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From the internationally bestselling author of The Nanny and What She Knew comes a thrilling dark academic tale of murder, obsession and ruthless ambition, set in remote St Andrews, Scotland.
A deadly rivalry.
A chilling secret.
One woman who can decipher the truth.
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 did 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 over 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, to join the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies in St Andrews. Unbeknownst to Anya she's been recruited at great personal danger to translate ancient texts that the Fellowship believes critical to their mission.
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.
Perfect for fans of Alex Michaelides and Ruth Ware, The Burning Library is the story of a centuries-old secret set to divide and consume those who seek to unearth it.
"Tantalizing tidbits of medieval history aren't enough to outweigh the book's crowded cast of undermotivated characters or its frustrating refusal to tie up its core mysteries. This has more atmosphere than substance." —Publishers Weekly
"Macmillan's (The Manor House) compelling blend of academic intrigue, historical mystery, and high-stakes suspense makes this a must-read for fans of Kate Morton and Elizabeth Kostova." —Library Journal
"The newest novel from the author of The Nanny (2019) and The Long Weekend (2022) is something a bit different: a contemporary thriller with origins rooted centuries in the past...The stakes are incredibly high...Although not a James Rollins-style action-adventure yarn, the book could catch on with historical mystery readers, and Macmillan's fans will love it." —Booklist
"Dr. Anya Brown becomes an unwitting pawn between two secretive, warring, and dangerous factions of women in search of a priceless medieval manuscript. Fresh, fun, and full of thrills, The Burning Library is dark academia with a sly, feminist twist—deliciously entertaining! Highly recommended!" —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author
This information about The Burning Library 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.
http://www.gillymacmillan.com/
Gilly Macmillan is the internationally bestselling author of five novels including What She Knew, The Perfect Girl, Odd Child Out, I Know You Know and The Nanny.
A former art historian and photographer, Gilly studied at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She lives in Bristol, UK, with her husband and three children.
Her first novel, What She Knew, was a Target pick, a LibraryReads pick, an Indie Next pick, an Edgar award nominee, and an International Thriller Writers award finalist.
Gilly's novels have appeared on the New York Times, Globe & Mail and Der Spiegel bestseller lists, been translated into over 20 languages and sold over one million copies worldwide. She's been described as 'one heck of a good writer' (Wall Street Journal) and her novels ...
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