Freddie goes to the Boston Public Library to find her muse to write her book. As she is sitting with three strangers, they hear a woman scream. Bonded by that scream, they all become friends. However, once a woman's body is found in the library a day later, the friend's fingers begin to point to one another and those bonds begin to unravel.

If I had one word for this book it would be bland. Unfortunately, I wasn't pulled in as much as I hoped I was. It was a quick read, the characters were naive, and it was easy to figure out who was the culprit. The only reason I am giving this two stars is that I actually liked the letters in between the chapters between Hannah and Leo. Now, that was a book I'd read and enjoy.

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

Outstanding read! I love the story inside a story first time I’ve read anything like this. The writer and publishing aspect of this book was interesting and brought with it a new perspective to this thriller.

I enjoyed the characters and how they all interacted with each other. I tried a few time to figure out who did it but was not at that hard conclusion till the end when it was revealed.

The ending left me a little confused as why? I can’t say much more to not give it away. I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. The Woman in the Library will set to publish on June 7!

Oof- all aboard the struggle bus. This is getting a low rating because I could not handle this book. The synopsis of this book was more organized than this book. I thought I would get a standard murder mystery book but set in the Boston Public Library. Maybe a nice blend of Clue and Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.

This book started a little bumpy with all the descriptions but I just figured- laying the groundwork for the murder. Then there were random emails that threw me off. I then realized that this is a book about a book about a book. Yikes- we have Inception but in book form.

I could never attach to the story and could care less about the murder because there was A LOT going on with this book. I felt like I needed a notebook to try to keep tabs on everything. This may be good for the reader that likes very complex stories or has read other books that have a book within.

This story encompassed a unique element at the end of every chapter--beta reader feedback from a man named Leo. It added a depth of complex mystery to the already mysterious story that drew me in and hooked me.

So, we have two deeply mysterious stories unfolding: one between the author and her critique partner through emails and the other through a cast of new friends in Boston that began with a startling murder in the library. I was wholly consumed in both to the point I absolutely hated putting this book down every night to sleep. Some nights I didn't.

The characterization was phenomenal--well-rounded believable folks with flaws, failures, secrets, odd behaviors, and charm. The writing was superb--no tangents, no purple prose. Everything forwarded the plot, connected, deepened the mystery, and heightened the suspense. This story's plot was fresh, unique, completely original, and it totally blew me away. The pacing flowed perfectly.

I don't think I can say enough good things about how much I loved this book. Nothing seems to do justice how excellent it was. While in one story I knew who the murderer was and was simply awaiting the authorities to swoop in and detain the bad guy for his dastardly crimes while hoping the innocent involved didn't get caught in a sticky web, in the other I jumped from character to character, always suspecting one or more but never quite sure who the culprit truly was.

"I understand his need to link every thread into a web of story, his distrust of letting things unfold. He understands, probably better than I, that a story can turn on you."

This is just one of those books that I liked, but didn't love. Was ok. I just never really clicked with it.

The premise was intriguing, the characters were quirkly and overall it was good, I just don't think it will stick with me longterm.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an intriguing premise, with strong writing and good pacing. I liked that at one point or the other I suspected all of the characters in the fictional story--including the narrator. That story was fleshed out and worked well, but I did wish there had been more to the story in the letters; I kept waiting for some sort of interesting twist there, but it didn't come. Still a very enjoyable read.

This was an entertaining story with an unusual story structure. I’m still deciding if I found the story within the story interesting or distracting. I admit that there were a few instances where the story with Hannah the author and Leo, her fan/beta reader took a slight edge over the story of Freddy and her friends. The suspense of the story within the story was sharp and edgy. The broader storyline: four soon-to-be friends are working in the Boston Public Library when a scream shatters the silence. Journalist, Caroline Palfrey, has been murdered and the four strangers soon find themselves enmeshed in a whodunnit. All is not what it seems, and the friends find themselves beginning to distrust each other. Loyalties are divided and friendships strained. Is the murderer one of them? If they were all in the library at the time of the murder, how could it be one of them? The story is a slow-burn mystery which I enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley, Sulari Gentill, and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy to read and review.

