Gilly MacMillan's The Burning Library cleverly combines elements of history, puzzles, artworks, and secret organizations in a thrilling plot.
Oxford University graduate student Anya Brown's unprecedented translation of a cryptic and rare medieval manuscript that had been considered indecipherable brings her an onslaught of attention. Lucrative job offers from top-tier universities in the U.K. and the U.S. come at the right time as Anya is "as flat broke as any PhD student." But she needs to stay in Great Britain because her mother is seriously ill and her boyfriend, Sid, is finishing his computer science studies. Anya chooses the small but prestigious Institute of Manuscript Studies in picturesque St. Andrews, Scotland; the job includes a high salary, a cottage for two, a job for Sid, and it can accommodate traveling to London. Unknown to her, Anya is targeted by two shadowy rival women's organizations, the Fellowship of the Larks and the Order of St. Katherine. Both covert groups believe Anya can help find and decipher the ancient and long-lost artifact known as "The Book of Wonder." Ruthless manipulation by both of the centuries-old groups reaches the highest political and elite strata. Entering the fray is Scotland Yard detective Clio Spicer, whose mentor warns her about the groups shortly before she is killed. With Clio's aid, Anya and Sid maneuver through the groups' deception and violence as more murders occur over the course of the complex but cohesive plot.
MacMillan's strong characters make her dark-academic approach work despite occasionally bordering on unrealistic. MacMillan (The Long Weekend; The Nanny) artfully imbues The Burning Library with medieval history, ancient and contemporary codes, and family issues. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer