When Merlin vanishes, Susan will battle animated statues of heraldic beasts and use magical maps to rescue him on a hunt that leads to a serial killer who must be stopped before she kills again.
There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.
The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an ancient sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Portland Stone. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.
If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.
The series
In a London where the mundane and the mystical collide, the Left-Handed Booksellers of London series takes readers on a whirlwind adventure through a city steeped in hidden magic and ancient lore. This isn’t your typical urban fantasy—here, magical booksellers are not just librarians, but fierce protectors of reality, guarding against the wild forces of the Old World that constantly threaten to spill into the present.
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At the heart of the story is Susan Arkshaw, an art student whose search for her mysterious father plunges her into this secretive world. What begins as a personal quest quickly becomes something much more dangerous as she finds herself entangled with a family of magical beings, each with their own role in keeping the balance between the supernatural and the everyday. But the booksellers have their own agendas, and not everyone can be trusted.
Enter Merlin, the charming and unpredictable left-handed bookseller, who uses both his considerable fighting skills and his magical prowess to protect the city from lurking threats. Together with his intellectual and savvy sister Vivien, Merlin helps Susan navigate a landscape where magical creatures, ancient prophecies, and hidden truths are just a few of the dangers that await.
This series expertly blends fast-paced action, quirky humor, and an immersive alternate history of London where myths and legends live just around the corner. It’s a world where knowledge is power, and the very bookshelves are a battleground. With a rich, detailed world that feels both familiar and entirely new, the Left-Handed Booksellers of London series offers a fresh take on magical realism, grounded in sharp character dynamics and a growing sense of wonder.
If you’re drawn to stories where the hidden world is just beneath the surface, and where every book might hold a secret that could change everything, this series invites you to open its pages and discover a magical world you never knew existed.
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