The Woman in the Library, Sulari Gentill
June 7, 2022, Poisoned Pen Press

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story, within a story, within a story - kind of. Our Australian author is writing a book about an Australian in American, while communicating with an American editor/fact checker. But, then the FBI gets involved and while we see the primary store evolve, the backstory does as well.

Not my usual genre, but a good mix of suspense, romance, mystery and more. There are many moving pieces in this story, but Gentill weaves them together beautifully, making sure the reader is invested in all aspects of the stories.

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Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts are my
Own!



Loved this mystery/thriller. Loved the different setting. I can see this being a book discussed at book clubs for sure and will be recommending it to
Mine!

This was a fun read with a unique structure... a typical mystery plot overlaying a major sub-plot. Characters were realistic and the novel had you guessing throughout, but the end result was a let-down, causing me to wonder why I invested so much time in this piece. Still, the unconventional structure and superb writing are indeed reasons to see it through to the end. Looking forward to more books by Sulari Gentill.

I began The Woman in the Library expecting a twisting thriller, but what it turned out to be was a slow paced cozy mystery. For much of the book, it seemed like the emphasis was on the four main characters becoming friends rather than on the murder. But, really, why were they friends at all? Their friendship seemed rather forced to me. Then, there was all the talk about writing and “the muse” and it just got to be a little much with the bus analogy. Also, something about the book felt very dated, almost old fashioned. For the first few chapters, I almost felt like it was set in the 50s and that Freddie was an older woman.

The emails between the author and her beta reader were the saving grace for the story. I really enjoyed them and felt them to be a clever touch. Unfortunately, they were not enough to help the book be anything other than mundane.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill was one of those "Who done it" stories that you really couldn't predict you did it. I enjoyed this book so much. The main character Is a writer and the way she explains her writing process is one of my favorite things.

"I am a bricklayer without drawings, laying words in sentences, sentences into paragraphs, allowing my walls to twist and turn on whim. There is no framework, just bricks interlocked to support each other in a story. I have no idea what I'm actually building, or if it will stand."

I loved the way the story takes you through her writing process as well as the new relationships in her life. The fact that it is a story within a story sounded confusing at first, but the author does an amazing job and just like her main character she lays the bricks of this story beautifully. I highly recommend this book to fans of suspense, as well as seasoned or aspiring writers.

I loved the way this was written with the story within a story. I don’t believe I have read anything like this. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and flipped a few times with who I believed was the killer. My only disappointment was that I thought it should be longer. Could this be book one of a multi book saga exploring these characters again?

As hard as I tried I could not finish this book. The storyline did not grab and hold my imagination plus I had trouble keeping the characters straight in the story.

The Woman in the Library by adulation Gentill tells the story of Cain, Whit, Freddie and Marigold at first strangers then become fast friends when a scream occurs at the Boston Public Library. But this is the story in the story. Between chapters of this book, there are emails from a self proclaimed author Leo the real author Hannah Tigone. What a brilliant concept!! Loved the book Hannah wrote along with the characters. I had to keep reminding myself this was a story. The emails between Hannah and Leo were great!! I could see the escalation in Leo’s emails. The FBI letter was jaw dropping!! Didn’t expect that!! I’ve been telling everyone about this book!! Thank you for allowing me to review this book

This mystery is fun, with a great group of characters to get to know. I suspected quite a few folks at one time or another…and yet, I wasn’t completely blown away when all was revealed. That didn’t deter my engagement.
One thing I did enjoy was the concept of a story within a story with the letters from a fan to the author. On the other hand, I feel like this idea could have been more elaborate..


Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three stars for intriguing setup and narrative choices. I was easily drawn into the layers of mystery at the beginning, and had high hopes for ways that the story and the frame story might start to intersect. But the pacing was slow, and, for me, the conclusion just completely fizzled out. It wasn't as twisty and surprising as it seemed like it should be.

4.75 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


The Woman in the Library is a book within a book. Part the beta novel of an aspiring author and part one-sided epistolary with the beta reader’s letters.

Freddie is an author who is spending a year in Boston on a writing fellowship. She doesn’t have many friends in Boston, yet. While working on her novel in the Boston Public Library one day, she notices her tablemates. Their countenances give her inspiration for writing.

Freud Girl, looks like a psych major, with tattooed arms and trendy hair. Heroic Chin wears a Harvard Law sweatshirt and reminds Freddie of a cartoon character. Handsome Man reminds Freddie of herself, could he be a writer as well? Freddie finds herself drawn to these three and crafts ideas for stories with them included.

