The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill I found this a very enjoyable read for multiple reasons. First, because I lived in the Boston area for 30 years and alas now I do not so it was good to back at least by this story. Secondly, Ms. Gentill put this story together in a unique way. It is a novel being written within the telling of this story. By this I mean the key character, Freddie, is a beginning struggling novelist who decides to write a story about her three new friends she meets at the Boston Public Library. They are Cain, Whit and Marigold. The story of the book and the book within the book begins with a women’s scream somewhere in the library. No body is found until many hours later. How can this be? And Freddie and her three friends attempt to play detectives all the while finding out that they themselves have interesting and disturbing back stories. Besides, the amateur detective work, the four friends are often hungry so we are invited to some very off the beaten path places in the Boston area. I think when I get back to Boston, I might have to try to find some of these places. Ms. Gentill has written many books and has written a series about a detective. This book unlike Freddie’s is written by an experienced skilled writer. I certainly recommend this book as it is a pleasurably read and I must confess I did not know who the killer was until the end.

Freddie (Winifred) is sitting in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library working on her newest novel, drawing inspiration from the library patrons sitting near her whom she has nicknamed Handsome Man, Freud Girl, and Heroic Chin. As she dreams up personalities and pasts for these people, a sudden scream rings out through the library. As the events unfold and the police ask all the patrons to remain where they are for now, Freddie begins to chat with her "characters" and somehow they become acquaintances, and eventually friends.

As they get to know one another better and discover that the woman who screamed was murdered, things start to unravel. When one of them is attacked, the other three start digging and pretty soon it's apparent that everyone has secrets to hide.

At the end of each chapter we get a story within the story - a letter addressed to the author of Freddie's story named Hannah Tigone. Hannah lives in Australia and somehow knows an American named Leo who lives in Boston. It's not clear how they know each other because Hannah doesn't know Leo's address or what he looks like, but Leo is happy to be her research assistant since Hannah's story is set in Boston.

I enjoyed the characters and felt like the plot was perfectly paced. Things kept moving along and the tension increased. I did eventually figure out who the murderer was, but I went through several guesses before settling on the right one. Overall, this was a fun, suspenseful read that I didn't want to put down. highly recommended!

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Dear Sulari,
I absolutely loved the format of this book. A book within a book, but with a beta reader inserting emails at the end of each chapter was something I had not seen before and I loved it! I started this book on a break from work and finished before I went to bed that night. I devoured it.

And yes, it's a tad slow at the start while I figured out just WTF was going on. Once I did however, I was sucked in to a fast-paced, twisty-turny murder mystery with some of the weirdest food choices I have ever seen. I feel like I need to find an Oh My Cod! restaurant immediately.
Well done,
Kim

Special thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review the digital ARC of The Woman in the Library.

As a total book addict - the word library in a title alone catches my interest! Then add murder and mystery - I'm sold. In this book a murder takes place in a crowded Boston Library! This book while I wanted to Love it was a like - it was slow paced, with an alternate story line which didn't always hold my attention. The writing is well done and the story it good but didn't knock my socks off

A mystery of four possible killers in fiction and a real-life drama being played out as well. This book within a book format is intriguing and excellently written. The fictional characters are interesting and the individual characters are so well realised. The fictional plot is exciting, many-layered and full of satisfying twists. Secrets are revealed and the plot builds most satisfactorily.

The real-life exchange of letters between the author Hannah and her correspondent Leo are a bit awkward at first but they gain rhythm and intrigue. The issue of writing a pandemic is covered deftly and an insightful side-thread of policing and race in America is well handled.

I found both denouements satisfying and I highly recommend.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisenedPenPress for an eARC of #TheWomanInTheLibrary.

The premise of this book sounded fantastic, A murder occurring in a crowded library. However, the story within a story was confusing for me. It was really slow paced until about 60% into it.
I did enjoy the twists and turns at the end of the book and did not see that end coming! But I have sooo many unanswered questions.

3/5

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this one is absolutely amazing. A murder occurring in a crowded library? YES PLEASE. However, this one just wasn’t my favorite! It was really slow paced and the alternate story line of the story within the story just didn’t hold my attention! The author is clearly a very talented writer, though. I think many will really enjoy this one! 3 stars from me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a great mystery. I loved that it was a book about a woman writing a book. The mystery that Hannah is writing is intriguing. and the Leo emails to Hannah in between chapters are extremely creepy and unsettling. I really loved this book and can’t wait to read more from Sulari Gentill.

DNF at 13%

I did not love this book. It is the book within a book format, and that wasn't specified in the description. I think that I am usually quite annoyed with this format and cannot think of a book I have truly enjoyed with that setup.

