The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
Under the soaring dome of the Boston Public Library, four people meet. Whit, studying to become a lawyer and doing his best to fail; handsome novelist Cain; tattooed Harvard student Marigold; and our protagonist, Freddie, who has arrived in America from Australia on a writing fellowship. Their connection is still tentative and new when they hear someone scream nearby, but the discovery of a body in the library the next day causes them to get closer. Bonded by their shared experience, they attempt to piece together the mystery of the woman in the library, but there are secrets in everyone’s pasts that even the very best of friends would not want to share. And their search, which begins with the bright delight of new friendship, will soon become very dangerous indeed…. a standalone literary mystery that is delightfully self-referential: it constantly reminds you of its fictional scaffolding while making you, somehow, even more invested in the story.
But that’s just a story, isn’t it? A mystery being written by famed Australian writer Hannah Tigone just before the pandemic grips the world. And her most ardent admirer, Leo Johnson, is writing her letters in response to the chapters she sends him, explaining Americanisms, offering advice. Helpful, really. And the Leo in Hannah’s story, Freddie’s neighbour – he’s helpful too.
Sulari Gentill – author of the excellent Rowland Sinclair series – has written a standalone literary mystery that is delightfully self-referential: it constantly reminds you of its fictional scaffolding while making you, somehow, even more invested in the story. This is a clever, twisting piece of meta-crime writing that will have you scouring layers for clues and finding in the pages the joy of a truly original read.
