Review - The Woman in the Library

 "[The Woman in the Library] is a mystery-within-a-mystery, with the clues in Freddie's story becoming more intriguing as Leo's advice becomes more sinister. The two story lines work together beautifully, amping up the suspense before reaching a surprising conclusion." ― Booklist

This is the mystery of the moment, getting a lot of attention and praise.  See what my thoughts are on the unique plot and writing.

Author: Sulari Gentill

Copyright: June 2022 (Poisoned Pen Press) 292 pgs

Series: Stand Alone Mystery

Sensuality: Off-page intimacy

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspenseful Mystery

Main Characters: Freddie and Hannah, authors

Setting: Modern day, Boston primarily

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing? pulling us into theornate reading room at the Boston Public Library.

In every person's story, there is something to hide...

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."

My Thoughts:

The novel has an interesting approach: 1) A mystery writer, Hannah, in Australia is writing a novel set in Boston.  Hannah corresponds with Leo in Boston to get details of the city and locals correct.  We get a chapter of Hannah's murder mystery and the next chapter is Leo's email replies which start to take a strange turn.

2) Hannah's actual manuscript is based on Freddie, a female writer, who goes to the Boston Public Library seeking inspiration for her book.  After hearing a horrific scream from somewhere inside the library, Freddie and the three people she was sitting near strike up a conversation and eventually form an unlikely friendship.  A few hours later a woman is found murdered in the Library.  As their friendship solidifies, something is off among the foursome.  But Freddie is getting seriously involved with one of the group.

It seems like this approach would be confusing, but it actually flowed quiet well.  I was invested in Hannah's manuscript and got absorbed in that story, while the email critiques of the chapters were a slow burn and wouldn't have worked on their own. 

This was cleverly plotted with a different approach to the storyline. The manuscript mystery was engrossing while the Hannah and Leo storyline sneaks up on you.  This built tension while the Hannah's manuscript built suspicion as well.  The manuscript characters where well written and Freddie was easy to like.  I wasn't sure if I would like this story, but it hooked me and provided enough surprises in both storylines.  I don't know that I would heap as much praise as I see some pouring on it, but it is certainly a superb mystery that I highly recommend.  Some are labeling it "literary" but this is a solid mystery all the way around.

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list