On a freezing, windswept day in the Scottish Hebrides, Eleanor Bruton''s body is discovered on the shore. To her family Eleanor was an ordinary middle-aged woman, with a skill for flower arrangements and plumping kneeler cushions at church. Little did they know she was harbouring a dark and all-consuming secret: a scrap of fraying embroidery that seemed worthless at first glance. For over a century two rival organisations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure the valuable artefact 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 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 of doing so never come to light. When renowned expert Dr Anya Brown is handpicked by the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies at St Andrews, she is unaware that she''s been recruited - at her own peril - to translate ancient texts that the Larks believe critical to their mission. Meanwhile, at Scotland Yard, Detective Clio Spicer begins a secret investigation into the death of Eleanor Bruton. As Dr Brown and Detective Spicer become entangled in this ancient web, circumstances spin wildly out of control. Will the battle to advance the rights and power of womankind bring their lives into grave danger? The Burning Library whisks the reader away on an exhilarating chase from the academic cloisters of Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews to the ancient medieval Italian city of Verona.

Autorentext

Gilly Macmillan is the internationally bestselling author of eight critically acclaimed thrillers including The Nanny, What She Knew, The Perfect Girl and The Fall (published as The Manor House in the US).

Her books have graced the bestseller lists of the Sunday Times, New York Times, Globe & Mail and Der Spiegel, been shortlisted for the Edgar and ITW awards and translated into 26 languages.

Gilly lives in Bristol with her family and writes full time.

Klappentext

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