I loved the two stories going on at once! I enjoyed this story very much and it had a lot of twists, so I wasn't completely sure of the murderer until the reveal. The characters all had their own quirks and even though they had all just met, the plot worked.

The only thing is that the summary made it seem like the characters were locked inside the room in the library during the book, so I was expecting something else.

After reading so many whodunnit books, the storylines become familiar. I'll be able to guess who is the murderer, how long I have to wait to get that first clue, and when I will get the final confirmation (last chapter vs last page). When this is the case, how the story was told become more important than the story itself. This book was a good example of how.

Story begins with a scream. Four people are in BPL's reading room. They don't know each other but that scream made them strike up a conversation. You read about other 3 from one of those four's perspective and then chapter ends with a cliffhanger along with a letter. The you understand you were invited to a conversation between either two friends or mentor/mentee on chapter ended. What you don't know yet is whether this "story" is real and where this conversation going.

As captivating as the chapters were, I was more interested in those letters at the end of each chapter. What began as a conversation started to have hints of something more sinister. I really enjoyed reading this story and follow how different elements were weaved into it. If you like unique storytelling, this should be one to try.

I was given an ARC of The Woman in the Library in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a very cleverly conceived novel about an author’s inspiration in writing a novel. It centres on four strangers who meet in a library where circumstances inform their friendship and the relationships between them. I found it a little challenging at first as it was difficult to unravel reality from fiction once it got going I found it hard to put down.

Book started out slow but gain strength. It was confusing sometimes reading the letters at the end the chapters but the letters did give some good feedback especially in this day and age. I will be recommending this book to others and using it for my library subscription box.

Perfect for a one-sit read. The pace was okay and the characters were somehow chemistrified. Overall, a decent attepmt.

For a short book this took me way too long to read. The "story within a story" was the only thing that kept me reading until the end. I was very interested in the present day letters being sent from Leo to famous author Hannah, dissecting her forthcoming novel. I would have loved to hear more about THAT story. However, I really don't see how that story factored into the story Hannah was writing, about the Woman in the Library. I did not care too much about any of the characters and found the writing to be a little basic.

As an amateur writer I truly liked the concept of this book: a manuscript by a thriller writer being beta-read by a colleague.

Hannah, an Australian writer with some renown, is writing a book set in Boston. Four people sit close by in the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman's scream. Later the body of a woman is found. Among those four people is Freddie, a mystery writer from Australia, who uses the experience and the people she's met as material for her new book. Also, the four of them become fast friends while trying to solve the murder of the woman. And somehow they are all being drawn deeper into the case than they had anticipated.

Leo lives in Boston, somehow got in contact with the famous writer Hannah, and is offering to help Hannah with the manuscript since, due to the Covid pandemic, she cannot travel to Boston to scout the area herself.

I didn't mind the grammar or spelling mistakes in the manuscript part - I'm sure they will be addressed before the book is published - made it feel much more like a manuscript. Sadly, it had a few plot holes and the timeline inconsistencies of some of the characters; Leo could have picked up on them, but then again he's only beta-reading the chapters and not an editor. Also, he has his own agenda, like using the connection to finding an agent to get his own book out, or to getting Hannah to write the pandemic into the story.

I wish the mystery had been more thrilling, more mysterious. I puzzled it out early on.

There were a lot of great things in this book. It had a really interesting concept of a mystery/thriller where the story is being written by someone who is participating in a second outer story. The two stories mirror each other to some degree, although the main story about the murder in the library is clearly the dominant one. The writing was fun and fast paced. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and once I got started it was hard to put it down. There were a lot of plot twists that came up which kept it interesting. I think this is a great light read mystery. However, overall I did feel that the story had some minor plot holes, and could have been more cohesive. The author definitely tried to create that thrill which comes from not knowing who someone really is; but I don't think it reached far enough in terms of character development. It seemed to rely more on "told" plot devices that genuinely building it up. I also felt that the minor story with the writer creating the main story of the book should have been developed more. Overall, 3.5 stars and I recommend for a light mystery read!

