Book Review: The Burning Library

The Burning Library

By Gilly Macmillan

In this dark academic adventure and mystery, Dr. Anya Brown has published a revelatory thesis decoding an old text. Yet a piece of embroidery provides the key to a mystery surrounding another powerful book, one rumored to not even exist anymore. Could an old piece of cloth really inspire murder, and why?

 Ruthless and powerful people will do almost anything to entice Anya to work for them, which is how she winds up at St. Andrews University in coastal Scotland, yet quickly spirited away and asked to sign an NDA in order to examine rare books in a nearby castle. Throughout the book, Anya deals with tough decisions related to her mom, mom’s illness, long-lost father, computer-hacker boyfriend, and of course, her new job decoding old, mysterious manuscripts! I love books about mysteries and old books (think: Possession by A.S. Byatt), AND missing/stolen art, and this novel did not disappoint on delving into those areas.

The Burning Library is a genre pivot for thriller author Gilly Macmillan, author of bestselling books like The Nanny, What She Knew, and The Long Weekend, among others. I have read many of her books and enjoyed their fast-paced plot and twists that I often did not predict. Her characters are usually funny or engaging or intriguing.

 Yet The Burning Library felt special to me because I loved the atmospheric setting, the idea of two powerful women’s groups working behind the scenes to gain more power for women in society, and I related to Dr. Anya Brown’s journey as a new professor and book-lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.