I liked the premise of this book, love a good locked room story, but this didn't live up to expectations.

Seven students come together in a rare books library to perform a ritual after closing, but one of the students dies and the others can't leave, the remaining students have to fend for themselves with a killer among them.

This book is from multiple perspectives, which can be great, but I struggled with these characters and in honesty struggled to finish this book, maybe that's on me for reading while on holiday, but it just didn't hit the spot for me and the pay off wasn't worth it. I did however enjoy the pace of the book, it moves quickly and the intrigue.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

The concept and description of this novel were excellent and made me really excited to read it. The execution, however, was rather scattershot and hard to follow. For a minute I thought we might experience some of the over-the-top campy gore of Grady Hendrix, bur alas, everyone took themselves much too seriously. A DNF at about 60%.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC of That Night in the Library! All opinions in this review are my own.

I was worried going into this thriller because I had seen a lot of negative reviews, but I shouldn't have been! I always like closed room mysteries so being stuck in the dark basement of the library was a great set up for this one. I've seen a lot of complaints about the characters, but I feel like they weren't written to be liked and they were erratic because they were on acid the whole time. My favorite part was how everything came together and the twist at the end! Overall, this was a quick, creepy thriller.

*That Night in the Library* is a gripping literary mystery set in the basement of a university's rare books library. On the eve of their graduation, seven students gather to perform a Greek ritual meant to free them from the fear of death. However, their celebration is cut short when the lights go out and one of them dies. As the body count rises, the students must uncover the murderer's identity and survive the night.

The novel features well-developed characters, each with their own fears and secrets, adding complexity to the unfolding mystery. Themes of fear, mortality, and ancient knowledge are explored against the eerie backdrop of the library, which becomes a character in itself. The author's atmospheric and evocative writing, combined with suspenseful twists, keeps readers on edge. This is a captivating mystery that delves into survival and dark secrets, perfect for fans of literary thrillers.

A bunch of college students hide away to spend the night in their library's basement in order to recreate an ancient ritual involving drugs. So, like, what could go wrong? The students are a bit of a cliche of subgroups and they are really obnoxious in a way only college students in a book can be. All of that aside, this was a good read with a lot of scares and a good ending. Once you get past the first 25-30% and into the real tension the story does pull you in.

As cool as the concept was here, it just did not hit for me.

Highlights:
- Setting. The concept of being trapped in the basement of a library, surrounded by old, rare books? Amazing.
- Overview of plot. The whole "bodies dropping one by one" idea is very classic, and being an enclosed space, there are limited suspects.

Reasons this book wasn't for me:
- Overall, I got bored. I didn't really care what happened to these characters as they they were all pretty annoying.
- The beginning didn't set things up well to the point where I cared about how it ended... Like the "twist" at the end fell flat because I didn't care about the "hint" at the beginning.
- The drugs. I don't really like when all the characters are high for the entirety of the action, it usually just makes things less exciting because of delayed or altered reactions than they would normally have.
- I simply do not understand the importance of the Greek ritual. It was talked about so much, the story of Persephone and Demeter, but ultimately I don't know or care how it actually mattered in the grand scheme of things?

I love locked room stories!! This one is no exception. Seven undergraduate students gather in the basement of the campus' old library. Each of them carefully selected for a party that would take place in secret, in the basement, after hours. However, this party wasn't a typical campus party, it was set up to perform an ancient ritual that helps dispel the fear around death. Ironic.

By morning who will be left? With such a sensational cast of characters- it could be anyone! I really enjoyed this story even though I found the ending to be a bit predictable. I think it raises some great questions about human behavior. I also think the book could have been longer to add more depth to the story. The cast was amazing but I needed more character building to fully appreciate them. Overall a fun story! I look forward to reading more from this author!

What happened that night in the basement of the rare books library?

