Review of The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan.

 

I want to welcome Gilly Macmillan to Books R Us. Gilly is the author of "The Burning Library." Thanks for stopping by.

About the Book:

A thrilling dark-academia tale of murder, obsession and ruthless ambition set in remote St Andrews, Scotland

On a frigid, windswept day in Scotland’s Western Hebrides, Eleanor Bruton’s body is discovered on the shore. To her family Eleanor was an ordinary middle-aged woman. She made flower arrangements and plumped kneeler cushions at church. Little did they know she was harboring a dark and all-consuming secret: a scrap of fraying embroidery that seems worthless at first glance.

For more than a century two rival organizations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure the valuable artifact in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn: The Order of St Katherine, devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows to exercise control. And the Fellowship of the Larks, determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible…so long as their methods of doing so never come to light.

When Dr Anya Brown garners international attention for her translation of the cryptic Folio 9, she is handpicked by Diana Cornish, a professor and high-ranking member of the Fellowship of the Larks, to join the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies in St Andrews. Meanwhile at Scotland Yard, Detective Clio Spicer begins a private investigation into the death of Eleanor Bruton.

As all of them grow further entangled in this ancient web, circumstances are spinning wildly out of control and their lives may be in grave danger. 

My Thoughts:  

“The Burning Library” is a novel by an author new to me. The story is compelling and suspenseful, focusing on two secret women’s groups who have spent years searching for an artifact—a scrap of embroidery—that could lead them to The Book of Wonder, a manuscript said to grant control over society. With competing motives, each group vies for the prize, while Dr. Ana Brown, the protagonist, is drawn into the tangled mystery. I was immersed in a world of deceit, darkness, peril, murder, and memorable characters that enriched the plot.  I give the book 5/5 stars.

 

About the Author: 

Gilly Macmillan is the New York Times & Sunday Times bestselling author of TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, THE NANNY, WHAT SHE KNEW (previously published as BURNT PAPER SKY in some territories), THE PERFECT GIRL, ODD CHILD OUT & I KNOW YOU KNOW.

Gilly is Edgar Award nominated and an ITW award finalist. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages.

She grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and also lived in Northern California. She studied History of Art at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

Gilly lives in Bristol, UK with her family and writes full time. She’s currently working on her seventh novel. 

 

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 Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.