Sulari Gentill

"The beautifully ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is completely silent one weekday morning, until a woman's terrified scream echoes through the room. Security guards immediately appear and instruct everyone inside to stay put until they determine there is no threat. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers who had been sitting in the reading room get to chatting and quickly become friendly. Harriet, Marigold, Whit, and Caine each have their own reasons for being in the reading room that morning--and it just happens that one of them may turn out to be a murderer. For readers of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, with shades of The Secret History, THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY is an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most dangerous weapons of all"--

The Woman in the Library

Palpebra 

Bria

I really don't get the point of the letters

“The mystery writers, the historical novelists, the political thriller writers, the science fiction writers… everybody but the people who write instruction manuals, is writing romance. We dress our stories up with murders, and discussions about morality and society, but really we just care about relationships.”
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Welcome to The Woman In The Library: A story about an author writing a book about an author writing a book. It is infused with murder and suspense at every level, where you will doubt each character over and over again in a loop until the last reveal. Everyone is suspicious (in both senses that they are questionable, and that they are distrustful of each other.)

Although the ending felt a bit rushed and the plot-twist not all-too shocking, it was the ride up until that point that was really the pleasure of this book. I loved that I was forced to change my mind about the culprit at the end of each chapter, while watching the tensions and the creepy-factor rise bit by bit. 
A very enjoyable mystery/thriller for sure, particularly with the double-layered narration.

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(I have received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

This was an enjoyable, fun read with a intriguing mystery at its heart.  I enjoyed the characters and appreciated the unique inhabitants of this version of Boston.    I did not like the references to the Covid pandemic (my personal preference is to completely avoid books that mention it) and the story frame.  I thought the mystery was compelling enough on its own and it did not need the extra narrative device of emails framing the actual mystery story.  

shellybn

Melissa Palmer

A scream is heard in the Boston Public Library and a woman's body is found. 4 strangers become a group to find out what happened. This is a good mystery, well written with lots of twists and turns to keep readers guessing!

Mae Erceg

I really enjoyed this quick mysterious read. Great storyline and plot. I was confused a couple times but many of the questions are answered. I’m still a bit confused by the ending tho which is bothering me but I’ll be looking up some reviews and other posts about it to see if someone has an answer or theory. Great story ! Would read again 100%.

Adeline

High Fidelity

Thank you, Net Galley, for the opportunity to read this book in digital format.
Stayed up all night so I could finish this book. It has nothing to do with the fact that this is that thriller genre. Average thriller doesn't keep you awake, especially when you read a bunch of them. 
This piece is beyond a great thriller. It is a detailed, well-told story that includes everything you need if it is thoroughly connected. Sulari Gentil takes strangers, events, friendships, romance, jealousy stalking, good food, and dead bodies and with tremendous dedication, she pins it all on her investigation board that is this book. And the part that I like the most is the fact that she's not afraid to judge and comment own work in form of email correspondence that is a part of this book. I felt like she use that for a great story inside of a story but also to show weaknesses that this genre can have. 

If you are bored of oh no the husband/wife did it trope that you probably read at least 10 times before, and if you want something more complex pick this book up it is a great read I promise you that might regret it.
4.5⭐

Latitude Tamarind

This book is WILD and an incredible mystery. It’s set in Boston, in the Boston Public Library, with at least three different layers to it. It’s a thriller that functions as well as a mystery — ie, it doesn’t just keep you on the edge of your seat, there’s actively something to figure out as well. The blurb calls this book “sharply thrilling”, and they are CORRECT. Four and a half stars, rounded down for Goodreads.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I have to say I was really disappointed once I got 2/3 of the way through.

The premise was intriguing, the characters seemed interesting when they were first introduced, and the subplot at the end of each chapter had me looking forward to a good climax from the beginning... And then nothing happened. No real character development, a plot that completely dragged along, and a narrator who very quickly went from a good character to one whose judgement went completely out the window with a whirlwind insta-love level romance. The first half had me hooked, and then after that I just was bored. And the subplot that seemed interested at the beginning? It has no real build-up, and absolutely no impact on the overarching story, huge letdown. 

Amber Burwell

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I have to say I was really disappointed once I got 2/3 of the way through.

The premise was intriguing, the characters seemed interesting when they were first introduced, and the subplot at the end of each chapter had me looking forward to a good climax from the beginning... And then nothing happened. No real character development, a plot that completely dragged along, and a narrator who very quickly went from a good character to one whose judgement went completely out the window with a whirlwind insta-love level romance. The first half had me hooked, and then after that I just was bored. And the subplot that seemed interested at the beginning? It has no real build-up, and absolutely no impact on the overarching story, huge letdown. 

Seher Mohsin

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the chance to read and review The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill.

The Woman in the Library came out on the 7th of June. This is not Sulari Gentill’s first book; she also has a 10 book long series Rowland Sinclair WWII Mysteries. The Woman in the Library is 292 pages long (at least the kindle version is) and it’s a work of epistolary fiction. It’s currently top of that list on the amazon charts. 

Sulari Gentill's new book is set towards the start of the pandemic. It starts off fairly wholesome. Our main character, Hannah, is writing another book (she’s a published writer) and corresponding with her pen pal and fan, Leo, and sending him chapters. Leo is also writing a novel but has been getting turned down by agents and publishers. As the pandemic sets in Hannah’s plans to visit the US get derailed, but she keeps writing the book. It’s an amateur sleuth novel (which is one of the genre’s that The Woman in the Library belongs to), while Leo keeps helping her by digging up information on the city the book is set in. Of course, as the novel progresses, we realise that there is much more going on.

Within the novel that Hannah writes we have four strangers bonded by a scream in the library. They end up becoming friends bonded by the murder and the weird stuff that happens to Freddie, the main character. We’re told by Leo who the killer is early (we can only presume that this is an email from Hannah to Leo as we never do see her emails), and it’s interesting to see the characters come to that conclusion slowly. We’re shown that Freddie really liked the killer and doesn’t want to believe it’s him; she’s the unreliable narrator but we’re also still curious to see if she’s right or not.

The woman in the library has a banging plot. Like the plot is phenomenal (I’m not revealing anymore because spoilers) and so interesting that I had to finish the book. I just wish that Sulari Gentills writing matched up. This book has so much potential but it just fell short and it’s hard to explain that to another person unless they’ve read it but I’ll try.

Hannah sends each chapter to Leo to read. Leo reads the chapter and writes a short email back on how much he loves everything and sends her helpful information on the US. Those chapters are not well written. I couldn’t fathom anyone liking Cain or Freddie or chapter-Leo, or Whit or Marigold. Leo’s love of Marigold and love for everything Hannah wrote was a little annoying. On the one hand, that could be intentional, to show that this is a writer working through things, but on the other hand, as it formed the bulk of the book, it also took away from the novel, even though that plot was great. I would have liked to have seen better chapters sent from Hannah to Leo, and smaller corrections like phrases and things. 

I saw the thing with email-Leo coming. I don’t know if other readers did or did not, but I didn’t mind that. Again, the plot is great. But my problem is that the chapters were not good enough to hold my interest and by the end I was skimming; at that point if there was a change in the style of Hannahs writing (which Leo pointed out was getting heavy handed), I didn’t pick up on it. Had those earlier chapters been more put together I would have loved seeing this happen. I also didn’t like the ending to the chapters, which could have been better done. I wish the killer was different; this felt like garbage.

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

One of the strangest-structured books that I’ve read, which really threw me at first.

I normally like a book-within-a-book, but for a majority of the narrative, the inner-story felt almost juvenile in its writing and plotting. That makes sense when you take into account that it is essentially the first draft of a mystery novel, being emailed to a beta reader who comments on each chapter. But that back-and-forth structure really took me out of the library mystery, and I didn't feel compelled by the inner-story characters until well past the halfway mark.

But I'm glad I stuck with it, because I did enjoy a good chunk of it. There was commentary on race and homelessness, in Boston and America, as well as the roles a character's race plays in fiction. Although I'm not entirely sure what point the author was trying to make - most of the commentary was expressed in the "real world" narrative (via emails; and only one voice), explicitly commenting on the role of race and setting for the inner-story characters. It felt limiting to have only one side of the email correspondence, and I wish we could have seen Hannah's own voice at some point in the epistolary sections.

I’m disappointed that the end came so suddenly, as it felt like the "real world" tension ended in an instant. I was finally so invested at the end, and the denouement & climax felt very rushed. I don't feel any closure from the last emails, and the 'real life' story seemed to cut off right as the tensions began to really build.
The last sentence of the inner-story was clearly a nod to the other storyline, but it didn't hold any weight in its vagueness.

In the end, I suppose I'm glad I finished it. Clearly, I devoured it quickly! Really not what I expected, and I think if I had known the structure going in, I may have skipped this one.


Lauren Stewart

“It was a normal weekday morning, nothing out of the ordinary, until a woman’s scream echoed throughout the Boston Public Library. During the subsequent lockdown, strangers Cain, Marigold, Whit, & Winifred connect while sitting at the same table. They form a fast friendship & start spending more time together than apart. The library incident is initially ruled a false alarm, but soon after a body is discovered. Now the newly-formed group of friends is caught up in a police investigation, & it seems like not all of them are innocent witnesses. One of them might be guilty of murder.”

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

If you’re currently in search of a mystery that’s a thrill ride from the very first chapter, look no further than “The Woman in the Library.” I hadn’t done much research before reading so the first nine pages were enough to hook me. The story lagged a bit in the middle but didn’t take long to pick back up. I finished this book in less than three days because I had to know what happens; it was all I could think about!

