Member Reviews

A chance meeting of four people , in a library and hearing a scream ., later discover there was a crime committed.
All writers but only one is a pen pal to FBI suspect.
Through one writers eyes we read her novel and her pen pal letters while reading about the group of four becoming increasingly involved with the crime that put them together…
Brilliant!
Twisty, mysterious and just real enough to be plausible.
I highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me this ARC

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I see why so many people are raving about this book. It was so interesting and gets bonus points for a cool cover. It was marvelous.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is incredibly addictive. I couldn't put it down. The plot was suspenseful, the writing was just great with vivid descriptions that I could picture easily. The characters of the book were fleshed out and read like actual, real people. Throughout the book, it got creepier. I had goose bumps reading certain parts, so that I only read during daylight hours. For someone like me, who usually isn't a thriller lover, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good and addictive read.

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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 absolutely wonderful. It was told in alternating parts between the storyline written by author Hannah Tigone, a mystery writer who is writing a novel set in Boston but is unable to travel there due to COVID travel restrictions, and letters to Hannah from a superfan & Beta reader named Leo. In this "story within a story", the main protagonist is a woman named Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid, who is in Boston on a writing fellowship writing a novel and she is one of the four people at the table that fateful day. From there, the lines become blurred, as it seems almost as if she is writing out the events as they occur, and you start to have doubts about everyone's true motives. There is more than one mystery to solve, non-stop action and suspense, and it will keep you guessing until the very end. The characters are enjoyable, and it is a book set in a library. What more can you ask for?

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentaty ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in the Library is a book within a book within a book. Another reviewer made the comment that it's very much like the move Inception, but in this case from my perspective this book was not as executed as crisply as Inception. The premise of the book is that author, Hannah, is writing a new mystery about author Freddie who while writing her new book in the Boston Public Library hears a woman scream, but then no one can figure out what happened. Along with her table mates, Freddie tries to figure out what may have happened and a few hours later they all learn that someone was murdered.

Without giving away too much, the mystery of the story is highly readable and addictive as it takes really great twists and turns. What detracts from the ride is the author Hannah's correspondence with a fan of hers who provides her feedback and suggestions on the story. While this was interesting for the first few chapters, it began to detract from the overall flow of the story and becomes a bit annoying especially considering the random turn the communications take.

Overall, I'd suggest this to anyone looking for a light, easy read. Definitely good for a summer beach read.

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Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for my honest opinion.
I wanted to enjoy this book. I really did. I loved the initial plot line(Hannah's book), but could not get into the second plot line. I thought the writing was great and did love the library plot line. I believe my expections were super high for this book.

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This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

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THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY by Sulari Gentill @sularigentill
Pub Date 6/7/2022

Wow! I was so blown away by this book I finished 2 days ago and am still thinking about it. I just keep thinking, how have I not heard of this author before and what do I need to read next?!

This novel is a story within a story as Australian author Hannah Tigone seeks the help of beta reader, Leo in writing of her novel set in Boston. Hannah cannot travel to Boston herself because of Covid restrictions so Leo is her source for all things bostonian.

The format was so unique alternating between chapters of Hannah's book (which also features a mystery writer) and letters from Leo on his reactions to each chapter. As Leo's suggestions and investments into the book intensify we get two mysteries in one.

I highly recommend this binge worthy read!

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Thanks so much to Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this advanced copy!

I am giving this 4.5 stars! The format of the book is great, as the insertion of emails responding to a "manuscript" really allows some brief relief from the drama within the story (to a certain extent....). But I also just generally appreciated that this was a book about someone writing a book... about someone writing a book. Hilarious.

I cannot really get into this without spoiling a relatively straightforward premise, but the subplot in the emails I think REALLY makes this book. If we just had the story itself, it would have a much lighter and less effective tone.

That being said, I knocked a half star off for the somewhat rushed ending. I felt that it could have been even further drawn out, as so much of the book is at this interesting broken-up pace.
Though rushed, it is chilling.

