Monday, June 06, 2022

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

 
First Line: Writing in the Boston Public Library had been a mistake.
 
Winifred "Freddie" Kincaid goes to the Boston Public Library to sit in the Reading Room to work on her novel. Everything comes to a grinding halt when a woman's scream shatters the quiet.
 
The scream throws Freddie into new friendships with three people sitting at the table with her-- Cain McLeod, Marigold Anastas, and Whit Metters-- and when they learn that a woman's body was found in the library, they decide to work together to find the killer. Each one of them has his or her own reasons for sitting at the table. It just so happens that one of them is a murderer.
 
But which one?
 
~
 
The joy of Sulari Gentill's The Woman in the Library is that it's a story within a story within a story, and each successive chapter reveals one or two more puzzle pieces for readers to ponder. I could compare the unfolding of the plot to peeling back the layers of an onion, but not only is that comparison worn out, but it also doesn't really fit. No, this story is a beauty, and much more like the slow but certain blossoming of a rose, petal by soft, scented petal.
 
A series of emails from Australian writer Hannah Tigone to Leo Johnson tells readers that Hannah is in Australia writing a novel about a murder set in the Boston Public Library and Leo is her American contact who reads Hannah's manuscript and searches out locations and offers tips on clarification.  But that's not the only thing going on with the Hannah and Leo layer. The Freddie/Cain/Marigold/Whit layer also blossoms with the steady infusion of kernels of information about each character. These stories play off each other beautifully.

The Woman in the Library is one of those books that you can't talk about very much without giving something away, so I'll just say this: I decided right at the beginning to let myself become a leaf caught in a current in the river. This means that I didn't bring out my deerstalker hat and magnifying glass in order to solve the mystery before the characters in the book had a chance to. No, I simply went along for the ride and enjoyed every page. Once the rose that is The Woman in the Library has completely blossomed, there was nothing left to do but marvel at the story Gentill created. Wow!
 
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
eISBN: 9781464215889
Poisoned Pen Press © 2022
eBook, 292 pages
 
Suspense, Standalone
Rating: A+
Source: Net Galley

18 comments:

  1. Very glad to read that the book lives up to the discussion at the PP. I have heard about one-third of it, and wrote down the book on my TBR list. Now to see if the library has it yet. Sulari Gentill said she writes as she goes, not plotting, and that suddenly a character realizes she is in the library with a murderer. Glad it made you Best Reads list. It's that good. Rah.

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    1. I'll probably be watching that tonight unless I'm busy talking with Denis on the phone.

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    2. Hope he's improving. Your last message was hopeful. Glad. Can't wait to see the Casa Kittling Rodeo with cheers.

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    3. I think he's getting better. He thinks he isn't, but then he's one of these folks who believes he should heal in five minutes or less. You don't heal from MAJOR surgery that fast!

      I also have to admit that I'm cheating and getting used to the track while he's in hospital. Shame on me.

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    4. Well, that track is very interesting looking. Who built it? It looks professional to me. As a veteran of three surgeries, yes, it takes time to heal. After my broken femur surgery, it was a long recovery period, especially with stairs and walking around the sidewalks with a quad cane. And surgeries just wear a person out, takes time to get stamina. Definitely time to read and watch good British mysteries.

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    5. Actually, the man in charge of building our racetrack is the same man who remodeled the guest bath. Quite handy, he is!

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    6. Handy and good at the job. Wonder if he travels. Hmmm.

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    7. He might if you pay his fare. ;-)

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  2. I really want to read it now that I've seen your review.

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read it and that you'll enjoy it, too, Harvee.

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  3. Oh, Sulari Gentill is such a talented writer, Cathy! I'm so happy to see this here (it's on my wish list), and even happier to see that it lives up to her other work. I hope this one has a lot of success.

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  4. That does sound intriguing. I haven't read this writer's work so once again you are introducing me to someone new. I'm adding her to my list.

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  5. This one has been on my radar. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

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  6. This one was already on my list, so I'm glad to know how much you enjoyed it.

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    1. I thought it might already be on your list, FR. :-)

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