The Librarian of Crooked Lane, C.J. Archer
The Librarian of Crooked Lane, C.J. Archer
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The Librarian of Crooked Lane
The Glass Library, book 1

Author: C.J. Archer

Narrator: Marian Hussey

Unabridged: 8 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: C.J. Archer

Published: 09/06/2022


Synopsis

A librarian with a mysterious past, a war hero with a secret, and the heist of a magic painting. THE LIBRARIAN OF CROOKED LANE is an intriguing new fantasy from C.J. Archer, the USA Today bestselling author of the Glass and Steele series.Librarian Sylvia Ashe knows nothing about her past, having grown up without a father and a mother who refused to discuss him. When she stumbles upon a diary that suggests she’s descended from magicians, she’s skeptical. After all, magicians are special, and she’s just an ordinary woman who loves books. She seeks answers from a member of the most prominent family of magicians, but she quickly learns that finding the truth won’t be easy, especially when he turns out to be as artless as her, and more compelling and dangerous than books.War hero Gabe is gifted with wealth, a loving family, and an incredible amount of luck that saw him survive four harrowing years of a brutal war without injury. But not all injuries are visible. Burying himself in his work as a consultant for Scotland Yard, Gabe is going through the motions as he investigates the theft of a magician-made painting. But his life changes when he unwittingly gets Sylvia dismissed from her job and places her in danger.After securing her new employment in a library housing the world’s greatest collection of books about magic, Gabe and Sylvia’s lives become intwined as they work together to find both the painting and the truth about Sylvia’s past before powerful people can stop them. But sometimes the past is better left buried…

Reviews

Goodreads review by TJ on December 18, 2022

This book is filled with both lovely things and frustrating things. First, I’ll start with the lovely. As with every book I have read of Ms. Archers, her characters are so real, nuanced and endearing that it doesn’t take long at all to be completely enchanted and connected. So no matter what the plot......more

Goodreads review by Mary on February 15, 2023

I can't quite remember how I came across The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer, maybe my library's Hoopla? but I am so happy I did! This is a slow-burn historical fiction novel that has a mystery and a beautiful touch of magic that I actually wished for more of. I didn't know what to expect g......more

Goodreads review by Maria on March 19, 2025

This is a second generation book - the main character is the grown son of Glass and Steele, who have their own series of books. I didn't realize this, but enjoyed the story despite spoilers for the Glass and Steele books. It has a similar formula, with familiar characters, but it's different enough......more

Goodreads review by Sydney on May 02, 2023

This was … fine. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Frankly, it felt like nothing really happened, although clearly it did have a plot so I am not sure why I feel this way. The characters weren’t fleshed out too well and I did not feel like the setting was very well realized either. It’s har......more

Goodreads review by Suzanne on September 16, 2024

I’m slowly catching up on my Bookclub reads. We were to read any book by CJ Archer. I chose The Librarian of Crooked Lane based on the title. I was expecting a cozy mystery set in a library… not quite. There is a smattering of magic, a slow burning romance with an abundance of mystery involving an a......more