The Burning Library

'A breakneck thriller...if you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code you'll love this!' Harriet Tyce

By: Gilly Macmillan

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Hardcover | 29 January 2026 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Format
Hardcover

Dimensions(cm)
24.1 x 16.1 x 3.1

Hardcover

RRP $59.99

$46.75

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'An exciting and multi-layered academic thriller that reads with the pace and complexity of a feminist The Da Vinci Code'

Irish Independent

'A race against time through ancient manuscripts where every revelation comes with a price'

Claire Douglas, bestselling author of The New Neighbours

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For over a century two rival organisations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure a precious scrap of fraying embroidery in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn.

There's the Order of St Katherine: devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows in order to exercise covert control. And the Fellowship of the Larks: determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible . . . while making sure their methods never come to light.

When trailblazing paleographer Dr Anya Brown is headhunted by the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies at St Andrews, she's unaware that she is in grave danger - her new employers are the Larks, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve their mission.

As Dr Brown is drawn deeper into this ancient web, events spiral beyond her control. To uncover the truth, and escape with her life, she must summon all her expertise to decipher a series of messages that have lain hidden for centuries.

An exhilarating and page-turning race against time, The Burning Library whisks you from the hallowed cloisters of Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews to the stunning medieval Italian city of Verona.

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'Blending academia, history and danger, this high-stakes thriller will have your heart pounding'

Woman & Home

'Macmillan is every bit as thrilling a writer as Dan Brown'

Daily Mail

Industry Reviews

My favourite book of the year! I inhaled this fast-paced, clever thriller. A race against time through ancient manuscripts where every revelation comes with a price and nobody can be trusted, The Burning Library crackles with paranoia and tension on every page. Original, twisty and utterly gripping, this is dark academia at its finest. An outstanding read and Gilly Macmillan's best yet

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!

A beautifully written story of dark obsession and murderous ambition. Outstanding

Ingenious, inventive, highly imaginative. Crying out to be a Netflix series, with its telegenic locations - Oxford, London, Cambridge, St Andrews, Verona and Venice - and a plot which hurtles from one twist to another even faster than Anya and Sid

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