The description of this book jumped out at me while I was looking for something to read and for the most part it did not disappoint. This classic portrayal of a modern murder-mystery is well paced and entertaining. In trying to discover the killer responsible for a murder, this book takes you along one path without even acknowledging any others and then creeps up behind you with its reveal in a sneak attack. Although most mystery novels tend to build up to the twist at the end, I preferred the rest of the story to its last few pages. I'm going to refrain from spoilers but I will say that, although I did appreciate the inevitable turn at the novel's end, I was hoping for a more exciting and satisfying resolution.
I don't really know how to feel about the characters of the story. They started off strong and I think the way they were meant to be portrayed at the beginning would have been more effective it had played out instead of petering out. Although Freddie never really stuck out to me (as main characters tend to do) the other three held my interest for a while. However, the more Cain's story unraveled the less of his character's personality you see. Marigold is wonderful but she seemed to grow less, rather than more, interesting (and a bit pathetic unfortunately) as the story progressed and seemed fairly underdeveloped all in all. Interestingly enough, Whit probably held my interest the most, even though he had the least amount of screen time out of the four.
In particular I thought the setting and motion of the novel was well-exhibited and engaging. Perhaps I may simply be biased because of my affection for the city but I enjoyed how the novel was introduced in the BPL and then followed the characters around Boston.
I wasn't a huge fan of the subplot of the email correspondence at the end of each chapter. I did not mind it at all while I was reading as I thought it was building up to something exciting, either as part of the main plot or as an independent plot. Especially towards the end I felt like it was really going somewhere but unfortunately the last chapter with the final email fell flat and didn't amount to much. Because of this, I can look back at this part of the novel and see that it was mostly unnecessary, although there were a handful of instances in which it was interesting to see how Hannah, the author within the novel, responded to the feedback she received from the emails.
Overall I enjoyed this novel, despite not feeling at all consumed by it. Though weak at times, the writing is pleasant and charming and presents a murder-mystery story in a way that feels fresh and wonderful to read.

A new way to tell the story!! I'm always up for that! The Australian author narrator includes a particular American fan's responses to his reads of her manuscript. . . .he comes back with encouraging praise, and suggestions on proper language an American would use rather than an Australian colloquialism that had landed on the page.

The tale starts in the Boston Public Library, and as it unfolds it is about writing a mystery, and in the course of it, mysteries are presented (murders!) and by the book's end are satisfactorily solved.

A great read - started slowly for me, but at about 20% in I was ALL in, and turned aside all offers for other activities until the story was done. As I usually do mid-mystery, I made my call on whodunit, and in this one I was partly on and partly off, so hats off to besting me!

A Sincere Thank you to Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. Pub date: 07 Jun 2022

Thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not going to spoil this book’s format, as it’s not in the description, but it’s truly a unique one that I haven’t read in a thriller before, and it immediately drew me into the story. I found myself caring immensely about both stories (and if anything, that’s why this gets 4.75 and not a perfect 5/5, because I was so invested in BOTH and wanted to know more about one of the stories than what we got). I’ve never read this author before but I definitely want to check out more of her stuff from now on - this book had me so invested, and I was dying trying to figure out what was going to happen. I honestly should have slept a while ago but I couldn’t, because I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next.

This story is told in such a unique way, with dual perspectives that really increase the suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The main storyline is a mystery "book within a book." The central perspective follows Australian author Freddie, who is in Boston as part of a writer's fellowship program and is brainstorming her new mystery novel in the Boston Public Library when she hears a woman's scream. The scream shatters the silence of the Reading Room, and she starts a conversation with the three people surrounding her. And when a woman's body is found in the library, Freddie is forced to consider if one of her three new friends could be a murderer. But what makes this book so unique is the side plot told through an entirely different perspective. Emails are mixed throughout the chapters telling the mystery story from Freddie's perspective. Most of them are to the mystery book's author Hannah from someone named Leo, who is helping her write a book set in Boston when she cannot leave Australia to do her own research. Leo is getting the chapters as you read them and is responding to them and giving advice as he reads along with you. But Leo may not be an innocent writer who just wants to help her out, and the messages take a dark turn.

