The Burning Library
- Judith D Collins
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
By: Gilly Macmillan
ISBN: 9780063422919
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 11/18/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: TBR
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.
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Praise
Gilly Macmillan takes the thriller genre to a whole new level with The Burning Library, a beautifully-written story of dark obsession and murderous ambition. Outstanding."
— B.A. Paris, New York Times bestselling author
"I inhaled this fast-paced, clever thriller! A race against time...where every revelation comes with a price and nobody can be trusted."
— Claire Douglas
“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
“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
About the Book
Photo credit © Barbara Evripidou
Gilly Macmillan is the internationally bestselling author of eight novels: WHAT SHE KNEW, THE PERFECT GIRL, ODD CHILD OUT, I KNOW YOU KNOW, THE NANNY, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, THE LONG WEEKEND, THE MANOR HOUSE (published as THE FALL in the UK) and THE BURNING LIBRARY, which will be published in the US on November 18, 2025 and in the UK on November 18, 2025 in ebook & January 29, 2026 in hardback.
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, a Book of the Month pick, an Edgar award nominee, and an International Thriller Writers award finalist. THE NANNY was a Spring 2020 Richard & Judy WHSmith Book Club pick and TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH was named one of the best thrillers of 2020 by the New York Times.
Gilly’s novels have appeared on the New York Times, Sunday Times, Globe & Mail and Der Spiegel bestseller lists and have been translated into 25 languages. She’s been described as ‘one heck of a good writer’ (Wall Street Journal) and her novels have been praised as ‘nuanced, completely addictive’ (People), ‘riveting’ (Publishers Weekly), and ‘visceral, emotionally charged…heart-wrenchingly well told’ (The Daily Mail). WEBSITE