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Four strangers sit in silence at a common table in the spectacular reading room of the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman's blood curdling scream. A body is discovered and the library locks down until each patron is cleared by the police. And so the mystery begins.

We also quickly learn the strangers are characters in a novel, penned by an Australian woman named Hannah and critiqued by friend Leo. A story within a story, deeply layered and full of thrilling twists. This book is also a fascinating journey into the intricacies of a writer's mind and the complexities of the creative process.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me access to a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in two days which is
testament to how unputdownable it was!

I love a story within a story and a tense, suspenseful mystery that keeps me guessing. Sometimes a story within a story can be confusing, or you feel attached to one part but not the other, but this was not at all the case with The Woman in the Library. I found it really well done.

I'll definitely be checking out more books by this author.

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Description:

In every person's story, there is something to hide...
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.
Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

My thoughts

Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid, the protagonist and point-of-view character is an Australian writer. She is in the States because she’s won a prestigious scholarship as a writer-in-residence at Carrington Square. The thesis of her upcoming work? Four strangers are united by a stranger’s scream in the Boston Public Library. She’s sitting in the library one day, trying to work on her book when she notices several people around her. She begins to give them fictional lives and writes her observations and thoughts down. The woman with the tattoos covering her arms and reading Freud is given the name “Freud Girl.” Another library patron wearing a Harvard Law sweatshirt, with broad shoulders, strong jaw, and cleft chin is dubbed “Heroic Chin.” The last person, “Handsome Man,” has dark hair and eyes, strong upswept brows, and is working on a laptop. Suddenly, a scream breaks the silence of the library, and the four strangers find themselves bound together by a stranger’s scream. They begin to investigate the mystery behind the scream, and in so doing, discover one of them is a murderer.
The fictional author writing this story about Freddie and her friends is Hannah Tigone. She is receiving letters from Leo, a fan who volunteers to be a beta reader. The letters alternate with the chapters-the letters are Leo’s response to the chapters he’s read. As the book continues, Leo’s obsession with Hannah and her work takes a dark, alarming turn with references to recent murders becoming more common. The murders in the actual book also increase, and Freddie finds it more and more difficult to discern friend from enemy.
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. The first letter from Leo threw me at first; it was a bit confusing figuring out how the characters fit into the story, but once it clicked, I was hooked. The book is full of twists, turns, and red herrings that kept me guessing until the final pages. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of #TheWomanInTheLibrary

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The Woman in the Library is a book inside a book. The novel opens with a letter between Australian author Hannah Tigone and a test reader named Leo. Hannah is unable to travel to the states to fact check her novel set in Boston, so Leo fills in the gaps to her proposed work.

In her novel, we meet four mismatched people inside the Boston Public Library trying to write. Their writing is interrupted by the shrill screams of a woman which foreshadows her death. The characters form a bond trying to understand what has happened mere rooms from where they were seated.

Freddie, an aspiring writer, soon writes them ALL in her new work of fiction. So here is where a book inside a book begins - let me break it down.

Hannah is writing the story of Freddie.
Freddie is writing the story about the murder and her new companions.
Two stories | One book | One Murder

And, what has Leo done on the streets of Boston with all his grizzly attachments to Hannah?

The Women in the Library seamlessly weaves both books together for a mysterious telling of murder and mayhem. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the advance reader copy.

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Thank you to @poisonedpenpress for letting me read this early. You can snag this one June 7.

This one didn’t hook me at the very beginning but after finishing a few chapters I was definitely in it. ​I love the way this book was formatted. The letters between the chapters were jarring at first but then I began to love them. This is a book about writing a book and a mystery within a writer writing a mystery. I can’t wait to read more by Sulari Gentill. This one is going to be a big deal!! Get your holds and preorders ready.

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.

