Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McKinnon, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McKinnon family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.
But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser, and instantly knows that it’s not a chance meeting. She’s all too familiar with Theo’s good looks and smooth talk, and his uncanny ability to appear whenever there’s a treasure that needs locating.
Almost as soon as Mirren and Theo arrive at the castle, a deep snow blankets the Highlands, cutting off the outside world. Stuck inside, the three of them plot their search as the wind whistles outside. Mirren knows that Jamie’s grandfather, the castle’s most recent laird, had been a book collector, a hoarder, and a great lover of treasure hunts. Now they must unpuzzle his clues, discovering the secrets of the house—forming and breaking alliances in a race against time.
A treat for booklovers and treasure hunters alike, The Secret Christmas Library serves up a delicious mystery with a hint of romance, and plenty of holiday spirit!
PJ's Thoughts:
Jenny Colgan is an author whose holiday novels I look forward to with excitement each year. She always takes me on an intriguing adventure, whether it be to a dusty Edinburgh book store (The Christmas Bookshop and Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop in 2021 and 2023) or a creaky castle at the northern tip of the Highlands in this year's The Secret Christmas Library.
This newest book bubbles over with things to love. There's a bit of fairy tale quality to Mirren's unexpected journey to the Highlands which then transitions into a Gothic vibe when she reaches her destination. Colgan sets the scene beautifully with all the atmosphere I could ask for: a crumbling castle with iffy electrical power at the edge of the North Sea, dusty rooms overflowing with books of all sorts, a dangerous snowstorm, and did I mention no neighbors? Very isolated.
The cast of characters is small but compelling, especially when the reason for these five being stuck together is a treasure hunt for a priceless book that may - or may not - be somewhere within the hundreds of thousand of books in the castle. Yes, the castle owner's grandfather was a book hoarder. He was also fond of riddles hidden in the most obscure and unlikely of places.
The hunt is on and it's a gem. I was totally invested in the search for the missing book, in the evolving relationships forming among the characters, in the touch of romance (with a happy ending), and in trying to outwit a wily grandfather who left behind one last riddle to save the estate...or not.
If you can't make it to a castle on the edge of the North Sea this winter, I enthusiastically recommend adding The Secret Christmas Library to your holiday reading list instead. You will definitely feel like you're there!
Readers, have you ever visited Scotland?
Do you enjoy Gothic romance?
Have you read any of Jenny Colgan's books?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, November 23 will receive a print copy of The Secret Christmas Library.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
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