Six people were invited to participate in a Greek ritual organized by one of the library assistants on the night before graduation. Most of the invited had a connection to the library but one tagged along with the drug (acid) that is meant to be used to enhance the experience. The library finally closed and they were locked in the basement for the night. The lights went out. Almost immediately, one is found dead. There was no way to communicate their distress because of scheduled IT maintenance and no phone signals. One by one, the attendees are picked off.

The premise was intriguing, but the execution left me rolling my eyes in boredom. Lots of repetition and characters that I could not care less about. The narrative shifted from person to person and in time as the reader learns more about them. Unfortunately, none were so endearing as to be missed when they died off. With all that happened, still was not sure I understood whatever was meant to be the main point nor were any of the answers to my questions given. It was a continuous ramble. I suppose if one was a rare book person or into Greek mythology, it might have proved more compelling, but I'm neither. Frankly, I should have marked it DNF and moved on.

I listened to the audiobook while following along with the e-book ARC - both provided by the publisher. The narrator, Hannah Cabell, was OK but the recording would have benefited with having a male voice as many of the characters sounded exactly the same.

Overall, quite a disappointment to me, a library lover who was aghast when some books were ruined. I'm even less interested in the antics of college students or reenactments of silly rituals based on mythology.

If you like Greek mythology, this book's for you. If you like locked room mysteries and you were ever tempted to get a backup charger for your phone, were afraid of the dark, or hated the smell of blood, you need to read this!

It was supposed to be a ritual, honoring the Eleusinian Mysteries and the myth of Persephone. No one was supposed to die. An after-hours ceremony in the rare books basement storage of the library. A drug fueled evening of storytelling and secrets.

Davey was the host. He wanted to show he was in charge, that the ceremony would result in attendees leaving fearless.

• Ro was there to protect Umu, his lifelong best friend.
• Umu was there because she thought it was going to be a party, and she was invited by her TA, Kip.
• Soraya was invited as Davey's assistant and because her boyfriend could get the special sauce for the celebration. But she was there because she wanted "real" experiences.
• Kip was there because he was Soraya's boyfriend, and she invited him. Davey allowed it because Kip was bringing the drugs.
• Mary was there because Davey thought she was smart and could keep a secret.
• Faye was simply there because they needed a 7th person. But she wanted to attend at least one party before she graduated....maybe she would even make new friends.

When the bodies start dropping and Davey loses control, Faye takes the responsibility for getting everyone through the night. But who can they trust? And who started it all?

There was a great deal of knowledge about rare books shared at throughout the book that created a bit of a slow start, and it was a little hard to keep track of what was going on and what the relationships were. However, once everyone gathered in the basement, things took off like a slingshot!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance reader's copy.

Spending a night locked in a library is something that I have dreamed of since I was a child. In this book, a group of students about to graduate plan a very detailed night, in the basement of a library once everyone has gone home. What they didn’t plan for was murder being on the guest list. With no way out until morning, how many of them will survive. Oh, and who is the killer?
I can’t say any of the characters really grabbed me, but the reason that they were there, and the overall plot captured my interest. If I ever do get to spend the night locked in a library, I hope that I emerge unscathed.

3.5⭐️
I’ve been a lover of locked room mysteries since I watched Clue. It’s still my favorite board game to this day.
This felt very much like something would happen. A group of 7 people are brought together to party and do a ritual the last night of their college year. Most of them work in the library, but aren’t really friends. When the first person dies, it’s anyone’s guess who makes it through the night. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters but I did understand their motivations for participating and found some to root for.
This felt like a locked door mystery with the violence level of a slasher movie. I wasn’t actually sure what happened until the reveal. And I didn’t guess right!
🎧 Hannah Cabell did a good job narrating. There was a good difference between the calmer moments and the action scenes which helped heighten the emotions. I’d recommend this one on audio if it sounds interesting.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Recorded Books for the arc and alc.