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I loved this book! It was very twisty, with lots of layers and it definitely kept me on my toes, trying to figure out what was going on and who was the murderer! Without giving away too much, the format of the book is as follows: letters from a not-yet-published author to a famous author; famous author sends him chapters of the book she’s working on, which takes place in current-day Boston, especially in and around the gorgeous Boston Public Library in Copley Square. Because she’s Australian and he is based in Boston, he gives her tips about wording and about places in Boston to help make her story more authentic (she can’t visit due to the pandemic).

Two of the main characters in the novel-in-progress are writers. The female writer decides to include versions of three new friends - friends she makes under unusual circumstances, when they all hear a scream while working at the same table in the BPL’s main reading room.

In addition to the very twisty story within a story, friendship is a big theme in this book.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill from Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press in order to read and give an honest review.

…A cleverly crafted, interesting, unique, and unexpected whodunit that keeps the reader flipping pages to a surprising and satisfying ending…

A story within a story, this cleverly crafted, intelligent, and unconventional novel features two main plotlines. The main plotline is the inside story written by the protagonist, Australian author Hannah Tigone and in the form of draft chapters shared with a beta reader. Hannah’s novel focuses on a murder in the reading room of the Boston Public Library and a friendship that forms after four strangers bond over hearing the dead woman’s screams. Hannah’s story focuses on twenty-seven-year-old aspiring author Winifred Kincaid a native Australian on a scholarship to the states who is inspired by the events that occurred at the library and her three new friends. As she studies her three friends “Freud Girl,” Marigold Anastas, a twenty-three-year-old psychology student with tattoos and a nose ring, “Heroic Chin” aka Whit Metters Harvard law student and son of a famous lawyer and “Handsome Man” Cain McLeod a well-known best-selling author. As Winifred begins drafting her novel and her friendships begin to blossom, the murder investigation begins to focus on one of her new friends. When another murder connects to one of the four the hunt is on to find the culprit before an innocent person is accused.

The second plotline focuses on one-sided correspondence between “Leo” and Hannah. Leo is thrilled when the author uses his name as a character in her novel. At first the correspondence is no more than constructive criticism from a fan and “beta reader” but evolves into something deranged as the outraged, racist fan disagrees with the direction the author has taken. These letters pepper each chapter and end up connecting to Hannah’s story in ways no one could have foreseen.

A cleverly crafted, interesting, unique, and unexpected whodunit that keeps the reader flipping pages to a surprising and satisfying ending. A read that I highly recommend.

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Okay, first things first: this is not a book about a woman in a library.

This is a book about an established writer named Hannah and an aspiring writer named Leo who are corresponding over email. Each chapter is made up of two parts: Hannah’s manuscript about a woman found dead in a library and Leo’s reaction to what Hannah has written. Not only that, but Hannah’s main character, Freddie, is also a writer who was inspired to create her own tale about a woman’s scream in a library. So, this is a story about a story about a woman in a library writing about a woman in a library.

The effect is kind of mind boggling. It also allows the author to explore the actual process of writing a mystery novel as well as cultural differences between Americans and Australians. Leo’s emails changed the overall tone of the story and the way I reacted to certain events or characters, especially since I often disagreed with his statements. I definitely read Freddie’s adventure differently than I would have if it had been presented as a complete book on its own.

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Four random people are sitting next to each other in the public library when they hear a scream. The woman is found dead and the group begins to bond but could one of them be the killer?

This was a pretty unique way to tell the story with a subplot after each chapter where a writer is sharing her most recent novel with an online beta reader who seems a little iniquitous. While it was unique, I also found it a bit confusing at first. Overall this is a pretty solid story and I think those who are a fan of whodunit mysteries will love this one.

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A murder in a library causes four strangers to join forces to solve a mystery. Things ramp up and more murders/attempted murders happen. When everyone is a suspect who can you trust? A smart, fun, immensely readable mystery.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

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Excellent characterisation and intricate plotting. The story of a writer, writing about a writer, and an intriguing murder plot was beautifully done, and I really enjoyed reading this book. Highly recommended.

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