MoonglotexasKel’s Review:
Oh. My. Word. I LOVED ”The Woman in the Library”! I have read every one of Sulari Gentill’s Rowly Sinclair series and immediately picked this one up but was a little put off by the back cover copy. I’m glad I decided to read it anyway. A few things to note, this is not a one room mystery…we are not actually in the library long. It is a story within a story within a story, like a Russian doll, each layer is interesting in it’s own way but but if this kind of literary device isn’t your thing, it may not be the book for you. I, however, loved it! And would love to read the book the author in the story’s characters are writing!
I so enjoyed the character’s within the author’s book and the way they developed whilst still being cast in doubt by the murder! I read the books straight through and, yes, I worked it out and was so chuffed with myself for it! A thrilling read indeed!
If you love fantastic writing, a modern mystery and a book with a twist, this is for you! I highly recommend it, it’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale!
Ka’s Review:
I have read other books by Sulari Gentil and just LOVED them.
As a result, I was looking forward to reading The Woman in the Library. Somehow though, it just wasn’t what I expected. Perhaps the many stories running in parallel, particularly the ongoing dialogue with a ‘pen pal’ were distracting from the main thread? I also didn’t find it hard to work out who the murderer was. The motive, however, had quite escaped me.
Sulari writes beautifully so I am sure there are others that will thoroughly enjoy this murder mystery.
Perhaps a different introduction to this book, by the publisher, would have given me a better idea of the storyline, this one seems just doesn’t capture the essence of the story for me. It’s three stars.
We received complimentary copies of the book from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely our own.
From the back cover:
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.
