The Librarian of Crooked Lane

The Glass Library, Book 1

By: C.J. Archer

Narrated by: Marian Hussey

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 best-selling 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?

©2022 C.J. Archer (P)2022 C.J. Archer

Can’t wait for book2

I stumbled upon this book, decided to give it a listen. It turned out to have interesting characters a plot I almost guessed but didn’t have it quite right and an almost love story. Still hoping for the love interest to blossom on book 2. Satisfying ending designed to make you want more snd I do. I’d recommend reading or listening to this book.

Good cozy read!

Narrator does a great job with difference voices and tones, and the character growth is great! Also the “who done it” part wasn’t obvious, like with some other mysteries! The wrap up was really well done. Would recommend!

Good book

I bought this as a deal of the day and thought I'd give it a try. It didn't have a lot of action but I thought it was a decent listen. I will be listening to the next book when it is available.

Enjoyable

Interesting world where every object seems to have magician tied to it. The murder story is good too. Looking forward to book 2.

loved it

I loved the story. The characters are cute and spunky with a bit of angst.

Great book!

I loved every minute of this book! Clean language and great narration. Can't wait for the next one!

A good low key Fantasy

Not necessarily my typical read, nor would I say it feels like a fantasy book, more like historical fiction. However, it is good for what it is and seems pretty well written. The characters had depth and were likeable. The plot kept moving and was entertaining. It's a bit of a crime novel wrapped inside historical fiction and with a fantasy label stuck on it. I mean the magic plays a role in the plot, but doesn't really do anything for the story and certainly not the world building. I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt that more will be revealed in future books. The performance was very good. Overall, a good listen.

fun read

Thers is lot's of fun in this book. Twists, turns and intrigue to hold one's attention.

Finally a good story of a female bibliophile

Most books with a bibliophile as a main character, tend as the story progresses to become a secondary character or one that the other main characters have to "save" all the time. Even though Sylvia a bit skater-brain and easy to get attached, she does seem to be a strong character that just needs a little support to get her sea legs. so to speak. The author didn't seem to be forcing to have bad thing happen or make her look bad, more just that she didn't get off to a good start.

I was very happy I purchased and really surprised that I enjoyed it. Hope there are more in the works.

Entertaining

I did like this story. I found it entertaining. Although I kept getting annoyed of the main character saying that she didn't want to see him again, but then relented.

There is room for growth in this story and for things to happen.