The Woman in the Library, by Sulari Gentill (Poisoned Pen; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week (6/6/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Writer Freddie Kincaid studies the people sharing her table at the Boston Public Library, naming them “Freud Girl,” “Heroic Chin,” and “Handsome Man.” They hear a scream and learn that a woman has been murdered—that’s when Freddie says one of them is a killer. The subsequent story is Freddie’s account of her growing friendship with those three, attacks on two of them, and the growing awareness that one is attacking the others. But Hannah Tignone, a best-selling Australian author, is actually writing the story of Freddie and her new friends. The story within a story alternates Hannah’s writing with letters written to her by a wannabe author, Leo, who suggests changes to Hannah’s plot and characters. Freddie’s account of trying to discover which of her new friends is a killer is an engrossing mystery. At the same time, Hannah’s communication from the FBI allows the reader a glimpse into the life of a writer with a fanatical correspondent. VERDICT Ned Kelly Award winner Gentill (Crossing the Lines) presents a complex, riveting story within a story. The fictional story of an author writing about another writer with messy, complicated friendships and suspicion is an innovative literary mystery.—Reviewed by Lesa Holstine

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk (Poisoned Pen)

Appeared on the January 2022 LibraryReads list

“When the director of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections suffers a stroke, Liesl is put in charge. Then a newly acquired manuscript goes missing, and Liesl’s leadership and decisions are questioned. A fast read that features older and imperfect characters, and addresses mental illness. For fans of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore and The Lions of Fifth Avenue.”—Alison Zaya, Lowell Library, Lowell, MA

The Maid by Nita Prose (Ballantine; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the January 2022 LibraryReads list

“As a maid in a posh hotel, Molly is very proud of her work and the care she takes of the guests, even though she often has difficulty navigating social cues. When she finds a wealthy guest dead, she never imagines she has the keys to uncover a killer, and finds, after the death of her beloved Gran, there are many people willing to help her. For fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and How Lucky.”—Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, Flemington, NJ

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (Morrow)

A campus novel, a library novel, a work of magical realism: Shepherd (The Book of M) deftly blends all three in an engrossing tale involving maps, murders, and rooms that are not there. Cartographer Nell Young had a bright future until her father inexplicably ruined her career. Now this legend who ruled the map rooms of the New York Public Library is dead, and his legacy seems to be a tattered, cheap map, the kind that was once handed out at gas stations when $10 filled the tank. But some maps, no matter how seemingly outdated, are magical. This one sends Nell and a growing cast of comrades into her parents’ past, illuminating the outlines of terra incognita. Readers will be hooked and find their imaginations sparking as they turn the pages. Shepherd matches the drama and whimsy of the story with quick, straightforward prose that keeps her multilayered and accelerating plot neatly under control. VERDICT A shimmering delight, full of wonder, danger, and marvel. Suggest to readers of Erin Morgenstern, who has a similar ethos, and Natasha Pulley, who, like Shepherd, well knows how to end a story.—Reviewed by Neal Wyatt