The dual perspectives in this novel really keep you on your toes. The twists and turns were a little predictable, but it was really well written. It was fascinating to read a story along with one of the characters. Leo would give suggestions or locations that could be useful to Hannah, and then the next chapter would contain that information. Also, Hannah and Leo were communicating throughout 2020, so their conversations started with the Australian wildfires, discussed the pandemic and masks, and even touched on the Black Lives Matter protests. This is the first book I have read that is set in 2020 and discusses the pandemic. It was a little jarring, but it was nice that the main plotline did not deal with those topics, so I could read about these topics without being submerged back into the stress that comes with thinking about the pandemic and many other events of 2020. This was a very thought-provoking and intriguing book! Even though I was able to predict the ending, I was unable to put it down.

3.5 stars

I love books set in places I’ve visited, though I’ve been to Boston I did miss the library. After it’s description in this book it’s high up there on my list to checkout.

The Woman in the Library is essential a story within a story within a story. Honestly I was confused at the onset and at times throughout. The premise starts good, four strangers connect after hearing a scream in the Boston library and when I say connect it’s like within hours they become the best of friends.

Here is the thing, because the blurb above doesn't give a detailed synopsis and name names I don't feel that I should either. If you want that you can check out other reviews on Goodreads. Suffice to say this is a complex story that did kept me on my toes, the characters were developed nicely and mystery was, well mysterious.

The Woman in the Library is a story about friendship, about the past coming back to haunt you and trust. My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review. This book can be preordered now with a Jun 7th release date.

Two writers and two students sit at the same table in the public library… Sounds like the beginning of a joke? Well, this is anything but. When these 4 people hear a woman scream at the Boston Public Library while sharing a table, conversation will ensue and friendships will be struck. The catch is that one of them is a murderer and hence the beginning of our adventure.
I like to read mystery, but lately I’ve been disappointed more times than not with choices that bear no actual mystery in the delivery. Fortunately, this was not the case and choosing to read TWITL reminded me there are still authors that know how to deliver a smart tale that will keep the reader guessing until the very end.
This book was my first read by the author and left me wanting to find more of her work. In my perception she’s a brilliant storyteller and reading TWITL felt like opening a Russian nesting doll, where each cocoon has another surprise for the reader.
I found the story hard to put down with an intriguing plot and amazing, complex characters, not to mention the ending. Every element of this book was well thought and developed into a beautiful tale of misguidance and deceit and I highly recommend it.
#TheWomanInTheLibrary

This book is best enjoyed over a long period of time (so 3 days for me), letting all of the tension seep into your bones. Alternating between chapters from a manuscript and feedback from a critique partner, Sulari Gentill builds a story riddled with anxiety as Freddie attempts to solve a locked door murder in the Boston Public Library. But rather than sit in the library for the entirety of the story, they're able to leave its confines and that's where the story truly begins. All of the characters are compelling and likable in their own ways, and each given a good reason to be suspected. My only qualm is with how rushed the ending was - I didn't feel as though all of the motivations were fleshed out enough. However it's all worth it for the final passage from Leo (one of my favorite characters honestly!)

I'd recommend this to fans of Agatha Christie who want a little bit more darkness in their mysteries.

*Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book was written so neatly. The varying POVs between the chapters written and Leo’s letters and getting to watch the escalation in Leo’s letters made this book fun to read.

Who you think the murderer is tends to weave between the characters all throughout the book and keeps you guessing. The characters were all interesting in themselves and had quite the personalities. I must say I had a hard time tolerating Marigold and her stalkerish and overreactive tendencies. It was a bit much.

But, again, I loved the writing style. It isn’t what you see every day and it was refreshing.

Four strangers are in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library when a scream rings out through the library. Later, a woman is found dead in an obscure part of the library, and the four people bond over the events of the day.

Told in two voices—narrative and epistolary, which was a very different way to set up a book. I really liked it—we jump between Hannah’s story and the emails from what appears to be an alpha reader—but I can see this format is not going to be for everyone. It worked for me, though! I love discovering different styles of writing. The only thing that felt weird is we never really get to know Hannah, the author of the story. The way the book is set up there really isn’t a way to get to know her.
Still, I really enjoyed this book!

