to me. Overall a great story, I recommend for those that love a good whodunit with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

The peace of the Boston Public Library Reading Room is destroyed one day when a woman screams and four people are brought together. Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit strike up a friendship that day, and then decide to investigate. Yet, one of them is a murderer.

The start of the book left me a bit confused as it starts with a letter to Hannah from someone named Leo. But it soon becomes clear that Hannah is writing a new book and Leo is a fan of her writing and is beta-reading her newest novel. The story of the scream in the library and Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit’s friendship is all part of Hannah’s story.

Of course, we soon find out that Cain, a writer himself, has served time in prison. He killed his step-dad when he was 15, he claimed it was self-defense, but his step-dad was a decorated policeman. Cain served his sentence and is trying to put his past behind him. The woman who screamed, Caroline Palfrey, later turns up dead and is the granddaughter of the judge who convicted Cain. Then Whit ends up stabbed (he’s fine) and his mom was Cain’s lawyer. It doesn’t look good for Cain, but Freddie, who is in love with him, doesn’t believe he’s guilty of any of this. While it seems naive at times that Freddie still believes him, it also seems that Cain is too obvious a suspect throughout the book.

The twist at the end of who the real killer is was great and made for a good story. But the last chapter didn’t feel like the end of the book. I was surprised by the ending and super annoyed at the same time. I felt like there should’ve been another chapter or two. I also wonder if the ending in Hannah’s story is supposed to mirror her own story of what happens in her world.

Still an inventive story and I’m also up for a good frame story, and I’m curious if she’ll come back to these characters in the future.

Imagine if you were sitting in the prestigious Boston Public Library at a reading spot with 3 strangers. The security guards have everyone on lockdown after a woman let out a blood-curdling scream and it needs to be investigated. Later a body is found and you find out that one of the 3 people you were sitting with is the murderer. Isn't that creepy? 😱

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a very enjoyable book for several reasons. It's not just one fascinating plot, it's two! The story centers on a well-known author writing a book about an author who is writing a murder mystery. Basically it's a book in a book. Yes! You read that right! As crazy as it sounds, it works.

The characters are all interesting and the novel is a real page turner! I spent the entire book running different scenarios in my head trying to figure out who did what! Give this book your full attention. There is a lot going on, but it is totally worth the read.

The Woman in the Library is available on June 7th. (4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for the honor of reviewing this exceptionally creative book. I look forward to more from Sulari Gentill.

I just finished this book and I feel.... Confused? I'm not really sure how I feel about it tbh. I'll admit, the first 50% I almost gave up. I just wasn't invested or really interested at all.

Once hitting about 50% it really picked up and got exciting. I was actually enjoying reading to try to figure out what in the world was going on. I had many questions while reading this story, and unfortunately most of them were left unanswered. It ended and I was like, "wait what??".

A book within a book can either be a hit or a miss for me. This one (a book within a book within a book!?? Book-ception....) was a bit of a miss. It mostly just left me confused, and I felt myself wanting to skip the emails when I got to them!

Overall, this is a decent mystery that did keep me on my toes and have a nice twist, however it just needed more... Plot? Character development? A clear conclusion? Something.

Thank you Poised Pen Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is due for publication 6/7/22.

4.5 stars

This book grew on me; in the first few chapters, I thought it would probably be an enjoyable but medium-quality mystery. However, by the end of the book I was totally won over, utterly engrossed in the multi-layered story and meta-commentary of the novel.

This is the rare book where the framing device not only works, but completely makes the novel; I haven’t been as absorbed by a framing device since I read Nabokov’s Pale Fire. The story-within-a-story would be a fun, enjoyable, suitably twisty, did-the-job mystery novel, a solid 3 star book. Paired with the framing device, my enjoyment, esteem, and investment shot up; this will certainly be one of my favorite mysteries of the year, and I find myself now wanting to keep an eye on Gentill’s future novelistic endeavors. The way in which the in-book author “Hannah” of the framed story responds to, incorporates, or pointedly ignores the commentary of the beta reader “Leo” into her narrative is just wonderful.

So, I loved the book; why isn’t it five stars? Well, I wasn’t in love with the in-story protagonist, Freddie. I understand that the novel is constantly and intentionally reminding us that the story is fiction, but she just wasn’t a very compelling character for me. I’m especially tired of the trope of ‘bright young woman throws herself into a hasty relationship and experiences emotional turmoil from it.’