Within the first twenty pages of The Woman in the Library I was hooked. I couldn't wait to continue the story and find out what happened.. I thought the author's narrative style was unique and innovative, and added a creepy factor to the tale.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There were a lot of things about The Woman in the Library that I liked.

The Boston setting was great and I enjoyed the writing. I went into it thinking it would be a modern cozy, but it was sort of a cozy meets an experimental narrative, which didn't always work for me. (I didn't mind the epistolary elements that much and I'm not typically a fan).

Ultimately this plot got too convoluted for me. I spent so much time trying to keep everything straight that I couldn't relax and enjoy the story. Your experience may vary! I would 100% try another book by this author but this one just wasn't the right fit for me!

YEP THIS IS IT, this is one of the best books i've read this year. This is exceptionally smart and doesn't fall into expected tropes or twists, it feels incredibly new and refreshing. Overall this is incredibly unique, but doesn't seem to be trying too hard to be something new, if that makes sense. Gentill, ultimately, is incredibly talented and knows how to write an incredibly good and compelling story.

WOWZA! I flew through this one in less than 24 hours (during a very busy day even) because the pages literally turned themselves.

This book had such a unique element of a story within a story and that made it super fun. I was second guessing every character the entire time and thought each character was memorable and described so well.

I highly recommend this one for a quick thriller fix!

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press for the chance to read and review this book prior to release. This will be available on June 7th!

A challenging mystery!
What booklover can resist dipping into a book that starts with a murder in the Boston Public Library? Add to that an opening chapter that ends with the narrator saying “we go to the Map Room to found a friendship, and I have my first coffee with a killer”, and I was really hooked! Four strangers happen to be sitting at the same table in the Boston Public Library when a scream disrupts the quiet and they learn that a woman has been murdered. There is nothing like being together when a murder occurs to bond a group, and the four find that their chance encounter has initiated friendship, romance, and danger.
This opening chapter is also the opening chapter in a mystery novel by an Australian author, Hannah, about an Australian author, Winifred (Freddie), who is on a Marriot writing fellowship in Boston and is the person having coffee with the murderer. It is a book within a book and also includes comments on the book by another party. If the structure sounds complicated, that is because it is. If you take this for a beach read, be sure you won’t leave your thinking cap in your room. Of course, you want to know who committed the murder, but if “the” murderer was at the table, how did they commit the crime? If not, what was their murder? What motivated the other violence in the book (not described to avoid spoilers) ?
To me the author added to the complexity unnecessarily, though, with the names. Freddie gives each of the people at the table with her names. Whit Metters becomes Heroic Chin. Cain McLeod, whose birth name is Abel Manners, becomes Handsome Man. Marigold Anastas is Freud Girl. So we have Whit and Winifed, Metters and Manners, and Chin and Cain. I wrote down the names and their alternatives until I finally was able to keep everyone straight.
As the compelling plot proceeds, things got even more complicated, but that is what mystery books are expected to do, and I really wanted to keep reading.
Each chapter in Hannah’s book is followed by a letter of comments from her fan Leo, who is based in Boston and helps her get the setting straight . He gives good comments to correct Hannah when she doesn’t use the proper Americanism, e.g., uses “jumper” instead of “sweater”. However, my favorite aspect of the comments, was the BAD advice of wannabe author Leo to successful author Hannah on her writing. There are a number of features of present-day fiction that have turned into cliches, and Leo seems to recommend them all. He wants her to mention the COVID pandemic, include more violence, make more of an issue of race, and add more romance. She actually does add more romance after that comment, and it is not a high point of the book. It makes me wonder if this could be the author’s protest at what reputedly publishers are demanding due to what they perceive to be market demand.
The ending, like the book itself, is rather complex. There was one facet of the ending that really took me by surprise, and at first I thought it was from out of left field until I remembered a little factoid from earlier on…. Now I would say it was quite clever.
As I suggested above, this is not a beach read, but it is well written and certainly sustains interest, so if you like your mysteries to be challenging in more ways than one and enjoy comments on writing, this just might be a book for you!
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.