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A Novel
by Brianna Labuskes
Inspired by true events, a thrilling Depression-era novel from the author of The Librarian of Burned Books about a woman's quest to uncover a mystery surrounding a local librarian and the Boxcar Library—a converted mining train that brought books to isolated rural towns in Montana.
When Works Progress Administration (WPA) editor Millie Lang finds herself on the wrong end of a potential political scandal, she's shipped off to Montana to work on the state's American Guide Series—travel books intended to put the nation's destitute writers to work.
Millie arrives to an eclectic staff claiming their missed deadlines are due to sabotage, possibly from the state's powerful Copper Kings who don't want their long and bloody history with union organizers aired for the rest of the country to read. But Millie begins to suspect that the answer might instead lie with the town's mysterious librarian, Alice Monroe.
More than a decade earlier, Alice Monroe created the Boxcar Library in order to deliver books to isolated mining towns where men longed for entertainment and connection. Alice thought she found the perfect librarian to staff the train car in Colette Durand, a miner's daughter with a shotgun and too many secrets behind her eyes.
Now, no one in Missoula will tell Millie why both Alice and Colette went out on the inaugural journey of the Boxcar Library, but only Alice returned.
The three women's stories dramatically converge in the search to uncover what someone is so desperately trying to hide: what happened to Colette Durand.
Inspired by the fascinating, true history of Missoula's Boxcar Library, the novel blends the story of the strong, courageous women who survived and thrived in the rough and rowdy West with that of the power of standing together to fight for workers' lives. And through it all shines the capacity of books to provide connection and light to those who need it most.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/8/2026)
Hi! I just finished The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes. I was considering the book for my local library book club, especially since the author lives in our state. I also had the opportunity to hear Briann...
-Diane_Jones
What are you reading this week? (4/17/2025)
I'm working on The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes–a good historical novel set in Montana between WW I & WW II–so I can crack open David Baldacci's latest, Strangers in Time.
-Carol_Ann_Robb
"Inspired by the real Missoula Boxcar Library, Labuskes (The Lost Book of Bonn, 2024) explores how isolation and distrust let corruption thrive, how community strengthens our bonds, and how our stories can connect us better than just about anything else." —Booklist
"With engaging characters and a layered plot that combines political events, personal journeys, and a love of literature, The Boxcar Librarian is a treat for history fans and book lovers." —Shelf Awareness
"Inspired by the fascinating real story of a little-known World War II-era group of librarians, authors, publishers, and booksellers who united to fight fascism with literature, The Librarian of Burned Books is a thoroughly engrossing page-turner that proves how powerful words and ideas can be, no matter the era. Filled with intrigue and secrets, this timely novel follows three women from Berlin to Paris to New York City to right past wrongs using books as their weapon of choice." —Elise Hooper, author of Angels of the Pacific
"In her excellent debut novel, Brianna Labuskes writes lovingly of the power of books, libraries, and friendship to sustain us in difficult times, while also offering a stark, unmistakably relevant warning about the dangers of censorship. Fans of historical fiction featuring courageous women will savor The Librarian of Burned Books." —Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Resistance Women
This information about The Boxcar Librarian was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Brianna Labuskes is the USA Today bestselling author of the historical novels The Librarian of Burned Books and The Lost Book of Bonn as well as nine thrillers. For the first decade of her career, Brianna worked as a journalist for national news organizations covering politics and policy.
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