The Librarian of Crooked Lane: The Glass Library, book 1

Written 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 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…

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.J. Archer
• Release date: Sep 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922554215

C.J. Archer

Over 3 MILLION books sold! C.J. Archer is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of historical mystery and historical fantasy novels including the GLASS AND STEELE series, the CLEOPATRA FOX MYSTERIES, the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES and THE GLASS LIBRARY series. C.J. has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, 2 children and Coco the black and white cat. Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book, as well as get access to exclusive content and subscriber-only giveaways. Join via her website: www.cjarcher.com Follow C.J. on social media to get the latest updates on her books: Facebook: www.facebook.com/CJArcherAuthorPage Twitter: www.twitter.com/cj_archer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcjarcher/

Reviews for The Librarian of Crooked Lane

[Bridgette Burnett · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Written well, but definitely more of a mystery rather than a fantasy/magical centered book. Got bored and quit around Chapter 16.

[lalondemarie6381202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a relaxing read and I liked the characters.

[corie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My only complaint is that it wasn't a longer read!
I enjoyed all the characters and look forward to reading the rest in the series.

[Lisa Moriah Chenthitta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this very much. Looking forward to the next one

[Emma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! The mix of 1920s london with magical realism made for a fabulous art based mystery. Cant wait to read more in this series.

[Wendy Pisani Hertel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a lovely book. Look forward to the next two!

[emshackelford · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very intriguing story. I’m excited to learn more about Sylvia’s past and fully understand what exactly is going on with Gabe - something there!

[Claudia Vivanco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun, cute, set in our world but where many people have magic. We would call it talent. Enjoyable read.

[Caroline De Vere · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book is ok, but I felt lacked depth, too much descriptive writing and not enough character interactions for me, It was lovely to hear Willie and Cyclopse again, Matts son sounds very much like him when he was younger, wild and a fred spirit. , it introduces the new characters nicely. , I look forward to the next book though knowing The glass and Steele Series is a hard act to follow.

[debbaworks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the story, it was a good mystery with fun characters. It was a little breathless YA on the romance angle, but stopped just short of being too icky. Not enough for me to deduct a star.

[L'illette Vasquez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story, excellent writing, and my new favorite narrator. What a delight!

[Hanlie Noeth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want more. When will the 2nd book be published?

[Sarah Van Martin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you love the glass and Steele series this book is the next in your reading list. Enjoy the charm of the 1920s and find out what happened to many of your beloved characters.

Also begin to unlock the new mysteries and solve some crime. Oh this is good - there is so many ways this story can go .

Until March for the next book :)

[Sarah Cassady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic! The quality of the characters is the best part.

[Jess Vasas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am so glad that this universe of the Glass family continues on with these series.
Always a fun, interesting read/listen.

[Kristina Duffy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love the mystery mixed with magic elements. If you haven’t read the series, start with the Glass & Steele series of books. This book will make more sense when read. I am reading this for a second time.

[Tina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

loved it! I CANNOT wait until the next one comes out (:

[Darrell Dyck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sigh. I’m only partway thru, but I feel compelled to write a glowing review already. I’ve gone thru the India Glass series already, and have experienced first-hand the author’s evolution.

(Kudos to the voice talent, as well! Top notch)

Just so you know, you can trust my judgement, I’ve listened to well over three hundred audio books in the last three years, most of them in the related detective / historical fiction / scifi-fantasy / historical romance genres.

This author/narrator team is top-notch. The only better team I can think of is Elizabeth Peters / Barbara Rosenblatz. And that’s saying something!

[EimsDT · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was enjoyable but a bit bland... I felt the plot had a lot of components and the author didn't really go deep in any of them, so it felt a bit unfinished. I don't think I'll read the second one. The narrator is great, though! She jumps skillfully from accent to accent.

[amy · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book. You read the synopsis wanting to know more about how the magic works in this world and the library. But this is a character driven book that leaves a lot to the imagination. The narrator does a good job, her voice for the American cousin is very annoying.