The Woman in the Library: A Novel

This book requires patience (and notes) to keep track of the characters, but it was worth it! This about an US writer writing in Australia about a book about four Australian characters who hear a woman's scream in a library. As the four characters become friends, it is unclear which character is the one who killed the woman and why. The writer sends her writing to a man in the United States, Leo, who helps her with suggestions at first, but then his suggestions become disturbing and she contacts the FBI. HE is not the killer of the woman in the library woman, though. It is woman of the fictional character the writer is writing about.It is easy to become wrapped up in her story where you actually think you are reading about real people rather than character. Sulari Gentill is deft at switching narratives and burying a story within a story without the story becoming too confusing. It is definitely worth the read. In fact, our local library chose this book as it monthly selection for its Book Club Read. Excellent choice!

What a complex, interesting story. A head trip, I'd say. The mystery was a steady building to something that looked hopeless. The conclusion wasn't as strong as the story, but satisfying. A worthwhile read.

Thought it was an easy, fast read of you want a quick read. However, I was sick of her jabs at America. As someone who isn’t American, she needs to keep her “insights” to herself and just write.

I absolutely love all the layers to this story! Once you have an idea of what's happening, a new detail is added, and you're left wondering what will happen next. This was my first book written by Sulari Gentill, and I can't wait to read her other books.The story begins in the reading room of the Boston Public Library, where our strangers hear a scream, a scream that will terrify and unite them in their curiosity to unravel the mystery. A mystery that has no simple answer and will test their newly developed friendship.As the secrets unravel and their bonds are tested, ties will strengthen between the couples that will begin to divide their loyalties to each other.Over the course of several weeks, as details are discovered, you'll begin to question the agenda of several of the strangers. Was the chance encounter between them, on that fateful day, just happenstance or was it orchestrated?As the mystery starts to unravel, will their friendship survive the truth of what happened?Will they survive the truth?I'd also like to mention that besides loving the story, the foodie in me couldn't get enough of the food tour of Boston, real or fake!But, I think my only complaint, if any, would be how little time is actually spent in the library. After the murder, there's very little time spent in the library, majority of the time will be spent in Freddy's apartment, local eateries, or walking about the city. It all meshes wonderfully with the story, but I do wish more time was spent in the library.

This was well worth being on the waiting list for it, until it became available. The characters, the environment, the plot, each one comprehensively elaborated upon. You pick up on every nuance and quirk of the 4 main characters, and are able to put forth a strong image in your mind as to what they look like, and who and what their dispositions and temperaments are made up of. As well as their surroundings, living quarters, eateries, etc. The embedded, seemingly tiny, daily trivialities, immerses the reader into gratfylingly experiencing it all.The Who-Dunnit element had me going back and forth quite a few times. The innocence of one "suspect" I never really emphatically questioned. I had the same faith in him the main character did. The rest of the possible persons of interest, I did capitulate, quite frequently, from side to side a number of times.Just when you thought substantial rationale has been presented to solidify who you were locked in on, the distrust and uncertainty began to surface, and you were no longer looking at X person, but rather now at person Y, only to wonder if maybe it was Z after all.One of the most enticing parts of the book, at least for myself, is there's actually 2 stories, or plot lines, going on at the time. You don't realize it until it explodes forth in a way which you never see advancing and it extremely, without warning, accelerates. It's only addressed for a couple of pages at the beginning and /or end of the chapters, so you don't comprehend what's about to sneak up on you, until it's well into the novel. Remarkably ingenious style of weaving this entirely self-contained plot, abtrusely inside the central plot.Very enjoyable read, and would highly recommend to anyone looking for an immersive storyline, which is light-hearted enough to read through in a sitting or two, but cryptic and obscure enough to hold your attention.The only thing which caught me off a bit, was the proofreading. For this being professionally released with a publisher, editor, agent, etc., it was quite jarring when almost 3/4's of the way through the book, it was suddenly laden with typographical and grammatical errors. It seemed as if the last section was just entirely skipped over. It's very jarring as a reader when there's errors. It pulls you out of the storyline and shifts the focus. Seems more and more the excepted norm in today's e-book world, and mass flooding of self-published. Not so much in a professional release, so I'm just curious as to what happened.

A chance scream in a library, the place you’re meant to be at your quietest, throws four total strangers together who quickly form a close bond of friendship. This quartet have very little in common other than they were in the same place at the same time but without the scream of a connection, they would have remained strangers me thinks.That said, their rapport is instant. It’s no long before they’re meeting for breakfast and buying doughnuts (oh the fillings 😲😲) and maybe a spark of something. This sort of instant intimate friendship is rare but then they are bound by the scream in the library and what appears to be a turn of events that solidifies but also threatens their friendship.I loved the post chapter analysis from Leo. He’s a bit of a strange character, it’s not quite the way I would beta read a book but each to their own. There is however something in his emails that’s a little unnerving, and as the story moves on … *shudder*The cover might make The Woman In The Library looks like a cosy crime type novel but appearances can be deceptive. This book is a complex murder mystery that’s tense throughout. I raced through this story like there was no tomorrow, devouring the words on my kindle, my imagination running riot in a city I’d never visited but felt so familiar with.Gentill intricately led me through all parts of Brooklyn trying to solve the mystery of the scream and the ensuing events whilst lobbing me the correspondence to the “author” to unsettle my thought processes. I didn’t get what I thought would be a caper style murder (never judge a book by its cover) but what I did get, I thoroughly enjoyed and will be sampling more of Gentill’s writing as soon as #mountTBR allows!

A lovely quirky book. Completely captivating.

As an editor, I was smitten with this book from the start. The different style of writing, the way the narratives bounced off each other, the red herrings, the progression of relationships, and the overall arc of the story held me captive within the pages. When the plot twist hit, I was left reeling and desperate for more. While the book isn't your typical read, it was a refreshing narrative that kept me guessing throughout the whole book. There was once near the middle where my attention flagged, but that was remedied all of two pages later. I definitely recommend reading The Woman in the Library.

The plot is intriguing, melding the characters in an unusual framing of the text. And the ending made me laugh!

I have enjoyed all of Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair mysteries but this one takes her writing to another level. All her books are written beautifully, however this one stands apart because of the novel’s construction. There are several moments in the story which catch your breath at the unexpected, but plausible, turn that the narrative has taken. The novelist is Australian and her navigation of the idiosyncrasies of American English and expressions adds a delightful touch to the story. This is the most riveting and original crime novel I have read in a long time.