The Woman in the Library

A story within a story that features a murder in a famous public library?!? Count me in!

I was drawn to this book because of its setting in the iconic Boston Public Library - a beautiful library I visited five years ago. The format of this book is 'story within a story' which is an interesting concept but despite the library setting and murder mystery, this story didn't quite work for me. 

The premise is this: Australian author Hannah Tigone is writing a murder mystery and as she writes she emails back and forth with her beta reader Leo. Due to Covid restrictions, Hannah is unable to come to Boston so Leo, who lives in that city, becomes her sounding board for all things Boston. We get to read their communications which becomes increasingly darker.

The other part of this book focuses on the story Hannah is writing about four strangers who are sitting in Boston Public Library's beautiful Reading Room when they hear a woman scream. A body is later found, and these four people's lives become entwined. The four strangers are: Winifred "Freddie" - a writer-in-residence; Marigold - a psychology major at Harvard; Whit - who is hoping to fail out of Harvard Law and not follow in his family's legal footsteps; and Cain - a published author. This group creates incredibly (unbelievably?) fast friendships as they try to solve the murder.

The story within a story is an interesting idea but often felt confusing to me and the bonds between the four characters felt contrived and forced. Hannah and Leo's emails distracted me from the mystery and although their inclusion becomes clear later, I couldn't shake the feeling as I read that I wasn't quite grasping all that the author was laying out. 

This story has an interesting concept and I appreciated getting a look into authors' writing processes and the tidbits of social commentary. Unfortunately, this book didn't meet my expectations, but it is getting rave reviews from others so take this review with a grain of salt.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for this complimentary advanced copy of this book provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Sulari Gentill

Genre: Mystery

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

First Published: June 7, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.