Meanwhile, in Hannah’s novel, the four friends are increasingly unsettled by revelations about Cain McLeod’s past. He murdered his stepfather when he was 16 and served seven years in prison. He’s now been out about that same length of time, but he tells his new friends, especially Freddie, only the minimum. When more information and past connections inevitably drip out, suspicions escalate. The Woman In The Library, Gentill’s fifteenth novel since her 2010 debut, A Few Right Thinking Men, adds to her growing reputation among Australia’s crime fiction writing elite, while bringing a welcome blast of fun to the genre, playing to her signature witty strength.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill | Crime Fiction Lover The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill | Crime Fiction Lover

The clever framing of these two entwined narratives – a device Gentill also employed in her novel Crossing the Lines – is carried off in a voice that clearly reflects the joy she takes in the absurd. But, as Gentill’s readers have also come to expect, she interlaces the fast-paced plot with discreet commentary on some big contemporary issues.I thoroughly enjoyed The Woman the Library by Sulari Gentill. I loved the story within a story structure of the narrative. The narrative is in the form of draft chapters written by Hannah Tigone interspersed with her correspondence with Leo. This is a smart, well-written whodunit with an interesting cast of characters and a well-developed plot. The mystery element was intriguing and I found myself pleasantly surprised with the way both the stories progressed. Though the pace does waver in parts, at no point did I find myself losing interest. This is the kind of book that needs to be read in one sitting. This was my first Sulari Gentill novel and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. But Gentill has thrown in extra layers, weaving in a second, equally entertaining narrative, creating a story within the story in which she explores the art of writing itself. Her correspondent is delighted at being recognised in this way, and perhaps that contributes to his growing intrusiveness. He makes corrections, fights for his suggestions, and sends photos he thinks Hannah should use for inspiration. If his long-distance efforts to encroach on her creative territory make you uneasy, they did me too!

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill - Publishers Weekly The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill - Publishers Weekly

It was SMART, CLEVER, and it didn’t have to rely on twists coming out of left field to deliver a satisfying ending! Gentill was inspired by a correspondence of her own… Best-known for her Rowland Sinclair detective stories, in this new novel Sulari Gentill puts merriment into a murder mystery.

Hannah Tigone is an Australian mystery writer who is writing a book set in Boston. In her book, Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid, who is also an Australian writer, has come to Boston on a writer's scholarship. She went to the Boston Library looking for inspiration when she heard a woman's terrified scream. She along with others, who were sitting at her table, begin talking when the library tells them no one can leave right away following the scream. Everyone has their own reasons for being at the library that day. One of them is also a murderer. They both heard a woman’s scream at the library and their common panic connected the foursome to share coffees and stories at the Map Room. First chapter implies one of them is a murderer. But which one?

The Woman in the Library Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary The Woman in the Library Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary

The social commentary on racial equality, pandemics, and homelessness is well-written. Gentill does a nice job introducing these ideas without it becoming too preachy. It also helps to account for the real world issues that we are dealing with in 2022. anyway. this has the pacing of a cozy mystery with the darkness and goriness of a thriller, derogatory. it's a combination that absolutely won't work for me, and the amount of ham-handed social commentary from immigration to US politics to the pandemic that's thrown in doesn't help.

This is a smart, well-written whodunit with an interesting cast of characters and a well-developed plot."

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill | Goodreads

I liked the way the author (the real one that is - Gentill) included Covid as a sort of aside to the story rather than featuring it all the time. She has added some good notes at the end about the issue that Covid has been to all authors currently writing novels. I enjoyed the mystery, the little romance between Freddie and Cain, Hannah's smart moves regarding Leo and the rather edgy ending. I smiled at the reference to Australian chocolate being superior to American, remembering when I arrived in Australia from the UK and thought it was dreadful. Of course I love it now - it is all a case of what you are used to. Hannah Tigone is an Australian author living in Sydney, writing about another Australian author Freddie (Winifred), recipient of a fellowship which has her living in Boston for a year. She is in the Boston Public Library trying to gather inspiration and finds herself sharing a table with three other people, whom she dubs Freud Girl, Heroic Chin and Handsome Man. And so the story begins . . . It just seems indecent not to do anything. We heard her die.' There is an earnestness in Marigold's voice. This was an enjoyable story (perhaps more than one) that held this reader's interest as four people come together in a library after hearing a piercing scream. The four people bond and as our main character, Hannah is writing a book, and she decides to incorporate her newly found friends into the story line. It's something like art imitating life. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.THE AUTHOR: Once upon a time, Sulari Gentill was a corporate lawyer serving as a director on public boa It turns out to be a story within a story within a story and at times I will confess I did find myself confused. However, the concept and carry through made this a tale of a murder done by .......... a fun but circuitous read! (I am not telling.)