I thought that the premise was an interesting one: there are 4 people in the reading room at the BPL and they hear a scream. A woman is later found dead. It could be the setup for something really fun, but at this point neither storyline was moving and they were both just talking about writing. It was almost a book within a book within a book. I attempted to push through and I felt myself starting to slump, so I will not be continuing.

That being said, I don't think that if you enjoy this type of trope that you will necessarily have a bad time with this book. It just really didn't work for me personally, but I have heard other glowing, early reviews.

3.5 stars, raised to 4

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill tells the story of 4 people, brought together by a scream in the Boston Public Library. Told in an interesting way, the novel goes back and forth between letters to the Hannah, the author of the story within the story, from Leo, a fan. Hannah, based in Australia, sends Leo chapters of her manuscripts as she writes them. Leo serves as a man-on-the-ground, helping Hannah with descriptions of specific places and American turns-of-phrase. Hannah's manuscript is a novel about 4 people who meet in the Boston Public Library and become friends after connecting with one another during a police investigation of a woman's death.

The 'woman in the library' screams and sets the stage for the developing friendship of Winnie, Marigold, Cain and Whit. As we learn more about these characters, we realize that they are unlikely friends with a lot of skeletons in the closet. Without revealing too much, we are led in one direction by the fictional author, Hannah, only to encounter some twists and turns along the way. The ending of the woman in the library story was somewhat predictable, if a little abrupt.

The overarching story is one between Hannah and her penpal, Leo. As we are given more insight into Leo and his motivations, we realize that there is another mystery happening at this level. Again, I don't want to give anything away, but this piece of the story was definitely different from the fictional story within it.

The structure of the book is a different take on the storylines of exchanged letters. The reader is aware from the beginning that Hannah and Leo are outside of the manuscript, so the reader is drawn into the writing process and the developments surrounding Hannah and Leo.

Overall, the structure of the book was interesting. The story-within-the-story was a bit predictable with it feeling too much like a story that doesn't draw the reader in.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisenedPenPress for an ARC of #TheWomanInTheLibrary

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing me a copy of this book for my honest review. This is a very interesting and unique take on a locked room mystery. It is for book lovers, library connoisseurs, and those who enjoy locked room mysteries. This will keep you guessing with its twists and turns. I absolutely adored this book. It was so clever and kept me guessing! I highly recommend it.

Sulari Gentill's The Woman in the Library is a slick piece of metafiction, in which an Australian mystery writer (Hannah Tigone) is writing a book about a mystery writer (Winifred "Freddie" Kincade) who is writing a mystery in the Boston Public Library in which the characters are her tablemates (Freud Girl, Heroic Chin and Handsome Man). The bulk of the novel is based on the mystery in which Freddie and her tablemates find themselves after a woman screams in the library and is later found dead. Are the characters who they claim to be or is one of them a killer? This tale is surrounded by a larger frame tale in the form of email correspondence between Hannah Tigone and a hapless psychopathic writer, Wil Saunders a/k/a Leo Johnson, who is not only a character in Freddie's story, but who also appears to be committing freelance murders on his own. The nests of stories are entertaining, but the questions raised by the novel also take it to another level. Is it important to know the race of the characters in a mystery novel, particularly given the racially charged relationship between police officers and alleged suspects in the United States? And what role should the pandemic play in any novel set in present time? 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.
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Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and the Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an advanced reader's copy of this novel. Any opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

A story within a story, (within another story?) About a murder that happens often scene in the library, where aspiring author Winifred meets the new friends. Is one of them the murderer?!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fascinating premise! I love a good mystery and the narrator did a great job. The names of the strangers turned friends are also hilarious to me. If you want a book that'll pull you in, give this one a try!

"The Woman in the Library" was a fantastic mystery book! The format was so unique; I loved that there was a book within another book. I found the main character, Freddie, likable for the most part. She did make a few decisions that I questioned, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

After the first few chapters, I flew through the rest of the book. I didn't want to put it down. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy mystery books about writers.

*Thank you to Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the free eBook in exchange for leaving an honest review.

Until I received a NetGalley ARC of The Woman in the Library, I had not read anything by Sulari Gentill. After inhaling the story of The Woman in the Library, I will definitely be seeking other books by Gentill. The Woman in the Library will be published 7 June 2022, on what would have been my mother’s 107th brithday!
Book Riot has already named The Woman in the Library as part of its “15 Best New Mystery Books of 2022,” and BookBub includes it in its most anticipated books of 2022. I can understand why. In my review, readers can rest assured that I will include no spoilers whatsoever.
The story captivated me from the outset. Ellie Marney, NY Times bestselling author, describes The Woman in the Library as having “more layers than an onion.” That description is quite apt.
In this mystery within a mystery, Hannah Tigone is writing a mystery novel. She is in Australia and writing about a mystery that takes place in Boston in the winter. She has met Leo Johnson, an American would-be writer, who is advising her about places and incidents in Boston. He also throws in advice about American word usage when he deems some of the Australian usage unlikely for American characters.
As Leo’s and Hannah’s correspondence continues, Leo becomes more strident in his letters and in his advice. He suggests darker incidents than Hannah is using. To add to this story, Hannah also has a character named Leo in the story she sends to Leo Johnson for suggestions.

