Book Review for The Bookbinder's Secret by A.D. Bell

 

The Bookbinder's Secret by A.D. Bell

Published: January 13, 2026 by St. Martin's Press

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Books About Books

 

Taken from Goodreads:  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 Thoughts:  A book about books that is a historical fiction with a touch of magic…sounds perfect.   This book had me enchanted from the beginning and kept me entertained until I read the last page.  I love the main mystery, but the other parts of the story were just as wonderful. 

Lily is a character wiser than her years and the time she is living in.   I enjoyed seeing her be persistent in her search for the answers of this unknown book and author.  Her willingness to put herself in danger to protect those around her showed her strength and love for others.   All that she learned while searching for the missing books and clues gave us a great look at a past couples history.

The Bookbinder’s Secret is an amazing historical fiction book, go get your copy!   I highly recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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