The Woman in the Library
-
-
4.0 • 37 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE CRIME FICTION LOVER BEST INDIE NOVEL 2022
NOMINEE 2023 EDGAR AWARDS - MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
‘a true master of the genre’ - The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Wickedly clever, highly original and thoroughly entertaining – I loved it!’ - Chris Hammer, author of Scrublands and Treasure and Dirt
‘a seriously fun read.’ - Dervla McTIernan, author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule
‘This elegantly constructed novel is intelligent, funny, and profound. Who could ask for more?’ - Publishers Weekly
‘And then there is a scream. Ragged and terrified. A beat of silence even after it stops, until we all seem to realise that the Reading Room Rules no longer apply.’
Hannah Tigone, bestselling Australian crime author, is crafting a new novel that begins in the Boston Public Library: four strangers; Winifred, Cain, Marigold and Whit are sitting at the same table when a bloodcurdling scream breaks the silence. A woman has been murdered. They are all suspects, and, as it turns out, each character has their own secrets and motivations – and one of them is a murderer.
While crafting this new thriller, Hannah shares each chapter with her biggest fan and aspirational novelist, Leo. But Leo seems to know a lot about violence, motive, and how exactly to kill someone. Perhaps he is not all that he seems…
The Woman in the Library is an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship – and shows that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.
PRAISE FOR THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY:
‘This is a brilliant book about words. The right and the wrong words. How fact can become fiction, fiction fantasy.’ — The Australian Women's Weekly
‘Sulari Gentill pulls back the curtain on writers and their fixations, revealing the duplicity, the secret rages and the jealousy. Everything, no matter how dire, is material in the end.’ – Jock Serong, author of THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET and THE BURNING ISLAND
‘a page-turner from beginning to end.’ – New York Journal of Books
‘The Woman in the Library is devious, tricksy and unpredictable. Gentill kept me guessing to the end. Clever, layered and highly original.’ – Karen Viggers, author of THE LIGHTKEEPER’S WIFE and THE ORCHARDIST’S DAUGHTER
‘An enormously clever book. I lay awake thinking about it every night until I finished it.’ – Jack Heath, author of HANGMAN and KILL YOUR BROTHER
‘A vibrant, twisty murder mystery told vividly and with great humour.’ - Kaaron Warren, author of MISTIFACTION and THE GRIEF HOLE
‘Great characters, beautifully written. Sulari Gentill delivers another murder mystery gem.’ - Tim Ayliffe, author of THE GREATER GOOD and THE ENEMY WITHIN
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This thrilling excursion into metafiction from Australian author Gentill (Crossing the Lines) wittily examines the writing process itself. Australian mystery writer Winifred "Freddie" Kincaid has come to Boston after receiving a prestigious writers' fellowship. While she's seeking inspiration in the Boston Public Library, a woman's scream breaks the silence. Freddie seizes on this incident as the ideal start for her new opus, which involves "a group of people united by a scream." Each chapter of Freddie's book includes a letter written to famous Australian author Hannah Tigone by a dedicated fan, Leo Johnson, a fellow writer in residence who offers to be her beta reader. Hannah is writing the story of Freddie Kincaid, who's writing the story of the murder in the library. Leo's emails influence Hannah's view of her characters and subsequently Freddie's story. Leo's emails shift from sycophantic to profoundly disturbing when his novel is rejected by Hannah's agent. The agent dies a few days later, and murders in the two realities begin to multiply. This elegantly constructed novel is intelligent, funny, and profound. Who could ask for more?
Customer Reviews
The Woman in the Library
I loved this book, the characters, the style of writing and the technique all made it an exciting and engrossing read
Loved It!
Four strangers…A quite library…The Perfect Place for murder…”
A bloodcurdling scream in a Boston public library resulting in the murder of a woman sets this tale off and brings together four strangers who each becomes a suspect.
Everything about this book drew me in and had me hooked. From its Hitchcock vibe cover (the Australian version), to its interesting and intriguing story line, I couldn’t wait to dive in!
Right from the outset Gentill had my attention. She knows how to weave a suspenseful, clever and twisty tale and I loved the story within a story concept,that has been executed perfectly!
The characters each bring the story to life and I enjoyed getting to know them and their hidden secrets. They are a diverse bunch and make the story all the more riveting.
The Woman in the Library is a super fun and entertaining mystery to sink your teeth into and I absolutely loved it! I am so glad to have been introduced to Gentill’s work, who I found to be a wonderful story teller and I look forward to reading more from her.