The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

 

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong language; Sex that is not described in detail, Several crime scenes of murders are described

 

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.

This is a book about someone who is writing a book about someone who is writing a book. It was an odd concept and in the beginning I wasn't sure it was going to work for me. The person writing the book is named Hannah. We know this through a series of messages we read from Hannah’s fellow writing friend Leo, who is reading her manuscript. We are reading it along with Leo and it’s a murder mystery. I liked that we never really get to meet Hannah but just read the story she's writing. It was an interesting way to go about writing the book, and after I got used to the idea, the story grew on me until I was very engrossed in it.

What I liked most about this book is something I can't put in my review because it would be a huge spoiler, so this review will be short. There was a twist in here that I didn't expect in the beginning that made this book unique compared to other books I've read. There was a point that I started to suspect it though, and I wish the author wouldn't have revealed it quite as soon as she did, so that I would have been left guessing for a while longer. I thought the characters were all very well drawn and for the most part likable, although Marigold got on my nerves at times.

Ultimately, I ended up liking this unique mystery, and it's made me want to try other books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy of this book.