Sulari Gentill spent her time during the pandemic lockdown penning THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, a brilliant mystery-within-a-mystery that should get nominated for a number of awards.

The book begins with a deceptively simple email from Leo Johnson that starts off, “Dear Hannah, What are you writing?” The message appears innocent enough, and it feels like the two correspondents are either friends or colleagues. Hannah Tigone is the author of the novel we are reading within this puzzle box created by Gentill, and the first chapter opens with four students, all of whom are strangers, in the reading room at the Boston Public Library.

"Several surprises are in store for both Freddie and Hannah’s stories, making THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY a mystery that will keep readers guessing right up until the stunning finale."

The narrator of Hannah’s story is Australian mystery writer Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid, who takes notes on the observations she makes about the three individuals sitting around her. She would like to use them as characters in a novel that she plans to write. She labels the heavily tattooed girl who appears to be a psych major “Freud Girl”; the tall, well-bred law student with the granite jaw becomes “Heroic Chin”; and the mysteriously quiet gentleman next to him is “Handsome Man.”

The moment when all four make eye contact is broken by a terrifying scream. At that point, they decide to leave the library and go to the nearby Tea Lounge to get better acquainted. Freddie indicates that she is about to have her first coffee with a killer. Following each chapter, we see the email correspondence with Leo as he comments on what was just written. As he lives in Boston, he continues to offer suggestions and changes, pointing out cultural differences between America and Australia.

Ironically, one of Hannah’s characters is named Leo, a student who is Freddie’s neighbor. He is a real Southern gentleman; like the Leo she corresponds with in real life, he offers to help Freddie get acclimated to Boston. Cain, aka “Handsome Man,” is also a published author, which immediately aligns him with Freddie, who already has found him appealing. They learn that the scream they heard was that of fellow student Caroline Palfrey, who was found dead at the library that day. Although it would seem that all four of these strangers have alibis, we know that Freddie went out of her way to indicate that she was in the presence of a murderer. So stay tuned, readers!

Meanwhile, the exchanges between Hannah and Leo are getting testy, and his emails are becoming more threatening. He is angry that her narrative is not recognizing the pandemic and continues to be quite frustrated by her cultural references, which he does not agree with. Despite the geographical distance between them, Hannah does not feel entirely safe.

Several surprises are in store for both Freddie and Hannah’s stories, making THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY a mystery that will keep readers guessing right up until the stunning finale.