That said, the overall book is well worth the read. I would recommend this book to any fans of mystery, as it has plenty to offer in meta-commentary about the genre while also providing a solid whodunnit plotline, and also to readers of suspense/thriller novels looking to get into more traditional mysteries. I’d even suggest that literary fiction lovers who want to test out mystery genre fiction give this book a try.

This was the first book I've read by Gentill, and I really enjoyed it! Took me a couple chapters to separate the storylines and characters but the dual mystery/thriller aspect was fun. The only part I took issue with is how quickly the four became friends and overly involved in each other's lives, but nothing a little suspension of disbelief couldn't solve.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A book... within a book... within a book?! 😳

Sounds trippy? Ha. What a unique and clever book! I really enjoyed how it discusses crime fiction, locked room mysteries, red herrings, convenient plots and other literary devices while still being a completely enthralling novel.

This is one of those books where the journey is better than the destination, so savour the ride! I was thoroughly engaged the whole time and found myself just enjoying the story instead of trying to figure out whodunit. The ending didn't wow me but there were plenty of surprises and chilling parts along the way that I loved.

I have always believed that the best stories are propelled by love regardless of genre and love how this book acknowledges that! Thanks for an entertaining read and fun literary adventure!

The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill, is a whodunit mystery within a thriller.

Aspiring writer Freddie is sitting in the Boston Public Library, when a scream shatters the silence. Freddie and those sitting next to her, form an unlikely friendship as they try to figure out who screamed and why. But Freddie and her friends aren't real, it's a story being written by Hannah.

I loved the story within a story format! I really enjoyed watching how the two stories affected one another. It was easy to differentiate between the two story lines, but still entertaining to read. The mystery aspect was a little traditional, but still really enjoyable to read, especially if you're a mystery lover. I thought the thriller aspect was written smoothly. There was a sense that something was wrong, but it isn’t until much later that it became clear as to what it was.

I thought this book was just perfect, a really great read. I would happily buy it for my personal library

This was a unique thriller that really took me by surprise.
There were two stories folded into one.
Each chapter is the chapter of an authors working manuscript. She is from
Australia and sending pages for feedback to a fellow writer she met online who lives in Boston where her book is located.
As Theo, the online writing friend, reads more and more of this authors story, he becomes more and more invested personally in the stakes.

The conclusion of each chapter ends with Theo’s email reply with notes and suggestions. These escalate from the typical reader excitement to clarification of American slang and eventually to attachments of images of dead bodies.
The ending made the book as the character of Theo (based on the real life Theo) makes a final appearance in the final scene. Makes me wonder if he eventually finds a way to get face to face with the author in real life or just her own imagination….

The story about the woman's scream in the library turns out to be a story being written by one of the main characters, Hannah. It's mostly what we follow and get details on. The story on Hannah's end is told only on the side of the emails she received from Leo, a colleague who reads her manuscript. This follows two storylines but I found that their connection doesn't really add much to the story. Why couldn't we just have read about the actual mystery that stemmed from the scream at the library? Still, it was entertaining enough for me to finish the story but not my favorite.

Suspense operates on two levels in this whodunit-novel-within-a-thriller.

Hannah and Leo are corresponding over a mystery novel she is writing: she sends him a chapter, and he sends back comments and notes. Hannah's novel involves the eponymous woman in the library, Caroline, who is found dead in the Boston Public Library the day after the patrons in the Reading Room hear her piercing scream. Four of those patrons--Winifred (Freddie), Cain, Whit, and Marigold--strike up a conversation after hearing the scream and begin a friendship. None of them know each other in advance--or do they? As the plot unfolds, one character's dark past makes them the prime suspect, and it's up to the other characters to determine whether to protect or turn in the possible murderer.

Meanwhile, Leo's comments on each chapter of Hannah's draft begin to send up red flags...

On its own, the mystery story would have been compelling but somewhat predictable. And I suspect that is part of the point, because the main attraction might actually be Leo and his reactions to the novel in progress. Leo's notes follow every chapter in the form of an email to Hannah, and this creates an interesting dynamic that elevated this mystery. It reminded me of the refreshing Magpie Murders, wherein as readers we are navigating the murder mystery within the suspenseful frame.