When a scream surprises all of the library patrons, the normal library rules cease to apply. Heroic Chin is the first to speak, which gets the four talking amongst themselves. Since the spell of work has been broken, the four head to get coffee, and a friendship begins.

While Freddie works on her novel, Hannah, the author of the actual novel which includes Freddie and group, shares chapters with her beta reader Leo. After each chapter, there is a letter from Leo with suggestions for changes within Hannah’s story. While Hannah may include some elements that Leo has suggested, she ignores many, causing Leo much ire.The story within a story is compelling, in that during the chapters, you tend to forget all about Hannah, and then Leo brings her front and center again.

I loved the format and style of this novel. It was such fun to be included as part of the ‘beta reader’ parts. The mystery and how Freddie and group will try to solve it is much fun. The interaction between the characters and their quickly formed friendship allows us to learn about each of them at the same time that Freddie does. The entire novel is from Freddie’s point of view, with the exception of Leo’s letters.

Sulari Gentill has a gift for keeping a reader intrigued. I haven’t read her other novels, but if this is any indication, I believe that I would enjoy them.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book by Sulari Gentill - 4.5 stars!

Freddie hails from Australia and is in Boston after winning a writing scholarship to continue work on her book. She has a random meeting with 3 other people at a table in the Boston Public Library when they hear a scream and soon learn a woman has died. The four soon develop a close relationship, not really knowing all they should about each other and if they too are unsafe.

This book was such fun - a whodunit story with beginnings in a library, authors writing and critiquing their work, a story in a story setting. Add in differences between American and Australian culture, the pandemic, and racial issues and it gets better and better! This is my first book by this author but I'll definitely come back for more!

I literally couldn’t put this book down from the moment I picked it up. Think clue - four people trapped in a room tigger her and one of them is the killer. Honestly a little predictable but still a roller coaster of a ride. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed the The Woman in the Library. I found the narrative style interesting and I definitely enjoyed the letters from Leo parts. I though the last 3ish chapters felt rushed and slightly anticlimactic. I don't know what I wanted from the book because there are only so many options but I wanted more. Would recommend.

This book was like book inception. A book about a writer corresponding with another writer about their work and the main writer is sending chapters about a book that’s about a writer talking to another writer about her book and all the books have to do with murder. Are you confused? Don’t be I promise it’s easy to follow. I finished this book in 2 days! I couldn’t put it down. The plot twists were so good! Mystery, suspense, murder and love! What more could you need? Can you guess the killer before the end?

Didn’t enjoy this one. The plot was both predictable and really messy. The character names were so bad I couldn’t stop giggling while reading.

The Woman In the Library by Sulari Gentil is a clever book, a story within a story that will keep the reader on their toes while thoroughly entertaining them. It will be difficult to say much about the plot without spoiling some of the more unique features of the book, so I will keep it to the basics. Four strangers meet in Boston Public Library's reading room when they are forced to kill time during a security assessment following terrified screams echoing through the building. Our point of view character is Winifred/Fred, a young Australian writer vising the city on scholarship while she writes a book, and it seems she has been observing the other three as inspiration for her characters. As this mystery unfolds we learn in fact that is a work in progress, a mystery being written by an established and successful Australian author, and that she has been sending her work in progress to a man named Leo for his criticism and corrections, so there we have our story within a story. As both stories unfold the reader is in for a thrill ride , there are plenty of red herrings and lots of action to keep things moving. Both stories were cleverly executed and worked well in tandem. This is easily one of the better thriller/mysteries I have read in a long time. I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Be patient with this. It's a story within a story within a story- and there's a murder. Hannah is unable to travel from Australia to the US to do the research for her next novel due to COVID restrictions so she's writing to Leo, who provides her with local color. The book within the book is Hannah's murder mystery, which involves a killing in- wait for it- the Boston Public Library. This features a group who meet while sharing a table. I don't know how to describe this, as it twists back and forth and to and fro. It can be a bit frustrating to keep straight where one is but ultimately, it works because it's clever. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This one just didn't work for me. There were too many stories within stories and the characters are the same within each story. I just couldn't keep up. It felt like so much work to keep everything straight, and when I really, I really just want to be swept away by the story.

The structure of this book is unique and I was intrigued from the start. The premise is that four strangers are sharing a table at the Boston Public Library when they hear a scream. That experience (and the later discovery of a dead woman) bonds the four strangers and they quickly become friends. But are they now friends with a killer? A good story, but the ending was just okay.