The first twist is common knowledge so I’m going to discuss it. The prologue is a letter from American writer Leo Johnson to Australian author Hannah Tigone; they’ve been pen pals for quite awhile but haven’t yet met in person. As a fan of her work, Leo politely but insistently asks for a new book, offering to be her beta reader. We now move into chapter one, setting up a story about four strangers connecting in the Boston Public Library during a police lockdown. After the final sentence, which is quite the enticing cliffhanger, we see another note from Leo to Hannah revealing that he’s test reading her new book. The main plot is her manuscript, & the side plot is her correspondence with Leo, though we only ever see his notes to her. I’d never read anything like that before & thought it was such a brilliant idea. I’ve seen a few reviews saying the line between fiction & reality is confusing at times, but I strongly disagree. It’s always very clear when you’re reading Hannah’s book & when you’re reading Leo’s letters. There is a clear question of how much inspiration she takes from reality, but I would call that intrigue rather than a source of confusion.

I want to give this book all the stars for it’s unique format, but the story did not completely deliver. The whodunnit reveal made sense but disappointed me; I thought there would be more to it, more connection to real life. Speaking of the side plot, there was less development as it went on, & the abrupt resolution was not satisfying. I do feel let down overall, but I must admit the final chapter left me with intriguing questions & theories floating around in my head. My biggest question is why Hannah ended her book the way she did; at the risk of sounding dramatic, that creative choice blew my mind. My final rating is three stars, & I still recommend this thrilling mystery despite an ending that fizzles. The format is a bibliophile version of Inception & fascinating to experience; you won’t be able to put this book down until it ends!  

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Content Breakdown:

*Disclaimer: I read an uncorrected ARC so certain things might change before the final copy is printed.

Abuse: An abusive stepfather is mentioned throughtout the book; Chapter nineteen depicts verbal & physical abuse as well as attempted sexual abuse.

Alcohol, Cigarettes, & Drugs: Mentions of alcohol, alcoholics, bars, intoxication, cigarettes, & junkies; morphine & painkillers are also mentioned in relation to a hospital patient.

Blood & Violence: Multiple mentions of blood & blood splatter | A hypothetical murderer is discussed, the killer pounding his or her victim’s head into a hard surface. | Dead bodies described with bloody hair, cut throats, and/or injuries to the breast & pubic areas | Description of a young girl leaning over a lookout to take a picture & falling to her death because of a loose guardrail | One mention & two depictions of attacks that lead to head trauma | Two mentions & one depiction of a stabbing 

Insensitive Language:

A character makes racially insensitive comments about black people, such as being identifiable by living in a certain neighborhood or wearing hoodies.

A character from “It” by Stephen King is referred to as the “fat kid” who might get the “pretty girl.”

In reference to hospital janitors, a character says “Immigrants, they get the job done.” He’s referencing the musical Hamilton but is met with the response “That’s not less offensive because it’s Hamilton.”

Two men involved in a bar fight are described as “thugs”; their physical appearances are not described, but that particular word could be perceived as racially-motivated & offensive.

Language:

*$$hole
Chr*st / Chr*ss*kes
D*mn
F*ck / F*cking
Good L*rd
H*ll / H*lluva
J*sus
My G*d / Oh My G*d
Sh*t
Son of a b*tch

A bakery’s products are described as something that would “make you believe in G*d & willing to forsake Him at the same time.”

Sensual/Sexual:

A character removes her shirt to show off her tattoos; her nakedness is mentioned as well as the sight of her “small breasts.”

Some of the characters go to a restaurant called Oh My Cod which is known for sexually suggestive decor & menu items, a few of which are described. Someone from the group refers to the restaurant as a “sex shop.”

Someone is called a “courteous porn star” in jest.

There’s a detailed discussion about methods of murder that give the killer sexual gratification (i.e. A certain movement while sitting atop a victim or the motion & penetration of a blade).

Two characters sleep together; the scene doesn’t fade to black, but their intimacy is described with minimal detail. In another chapter, they’re in bed together, but nothing happens beyond the two of them waking up side by side.

Two other characters sleep together off-page; it’s mentioned in a conversation with very little detail.

Stalking: There is evidence of one or more characters being stalked: robbery, phone calls, text messages with photos of front doors, & a physical attack.

Heather Harrington

I didn't realize going in that this was not only a story within a story, but a mystery within a mystery as well. Had I known that, I probably wouldn't have picked this up because it got more and more convoluted as the story progressed. I didn't love the writing style or the characters. I didn't find myself taken with either storyline/mystery, so I didn't care much about how either played out. I think if the author just focused on one plotline, the story would've been more intriguing and interesting. Instead, it felt clunky and disjointed. Unfortunately, it was just one big miss for me.

Susan Forsythe

This is a very hard book to describe. I tried to describe it to my colleagues and and it was very difficult and they were a bit confused. It is something you have to read to understand it. 
It's a novel about a fictional author who is writing a murder mystery about an Australian author on a writing fellowship in Boston. You read the chapters the fictional author has written and then emails from one of her "fans" who is reading/giving criticism about her chapters. The emails get more and more strange as the chapters continue. Unfortunately, the twists in the story and the story within the story were guessable but it well written and worth reading just for the experience of a story within a story style of writing.
 This was an ARC provided by NetGalley.

The Woman in the Library

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