This was a fast and enjoyable read; I read it in one evening and stayed up late to see it through to the end. Recommended to any readers who like a little meta in their mysteries.

A murder in a Library; what more could I ask for?! The Woman in the Library is a murder mystery told from the perspective of Freddie. Well, not really. The Woman in the Library is a story being written by Hannah, about Freddie, who happens to be writing a story. So its 2 and a half stories in one I think. These stories have very interesting concepts and the mix of them throughout the book kept me captivated and wanting to read more.

The main story follows Freddie, who happens to be in the Boston Public Library when she hears a woman’s scream. Sitting with her at the table are 3 other people, strangers, and when told to stay put, form a friendship. Unfortunately, one of them is a murderer. Freddie is also writing her own story, with the 3 strangers as her main characters. Throughout the book, we get snippets of her writing, but it isn’t fully developed.

The second story is about Hannah, the person writing The Woman in the Library and one of her fans who is reviewing the story as she writes. We don’t actually see Hannah or any correspondences she sends. All we know is that she’s a popular Australian thriller writer and that she’s black. We do see Leo, her fan who is reading the manuscript as Hannah writes. He starts off by giving Hannah suggestions about slang, and locations, etc. but later on, he seems to be more controlling, and expresses his disappointment when Hannah doesn’t edit her story following his recommendations.

I love the idea of a “locked room” mystery, one where only people in that room (or sitting at the table in this case) can be the murderer. It reminds me of One of Us is Lying a lot. But what I realized as I read was that although the synopsis makes it seem like a locked door, it isn’t. From my understanding, the murder doesn’t happen inside the same room as Freddie but in the library in general. Meaning that anyone who could enter and exit this public library could have done it. This confused me since as the investigation went on, the characters kept insisting that it was someone sitting at the table. The 4 strangers in the story all had different stories and were all very interesting and I loved how they all had their “reasons” for being in the library. I was suspecting the murderer at around 50% and I was right. The ending wasn’t mind blowing to me and it was predictable but I liked how Sulari Gentill/Hannah tried to make us question who it actually was.

I was actually more interested in the plot following Hannah, although this is what can be considered the subplot. To me, it was more mysterious and just unusual, especially since you can clearly feel when Leo starts to seem a bit crazy. I love how the emails hint that the story was being written in early pandemic times. It just added a bit more realism to the story.

Overall, I thought it was a fun and creative book that beginners to mysteries would definitely love. While the main plot, still confused me, I loved the idea of 2 stories in one. This is why I gave it 4 stars. I can’t wait to read more of Gentill’s books.

I really enjoyed this ARC of The Woman in the Library. It begins with a murder in the Boston Public Library and follows four friends as they attempt to solve the murder. At the same time there is a story within the story. The library story being the plot of a novel a writer is sending a fan and we can see that correspondence. Every time I thought I had this book figured out, something else was thrown at us. I definitely recommend this book as a good mystery to read this summer!

I really wanted to love this book. Having read and loved the Magnolia Palace, I was in the hunt for my next historical fiction story with a mysterious twist. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this book. The storyline was challenging and I found myself getting frustrated, Reading is my happy place,. If it doesn’t grab me right away, I have to move on. I appreciate the chance to give this a try, but it didn’t work for me.

The woman in the library is written as a novel within a novel. The novel is written by Hannah and centres around four strangers who are sitting in the Boston Library when they hear a scream, later the body of a woman is found dead. Then Gentiell adds an extra layer in Leo an aspiring writer who is reading Hannah's novel as a Beta reader.
You will need to concentrate when reading this novel as it is important to remember which characters are the real characters and which ones are part of the novel. Sounds complicated and it actually is but it works.
This book is a must read for those that love a great mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this novel.

A story within a story within a story set in the Boston Public Library. The main characters are Hannah, Winifred (Freddie) and Leo. Sounds complicated but it works and I enjoyed it, start to finish. I won't say more because I'm afraid I will trip over my words and make a muddle of trying to explain it all. Give it a try is all I can say. A very well crafted multi-layered mystery.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Four strangers meet in a public library one day, and are drawn together when they hear a woman scream inside the building. The unsettling noise sticks in their heads, especially when they learn the dead body of a woman has been found in the library a few days later. They can’t help but try to learn more about the case, but it isn’t long before they start to wonder if they can even trust each other.