I loved this book! It sucked me right in from the beginning. The author skillfully sent the reader (me) through all the right emotions and suspicions. At one time or another I suspected each character of the murderers. The use of the frame story of correspondence between a man and an author was perfect! Gentill knows how to regulate the amount of tension and suspense needed at each moment. The chilling ending hints at something more after the story...or is that just a byproduct of the frame story? I eagerly await anything else this author writes.
I received an advance review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by the description of this book. The setting: the Boston Public Library reading room. The plot: a locked-room mystery involving a group of people who are in the reading room when a woman is murdered in a nearby room; they hear her scream and want to solve the crime. On top of that (and the feature that I found most intriguing) the story takes place inside another story, as the author corresponds with a fan who becomes a stalker, a kind of metafiction. And writing itself becomes a major part of the story. (The fan also becomes a character in the story.)

In the end it didn't totally work for me. The ongoing relationship with a pushy fan who has an exaggerated sense of importance seemed implausible though it did provide a layer of suspense. The mystery itself seemed a bit drawn out though the slowly revealed information about the key characters was fairly effective. There was something about the protagonist that grated on me as she pronounced on the writing craft. But it's a clever idea and no doubt will appeal to readers who enjoy new takes on the classic locked room mystery.

First, any story that surrounds you with books or authors is something I want to pick up. Then adding a clue like an element to the story made it even better.
It did take a bit to get used to the format of this with multiple storylines happening at the same time, but once I got into the groove, it was great!
A quick read that won't disappoint and more so if you're looking for a mystery/thriller.

A murder mystery starting in the Boston Public Library's reading room? Sounds perfect. As I started reading I was a bit confused with the embedded narrative but kept reading with hopes of being able to untangle it all. As I progressed the book within a book (within a book?) style became way too much. I kept reading, thinking that the ending would either tie everything together in a way that was going to blow my mind, or I was going to be super let down. Unfortunately, it was the latter.

This was my first thriller in a while, and I am so glad that this is the book I chose to break that thriller slump! It only took one chapter for me to be hooked and start to ask all sorts of questions. The first of which was, “What on earth is going on?”. I will admit that it took me a couple chapters to fully understand the format of the story and the fact that there were two different plot lines going on. One of the plots followed a story being written, the other followed a series of letters being written to the author as they wrote the story. I soared through this book because there was always something interesting happening, and there was never a slow moment.

It is hard to comment on the letters to the author without spoiling anything, so I will keep quiet on that front. I will, however, comment on the characters within the story. Most of them were interesting and I learned just enough about them during each chapter to keep me not only interested, but also emotionally invested. The more emotionally invested I became, the more stressful it became as the story neared the ever important reveal.

The story took so many different twists and turns, that by the end of the story, nothing was as it first appeared. Despite the many twists and turns and my constant second guessing of my own theories, I was mildly disappointed by the conclusion. With so many options and so much complexity in the earlier chapters, I was let down by the motive and reasoning behind the crime. Maybe I just had things over complicated in my head, I was just hoping for more.

Even though there were a few parts that disappointed me, I overall enjoyed The Woman in the Library. It is perfect for anyone who is looking for a quick read that is not easily put down.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I want to first thank the publishers and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.

This book only confirmed that when done well, Mystery/Thrillers are my favorite genre to read.

This book follows Winifred, as she tries to solve a murder. Winifred is a writing and uses the people in her life as inspiration, but things get interesting when she becomes friends with the 3 other people that were in the library at the time of the murder.

This book is unlike anything I have every read. You are reading the novel that Hannah is writing, about the murder in the library while also reading emails, from Hannah's friend Leo who is helping/critiquing her work chapter by chapter. It really makes the reader wonder what is real and what is fiction. I will admit this style was a little hard to get into but once I figured out how the story was written I was fine, and hooked.

I appreciate that you are following allow as new information is coming to light, and you really don't know what is going on until the end during the "big reveal." This book does do a good job of giving the reader enough to make their own guesses on who the killer is but not to much where I was personally able to figure it out.

If you want a quick, suspenseful read, that has a great payout at the end I would highly recommend.

