Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Woman in the Library

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill

73 reviews

robotswithpersonality's review

mysterious medium-paced

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

Okay, THIS is what I want my murder mysteries to be like. Book w/i a book w/i a book? If a book tells the story of an author writing a story that begins with an author writing a story...feels kinda M.C. Escher! Speaking of drawn hands, can I just say how much I love this cover?
Incidentally, I'm sorry for anyone who picked this up thinking it was a thriller. The pace is slower, though the gradual build up of information, tension, suspicion and reveals really worked for me. There are many charming moments, even charming characters, which has not been my (brief) experience of thrillers either.
I could make a lot of individual character commentary but it's more fun if you learn it as you read.
The remarks throughout on social issues playing into the narrative, make for interesting reflections for the reader. The clap back with the hoodies? The Australian cafe uniform? Ohmigod I LOVED it.
The epistolary portion of this work does cover 2020 events - Australian bush fires, pandemic outbreak, Black Lives Matter protests and (prejudiced character) discussing race so be warned; might be redundant for murder mystery but warning also for descriptions of violence/murder.

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someryarns's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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aliciaurbain's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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linneak's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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atamano's review

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mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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allisonplus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.0

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cwerber's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Spoiler

The whole narrative within a narrative is usually okay with me...until it's not. I'm not excatly sure what it adds to the narrative of the other story, but this wasn't it.

One of the characters really made me roll my eyes. Seriously, you've been a stalker sweetheart. It's not loyalty or concern. It's stalking. And then to turn around and accuse the narrator of sleeping with the person you're stalking? Ugh. Sorry, Marigold, you're a bit too much for me.

And Leo (Freddie's friend or whatever), no. Nope. You're much too good to be true.

The info we found out about Whit came a little too late. He was also much too charming and I didn't like him at all. But then again, I don't think I like many people at all so that could be me.

The reader is made to believe that Cain is the murderer from almost the get-go. Shady past; time spent in jail; living on the streets, etc. But Marigold and Whit seem too eager to pin it on him very quickly.

I guess it brings me to Freddie, our main character and narrator of the story, an Australian living in Boston on a scholarship to write her book for a year. She seemed determined to want to fall in love with Cain. I could see tantalizing glimpses of her life - a dead sister whose death Freddie witnessed - but they were glimpses.

I take that back, each character could have done with fleshed-out backstories. But there you have it. I should have stopped when I struggled but I finished.

This book, obviously, wasn't for me. A reverse locked room mystery set in Boston with questionable or naive characters.

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laura_keoski's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This was one of the more creative murder mysteries I've read this year! I thought the plot-within-a-plot device was used in a really clever way, and allowed space to explore some interesting topics about the genre itself.

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skyejay95's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

It was ok. I didn’t care about anyone enough to care when something bad happened to them. It was very slow. I was expecting a murder mystery and it wasn’t that until the last 30 pages. The subplot was the most interesting thing about the book and the fact the even in the world of the book, the mystery is fiction made me care less. Just wasn’t for me.

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