Now, to the fictional story that Hannah is writing. In that story, Winifred Kincaid, Freddie, a writer from Australia, has received a Marriot Scholarship which provides her with a stipend and a beautifully furnished apartment in Boston so that she can write unencumbered by a job and other distractions.

Freddie is sitting in the Map Room of the Boston Public Library in order to find inspiration so she can work on her mystery. As she thinks about her work, she notes the other people near her and starts taking notes about them, surmising why they are there and what their backgrounds might be. In her mind, they could be possible characters in her book.

Freddie names the other people this way: Freud Girl, Handsome Man, and Heroic Chin. While Freddie idly wonders about these three people, they all hear a loud scream. Clearly, the scream comes from a woman, but where is she and why is she screaming? Very quickly, guards usher people out of the room.

Now, Freddie, Freud Girl, Handsome Man, and Heroic Chin have a shared and frightening experience. They introduce themselves. Handsome Man is Cain McLeod; Freud Girl is Marigold Anastas; Heroic Chin is Whit Metters. They agree the scream requires discussion among themselves, so they retreat to the Map Room Tea Lounge to discuss the incident.

Thus, an unlikely friendship begins to develop among the four who had been strangers only hours before. What will readers learn not only about Freddie, but also about Cain, Marigold, and Whit? And how will Leo Johnson, the real person and the character, fit into the story. Only by reading The Woman in the Library can readers discover the whole truth. The revelations will be shocking and mind-tickling! The unexpected turns will keep readers guessing about the characters—the fictional characters as well as Hannah Tigone and Leo Johnson.

Sulari Gentill was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Zambia and Brisbane, Australia. She has an impressive number of books already published. The Woman in the Library adds to that number.

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY may work as a young adult novel but it didn’t work for me. The title is very enticing. Avid readers typically love books about writers and libraries and with a premise of a murder in the Boston Public Library what's not to love. Unfortunately for me, The Woman in the Library lacked execution. The story within a story was confusing and failed to captivate. The descriptions of the characters (Heroic Chin, Freud Girl and Handsome Man) and their actions made me think I was reading a YA novel. The overarching frame of the story is the correspondence from Leo to Hannah. I found this part of the book annoying and failed to understand it’s purpose. Though I did not love the execution of this book, I appreciated the premise.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked The Woman in the Library. This was a good mystery but a bit confusing. I liked the way Leo would read each chapter, then correspond with the Author. I liked the characters. I liked all the twists and secrets that were uncovered. I was surprised by the outcome. This was a thrilling read.
#TheWomanInTheLibrary #NetGalley

Interesting structure that left me with more questions when I finished it.

This is the tale of 4 strangers who meet in the Boston Public Library and are brought together by a scream. Who screamed? Why did it happen?

Winifred, Freddie, is an Australian writer watching the other 3 in the reading room and gathering ideas for characters in her new novel based on them. Little does she know what’s in store, what will bring them together and what could tear them apart…

I found the structure of this book to be very interesting: a story within a story. I wasn’t exactly sure where it would go when I started. About halfway through some plot twists happened that I was eager to find out/have resolved.

The overall feelings of the protagonist manifested in me; the anxiety of not knowing details or who to trust and a deep want to get to the bottom of things. It made me wonder how I would react to the situations she was put in.

I was able to picture the settings in my mind fairly easily as well as the physical attributes of the characters and their wardrobe. I felt, by the end of the book, that I had a good grasp on each character, their looks and their motivations.

Overall, a very easy to read book that flows quite quickly, but left me wanting more answers at the end of it. Knowing it’s a standalone novel, I suppose it’s up to me to fully flush those out, so perhaps that is exactly what the author wanted?

Thank you to the author, Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the arc ebook copy of this book!

A wonderful mystery where nothing is as it seems. Four young people, one Australian, three Americans, are linked in sudden friendship by hearing a scream in the Boston Public Library. As the story unwinds, we. learn a lot about the 4 main characters (and several supporting ones) as we attempt. to unravel the mystery and learn who the perpetrator was. Sulari Gentill keeps us guessing until the end, and she writes so well! I'm looking forward to reading more that she has published.