A group of seven decide to spend the night before graduation in the basement of William E. Woodend Rare Books Library in Vermont to participate in a ritual that they believe will set them free from the fear of death. Of the seven, three of them are students working as assistants in the library each hoping to secure the one permanent position being offered after graduation; another is a PhD student/TA who frequents the library for his research and also convinces one of his students to bring along a friend who would supply the drugs they would need for the ritual; and the other is a socially awkward scientist who is involved in a project for the library. After the library closes for the day, they lock themselves in the basement and commence with the ritual. In a shocking turn of events, one of them suddenly dies and the other, unable to exit the building with scheduled routine maintenance rendering them unable to communicate with anyone on the outside, are left to fend for themselves with a killer in their midst.

I was intrigued by the premise of That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk. A locked room mystery set in a library, that too a rare books library, and a ritual rooted in Greek myths – this one checked all the boxes for this bibliophile who loves Greek mythology.

The narrative is shared from multiple perspectives and moves quickly enough, but none of the characters were particularly interesting and I soon got tired of their bickering, bouts of self-pity, and overall immature behavior. The final reveal was underwhelming, to say the least, and everything in between was bizarre. I don’t mind OTT (it is expected in this genre), but in this case, the plot was simply too messy (literally and figuratively) and absurd, to take seriously.

I struggled to finish this one and in hindsight, I should have followed my instincts and abandoned it mid-read but I didn’t in hopes that maybe, just maybe…..but sadly, I couldn’t find anything that appealed to me other than the premise and the element of Greek mythology. Perhaps I wasn’t the right audience for this one.

Overall, I can’t say that I enjoyed this novel. However, I would request you to read other reviews before making a decision about reading this one.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Actually, I had high expectations for this book because the premise seemed promising and intriguing. I admit that this book had a lot of potential. Sadly, I have to say that I DNF-ed (did not finish) the book after reaching 20% because I struggled with the writing style and was confused by the numerous POVs. The POVs changed too quickly, and I felt they were disjointed. I think it might have been better if each POV had been written in more pages.

** spoiler alert ** I had such high hopes for this book. I used to work for an academic library with a special collections department, the vault, the rare books circa 1600s, all of it. The premise of the closed-door murder mystery in the library is great and could have made for a fascinating story, but this book did not deliver.
The writing is stilted and uneven, with weird turns of words and side stories that come up at the strangest times.

“She had a plan and decided it wasn’t impossible and in the end, it wasn’t.”

“I’m not sitting here and waiting to be hunted because, what, because my parents have a summer home?”

“Davey got himself a little dog. He was a Jack Russell terrier who Davie named Nero, and he was such a nightmare that Davie had to pay a roommate…” - why not say, “Davie got a little dog, Jack Russell, and named him Nero. The dog was such a nightmare, Davie had to pay a roommate…”

I digress. Some of it might get the final polish by the editors but I doubt they can get it all. At this point, it’s the author’s style, I suppose.

The writing seems most involved and interesting when the writer talks about the history and inner workings of the library.

Yet sapping up blood with pages of rare books is a scene that she also decided to write? How does it even make sense? Don’t they all wear clothes that would work much better as a makeshift bandage or cleaning cloth? And how did all these people who love the library all of a sudden become okay with the pointless destruction of priceless manuscripts?

Other WTH moments include but are not limited to:

- what kind of acid was it? They all just became cold-blooded killers?
- when a supposed killer is already in a small room that they just used to confine another supposed killer, why are they trying to open the door and get the “killer” out? Why not barricade the door again?
- no first aid was provided whatsoever, and no curiosity of “can we save this person?” Especially with the first death.
- the motivation behind the killings is flimsy at best
- The backstories are great, but they did not add anything in most cases.
- all characters are pathetic and unlikable.
- Faye is insufferable.
- Was there a ghost?
- the weird “I’m rich, and you are poor, is that why you want to kill me?” flex was reaching, even for a high person.
- they didn’t have to do Ariana Grande dirty like that.
- I don’t think I can eat corn now.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an early reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Audience: Adult
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Keywords: Survival, libraries, college campuses, college students, murder mystery

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Netgalley (Thank you Poisoned Pen Press)
This is a fast-paced psychological thriller that focuses on a group of college students who decide to spend a night locked in the basement of the academic library.

Inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries from Greek Mythology, Davey sets out to recreate the ritual with 6 other people. The ritual includes fasting for 24 hours, taking drugs, and staying locked in the basement all night. When one of the members ends up dying, the group is quick to accuse each other, and the hunt for the killer begins.

This novel is told from all 7 POVs— and each chapter denotes who is speaking which is very helpful. Out of all the characters, my favorite character was Faye, whose fear of embarrassment prevented her from doing a lot of things, and because of that, she tried to keep her innocence throughout the novel, despite what happened. But since her experience, the reader saw how she transformed into a completely different person, which is reminiscent of a lot of horror films and books. The plot is fast-paced, and there are quite a few of flashbacks used to help explain the characters motivations which were helpful. Throughout the novel, there is quite a bit of violence and drug use depicted. There was a twist ending that I didn’t even foresee, and I was completely blown away.

I would recommend this book to anyone who may enjoy horror, suspense, and psychological thrillers.

This book was very interesting.I like the murder aspect of it. Everybody had a chapter and they explained why they were in this library at night before they were gonna graduate From college. Everybody had problems They all had a different story somewhere from the town of vor not. Dar VE1 was a librarian there.He was about to graduate. He set this ritual up because he liked books and he like rituals. This was interesting because they took a greek mythology in with this basement and they tied it all together. K I p was a Teacher assistant's getting ready to get his masters degree. You are Mau.Was student there in the college?Because her mother taught there and she was from the town. She had a friend named Roy who worked at Applebee's.And did not like the college smart People. S o r a y e what's the only black person in this group. Fl AY was the outsider because she never fit in with anybody. Mary was there as well. Murders took place in different parts of this basement library.And they also explained the history and how this college was built. Everybody did acid except For Mary and f l a y. Mary lied about taking it she did not. Things became really crazy when kip died. I'm ready for stripping and everybody excusing everybody everybody. It was interesting. How everybody died in this book? You'll find out and who The Only 2 survivors of this Crazy adventure..

This book is basically every librarian’s nightmare or at least this one’s nightmare. A murder taking place in the library. But what can I say it still kept me turning pages because I just had to know what happened. Even if I had to sleep with the light on for a few nights.

The night before graduation, seven students slip into the rare book library of their university to carry out a Greek rite that is supposed to release them from their fear of dying. They pick the closed library because of its perfect environment. The lights go out as they start, and one pupil passes away unexpectedly. Before they can start their new lives, the group must solve the riddle and figure out how to survive the night while trapped in the dark with a killer among them and nothing but books for protection.

I was captivated from the moment I read the synopsis of this academic-sounding mystery thriller. The idea offered the ideal balance of cerebral curiosity and tension. As soon as I read the summary of this mysterious thriller with an academic tone, I became engrossed. The concept provided just the right amount of tension and intellectual curiosity. Despite the book's virtues, the writing style.

This book had so much potential. I liked the concept, but there was something lacking. 7 college kids hide in the library overnight to perform a Greek ritual before they graduate and go their separate ways. Then one of them dies. They panic wondering which one of them is the killer as they continue to get picked off one by one. At one point, the death of one of them made me gasp and then laugh out loud (although I don’t think it was meant to be funny). I was sucked into the crazy for a bit once the story got going and I did think the ending was decent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

I was very excited to dive in to this intriguing story. It had such a unique premise. However there were big issues that I couldn’t get past, and for me, the character development just wasn’t there. I did not get a chance to care anything about the characters before…BAM… murder. I still have so many questions that will never be answered. I felt that the pacing was off and everything went so fast.
I really really wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me.
To me, it was a 2.7 read but I will round up for the idea alone..