The Bookbinder's Secret: A Novel by A.D. Bell ~ My Review

Hello, my friends!  Today, I have a book review for you! It' been a long time since I've reviewed a book. But St. Martin's Press offered me an eCopy of The Bookbinder's Secret, and I took it! 😃

The Bookbinder's Secret

by A.D. Bell

Expected Publication Date: January 13, 2026

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 400 

Received: I received an eCopy from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.

Rating: 4 stars

Book Description

Every book tells a story. This one tells a secret. 

A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a burned book reveals a story of forbidden love, lost fortune, and murder. 

Lilian ("Lily") Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life. She is trapped between the oppressiveness of her father’s failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man’s profession. But when she’s given a burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder. 

Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but she is not the only one looking for the remaining books and what began as a diverting intrigue quickly becomes a very dangerous pursuit. 

Lily's search leads her from the eccentric booksellers of London to the private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, deep into the heart of the mystery. But with sinister forces closing in, willing to do anything for the books, Lilian’s world begins to fall apart and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth the risk to her own life.

 

My Review 

The Bookbinder’s Secret by A.D. Bell is a great mystery!

Set in the early 1900s, Lillian is an apprentice bookbinder (rare for a woman). She is given a badly burned book in which she finds a letter hidden in the binding. She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the lady who wrote the letter and her lover.

Lillian continues searching for the other five books in the series in hopes of uncovering the rest of the hidden story. She picks away at it, gaining small clues as she travels the country. She meets some interesting and strange people along the way. But danger follows her closely, threatening her and her loved ones.

I thought it was an impossible task, but Lillian would keep scratching away at it. First out of curiosity, then out of fear and desperation to find the truth and end her nightmare.

Along the way, she also learns about love and just how small her world really is.

I also loved the story within the story! With every book she finds, more of the mysterious lady's story is revealed.

FTC Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for my eCopy of the book, and congratulations to A.D. Bell for the release of The Bookbinder's Secret!

Book Links

Amazon US (paid link)

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So friends, what are your thoughts? Does this sound like a book you would like to read?