Gripping, chilling , bingeworthy! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The epistolary element was so unique and the characters were very likeable. The main POV was interesting, and her story arc swept the story in an interesting direction. This book has a strong plot and interesting characters. I would recommend it to thriller readers. Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was very twisty and clever and is sure to be a favorite of whodunnit mystery fans. The title alone will undoubtably draw in many book lovers.

I was slightly confused in the beginning. There are actually two storylines contained in this book. Each chapter began with a narrative around four main characters that met while sitting at the same table at the library. They hear a scream and learn that there has been a murder in the library. Friendships and relationships quickly form within the group of four and secrets are eventually revealed while they try to solve the murder. Then, at the end of each chapter there is an email from a writer in Boston, Leo, to a writer in Australia, Hannah, who is writing the story about the four amateur sleuths and the murder in the library. And this is the second storyline. All this aside, this book really piqued my interest, as there were two mysteries going on at once and therein contained twice as many secrets. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll just have to read the book yourself to find out what I mean.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for allowing me to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication date: June 7, 2022.

This is told in a style I've never read before and I really enjoyed it. It's different and I liked following two different stories at once. I thought the book was engaging and it kept my attention, though the ending was a bit lackluster.

The beginning is a bit slow and didn't play out like I was expecting. I thought the entire book would take place in the reading room at the library and was surprised when it expanded to all of Boston and occurred over weeks instead of one day. I felt like a lot of the story was Freddie's relationship with the other three characters and the mystery wasn't quite as front and center as I hoped, though there is another plotline happening that I was totally invested in. I don't want to give it away, so you'll just have to read the book to see what I'm talking about!

After so many clues and people being attacked and murdered, the ending didn't quite live up to what I imagined. Part of it felt a bit out of left field and the other resolved too easily after what we'd seen. It was still an entertaining story and I'd recommend it just for the unique way it's written.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the copy

A group of 4 people are drawn together when they heard a woman scream in the library and the next day ends up dead. The four people rapidly form a group and befriend each other, determined to find out what really happened in the library. But that is not all! this is a novel within a novel. Parallel to the main story we have Hannah and Leo. Hannah is the writer of out story and Leo is a beta reader who provides feedback and commentaries. Hannah is an Australian writing her novel through the pandemic, and Leo is her informant in the US who helps her because she cannot travel.

The concept was super interesting and I really liked reading the novel along Leo. I thought his interventions gave the novel a very interesting dynamic and more dimension to the story.

The characters were very well constructed in my opinion and they had such different voices, but they were not very likeable. Marigold was definitely my favourite. Freddie made me a bit nervous at times, and you could tell that Cain had so many secrets. As for Leo, It was disturbing to see how the content of his emails changed little by little.

As strangers Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit are sitting in the Boston Public Library, a woman's terrified scream is heard. They all look to one another to figure out what they just heard and from there, a friendship emerges between the four - but one of them is a murderer. Throughout this book, the four new friends are trying to piece together what happened and as more and more secrets begin to spill out, you're left wondering which of these four did it.

This book is written in an interesting format - the main story between the four friends is actually a fictional novel being written by a woman named Hannah. At the end of each chapter about these four is a letter to Hannah written by a man named Leo who is reading and providing insight for each chapter of Hannah's book. But Leo has secrets of his own - so throughout this book you're left solving a mystery of a mystery and it makes for an interesting ride.

I don't think I've read a book like this before, though I know there are a couple out there. I found the way it was formatted to be both interesting and at times slightly confusing to remember that the tale of the four strangers was actually a fiction story - especially because Freddie, of the fiction novel, is actually writing a story within the story. Sounds confusing, right? But eventually it will click in and make much more sense.

I really enjoyed the mystery and didn't guess who the murderer actually was, I was convinced it was another character so that just added to the fun at the end. I'm not sure I cared much about the letter writing between Hannah and Leo though it did take an interesting turn as well. But I'm not sure if it added or detracted from the main story. Each time I got to another letter from Leo (who increasingly became very irritating - which was the point) - I just wanted to rush through it to get back into the story of the four main characters. All in all, this one was a fun ride and would be perfect for sitting at the side of the pool this summer.

This book will be featured on episode 42 of the Reading Through Life podcast, available June 8, 2022.