Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Η γυναίκα στη βιβλιοθήκη

This was a fun little mystery and a decent audiobook. It's a book-within-a-book story, and story A kept me guessing and intrigued while story B was honestly cracking me up.

Story A is the main one, the one from the book summary, and I was expecting more of a locked-room mystery, but the library part is only at the beginning and then they quickly move on. There are a lot of red flags that distracted me from the obvious culprit, so I stayed on my toes the whole time, never really sure who the big bad was. I liked the characters, though the plot is definitely the main focus.

But what really set this book apart was story B, where we discover that story A is actually a book being written, and the author is corresponding with a beta reader about her work. Through these letters, we learn about the Australian author and the beta reader, who lives in Boston where story A takes place. These letters were mostly at the end of each chapter, with the beta reader giving commentary on the previous chapter. Like I said, they just cracked me up and the twists and turns that story B takes really made this murder mystery unique.

Give this one a listen if you like libraries or a story-within-a-story plot or books about writers or a classic whodunnit mystery.

Thanks to Libro.fm, Dreamscape Media, and the author for my ALC!

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starklinqs's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not going to spoil this book’s format, as it’s not in the description, but it’s truly a unique one that I haven’t read in a thriller before, and it immediately drew me into the story. I found myself caring immensely about both stories (and if anything, that’s why this gets 4.75 and not a perfect 5/5, because I was so invested in BOTH and wanted to know more about one of the stories than what we got). I’ve never read this author before but I definitely want to check out more of her stuff from now on - this book had me so invested, and I was dying trying to figure out what was going to happen. I honestly should have slept a while ago but I couldn’t, because I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next.

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theoceanrose's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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booksteastories's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hannah, a successful novelist, is writing a book about four strangers who bond and become friends over the shared experience of hearing a scream in the Boston Public Library and later decide to investigate when a girl is found dead in the same place. We read the book as she writes it and the chapters are interspersed with email feedback from Leo, a desperate not-yet-author.

Essentially, there are two main plot lines — the one wherein we follow Freddie and the one where we get glimpses of what is happening within Hannah’s life through the emails that she receives. Although at first I felt as though the fact that Freddie’s story is fiction-fiction detracted from my engagement, I quickly became invested in both plots. I quite enjoyed the fact this was, essentially, a writer writing about a writer writing about a writer writing a story based on her life (try to say that quickly five times), it was a level of inception I’ve never seen before.

The writing style was also quite novel to me — less descriptions and a lot of dialogue and deliberation. However, Leo felt very distinct from the book itself. I was completely consumed by this book — I stayed up late just to find out what was actually happening and whether my suspicions were correct, which was a really fun experience. My one qualm is that at times, the book feels like a vessel for commentary on the world of writing, as well as social commentary. It felt a little overwhelming at certain moments but it was also interesting.

The characters are usually the most important part of the book for me, what gets me invested. I cannot say I was really invested in any of the characters, however, because of the framing of the book and the plot, I was still deeply invested in the plot.

Overall, a deeply addictive story that I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys mystery-thrillers.

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