I have really mixed feelings about this book. To start with the positives, the writing in this is very strong. It’s engaging and personable, and I actually think there’s some really clever plotting. The book is told in a format I hadn’t expected, based off the description: you, the reader, is reading excerpts from a woman’s novel, and each chapter is rounded off with letters from her beta reader. Initially, this made for a rather disjointed reading experience: it was a bit confusing and took me a while to get used to. By the end of the book, I actually enjoyed this structure and thought it led to some really dramatic storytelling. There’s also a plot-twist halfway through which genuinely took me by surprise.

The actual mystery involving the woman in the library had some interesting points, but I did find it a bit convoluted and I think there were possibly one too many twists and turns in it for it to work for me. But this wasn’t really my issue with the book. There was a really superficial tone to this that I couldn’t get into. I’m fairly certain this was because of the book-within-a-book concept, but the four main characters felt superficial. I didn’t warm to any of the characters through the book at all.

I think, ultimately, that this was the point, but that was my issue with it. I was reading it feeling like I was reading something that was trying to be clever, that these weren’t meant to be characters I found empathetic. It was a bit of an odd experience. To try and put it into words, I felt a sense of smugness whilst reading it and, whilst I think this was deliberate, it wasn’t my kind of thing. I went into this expecting something quite different - and what I got isn’t a bad book by any means, but it’s certainly not for me. That said, the writing is very good and it is very cleverly plotted, and I think this will probably work really well for readers who enjoy a very twisty mystery. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Murder, references to torture, knife violence, hospital scenes, attempted rape (in past, described on-page), attempted rape of a child (in past, described on-page), intimate partner violence (in past), gun violence (on-page), racism.

Four people in the Boston Public Library reading room are sitting at the same table when a scream disrupts the silence. They begin to talk to each other as guards search the building, and friendships ensue. The guards find nothing, but many hours later a body is found. One of the four people at the table is a murderer, and suspicion first falls on Cain, the man who served 7 years in prison for murdering his stepfather. But perhaps he's being set up…
I really enjoyed this story-within-a-story format.

The Woman in the Library was a mess. Too many storylines going. Too many plot twists. Too many cliché mystery tropes. I know Gentill was trying to be clever with the story within a story within a story, but there’s a reason why that’s so difficult to do successfully. In her book, it’s the “second” story that’s the primary story – an Australian author writing a book while living in Boston during a fellowship. A woman’s scream in the Boston Public Library draws her into a friendship with the three people she was observing for a book SHE is writing. So many parts of this story seem implausible and convoluted. Suddenly Marigold, Whit and Cain are her closest friends, spending the night at her place and staging get togethers. But Cain, who was sitting with them in the Reading Room when the woman screamed somehow becomes a prime suspect in the woman’s death, among other things. Freddie, the author, can’t help falling in love with him anyway (because as one of her fellow authors tells her, every book is really about romance) and increasingly engages in stupid behaviors because she’s convinced Cain is innocent, despite being well versed in the mystery/thriller trope. Naturally, Cain has a criminal past he didn’t tell anyone about. Naturally, he’s connected to the dead woman through Whit. Naturally, he’s connected to Whit before they ever officially meet. Naturally, he’s connected to someone else that ends up dead. He goes through about fifteen different phones and conveniently has access to a home near Freddie’s apartment so he can always keep an eye on her. It’s all ridiculous and overdone. If that’s what Gentill was going for she succeeded wildly, but in doing so she failed to play up the increasingly ominous story that occurs via communication between Hannah, the author of Freddie’s story, and Leo in Boston, who occasionally strays off into things that are obsessive (whether or not the book is taking place during the pandemic, whether Cain is Black or not) and that have nothing to do with his relationship with Hannah. As the “first” and “second” story plots thicken, the “third” story that Freddie is writing based on her friends disappears altogether – the reader never knows what happens with it. Stories like these can be done well, but it is difficult and requires the author to be very clear in their intentions for what purpose each layer serves. In this case I don’t think it’s done well enough for the reader to recognize the author’s true intent. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.